


Tsuisurando Shōtsu (Twistland Shorts)

by Crun Rules (Driwed)



Category: Disney Twisted Wonderland, Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game), ディズニー ツイステッドワンダーランド
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Genderbend, M/M, Rape, Smut, didn't want to take chances so i just labeled it explicit, just a lot of stuff, so you know... proceed with caution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:42:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 476
Words: 591,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Driwed/pseuds/Crun%20Rules
Summary: A collection of shorts i've written
Relationships: you'll see just read - Relationship
Comments: 8
Kudos: 209





	1. A Note

**Hello! Up until the next note, everything after this are requests I've written for others!**


	2. Japel: Strong and Tough

Jack shook his head as Epel let out a strained grunt. He was really pushing himself too hard these days.

"You're doing great." Jack said, being supportive.

Epel stopped exercising, looking up at Jack.

"You don't have to lie." said Epel, wiping his face with the towel Jack had given him. "I'm only human and there's a limit to what I can do."

"Me? Lie? You know I'm honest to a fault." said Jack, fanning him with his hand.

"Your left ear bends slightly to the right when you lie." Epel mumbled, taking a sip of water.

Jack subconscious reached for his ears, causing Epel to giggle in delight. Jack let out a small whine, feeling shy.

"So, how many did I do today?" Epel asked full of hope.

"13." Jack replied, checking the notebook. "That's two more than yesterday, high five!"

Epel half hearted gave him one, wishing he'd see better results quicker. He half listened to Jack as he started wishing he wasn't born the way he was. Why couldn't he be part animal like those in Savanaclaw, specifically the beefy ones. Why couldn't he develop muscles like Jack? Why was he born with such a frail frame?

"Epel?" Jack called out, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Epel asked.

"You weren't listening, were you?" Jack said full of disappointment. "Were you thinking about having bulging muscles like Vargas?"

"No." lied Epel. Jack gave him a look, causing him to break down. "Okay, yes. I want to be strong and tough like you all in Savanaclaw... I can't do any of that in Pomefiore. Pomefiore sucks."

"Hey, I hear you, but the mirror put you in Pome for a reason. You just have to figure that out." said Jack, patting Epel's arm. "And if you were listening to me, you would've heard how much you've improved from when we initially started training together."

Jack showed him his progress, praising him for his dedication and hard work. He felt good. He felt as if he was starting to accomplish his dream. Sure, it wasn't moving as fast as he wanted, but there were clear differences between when they started and where they were now.

"I'm sure there are some areas we can kick it up a notch..." muttered Jack, looking over the notes. "I can't wait to see your body gain some muscle."

"I still can't believe you're doing all of this for me..." Epel whispered, starting to feel overwhelmed.

"Your dream sounded pretty cool so I figured why not help out? And why would I miss out on a chance to spend alone time with the guy I like...?" Jack said, getting quieter towards the end.

"Really, thanks for everything... I'll try my hardest to follow instructions, rules and proper diets." said Epel before stretching out. "Man, I'm beat."

Jack's tailed wagged happily as Epel rubbed his head. His heart melted at the sight of Epel smiling so kindly at him.

"Epel, I really like you..." he found himself blurting out.

"Hm? I like you too, Jack." responded Epel, rising from his spot.

"Romantically." Jack added on, making sure he didn't misunderstand again.

Epel simply smiled before it sank in. His eyes widened as his head snapped quickly in Jack’s direction. He blinked a few times, trying to process the few words Jack had said to him.

“Epel...?” Jack called out, poking his arm.

“Ah... did it suddenly get hotter out? Maybe we should call it a day.” said Epel, feeling his face burn.

Jack nodded, not really giving it much thought. He continued to fan Epel as they walked back towards their dorms. He didn’t expect to be confessed to so randomly, especially when he wasn’t looking his best in front of the person he was just as fond of.


	3. Vick: Classy but Sexy

Vil stared long and hard into his mirror before frowning. Ugly was the word for it. He wiped his face once more, finding it unusually hard to match his makeup with his outfit. He turned at the sound of someone knocking on his door. It wasn't often people stopped by his room at night.

"Ah, you're still here, Vil... I mean, Vil senpai." Jack said, correcting himself.

"Unfortunately. Ah, how many times must I tell you to properly tie this and make sure your collar is flat." Vil fussed, fixing his clothes. "You may not care but we don't need people thinking Night Raven allows rift raft."

"Right." Jack responded, letting him work.

"Anyway, what brings you to Pomefiore so late? Aren't you usually in bed by 9?" Vil asked "Though I'm one to talk."

"Ah well, I couldn't sleep and you were the first person I thought of. I hope that's okay." Jack replied, watching Vil trying to decide on a shade.

"It's fine, but I'd rather you come earlier in the evening or bump into me during the day. We both cherish our sleep." Vil said, still thinking. "Tonight seems to be an exception though."

"You going somewhere?" Jack asked, taking note of the eyeshadow palette.

"Yes, actually. Jamil invited me out this evening to a party of some sort. I never took him as a Cater type but, we all have our secrets don't we?" said Vil.

Jack pulled a seat over next to Vil. Some time passed and Vil still hadn't decided on a color.

"Maybe some outside help would do you good." Jack suggested.

"Are you referring to yourself? Jack, I know we're from the same hometown but you don't know a thing about beauty. The entire reason you were put in Savanaclaw." said Vil with a look.

"You can at least let me try." Jack pressed.

Vil sighed before giving in. He didn't have much time left anyway. He pushed his makeup over to Jack and let him try.

"I hear it's supposed to be classy but sexy." Vil added, hoping it would help.

Jack muttered to himself as he read over the uses of certain items before applying them. Vil was terribly worried about how it would turn out, especially since it was being done by someone who didn't know jack about being beautiful.

"It's done." Jack announced, allowing Vil to look in the mirror.

Vil squinted, leaning in close as he turned his head.

"Surprisingly decent. I could definitely do better." Vil commented, sitting back. "Thank you."

"So, you do like it?" Jack asked, feeling confused.

"Something like that." Vil responded, remembering the gentle strokes Jack had made. "Despite your appearance, you're awful gentle."

"Well, when my siblings would get hurt, you can't be rough, you know?" Jack said.

"Ah, that's true. I wouldn't know..." Vil muttered before clearing his throat. "I'll repay you for your assistance at a later date. If you end up falling asleep here, make sure it's on the floor. I just had my sheets cleaned and steamed."

Jack looked at him in disbelief. Did he just indirectly call him dirty? Vil giggled behind his hand, finding Jack's reaction amusing.

"I'm joking. But really, don't sleep on my bed." said Vil before leaving out the door. He came back in, feeling the need to say something. “Maybe next time I’ll call upon your services if I need them.”

Jack watched him leave again, wondering what he meant by services. All he really did was help out an old friend.


	4. Trei: Off record

Everyone in Heartslabyul cleared the way as Riddle walked past. They quietly whispered to each other, having heard that Floyd had seriously pissed him off and even the tiniest inconvenience would set him off.

“Did the students selected for today paint the flamingos pink?” Riddle asked aloud.

“Yes, dorm leader!” two students replied.

“Did you all eat a proper Wednesday lunch?” he asked. “No sweets at all?”

“Yes, dorm leader!” they all replied.

Riddle eyed them up and down before heading upstairs. Everyone visibly relaxed, having dodged a huge bomb.

Riddle rubbed his temples, needing a good book to read before he truly lost it. His days would be much more tolerable if Floyd didn’t exist.

“Seems like you need a little affection.” said a voice from behind him.

“Ah, Trey. Resting up before your next class later today?” Riddle asked, allowing him to walk beside him.

“Naturally. I see you have your angry frown on. Who upset you?” Trey asked, opening the door for him.

“Who else?” Riddle deadpanned, searching his stack of books for a good read.

“How about we do a little something off record?” Trey suggested, placing Riddle’s selected book back. “Why don’t you sit and I’ll tell you a story?”

Riddle found himself sitting beside Trey on the bed, quietly listening as he started his story telling. He was too busy listening to the story to realize Trey had started to run his fingers through his hair, relaxing him even more.

“And the baker said, ‘The next time I catch you swiping one of my treats, I’ll make sure you pay ten fold!’. And with that, he never saw the beggar again.” said Trey, happily smiling as Riddle was starting to doze off.

Riddle shook his head, no longer leaning against Trey.

“That’s it? No plot twist?” Riddle asked in disbelief.

“Did I say I was done? The baker had assumed the beggar would never come again. The next thing he knew, he was being sent to his death. It turned out that beggar was secretly the prince that was weeding out those who didn’t follow the laws.” Trey finished.

“Hm. A better ending.” said Riddle, wondering how he came up with this kind of story on the spot. “Maybe later, you could tell me another story?”

“Will you be in a bad mood then too?” asked Trey worriedly.

“No, it’s just... You say some interesting things.” said Riddle, hiding his true thoughts.

Trey chuckled in response, being able to read Riddle like a book.

“I don’t see why not.” he said, patting Riddle’s head.

Riddle didn’t protest against it, secretly liking it.


	5. malleus x yuu: Term of endearment

Yuu stepped out of the Ramshackle dorm late at night, having had another one of those weird dreams. He walked down the path a bit before noticing a familiar green firefly like light.

“Is it...?” he whispered, heading towards it.

“Ah, it seems my hopes have been answered...” a voice said, a playful smile on their lips.

“I thought so. It’s you, Tsuno-taro.” said Yuu, a small smiling forming on his lips.

“You still insist on calling me that despite knowing my real name?” he asked, his eyes widening slightly.

“It’s because you gave me sole permission to call you as I wish, which is why I continue to do so. See it as... a term of endearment.” said Yuu.

“Term of endearment... could you explain what that means?” Malleus asked, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Basically it’s a word or phrase used to address or describe someone or something that you feel love or affection for.” Yuu explained, giving him a sheepish smile.

“If that’s the case, then I shall call you miracle.” Malleus said, having thought on it for a bit.

“Miracle...?” Yuu asked in confusion.

“Yes. It’s by some miracle that you ended up here at our school. And not to mention being able to stop those students from dying of overblot.” said Malleus. “You’ve even impressed me.”

Yuu scratched his cheek, feeling a bit shy. It wasn’t like Malleus to openly compliment him. Usually he had to pick apart his sentences to find the deeper meaning. They must be growing closer as he no longer saw a need to speak in riddles.

“Hey Malleus, do you mind if I join you on your nightly stroll?” Yuu asked, looking up at him with doe eyes.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it. Actually, I would prefer if you did.” said Malleus, having Yuu follow him. “There was something I wanted to talk about.”

Yuu searched his face, wanting to know what could possibly be on such a powerful person’s mind. He could practically find the answer for anything if he really wanted.

“Lilia told me it would be best to ask you. So I present this question to you: what is... feeling sensual attraction?” Malleus asked with a serious face.

Yuu blinked before bursting into laughter. Malleus frowned, not understanding the joke. Yuu quieted down before giving him an answer.

“To put it simply, it’s wanting to cuddle, hand hold, or kiss someone.” said Yuu, pushing his hair out of his face as the night wind blew.

Malleus looked at him, causing Yuu to tilt his head. Malleus extended his hand. Yuu looked at it before giving him a high five. They both wore looks of confusion.

“Did you possibly...” Yuu whispered before his face turned red. “Oh my.”

Maleeus let out small chuckles before going into full on laughter. Yuu soon joined him before discreetly slipping his hand into his.


	6. A Gift From Yuu

## Malleus: What flavor?

Yuu pushed open the door to the kitchen and looked around.

“Over here.” a voice said.

They walked over, greeting Jamil as he finished setting something up.

“Wow, it’s really an ice cream machine...” Yuu said, looking it over.

“So, what suddenly possessed you to want to make ice cream?” Jamil asked, taking out ingredients.

“Well...” said Yuu before starting to explain.

Jamil nearly dropped everything in his hands after hearing Yuu and Malleus were not only on good terms, but good friends as well. Even he couldn’t get Malleus to stick around long enough.

“Lilia told me he really likes ice cream, so I figured why not give him some as a gift?” Yuu reasoned, looking at the ingredients Jamil laid out. “There’s so many...”

“Well, do you know what flavor he likes?” Jamil asked. “We can start there.”

Yuu’s mouth fell open. They didn’t know. Jamil facepalmed, not needing words to understand.

“How about this, we start with the three basic flavors: strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.” Jamil suggested, putting anything they didn’t need away.

“Sounds good! Please teach me well!” said Yuu enthusiastically.

______

Malleus opened the door to the Scarabia dorm, having been invited over by Yuu. He was a bit interested to learn what this secret surprise was. Scarabia students looked up at him in awe and trembling in fear.

“What’s Malleus doing here?” one whispered, close to pissing himself.

“I don’t know and I don’t want to find out either!” the other said, leading his friend away.

Malleus frowned, not understanding why they bothered whispering. He could still hear them. He finally located the kitchen and pushed open the door.

“Tsuno!” Yuu said happily.

“You still call me that?” he asked, watching Yuu reach into the freezer for something.

“Yes and I don’t care what you think. It’s what I’ve decided.” said Yuu before placing the bowl on the table. “This is for you.”

Malleus peered into the bowl, wondering what the dark concoction was. Yuu handed him a spoon and told him to dig in. He ate a spoonful before fireworks went off in his mouth.

Yuu watched with worry as Malleus was practically inhaling it all. They tried taking the bowl away but was petrified by the hateful glare Malleus had given them. Yuu weakly laughed, wondering if they had unknowingly opened Pandora’s box.

* * *

## Idia: Party in my mouth

"Come on! Otherwise it’ll be sold out!” Yuu shouted, running with all their might. Ace, Deuce and Grim followed close behind as the store came into sight. They skidded to a stop before running into the store.

“How... How do they move so fast?” Ace wheezed, collapsing outside the store.

“I can’t... I...” Grim wheezed before passing out.

Deuce hurried in after Yuu, having more stamina than the other two. Yuu hurriedly squeezed past others before spotting what they were looking for. There was only one left.

“Yuu! There you are!” said Deuce, diving into the sea of people.

Deuce just missed Yuu’s hand as they were carried away by the crowd. It was up to him now. He expertly moved through the crowd before snatching the last one. He made his way out, seeing Ace and Grim dragging themselves over.

“Ace, hold this while I go save Yuu.” said Deuce, placing it in his hands.

“Wait, you’re telling me we came all the way out here for this? You’ve got to be kidding” Ace said, regaining life. “This Idia better be grateful for all the trouble we’ve gone through just for this.”

“I ran enough to cover two month’s worth of P.E.” Grim said with a shake of his head.

Deuce had come out with a disheveled Yuu who looked as if they had seen things.

“Alright, lets go pay for this and get back.” Yuu said, their equilibrium unbalanced.

Deuce leaned Yuu against him as they went to check out.

______

Yuu woke up, feeling much better than they had yesterday. They got themselves ready before noticing something was off. They looked around before feeling the life drain from their face. The game they had bought yesterday was missing. They told Idia they’d have an amazing gift for him today. There weren’t any copies left at any store and they only had so much time before they had to present a gift.

They had to think. What would Idia definitely use? And something they could create in such a short time? They left Grim behind, not wanting to deal with his morning grumpiness.

Yuu talked to Ortho who happened to be out on a small errand for Idia on school grounds. It was after chatting with Ortho they had gotten a brilliant idea, but they didn’t own the necessary tools for it.

______ 

“Hm, I didn’t think you had any skills in the kitchen, let alone confectionery skills.” said Jamil, watching Yuu adding in a flavor.

“Well, I did a little bit back home, wherever that is. I remember my mom used to praise me for my skills.” Yuu replied, placing the tray into the refrigerator.

“Hm. You must teach me some time. I’m sure Kalim would appreciate little candies like these...” muttered Jamil.

“Ask anytime! I’ll be more than happy to help out!” said Yuu with a grin.

Jamil let out a small gasp before looking away. Yuu tilted their head, wondering what Jamil was staring so intently at.

______ 

Yuu knocked on Idia’s door before being granted entrance. They looked around the room, trash, books and notes littered all over the floor. They really hoped it was organized chaos and not... a mess. They looked over to Idia who was busy playing games.

“Idia? Earth to Idia?” Yuu called out, not wanting to startle him.

“Oh, you’re here. So, what’s this amazing gift?” Idia asked, not looking up from his screen.

“Well, there was a little hiccup on the way so it’s not amazing anymore...” Yuu admitted, the container of candies feeling like a major downgrade.

Idia finally looked up, taking note of the container. Yuu opened it up then fed him one. They looked at Idia expectantly before jumping back in fright. Idia had a scary look on his face.

“What are these? It’s like... I don’t know.” said Idia, taking another one. “It feels like a party in my mouth all the way to my stomach.”

“Ah, I made these actually. See, I originally bought you that new game that was coming out and-” Yuu said but was interrupted by Idia.

“I’m glad I didn’t get it. I would’ve missed out on this glorious candy...” Idia whispered, holding the container like it was treasure.

Yuu smiled happily, glad to see things had worked out in the end.

_~~(the game was eventually found by Deuce. Ace had stolen it)~~ _

* * *

## Riddle: I like a good challenge

“And that’s why we never wear blue to a wedding.” said Riddle.

“I can’t believe that’s a rule...” Yuu said in disbelief.

“I can’t share the same sentiment.” Riddle responded, giving Yuu an unhappy look. “The Queen of Hearts truly was a magnificent woman.”

Yuu simply nodded along, not wanting to upset him with their opinions. Yuu exhaled, Riddle having finally taken off. They’d admit, they had no idea what Riddle would like and what would be appropriate in the name of the Queen of Hearts. They had flashbacks to when Riddle got upset over a simple tart being present at the Unbirthday Party. They couldn’t ask Riddle as it would give away their intentions and they doubted Trey or Cater had memorized all of the rules. Though, they did have an idea.

“A book explaining each of the Queen’s rules?” Cater asked, looking at Trey. “Does such a thing exist?”

“Yes, but it’s a very rare book. Only two copies were ever made. I don’t know if the school has it...’ Trey muttered. “Why don’t you ask Riddle? He has them all memorized.”

“See, here’s the thing...” Yuu said, informing them of their plan.

“A gift for Riddle? That’s kinda hard.” Cater admitted. “You think you’ve got the perfect thing and bam! He’s slapping you with another rule!”

“I’ve heard him muttering to himself these days. It seems he’s been getting bored with the crosswords he’s been receiving lately.” Trey mentioned.

“Crosswords huh...” Yuu muttered, tacking it onto their gift board.

“I just don’t understand the appeal.” said Cater with a shrug.

“Thanks you two!” said Yuu before running off.

“Yuu’s really something... Making a gift for that stubborn Riddle.” Cater said, looking at Trey.

“If it’s Yuu, I’m sure Riddle will appreciate it.” responded Trey.

______

Riddle exited the classroom and found himself being approached by Yuu. He stepped back, having gotten awful close to them.

“What’s with that stupid grin on your face?” Riddle asked, finding it unnerving.

“Here!” said Yuu, placing a few sheets of paper in his hands.

Riddle looked it over before recognizing what it was. Why were they giving him this?

“I don’t need this.” Riddle responded, handing them back.

“Really? Weren’t you complaining about the ones you’ve been doing?” Yuu commented, causing Riddle to stop walking away.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“A- Ah... well...” Yuu stammered.

“Speak clearly. You aren’t a child.” Riddle said sternly.

“Just try them.” Yuu said, shoving them into his hands before excusing themselves.

“Wait- Are you serious...” Riddle muttered, looking at the sheets.

______

Yuu walked down the halls with Grim and Jack before suddenly being stopped by Cater.

“Yuu! There are you are! You’ve got to come quick or else everyone will lose their heads!” Cater said, pulling Yuu along.

“What’s going on? Why is Riddle going berserk!?” Yuu asked worriedly.

Yuu listened as Cater explained what had happened. It was their fault essentially. They arrived at Heartslabyul where all the students stood outside. Just how serious was it that everyone had to evacuate? They walked into the eerily quiet dorm as they went up to Riddle’s room.

“Riddle? You in there?” Cater called out, only to be yelled at in response. “Yeah, he’s in there.”

Yuu stepped inside, noticing Riddle’s hunched over figure. They quietly approached him then peered at what he was staring so intently at. It was the crosswords. And he had only filled in two words.

“Having trouble?” Yuu asked, startling Riddle.

“You... You demon!” Riddle said, slamming his hands against the table. “I’ve never had any difficulty solving these yet you...”

“I’m sorry...?” Yuu apologized.

“No, don’t...” Riddle mumbled, averting his gaze. “I’m quite thankful...”

Yuu blinked, wondering why everyone was freaked out if he wasn’t mad.

“I like a good challenge and you’ve given it to me. There’s nothing else I could ask for.” said Riddle, giving them a smile.

“Well, I’m happy to hear that, but your entire dorm thinks you’re going to blow...” Yuu mentioned, pointing towards his window. “Might want to let them know you’re not going to behead them.”

“Right...” muttered Riddle, not entirely sure how to even start.


	7. 2nd Leaders: You’ve got to be kitten...

"Hm, what do you suppose this is?" Riddle inquired, looking over the fruit Kalim had acquired.

"That's why I brought it to you two! You know a lot of things." said Kalim.

"I suppose it's just a fruit from the looks of it but, it's rather... bright." Azul muttered.

"I'll grab a knife and we can share it." said Riddle, hurrying to get a knife.

The other two stared down the fruit, trying to make heads or tails of it. Riddle finally came back with a knife and a plate. He cut small pieces of it and they each took a piece. They gave delayed reactions as at first it tasted like nothing before a sour and bitter taste filled their mouths.

“My god that was horrendous...” Riddle said, coughing.

“Yeah, I’ve had tastier food.” Kalim agreed, trying to wash down the taste. He looked over then tilted his head at Riddle. “When did you start growing feathers?”

“And you suddenly have ears?” Azul piped up, pointing at Kalim.

“You have octopus legs!” they shouted, pointing at Azul.

“H- Huh?” Azul said in a panic.

Before they knew it, everything around them had gotten bigger. Riddle lifted his hands only to see they were replaced with feathered wings. White ones to be exact. He looked around for Azul and Kalim, only to see two other creatures with him.

“Kalim? Is that you...?” Riddle asked worriedly, looking at the small adorable creature.

“Wow, Riddle. You’re a swan!” said Kalim in awe. “And Azul is... well, himself.”

“Technically yes, but I’m also smaller. And in dire need of water...” Azul whispered, his throat drying out.

Heartslabyul students walked passed, unaware of the three creatures on the floor. Riddle tried speaking to get their attention, not realizing it came out in noisy honks.

“Whoa, there’s a swan in the dorm!” a student said.

“We better get it out of here before Riddle sees! No swans on Fridays!” another said. “Wait, there’s a little octopus and a chinchilla too!”

The three dorm leaders were quickly picked up and placed in the hall of mirrors. Riddle honked in anger, unbelieving of his idiotic kouhais.

“Riddle, worry about them later, right now we need to get Azul to a water source!” Kalim reminded him, letting Azul crawl onto his back.

“Ah, right. The shortest route to the fountain is this way.” said Riddle, leading the way.

Azul sighed in relief as they had finally gotten him into the fountain.

“I thought I was a goner...” Azul muttered, dowsing himself in water.

“Did someone cast a spell on us?” Kalim asked, playing with the water.

“That’s a possibility, but let’s think back. What were we doing before this happened?” Riddle said, touching his beak with his wing.

They all gasped.

“That fruit! I knew something was off about it!” Azul fussed, splashing in the water.

“Well, we were careless. What’s important is changing back as soon as possible.” Riddle said, earning a nod from the other two.

“Is that a swan? And a chinchilla...?” a voice said from afar. “Hey little guys.”

Riddle honked at Ace, daring him to touch him. Kalim on the other hand relished in the pets Deuce was giving him.

“Wait a second... Why are there creatures other than Grim here?” said Ace, avoiding Riddle’s beak as he tried biting him. “It’s like that time with that hyena!”

“You’re right... Could these be students too...?” Deuce mumbled, remembering Ruggie transforming. “Let’s investigate.”

“Nah, I’m good.” said Ace.

“Wait, look. They have charms... Red and dark red... Creatures don’t own magic crystals, Ace.” Deuce said, fingering Kalim’s.

“Ugh, why do you care so much? Come on, we’re gonna miss out on lunch the longer we stay.” said Ace, dragging him away.

Riddle honked again, before settling down on the ground.

“I hate my first years.” Riddle grumbled. “But hearing we have our crystals is very reassuring. It’ll make transporting Azul easier.”

They watched as Azul cast a spell, encasing himself in a water bubble.

______

Epel hurried over to Deuce who seemed uneasy.

“What’s the problem?” Epel asked.

“Three more students turned into animals.” said Deuce.

“No way... How can you tell?” Epel asked, hoping he was joking.

He looked at Deuce’s phone, looking at the three. It was when Deuce zoomed in that he saw it.

“Not again... Were they causing trouble?” he questioned.

“No, actually. They looked as if they had no intention of moving from the fountain. But when I checked back, they were gone.” said Deuce, wondering where two different animals could’ve gone.

“Well, I’m sure everything will be okay... We should let Jamil senpai know, though.” said Epel, hoping things wouldn’t get chaotic.

______

“Hey, you two! Cut it out!” Azul said from inside his bubble.

The entire lab room was in disarray. He didn’t understand what was going on. One moment they were perfectly fine and the next they were acting like their animal selves. He followed after them, panicking as Riddle attempted to attack students passing by.

“Riddle, stop!” Azul shouted, watching him behead students wildly. He looked at Kalim who was using his unique magic as well. “Good Poseidon, what’s going on with them...”

“Is that an octopus floating in water...?” a student whispered.

Azul let out a panicked cry as he was suddenly being held and inspected. He managed to free himself before noticing Kalim and Riddle had disappeared.

“You’ve got to be kitten me...” Azul whispered before realizing he made a cat pun. “I should go after Riddle first...”

______

Deuce watched in awe as Epel cornered the swan before seizing it by it’s neck and holding it away from him. Riddle flailed about, trying to get free.

“Epel, you’re pretty fearless... I couldn’t even get close.” Deuce said in defeat.

“You’ve just gotta have a certain mindset. The worst thing to happen to you is getting hurt. It’s not like this swan can kill you.” said Epel, looking at the magic crystal on it’s neck. “It’s a bright red like yours. Was there anyone missing from Heartslabyul?”

“Now that you mention it... We haven’t seen our dorm leader for hours now...” Deuce muttered, remembering overhearing Trey sounding a bit worried.

“I’m here! Just finished class.” said Jamil, jogging over to them. “A swan this time...? Well, they aren’t as dangerous as a feral Ruggie.”

Riddle was put in a cage created by Jamil before being carried by Deuce. Deuce looked at the swan, wondering if it could be his dorm leader.

“So, next is the chinchilla.” said Epel. “Where could it be?”

“In the Scarabia dorm.” said a voice from behind them.

“Ah, Idia senpai.” said Jamil, looking at the board. “Sounds like you’re stalking us.”

“Do you want to catch it or not?” Idia said flatly.

They exchanged looks before allowing Idia to speak.

“He’s heading for the kitchen.” Idia added on.

______

Scarabia students ran in a panic as the chinchilla went wild. Azul managed to catch up with Kalim, having seen Riddle had been captured. He froze Kalim over before floating down to his height.

“Now stay until the others get here.” muttered Azul, keeping a constant eye on him.

“There it... is?” Deuce said, taking note of a bubble of water.

“Oh thank god you three are here.” said Azul, floating up to them.

“Azul? You’re in octopus form... and small at that.” said Deuce, poking the small bubble.

“Don’t worry about me, cage Kalim before he breaks free!” Azul shouted.

Jamil enclosed Kalim in a cage just as Azul’s magic wore off.

“That’s... Kalim?” Jamil asked. “Now I see why I couldn’t find him.”

“Yes. And that swan is Riddle. We ended up like this no thanks to a fruit Kalim brought us.” Azul grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Fruit?” Epel asked. He pulled Azul into his arms before hurrying to an isolated spot. “Was it bright colored with an edible outside?”

“Um, yeah. How did you know...?” Azul asked. “Did you give it to him?”

“No. It’s just... This happened before... with the hyena.” Epel muttered, letting him go. “Did you three eat all of it?”

“No, it should still be in Heartslabyul if no one threw it away already.” Azul replied. “I should go. I desperately want to change back.”

______

Epel looked around the lounge once more before giving up. They had thrown it out. Whatever that fruit was, it was definitely changing students into animals, but what he didn’t understand was how they ended up going rouge. Where was this certain fruit even coming from?


	8. Bonding

## Savanaclaw

They all stared at the small lion cub who colored on paper. No one was sure whose kid it was and how they got ahold of paper.

“Wait, isn’t that... Ruggie’s homework!” a student said, before snatching it up. “Oh man, Ruggie’s gonna blow when he sees it.”

“Cheka! Ugh, there you are.” said Ruggie, spotting the child sitting on the floor. “What’s going on in here?”

“See, this kid- Wait, you know him?” a student asked in confusion.

“Uh, yeah? The heir to the Afterglow Savannah throne. Cheka Kingscholar.” Ruggie said, taking Cheka’s hand. “Come on, we’re not supposed to leave your uncle’s room.”

“They took my drawing.” Cheka said unhappily.

“Ha? Give him back his drawing!” Ruggie fussed.

They handed over the paper before waiting for Ruggie’s reaction.

“Oh. Always wanted to draw Trein a... cat mauling a rabbit.” Ruggie muttered, staring at the poorly drawn picture.

“It’s uncle Leona giving me a hug!” said Cheka, correcting him.

“O- Oh. How wonderful.” said Ruggie, knowing he’d have to redo everything.

Ruggie closed the door to Leona’s room just as Jack was coming in. Jack whined as the door had collided with his nose.

“Oh, didn’t see you there. Leona isn’t here. He’s... hiding.” Ruggie said, looking back at Cheka.

“Oh, well that’s fine. I heard the others talking about you having a child so I just had to come see.” said Jack, noticing the child playing dangerously close to the open window’s edge. “Hey, do you wanna see something cool?”

Cheka immediately hurried over to him, plenty interested. Jack used his unique magic and turned into a big wolf. Cheka looked up at him with wide, sparkling eyes before petting his fur.

“You’re so cool, mister! I want to turn into one too!” Cheka said, trying to climb onto his back.

Jack winced in pain as Cheka’s grip was pretty tight.

“You know, this would probably be better if done outside the dorm.” said Ruggie, looking at the two idiots. _“And if anything in here breaks, I’ll get his wrath...”_

Once outside the dorm, Jack transformed again, allowing Cheka to climb onto his back. Ruggie watched as Jack ran around while Cheka laughed in glee. He was always stuck on babysitting duty whenever Cheka came over. Leona should spend time with his nephew, especially since he adored him so much. Almost every other sentence was about Leona.

“Hey Cheka! Do you want to see your uncle?” Ruggie asked, finally deciding to place Cheka in Leona’s hands.

“YES!” Cheka shouted, hopping off of Jack’s back.

“Wow, that was loud...” Jack muttered, transforming back.

______

Ruggie let Cheka’s hand go as they spotted Leona curled up and sleeping. There was a limit to what he’d do for Leona and this was his limit. No longer than a quarter of a day would he spend caring for his nephew.

“Uncle Leona!” Cheka said happily, jumping onto him.

Leona let out a pained grunt as Cheka clung to him. He groaned in despair before glaring at Ruggie.

“I thought we had a deal.” Leona grumbled, constantly moving his tail out of Cheka’s reach.

“We did, but he’s too much work. Plus he talks and asks about you almost every word he breathes.” said Ruggie, rubbing his temples. “Even Jack could only entertain him for so long.”

“Well actually-” said Jack only to receive a look from Ruggie. “Right.”

“Uncle Leona, lets play Hunter!” said Cheka, pulling on his tail. “Please, please, please, please, please, please, pl-”

“Okay! Okay, just... stop.” Leona said quickly.

Cheka ran around in glee, causing Leona to growl in displeasure. Ruggie snickered behind his hand, thankful to be rid of Cheka.

* * *

## Octavinelle

"Play with me.” he whined.

“Then help me with my homework.” he responded.

“Don’t wanna.” he said flatly.

“Then leave me alone.” he shot back.

“You’re being mean, Jade.” he whined more, tugging on Jade’s shirt.

“And you’re being a baby, Floyd.” Jade retorted trying his best to focus on his homework.

“Fine. I’ll go find someone else to play with.” Floyd said angrily.

Jade didn’t say anything as Floyd slammed the door shut. He didn’t like Jade anymore. Once they came to school at Night Raven, Jade had started playing with him less and less. He sat on the couch in the lounge, watching other students walk past. He became bored.

“Ah, there you are.” said Azul, spotting Floyd. “I need you in the Mostro Lounge.”

“Don’t feel like it.” Floyd grumbled, sinking further into the seat.

“Must you have these stu- mood swings right now? Jade is much too busy and you never are.” said Azul, wondering how he’s put up with Floyd for this long.

“Is it fun?” he asked.

“Yes.” lied Azul.

“Leave me alone.” Floyd mumbled, closing his eyes.

“If you weren’t so useful I would’ve kicked you to the curb by now...” whispered Azul before walking away to seek help from others.

_____

Jade let out a sigh of relief, finally finishing everything that had been piling up. He had some time to spare before it was time for him to start working at Mostro’s. He asked around, trying to figure out Floyd’s whereabouts. Did he really find someone else to play with?

He pursed his lips as he thought on it. He couldn’t have. No one but him could withstand his roughhousing. But what if he did? He didn’t like that thought. As much as he never spoke about it, he truly did love every moment he got to spend with his brother, even if he got himself into unnecessary trouble.

“Oh Floyd, where did you run off to...” Jade whispered, a pit of despair starting to form in his stomach.

He soon found himself being crushed underneath a heavy weight before familiar laughter rang in his ears.

“Gotcha!” said Floyd, laying himself on top of Jade. “Now you can’t move.”

“Is that so?” Jade said before turning the tables. Floyd simply laughed as Jade hovered over him. “Now who’s caught?”

Jade joined Floyd in laughing as he had escaped, having Jade chase him around the courtyard. They started to use a bit of magic, trying to stop the other.

“Now I’ve got you!” said Jade, only to see his magic miss. “How unfair of you to use your unique magic.”

“Haha, nothing’s fair in life!” Floyd laughed before feeling Jade grab hold of him. “Boo... You caught me.”

“As much as I wouldn’t mind continuing this with you, we have to work at Mostro’s. Maybe tonight when we’re all done.” said Jade, checking the time.

“Eh, it’ll be dark.” said Floyd, walking beside Jade.

“I wasn’t suggesting we continue outside.” said Jade before giving him a look.


	9. Reok: Adorable face

Rook stared at Leona, watching him eat his lunch. He was eating vegetables today. Either he needed the veggie boost or he was having bowel trouble. Or Ruggie was forcing him.

"Rook, come back to Earth." Vil snapped.

"Ah, my fault. I was stalking my prey." Rook responded, smiling all the same.

"I'm surprised you haven't been told off by Crowley about it." Vil deadpanned before getting him into the conversation.

"Y- You're eating veggies..." Ruggie said in shock, having come back from the restroom.

"Yeah?" Leona mumbled with his mouth full.

"Are you sick or something? You wouldn't eat them unless absolutely necesssry." Ruggie mentioned, taking his seat.

Leona didn't respond, eating the last veggie off his plate. He looked up and searched the cafeteria before resting his eyes on Rook. Ruggie eventually followed his gaze before snorting.

"You still talk to him? I thought we dropped him when you became a freshie in Night Raven." Ruggie commented.

"You talk too much. I'm going to find a resting spot." said Leona, pushing his empty tray towards Ruggie.

"Something's up..." Ruggie muttered, glaring at Rook.

•

Rook stretched with his partner as his last class for the day had started. As usual, Leona was no where to be found. He was probably off sleeping somewhere as usual.

"Alright, everyone give me five running laps and ten flying laps before we start anything else." said Vargas before blowing his whistle.

Rook paced himself, figuring there was going to be a game after the laps.

"Well look who it is, my personal stalker." a voice said from beside him.

"Hm. And here I thought you'd be skipping out on class again. You've surprised me for the day." Rook said, finishing his first lap.

"How many laps in total?" Leona asked, matching Rook's pace.

"15." he responded.

"We're playing soccer then." muttered Leona, not entirely fond of the soccer that prohibits the use of hands.

Some students finished their laps on the ground and moved to start their flying laps. Rook looked at Leona who as usual felt the need to show off.

"You wanna hear something funny?" Leona asked, sitting sideways on his broom like Rook.

"Shoot." Rook winked, earning an eye roll in return.

"Ruggie thinks we still aren't friends. Well, he's not wrong. We aren't exactly friends." Leona said, pushing Rook with his foot.

"Then what are we?" Rook asked despite already knowing.

"You know."

"But I want to hear you say it."

Leona grumbled before going on ahead. Rook giggled behind his hand, allowing him to escape this one time.

•

Rook hung back in the sports field with Leona as everyone had taken off back to their dorms or to eat. He plucked the towel from Leona's hands and proceed to run with it.

A classic cat and mouse chase ensued, Leona quickly closing in on Rook. He eventually stopped, still feeling a bit winded from P.E. Leona took his towel before lightly smacking him in the face with it.

"You're human, know your limits." Leona said.

"Excuse me?" said Rook as he followed Leona. "Did you forget we _both_ grew up in Afterglow?"

"I said what I said." smirked Leona.

He found himself running away as Rook suddenly had a scary face. Rook was surprisingly keeping up with him after running so much during P.E and not too long ago.

"If I catch you, you'll be in for a surprise treat." laughed Rook as he got closer.

_"He's like a freak of nature!"_ Leona thought, running faster.

He found himself letting out a yelp as Rook had tackled him to the ground. He tried pushing Rook off but his hold was surprisingly tight despite how tired he probably was. He heard Rook chuckle evilly before he felt him sit atop him.

Rook had Leona roll onto his back so he could get a better look of his face. He leaned down, making sure Leona could hear his next words clearly.

"I win. You're the bottom tonight kitten..." he whispered, chuckling once more.

He found himself amused by the sight of Leona's reddening face. It wasn't everyday he got to see such an adorable sight.

"I hope you make the same adorable face tonight when I'm fucking the life out of you..." Rook whispered, scratching underneath Leona's chin.

"Bastard..." Leona weakly mewled, further fueling Rook's amusement.


	10. floyd x yuu: Watch me only

"Little shrimp~ Wait up!" said Floyd, jogging over to Yuu and co. "Oh, you're all here."

"That's a little rude." Deuce said.

"What do you want with Yuu?" Ace asked. "I doubt it's anything good."

"Mind your business." Floyd said before looking at Yuu. "Let's play, shrimpy."

"Nah." said Yuu. "Unlike you, I have to study and pass tomorrow's test with Grim."

Ace and Deuce "oohed" until Floyd had silenced them with a look. Yuu waved to the duo as he walked away with his things.

"You two..." Floyd grumbled, towering over them. "You're free right?"

Ace and Deuce exchanged looks, fearing for their lives.

•

Yuu looked up at the sound of knocking. He opened the door and saw Ace with a pitiful look.

"Yuu, you've gotta help me." Ace weeped. "Floyd won't let me into the gym so I can attend club."

"What's that got to do with me..." Yuu muttered, seeing it as Floyd being Floyd.

"He said he'd let me in if I brought you to watch practice." Ace explained. "Today they'll be closely watching us and I need to secure my spot as a regular on the team..."

Yuu sighed before agreeing to go. He supposed an hour or two of fun wouldn't affect him too much tomorrow.

They arrived at the gymnasium and Ace had opened the door.

"Where's shrimpy?" Floyd asked.

Yuu poked his head into the gym then took a seat off to the side. He hadn't really gotten to see what all the clubs did at the school, so he was going to try and visit more clubs in the future.

"Little shrimp, watch me~" Floyd said before dunking the ball.

Yuu gave him a thumbs up before watching other players. Yuu looked over at the sound of Floyd calling him again.

"Watch me only, shrimpy. I'm cooler." said Floyd before making a three pointer with just one hand.

"Ha? I admit your skills are amazing, but that doesn't mean you should discount the other members of the club!" said Ace.

"Eh, then you try making a three pointer from here with one hand." said Floyd with a smirk.

Yuu watched with interest. Would Ace take his challenge?

"Enough you two. You're showing the ugly sides of the club to Yuu." said Jamil, separating them. "Floyd, focus your attention on the club, not Yuu."

"Eh. I don't wanna play anymore." said Floyd.

Everyone in the club groaned as they collectively said "here we go again".

"Well, I can't only watch you if you aren't playing." said Yuu, rising to his feet. "Ace is in the gym so I can take my leave now. It was nice seeing what the club was like."

"But we haven't started the practice game." whined Floyd. "Stay~"

"I thought you weren't participating." said Ace.

"Shut it crab." Floyd growled.

"I guess I can, but not for too long. I doubt Grim's gotten far in terms of studying..." Yuu said worriedly. "Crewel will have us on our knees if we fail..."

"Then I'll help you both study!" Floyd said cheerfully.

Anyone who was listening had turned and stared at Floyd. Floyd Leech tutoring? The Great Seven were going to resurrect from the dead.

"We're going to need more than enthusiasm to pass this test, Floyd." Yuu said flatly. "I don't like jokes like this."

Yuu said goodbye to everyone before making his way out of the gymnasium. Floyd offering to help them study. The sole idea of it was absurd. But he couldn't deny Floyd's grades. Somehow he made it work. Maybe he should've accepted the offer.

"Well it's too late now..." Yuu mumbled, walking through the courtyard.

"What is?" Floyd asked, startling Yuu.

"You followed me? What about club?" Yuu asked, feeling a bit concerned.

"What about it?" he responded.

"Let me guess, you're going to follow me back whether I like it or not." Yuu said, crossing his arms.

"Bingo~ One point for little shrimp!" said Floyd, poking his cheek.

•

"Wrong." Floyd said, once more giving no advice to follow afterwards.

"Hnnnngh, I don't get it!" Grim yelled, visibly giving up.

"You know, instead of just sitting there and telling us right from wrong, you could explain things more.

"Eh, that's boring." Floyd replied.

Yuu pursed his lips before turning away from Floyd. If he wasn't going to help, then his presence wasn't needed.

"Shrimpy, don't turn away..." Floyd whined.

"Then actually help us." Yuu restated. "If not then please leave."

Floyd hummed before staring at Yuu's writing hand.

"You aren't supposed to use the letters." Floyd mumbled.

Yuu looked over the problem and found it to be true once he finished. Floyd really was intelligent. He just didn't use it properly.

"Hey, if you help us with the rest, I'll play with you." said Yuu, extending his hand. "Deal?"

Floyd shook his hand, finding himself entranced by Yuu's smile. Just what kind of secrets lied behind that seemingly innocent smile?


	11. Floyd: You get me

“Jade, you said you’d play with me.” Floyd whined, holding Jade back.

“I know and I’m sorry, but I really need to check on my mushrooms.” said Jade with an apologetic look. “Tonight, okay?”

Floyd let go of Jade and watched him jog out of the lounge. Why was Jade considering his mushrooms more important than him? Was he no longer important now that he had them? He was thinking too much. Mushrooms could never replace him.

•

Floyd walked down the hall then noticed Jade from afar. He moved to call out to him then stopped at the sight of Jade laughing with Trey. Were they always close? He didn’t pursue the thought, seeing it as friendly conversation.

“Oh, Floyd. We were just talking about you.” said Jade with his usual smile.

“Eh? Why?” Floyd asked.

“Trey had mentioned jellyfish and it reminded me of the time you had gotten shocked.” said Jade, snickering once more.

“I knew you were reckless but wow, you were pretty reckless as a kid.” said Trey with an amused look.

“Hey, Jade did reckless things too.” Floyd argued.

“Oh don’t worry, he’s told me about his little adventures too.” said Trey before parting with the twins.

“Since when were you and glasses friends?” Floyd asked, walking beside Jade.

“Hm, I can’t say that I remember. It’s fun exchanging childhood stories with him. Who knew he was such a rambunctious little tot?” chuckled Jade.

“You’re awful happy…” Floyd grumbled.

“Oh? Is my dear brother feeling left out?” Jade asked. “It wasn’t my intention.”

“Then you can make it up to me by horsing around in the sports field.” said Floyd cheerily. “No, I wanna play basketball!”

“If that’s what you want.” said Jade, used to Floyd’s fickle whims.

He heard his phone go off and checked to see the notification. He let out a cute snort before typing.

“Jade, you stopped walking.” Floyd said from up ahead.

“Huh? Oh, my apologies.” giggled Jade before catching up with him.

•

Floyd perked from behind a tree as Jade and Trey walked side by side. Something was going on. Trey was doing something to Jade and he needed to find out what. They had started hanging out more and it was cutting into their precious brother time.

He had only seen them together a few times within the past three days, but it was a few times too many. Trey was going to take his brother away.

“Oh! Now I get it.” laughed Jade, touching Trey’s arm.

Floyd’s eyes widened as they focused on Jade’s hand. No. Absolutely not. He rubbed his eyes and saw Jade’s hand wasn’t touching Trey’s arm. He was imagining it. He followed after them, seeing they were headed for the cafeteria. Weren’t they supposed to go together?

“Ah, I forgot. I’m supposed to eat with Floyd.” said Jade with a troubled look.

“No worries, family is important.” said Trey, patting his shoulder.

Jade smiled softly before watching Trey head inside.

“Boo!” said Floyd, startling Jade.

“Good Poseidon, Floyd! Were you trying to give me a heart attack?” Jade fussed, settling his heart.

“You haven’t been hanging out with me.” Floyd complained.

“Floyd, it’s called hanging out with friends. Don’t you have friends?” Jade asked, seeing it was buffet day.

“Yeah, but I prefer being with you.” Floyd replied. “You get me.”

“I’m aware but, one day we’re going to have to separate, especially since we both want different things in life.” said Jade.

“Huh? I knew it! Trey’s brainwashing you.” said Floyd, angrily.

“You and your delusions…” Jade muttered. His phone received a notification. He checked it before chuckling. “Amazing…”

“What is?” Floyd asked, peering at his screen.

“Oh, nothing.” said Jade, putting his phone away.

Now he was hiding things. They never hid things from each other.

•

Trey, Trey, Trey, Trey. That’s all he ever saw next to Jade besides Azul. His excuses were more frequent and more detailed. He didn’t come back to the dorm a few times. Trey was doing something awful to Jade and he was finally going to find out what.

He followed Jade around the school. seeing nothing out of the ordinary. There had to be something leading back to Trey.

Noon had swooped in and Jade was heading off somewhere. It wasn’t towards the cafeteria, making him more suspicious. Jade never skipped lunch. He briefly looked away at the sound of something behind him. The moment he turned back around, Jade was missing. He quickly headed in the direction he last saw him before feeling something run into him.

“Did I hit a wall…?” the voice groaned.

“Hey, who are you?” Floyd asked, knowing he would’ve remembered a cat like him.

“I could ask you the same thing.” he responded. “No thanks to you, I’m all dirty.”

“Then don’t get in my way next time, catfish.” Floyd said before going around him. He stopped, realizing he might know Jade’s whereabouts. “Hey you.”

“Now what?” he said.

“Did you see a guy who looked just like me but with the black bang on the other side?” Floyd asked.

“No. I’m sure I would’ve been freaked out if I was seeing double.” he said flatly.

“You never answered me though. Who are you?” Floyd demanded.

“They call me Che'nya. And you are?” Che'nya asked.

“Floyd, the cooler, good looking twin.” he said, boosting his own ego.

“Right. If you don’t mind, I need to get going.” said Che'nya.

“Wait. You were coming from this direction and this leads to the gardens…” Floyd muttered, grabbing Che'nya’s shoulder. “What were you doing over there?”

“What is this, ask Che'nya twenty questions?” Che'nya snapped. “A friend asked for help, so I did and now I’m leaving.”

“Your friend’s name is?” Floyd pressed.

“Ugh, you’re annoying.” Che'nya fussed, disappearing altogether.

Floyd headed over to the gardens and started searching around. He heard faint voices up ahead.

“Simply marvelous… It’s so big and juicy.” Jade said.

“Right? I knew you’d love it.” said Trey in response. “Get a bit closer…”

“!!! Great Poseidon this…” Jade gasped.

Floyd entered, causing them to look.

“So this is what you’ve been skipping out on brother time for.” Floyd said, feeling a bit hurt. “I thought family was important.”

“Floyd-” Jade started then quieted down.

“Floyd, what Jade is-”

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear from you, glasses.” Floyd growled before looking at Jade. “Be honest with me here.”

Jade sighed before wrapping his arms around Trey’s neck.

“I didn’t know how to tell you… but…” Jade said lowly, feeling Trey put his hand over his. “I’m… really enjoying Trey’s company. He gets me. It’s different than when it’s with you.”

“But, I do get you Jade.” Floyd whispered.

“Yes, you do very much. But its nice to have someone else I can share my passions with.” Jade said, giving him a smile. “No one could ever replace you, Floyd. You’re my dearest brother.”

Floyd scrunched his nose before looking down at the floor. Jade left Trey’s side, knowing what was coming next. Jade gently rubbed Floyd’s back as he blubbered. Trey shook his head, wondering why Jade didn’t tell him the whole truth. Then again, he understood. Floyd was unpredictable, especially when it came to Jade. Had he learned they were dating, the garden would probably be in shambles by now.


	12. Jace: Heart the Shock

Jade hummed as the potion bubbled before gradually turning a light shade of blue. Riddle added in a few more ingredients until it finally changed to red.

“Today’s work wasn’t as hard. That’s relieving.” said Jade, watching Riddle bring over the caged rat. “Let’s see if it’ll turn this small thing into our desired animal.”

Jade took a bit of the potion out and fed it to the rat. It fell over before it’s body split open, a small monarch butterfly emerging from the carcass. They gave each other a high five, seeing it worked.

“Good boys.” said Crewel, acknowledging their work. “I can’t say the same for the rest of you.”

“Class is almost over. Thank goodness we managed to figure it out.” said Riddle, changing the cage to a more suitable containment for a butterfly.

“It’s a bit sad letting it go. Then again, we birthed it from a rat.” said Jade.

The class bell rang and everyone started to file out. Riddle and Jade parted ways. It wasn’t long before Floyd had come running over to him.

“Judging from your mood, I’d say you got to squeeze someone.” Jade said, prying Floyd’s hands off.

“Wow, you do know me.” said Floyd cheerily. “So, what are we having for lunch?”

“It depends what’s being served today. I suggest we pick up the pace since Azul is probably waiting for us.” Jade said, moving a bit faster.

They had stopped in their tracks, seeing the Heartslabyul first years standing near the doors to the cafeteria.

“I know but, you know how Jack is. Honest to a fault.” Ace said with a sigh. “I don’t want to imagine what he’d say to Jade by accident.”

“Who’d say what to me by accident?” said Jade in a teasing voice from behind them.

Deuce’s mouth fell agape at the sight of the twins towering over them. Jade looked between them, waiting for an answer.

“Uh, just you know how honest Jack is. We wouldn’t want him to say your taste in fashion is bad by accident, you know?” chuckled Deuce nervously as he pulled Ace away. “Enjoy your meal!”

The twins watched Deuce drag Ace back into the cafeteria with a panicked look.

“What’s their deal?” Floyd muttered.

“I am quite curious as well…” Jade agreed, following him inside.

They got on line for lunch, seeing Azul had just sat down with his meal. They sat down with him after getting their lunches.

“Those Heartslabyul first years were being weird.” Floyd said to Azul.

“Weirder than usual? I’m not surprised.” Azul responded before taking another bite.

“Here I was hoping to learn who’d say something to me by accident. What a shame.” Jade said, shaking his head.

“Speaking of them… How’s it going?” Azul asked.

“I’m not understanding your question here.” said Jade in confusion.

“Azul’s not dumb. We know you like crabby.” Floyd said.

“I do not. He’s just an interesting first year. It’s my first year seeing rambunctious underclassmen.” Jade responded, feeling slightly annoyed.

“Right. And the Sea Witch wasn’t a generous woman.” Azul said.

“Why are you two so doubtful of me? I would know if I liked a person. I’m not dense like that Riddle.” Jade argued.

“You’re really just making it more obvious Jade.” Floyd commented, shaking his head. “Why don’t you just run up and kiss him?”

“That’s not…! Ugh!” Jade said before letting out a frustrated groan.

The other two laughed before someone had arrived at their table.

“Hey, Jade.” said Jack, taking a seat beside him. “Ace came to see your terrarium one day, right?”

“He did. I never thought he’d be interested in such a thing.” said Jade with a chuckle. “Why do you ask? Are you interested too?”

“Was he acting weird then?” Jack pressed.

“No weirder than usual I suppose.” said Jade with his usual smile. “Though, he would often stare at me after I finished explaining the different kinds of plants I had. Is there something wrong with him?”

“No! There’s nothing. Come on, Jack… We have class after this and we need to eat…!” said Deuce, pulling him out of the seat.

Jade and the other two watched the first years walk away before Jade let out a small chuckle. They were interesting to say the least.

“Hey, hey, Jade. What were they asking about?” Floyd asked.

“Hm. I’d like to know as well. Perhaps… Ace holds the answers.” said Azul, having picked apart the conversation.

•

“Jade, just admit it. You like Ace.” said Azul.

“So what if I do? It’s not like… he wants anything to do with me…” Jade muttered, nibbling on his gloved finger.

“Hey, Jade. You still haven’t told us what Jack was talking about.” said Floyd, still wanting to know.

“Well I was on my way to care for my terrarium and we had bumped into each other. I invited him along and was surprised he came. I don’t really know what else…” Jade admitted, wondering a bit as well.

“Well, if you see him, there’s always something you can try.” Azul said, giving him a look.

“Right! Make him confess!” said Floyd.

“I don’t necessarily want to force him…” Jade mumbled.

“Then stay in the dark.” Azul said before they parted ways with Jade.

Jade started walking through the courtyard, having a class on the other side of it. He heard voices and saw Deuce being chased by Ace. They had come to stop not too far from where he was.

“Ah, just the person I wanted to see.” said Jade in a cheery voice.

Jade walked over to them, seeing luck was on his side. He didn’t have to go far to find him. Ace weakly waved as Jade stood before him. It was time to learn some truths.

“I’ve been curious about something. Your friend Jack was rather interested in the day you came to see my terrarium. Was there something you wanted to know and sent him instead?” asked Jade, taking note that Ace wasn’t looking at him.

“No. Not at all. I don’t even know how he found out about it.” grumbled Ace, glaring daggers at Deuce.

“Hm, what a shame. And here I thought there was something you wanted to tell me.” Jade said, feigning sadness.

“Of course not! It’s not like I can hide anything from you.” laughed Ace before hissing. “Ah, that stung…”

“I’ll ask again, is there really nothing you want to tell me?” Jade said with evil intent hidden behind his smile.

“I’ve had a crush on you ever since you introduced me to your terrarium! You looked so amazing and breathtaking as you talked about your plants so fondly. Date me!” said Ace before covering his mouth.

Ace looked to Deuce who looked just as shocked. Jade has used his unique magic on him.

“Well isn’t that cute…” said Jade, his unwavering smile having finally disappeared.

Ace swallowed hard, knowing him having no smile was more dangerous than him with one.


	13. Jace: Heart the Shock (cont.)

Jade finished his homework for the week before feeling someone wrap their arms around him.

“Are you finally done?” they asked.

“Thankfully. Now I can finally check on my mushrooms.” said Jade.

“Eh, spend time with me instead.” they whined.

“Later, Floyd.” Jade replied, patting his arm.

“Fine. I’ll go bother the first years.” he mumbled.

Jade was about to leave the dorm when a few students had stopped him. He chatted with them a bit, unknowingly getting caught in someone’s Magicam post.

“So, does it make sense?” Jade asked.

“Not completely, but it’s much better than how Trein explained it.” they said, thanking Jade.

Jade waved before continuing on his way to the gardens. His mind slowly wandered back to when he made Ace confess. His cheeks burned slightly, remembering how happy he looked confessing. It felt nice no longer having to guess if he liked him back.

It was then he realized he’s never gotten a chance to respond to him. He made a slight detour, knowing Ace had class on the other side of the the building. He rounded the corner then spotted someone squatting against the wall. A brief smile graced his face as he approached them.

“Stop… I said stop…. Stop touching my-” Ace yelled then found his words catching in his throat.

“Hi.” Jade said with a smile.

“I… I was sleep talking. Yes! So, I will leave. And sleep! Somewhere else. Yeah, haha…” Ace rambled before side stepping.

“You don’t look tired to me though. Is there some other reason you need to go?” he asked, his smile unwavering.

“No! I… I really am tired! Man, those classes, haha…” Ace squeaked before running away.

Jade watched his retreating figure with a somber look. Did he mess up? Should he have waited for Ace to tell him himself? He internally sighed, seeing it wouldn’t do him any good to dwell on it.

“Hey, Jade senpai.” a voice called out

“It’s not often you come to chat with me. Is there something you need?” he asked, looking at Jack.

“When will you give Ace an answer?” he demanded.

Deuce flew out from behind the tree and pulled Jack back, excusing him and Jack as he pulled him away. Jade watched them for a bit before heading for his original destination. When? He couldn’t say when if Ace wasn’t around for him to tell him.

•

Azul looked up from his work, seeing Jade hadn’t moved from the same spot on the couch. He expected this kind of behavior from Floyd, not Jade.

“What’s troubling you?” Azul asked, giving him his attention.

“I did as you suggested.” Jade confessed, meeting his eyes. “He likes me, Azul. He feels the same…”

“But?” said Azul.

“He’s avoiding me. It hurts, really…” Jade mumbled, placing his hand over his heart.

“Then get him to come to you. It’s that easy.” said Azul, not seeing the problem.

“Get him to come to me…” Jade muttered, not having considered that.

“Or you could go the other route and stalk him.” Azul said calmly.

“Absolutely not!” Jade growled.

“Huhu… I love seeing you get riled up.” Azul chuckled.

Jade left Mostro’s, making his way to Heartslabyul. If he wanted better information, Cater was the one.

He stepped through the mirror and into Heartslabyul. It was deafening silent outside, the only sound heard that being the rustling of leaves. He pushed open the door and numerous voices could be heard. He climbed the winding stairs, remembering Cater showing him the way once.

He searched around for Cater’s room, not entirely sure which was his. He heard voices up ahead along with the sound of a door.

“Man, I can’t wait to pig out!” said Ace.

“To think just moments ago you were about to cry your eyes out while you held that playing card.” snickered Deuce.

“It’s not just a playing card. It’s my treasure.” Ace said faintly before their voices couldn’t be made out.

Jade saw an opportunity. He needed to get that card. He walked over to their door before seeing something poking out underneath. He picked it up, seeing it was an ace of hearts. Was this the playing card they mentioned?

“Lady luck is smoking down at me..” Jade muttered before chuckling.

•

“And that’s why it’s always important to use hashtags.” said Cater. “Can you imagine not using hashtags? How will you find specific posts?”

“I never understood how important hashtags were. Thank you for this useless information.” said Jade, giving him his usual smile.

“When you start using social media more, you’ll see.” said Cater, rubbing cream on his face. “Ah! Is this supposed to burn!?”

Jade watched Cater call Vil in a panic, quickly fanning his face as he paced around. He checked the container, looking for the side effects.

 _“What do you want?”_ Vil asked over the phone.

“Don’t talk like that.” Cater whined before hissing. “This cream you gave me, should my face be burning?”

 _“What? Don’t move.”_ said Vil before hanging up.

“You’re supposed to apply small amounts. How much did you use?” Jade asked.

“Small amounts!” Cater shouted, collapsing onto his bed.

Rapid knocking could be heard on the door. Jade opened it and saw Vil rushing in with a bag. He moved to close the door then heard voices coming from down the hall.

He left the room, catching a glimpse of Vil putting something on Cater’s face. He peeked into the room, seeing the first years turning the room upside down.

His ears perked up at the sound of one of them mentioning the playing card. He pushed the door open more, gaining their attention.

“Looking for something?” he asked, holding the card between his fingers.

“That’s…” Ace muttered.

“Hey, give that back!” Deuce demanded.

“Really? I just so happened to find it laying outside on the floor.” said Jade, smiling the same as ever. He turned to leave, then stopped. “If you want it back, you’ll have to find me and take it back.”

They looked at him in disbelief. Was he being serious?

“If you manage to do both…” said Jade, now halfway out the door. “I’ll give you a special reward.”

Jade quickly walked down the hall, feeling his heart hammer in his chest. He had to admit, that was pretty bold of him. The only thing was, would Ace play along with him?


	14. Jace: Heart the Shock (final)

Jade held the playing card in both hands as he sat in the lounge. He was startled out of his thoughts by Floyd snatching it out of his hands.

“Come and get it!” Floyd teased before running.

Jade continued sit. Floyd frowned heavily, seeing his brother was being a buzzkill. It was all Ace’s fault. He was a shell of what he was.

“I don’t like you anymore. You’re no fun.” complained Floyd, placing the card back in his hands.

“I’m sorry…” Jade whispered, giving him an apologetic look.

“Why are you like this anyway? Is it Ace? Should I go squeeze him?” Floyd asked.

“Don’t touch him.” Jade growled before covering his mouth. “Sorry…”

“Why aren’t you doing anything? Wasn’t that supposed to get him to come to you?” Floyd pressed, not understanding why Jade still liked that hopeless first year.

“Maybe he’s planning… He knows how tricky we are.” Jade reasoned.

Floyd doubted that. Ace wasn’t as bright as he was giving him credit for.

•

Jade sighed heavily, yet another morning gone that he hadn’t seen Ace in the hallways. Did he not want the card back? He didn’t make the requirements difficult. He finished Trein’s classwork before turning it in. As usual he received praise.

“You aren’t smiling like usual.” Riddle commented, having finished the classwork an hour ago.

“I’m not? That’s odd isn’t it?” said Jade with a forced chuckle.

“Whatever’s bothering you, stop thinking about it. Agonizing over it isn’t going to do anything.” said Riddle just as the bell rang. “Ace isn’t as complex as you’re making him out to be.”

Jade wasn’t given a chance to respond as Riddle was already filing out with everyone else. He eventually did the same, knowing a good lunch would probably help him think better. As usual, he found himself being joined by Azul as they headed for the cafeteria.

“Eh, it’s starting to get packed.” said Azul, ushering Jade along. “You’ve been quiet Jade.”

“My apologies. I was lost in thought.” said Jade before looking around. His eyes rested on an individual sitting at a table. _“Oh, Ace…”_

Jade separated from Azul once he got his lunch, hurrying over to the table. He placed his plate down, looking at him as he sat.

“This seat is free, right?” he asked with an eye smile.

Ace dropped his fork then sucked his teeth as it clattered to the floor.

“Yeah, it’s uh… free.” he muttered, getting up to get another fork.

“Sit. I’ll get it for you.” he said, leaving his spot.

He picked up another fork before seeing Azul motioning for him to come over. So he did. He gave him supportive pats on the back before sending him back over.

“Don’t mess up.” said Azul with a smirk.

Jade gave him a half hearted smile before hurrying back to the table.

“Here.” said Jade, handing him the fork.

Ace thanked him and found himself unable to eat. What if he judged the way he ate? The way he held his fork? His posture? Jade looked at him, wondering why he wasn’t eating.

“Are you sick?” he asked.

“Huh? No. I’m just, really admiring the time put into this… piece of lettuce.” Ace nervously laughed before eating. “So… about the playing card…”

“Oh. So you plan to take it from me now? Why wait so long? Isn’t it important to you?” Jade asked, taking a jab at him.

“It is, but I’m not going to play your little game.” Ace said, having gathered a huge among of courage to fight back. “I may like you, well, really like but, I have my limits!”

“So it’s like that.” Jade replied, pursing his lips.

“Aha…” Ace chuckled weakly before picking up his lunch and leaving.

Jade sighed, placing his fork down. He messed up. Why was it every time he wanted to get closer, Ace slipped through his fingers? He heard someone sit at the table.

“Maybe it’s time to give up. Fate keeps pulling you apart.” said Azul, taking Jade’s bread.

“Maybe…” Jade muttered, having no appetite.

•

Jade turned on the couch, listening to Azul’s gentle humming. It was truly a beautiful thing to listen to.

“Jade, I know you’re in mourning but could you shape yourself up enough to help Floyd? He’s drowning in orders.” Azul asked, looking at Jade’s curled up form.

“Sure.” Jade replied, rising from the couch like a zombie.

“Actually, never mind. Just rest up enough to be able to work tonight’s rush.” said Azul quickly. Silence fell over them. “So you really like Ace this much huh?”

“I do… The way he smiles when he’s happy, that evil smirk when he’s about to say or do something bad, that big heart on his eye that brings out his eyes… The way he talks about his brother so fondly… not to mention how cool he looks playing basketball…” Jade muttered, his heart contracting. “I love it all…”

Azul sighed, not entirely sure what to do in this situation. He then had a thought.

“Instead of waiting for him, why not just go to him? You already know his feelings, it’s time you told him yours.” said Azul, getting up from his seat. “He’s probably scared of the uncertainty between you two. And the longer you both let it go on, the more distant you’ll become.”

“For a guy who hasn’t been in love, you seem to know what to say.” Jade commented, sitting up once more.

“It’s easy to dissect. I’ll give you some time during your shift to go confess your love, but when I call for you, you absolutely have to come back.” said Azul, puffing our his chest. “Aren’t I generous?”

Jade rolled his eyes.

•

Jade asked around, hoping someone knew where Ace was. He didn’t want to waste a single moment that could be spent with him. Someone had finally given him some information. He gladly thanked them before sprinting.

He soon had to stop, his stamina not nearly as good as Floyd’s on land. He jogged the rest of the way, seeing the gymnasium was within sight. Jade pushed the door open just as the ball hit Ace square in the face.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how basketball is played.” Jade said from the doorway.

“Oh. Hi… What are you doing here…?” asked Ace, watching Jade approach him. Everyone was usually in the dorms by now or hanging out at Mostro Lounge. “Shouldn’t you be at Mostro’s? Night is busiest isn’t it?”

“That’s true, but there was something more important I needed to do.” replied Jade, taking the ball and taking a shot. It didn’t even graze the bottom of the net. “My, athletics really isn’t my strong suit.”

Ace chuckled in amusement as he dribbled the ball. Jade silently watched as Ace made a few successful shots before dunking the ball. He really did amazingly cool.

“Oh, I forgot you were still here… near me… and watching…” heaved Ace, feeling embarrassed.

“Ace, will you finally listen to me instead of running?” Jade asked, his tone serious.

“Yeah. What do you have to say? Gonna finally reject me?” Ace attempted to joke but it ended up sounding forced and choked.

Jade pulled the playing card out of his pocket and placed it in Ace’s hands. Ace wasn’t given a chance to say anything as Jade cupped his face then pressed his lips against his. He easily found himself melting in and matching Jade’s pace, having imagined it many, many times. This was real. It wasn’t just a thought. Jade pulled away, giving him that same untrustworthy smile.

“Are you satisfied with this answer…?” he asked, his voice soft and caring.

“Yes…” Ace weeped, fresh tears falling from his eyes. “I really am…”


	15. Jack + Divus: Obedient pups are best

Divus watched over the students as they attempted to make a potion based on his vague instructions. He lived for being vague and watching them struggle. He momentarily turned his back to the class when a loud boom came from behind. He quickly turned around, fanning the air as smoke covered most of the room.

He followed it to the source just as it started to clear up. He looked, seeing there was only one student.

“You! Where’s your partner, Jack?” Divus asked.

“Mr. Crewel… he’s…” a student said, pointing to the floor.

“My god, did you kill him?” Divus asked in a raised voice.

Soon crying could be heard. Divus looked on the other side and saw a small child sitting on the floor and crying their eyes out. The clothes were practically slipping off them.

“Jack? Is that you?” Divus asked despite the resemblance being a perfect match.

The child looked at him before getting to their feet and running away, crying louder than ever.

“You all, stay!” said Divus, chasing after Jack who left the room.

He didn’t get far as he kept tripping over the baggy clothing. Divus snatched him up, bringing him back into the classroom.

“Continue working. There’s plenty of class time left. You, join with another pair.” said Divus before turning his attention to the squirming child. “You’re old enough to speak properly. Tell me, you’re Jack Howl are you not?”

“I don’t know you! Let me go! Mama!” he wailed, starting to bite Divus.

“Down boy!” Divus hissed, using magic to create a leash.

Jack clawed and bit at the leash, trying to take it off. The other students discreetly watched, wondering what would happen to Jack.

“Listen, no one else here knows enough magic to help you but me. So either listen to me or I’ll have you sent to the pound.” Divus said, glaring at him. “You all, I’m ending class early. Finish working on those potions with your free time.”

The students filed out of the classroom, leaving Divus and Jack alone. Divus kneeled on the floor, gently petting Jack’s head. Jack calmed some, still restless from being leashed.

“Will you talk to me now?” Divus asked, more gentle than before.

“Mama said don’t talk to strangers, especially if they’re older than me.” said Jack.

“I promise I have no ill intentions towards you. I’m sure your sharp nose could tell straight away.” said Divus.

Jack moved closer and sniffed him, his animal features moving briefly. The man was right. He didn’t have bad intentions. Or was he masking it? He kept his guard up, still feeling a bit uncertain.

“So, do you know me? This room?” Divus asked, remembering his little outburst.

“No. I want to go home. How do I get home from here?” Jack asked.

“Slow down. I’m Divus Crewel, your alchemy teacher here at Night Raven. You’re a student here.” he said, taking the leash off.

“I got selected for Night Raven? Is it really true?” Jack asked with big puppy eyes.

“Yes.” said Divus before feeling Jack pounce on him.

Divus pursed his lips as Jack rubbed his head against him in glee. He pried him off, having enough of the affection he was showing.

“I need you to listen to me and do what I say, or else things will get difficult for you. Can you do that?” Divus asked, rising to his feet.

Jack did the same before giving him a nod. Divus held his one way ticket back home and if all he had to do was listen, it would be a piece of cake.

•

Jack looked around in awe as Divus led him. Night Raven was exactly as he imagined it to be. He couldn’t help but notice some people were looking at him strangely. Had they never seen a half wolf before?

“Don’t let go.” Divus warned, feeling Jack slowly letting go of his hand.

Jack held his hand tighter before noticing people running towards them.

“Jack! Epel told us everything!” one of them said loudly, looking at him with worry. “Oh, hello Mr. Crewel.”

Jack hid himself behind Divus, seeing them as dangerous. He started to whimper as they continued to call out to him.

“You! Quiet down! This is not the Jack Howl you know.” Divus shouted, whacking them on the head with his pointer. “You’re scaring the poor child.”

Jack looked up at Divus with newfound admiration and respect. He tightly hugged Divus, causing him to gasp in surprise.

“Jack is clinging to Crewel like he’s his father…” Deuce mumbled, staring at the sight.

“It’s cute yet disturbing…” Ace whispered, earning nods from Epel, Deuce and Sebek.

“If you’ll excuse us…” said Divus, leading Jack away. He looked at Jack who seemed more comfortable around him. _“Obedient pups truly are the best.”_

Jack’s nose started picking up delicious scents. His mouth started to water before he pulled away from Divus and started running.

“Jack, stay!” Divus shouted but his words fell on deaf ears. “God, what happened to that obedience…?”

Jack stopped in front of the cafeteria, the smells coming strongly from inside. He moved to run in only to feel himself running on air.

“If you were hungry, you could’ve just told me.” Divus fussed, putting him down.

“Divus, I’m hungry! Can I have some food? Please, oh please? It smells so good!” Jack begged, his tail wagging.

“Divus-? Well, you’re young and don’t know any better…” Divus muttered before leading him in.

All eyes were on them. Who was that kid? Divus had a wife and child they didn’t know about? Divus pulled Jack back, seeing he was close to burning himself. He found himself having to keep his eyes on him as he would wander off, bothering nearby students. He soon put the leash back on him, tired of having to chase him.

“Now sit and eat.” said Divus, sitting down to make sure he ate.

Jack’s tail wagged in glee as he finally got to eat the delicious smelling food. Divus’ hard glare disappeared and was replaced with something softer. Jack looked at him with a messy face before grinning happily. A pang went through Divus’ heart.

•

Jack bounced around the room as Divus had brought him to his room. He sighed heavily, finally getting a chance to sit down and find the book that contained the reversal for this. He had looked away only for a moment to grab a book when a loud thud came from another room.

He quickly ran to the source, seeing his wall shelf on the floor along with the books on it. He looked at Jack who looked at him with those innocent puppy dog eyes.

“Come here.” Divus said sternly. Jack slowly walked over before having his rear end spanked. “It won’t be my hand next time if you break anything else.”

Jack nodded as his ears drooped and his tail hung between his legs. He followed behind Divus, not wanting another spanking. He sat on the floor, bored out of his mind as Divus read.

“Jack, would you like to see something?” Divus asked, noticing his expression.

Jack nodded, wondering what it was. Soon little shapes shot out of Divus’ hand, some coming in the form of animals. His eyes widened in awe as two animals chased each other around before colliding and bursting into a pretty color.

“That’s so cool…” Jack said in awe. “You’re really cool, Divus.”

“There’s more.” he said, two life sized wolves seemingly appearing from thin air.

Jack gasped, rising to his feet to chase them. They eventually ran through the wall, disappearing completely.

“I want to do magic like that.” Jack said, climbing onto Divus’ lap.

“You-” Divus started before letting it go. Finding the antidote was more important right now. “Don’t bother me. I’m looking for the way back to your home.”

Divus flipped another page then realized Jack never responded. He looked and saw Jack had fallen asleep. He gently stroked his hair, placing the book off to the side. Finding the antidote could wait just a bit longer.


	16. Octavinelle: It's not fair

"Hey, look at me!" said Floyd, balancing ingredients on his arms.

"Floyd, I highly suggest you stop. I don't want our hard work ruined." said Jade, listening to Azul over the phone. "I know, Azul."

Jade turned his back to check the recipe. Floyd twirled around before accidentally dropping an ingredient into the mix. He put everything down, hoping he could fish it out before Jade noticed. The moment he dipped the mixer in, the potion started to bubble before it exploded, covering Floyd from head to toe.

"What the..." Jade muttered, turning around to see a mess. Floyd was nowhere to be seen. He growled angrily, knowing he had something to do with it. "Floyd, you're so dead when I find you!"

Jade moved to locate Floyd then felt something wrap around his leg. He looked down and saw a merman gnawing on his leg.

"Floyd?" he called out, the resemblance very noticeable.

"Hiya!" said Floyd happily. "Let's play Jade! Let's play!"

Jade quickly assessed what was in the cauldron before making necessary changes. He scooped some up before forcing it down Floyd's throat. He turned back to his human form.

"Whoa! I have legs~" said Floyd in awe.

He wiggled his feet, finding them simply awe striking.

"Azul. We've got a problem." said Jade, sighing heavily.

•

They stared at Floyd who tore up a notebook. Floyd tossed the notebook aside before gnawing on the bedsheets.

"Why don't we kill him now while he's vulnerable?" Azul suggested.

"As much as I'd like to agree with you, he's still my precious brother." said Jade with a frown. "Plus it would be suspicious if Floyd were to be missing. He has quite a presence in school."

"Hm, that is true." said Azul, still hoping he messed up badly enough so they could take him out.

Floyd climbed off the bed then fell flat on his face.

"Ah, he needs to learn how to walk again..." Jade muttered. "Ah, how stressful this situation has gotten."

They watched Floyd crawl around, terrorizing the dorm room. Jade held him still, thankful he was at least willing to cooperate.

"Floyd, I'm going to teach you how to walk." said Jade.

"Really? Is it hard?" Floyd asked.

"Very." Azul quipped, pushing up his glasses. "The pain will be excruciating."

"Eh, I don't wanna." said Floyd, crossing his arms.

Azul chuckled in delight while Jade growled at him. He had to have a little fun with the situation.

"Well, you have fun teaching your brother things he's already learned. I'll talk to Crewel to see if there's a way we can reverse this." said Azul before leaving.

The twins narrowed their eyes at each other, daring the other to make a move.

•

Azul knocked on the door then noticed it was open. The room? A mess. The twins? Missing. He wasn't one to worry about them as they could take care of themselves, but one twin was a child. To make it worse, the king of mood swings, Floyd, was the child.

•

"Floyd!" Jade shouted, chasing after the staggering child.

Floyd finally stopped, giving Jade the opportunity to snatch him up in his arms. Floyd flailed around then stopped, his legs in unbearable pain.

"God, you can't just take off like that. You'll damage your legs." Jade scolded, carrying him back to the dorm. "I don't want to see you hurt..."

"But I wanna run and play! It's not fair!" Floyd yelled, struggling in his arms.

"Floyd! If you don't quiet down I'll chain you to your bed." Jade hissed, tired of his constant whining and complaining. "I like the older you better."

Floyd went limp in his arms as he was carried back inside. Azul had entered the lounge and spotted them. They looked okay for the most part.

"So? Did you find anything?" Jade asked, hoping he'd get a positive response.

"No. He said he would let me know if anything turned up." said Azul, walking with Jade back to the room.

Jade tossed Floyd onto his bed then sighed heavily. Was Floyd always this annoying?

A knock was heard on the door. Azul opened it, stepping aside to let him in.

"Is Floyd here...?" he asked, not seeing him around.

"He's right here." said Jade, gesturing to the child face down on the bed. "I never would've expected you to come looking for him, Deuce."

"Oh, uh... he owes me. And I came to collect..." said Deuce, rubbing his neck. It was then his mind processed it fully. "What happened to Floyd!?"

"His idiot self did it to himself. I warned him and he didn't listen." said Jade.

Floyd turned his head and looked Deuce over.

"Who are you?" Floyd asked.

"Huh? It's me, Deuce." Deuce said in confusion.

"Don't know you." he said with a huff.

Deuce took out his phone and started showing him pictures. Floyd simply looked at them, only recognizing himself, Azul, Jade or all three of them. Deuce bit his lip, unbelieving.

"Well that was unexpected." said Azul with interest. "Must be a side effect."

"But you... I thought... we..." Deuce stuttered before ultimately leaving the room.

"Must be nice being in love." chuckled Jade, gently squeezing Floyd's legs to see if they were ready to be used again.

•

Other students stared as a child was sitting in the classroom. He looked like Floyd, but was it really him? Floyd scribbled on paper before tugging on Jade's sleeve. Jade gave him a vague comment, continuing with his work.

Floyd grumbled before leaving his seat. He left the classroom in search of fun. His legs hurt terribly, but not as much as they used to. Strange people continued to look at him as if he was the weird one.

He finally sat on the grass in the courtyard, his legs having enough of being used. He picked blades of grass out of the ground before biting it. He frowned, seeing it wasn't tasty.

"Floyd? What are you doing out here by yourself?" Deuce asked, looking around.

"Hey, it's mackerel!" said Floyd cheerily.

"Even if you're younger, you really haven't changed..." muttered Deuce before sitting beside him. "You haven't answered me."

"I was looking for fun. My legs hurt so I can't." Floyd grumbled, wishing he could walk around like Jade and Azul.

"Well, I can be pretty fun. You always tease me." said Deuce, a part of him regretting that he mentioned it.

Deuce started playing hand games with Floyd before pulling out a deck of cards. Floyd "oohed" in amazement as Deuce started explaining a game.

"I like you, mackerel. You're fun." said Floyd, missing the blush that had appeared on Deuce's face.

"Ah... I'm glad you think that way." said Deuce, smiling happily.

"There you are!" a familiar voice shouted before running over to them. "I'm so sorry Deuce if he was bothering you."

"Oh, it's okay. He just wanted someone to play with. He is a kid after all." Deuce said cheerily.

"Divus contacted Azul. You'll be back to normal in no time." said Jade, glad to be rid of child Floyd.

Floyd broke away from his hold before staggering over to Deuce. Deuce let out a small gasp as Floyd had hugged him.

"Thanks for playing with me." said Floyd before hurrying back to Jade.

Deuce curled into himself as he kept himself from shouting about how cute that was.


	17. To 1st Years: Sacrifice Ace!

"Stop!" Ace shouted, causing the others to look at him. "We shouldn't be debating over which teacher is best... we should be debating who gives the most homework!"

"Trein hands down." said Sebek.

"Really? Trein must be going easy on our class." said Epel, receiving a nod from Jack.

"It's definitely Crewel." said Deuce, high fiving Ace. "Man, he's just the worst."

"Crewel? He doesn't give a lot of homework." said Sebek.

They started to argue again until Epel shouted.

"Let's just say they have their faves and non faves." said Epel, getting nods of agreement.

"Next debate!" said Sebek loudly.

"Hey. Is that Jade sitting by himself?" Deuce whispered, motioning to the side.

They all looked. He was sitting alone. They watched in horror as Ace threw some of his lunch at Jade.

"Are you crazy!?" Deuce whispered, shaking Ace.

They all whimpered as Jade looked in their general direction. They acted as natural as they could as Jade walked in their direction with a huge grin.

"Good going you ass." Epel hissed, eating his chicken salad.

"Ah, it's nice to see today's youth so full of life." said Jade, standing by their table.

"Right? What can we help you with, Jade senpai?" Sebek asked.

"Oh, just identify a person with a death wish." said Jade cheerily. "All hell will break loose if I don't find them by the end of lunch."

They watched Jade walk away before whispering in a panic.

"Sacrifice Ace! He's not worth as much as we are!" Deuce said.

"Yeah. Let's do it." said Jack, wanting Ace to pay for his crime.

"Don't just gang up on me!" Ace hissed.

"Well who's bright idea was it to pelt Jade with spaghetti huh?" Epel shot back.

Ace fell silent as four pairs of eyes glared at him.

"Okay fine! I'll confess." groaned Ace, leaving his seat.

They watched as Ace tapped Jade before speaking. Jade had seized Ace by his ear, dragging him out of the cafeteria. Naturally, they quickly finished their lunches to follow.

"What do you think is gonna happen?" Sebek whispered.

"That's what we're gonna find out." said Jack, putting his arm out for them to stop.

Jade had let Ace go before speaking. Everything seemed fine.

"Hm, I guess he was just going to talk some sense into him." said Epel before Ace was chained up. "Spoke too soon."

They winced as Jade had stepped on Ace's chest before leaving. They waited a bit longer and were about to move until Ace was hung from a tree.

"Wow. He was really mad." said Jack in awe.

They rushed over to Ace who wiggled around, trying to get down. Sebek removed the chains and Jack had caught Ace in his arms.

"Scary..." Ace shuddered, Jade's words hurting more than being stepped on.

"Well, since we're out here, why don't we have a little contest?" Epel suggested, glancing at the apples.

"Best out of 3?" Deuce said, looking at all of them.

They all started changing the colors of the apples, in the order Jack had given: black, green, yellow then red. Sebek was in the lead until he messed up, causing him to start over.

"Ha! I won!" said Epel, cheering happily.

"Don't get so cocky short stuff." Ace sneered. "There's still two more rounds."

Epel and Ace glared at each other, sparks flying between them. The other three stepped aside, knowing things were serious now. They got into position, having done this quite a number of times by this point.

"Ready?" said Sebek.

Ace cracked his neck while Epel cracked his knuckles. Jack cleared his throat, preparing himself to throw out numerous colors quickly.

"Go!" said Sebek, not expecting Ace and Epel to use magic on each other.

"Oh dear." said Deuce, looking at the two wearing feminine outfits. "To think they both had the same idea."

"Eh, so you're a cheater too, Epel?" Ace teased, stepping closer to him.

"I only did it cause I knew you were going to cheat!" Epel huffed, crossing his arms as the dress fluttered slightly.

"You know... You're pretty cute." said Ace, running his fingers through his hair. "If I didn't know any better, I'd find you a pretty attractive girl."

"Stop touching me you weirdo!" Epel hissed, kicking Ace in the stomach.

Ace fell over, clutching his stomach. Epel hovered over him, seconds away from spitting on him before controlling himself.

"Oh? Hearts on your boxers? The Queen of Hearts would be flattered." said Ace, the wind giving him a view.

"You-!" Epel hissed, being held back by Jack as his foot almost connected with Ace's face. "Let me go!"

"Not until you calm down, Epel." said Jack, petting Epel.

Epel growled at him before settling down, seeing he'd be held for a while. Sebek undid the magic on both of them before bopping Ace on his head.

"You know better than to upset Epel. He goes feral." Sebek muttered, watching Epel dust himself off.

"But we got to see him in a cute dress and bow. It was worth it, don't you agree?" Ace said with a raised eyebrow.

"Fair point." said Deuce, hiding away the photo he took of both of them to use as blackmail. "You were cute too, Ace. I was this close to kissing you."

"My god that's gross. Why are we even hanging out?" Ace gagged, moving away.

Their happy chattered died down at the sound of the bell ringing. Lunch time was over. They exchanged looks, their hearts heavy.

"Another long string of classes." Epel grumbled.

"I mean, at least you don't have P.E." said Ace, groaning at the thought.

"You all wouldn't understand my pain. Having Trein right after lunch. It's hell." said Sebek.

They collectively sighed before giving each other encouraging arm punches.

"After club activities?" Deuce said, earning nods from them.

They went off in separate directions. They all ran back, getting into a huddle.

"Skip class?" Epel said, looking at them.

"I really shouldn't..." Sebek muttered.

"But..." Jack mumbled.

They looked at each other before running off to hide.


	18. 2nd y Vil + 1st y Azul: Will you trust me?

Vil checked his face in his hand mirror before food ended up on his face. The responsible first years squeaked in fear before profusely apologizing and agreeing to do anything to pay him back.

"Hm. You're lucky I'm in a forgiving mood." said Vil, glaring at them. "I'll have my little knight deal with you."

"His little knight...?" one whispered.

"You don't know!? It's his boyfriend!" the other whispered, fearing for his life.

Vil sighed heavily as he entered the nearby restroom. He pulled the necessary items out of his makeup bag before starting to clean his face. Shrieking could heard outside. A smirk formed on his lips, knowing the voice that followed all too well.

Vil had only got as far as foundation when he heard someone retching. He turned up his nose in disgust. He finished with his makeup before deciding to see if the person was at least okay.

_"Azul? But he eats healthily though..."_ Vil thought before watching. _"He..."_

Azul coughed harshly before hearing someone knock on the door. He looked back, not expecting someone to come over. Maybe if he stayed silent, he'd go away.

"Azul, are you okay?" Vil asked, softer than usual.

"I'm fine. Don't you have pampering to do?" Azul muttered, his body shaking.

"I just finished actually." said Vil, debating whether to bring up what he saw. "Azul, you..."

"What? Did you see something?" he asked, now feeling worried.

"Yes, actually... Why are you forcing yourself to vomit? Do you know how damaging that is?" Vil mentioned, frowning heavily.

"You wouldn't understand..." Azul mumbled, looking at his body.

"That may be true since I don't know what you're dealing with, but as an avid beauty seeker and embracer, this isn't right. It's not healthy." said Vil, squatting down to Azul's height. "You're doing more harm than good."

"If I don't I... I'll..." Azul whispered before his words caught in his throat while fresh tears fell from his eyes.

"It's just us. What's going on?" Vil asked, taking his glasses to clean them.

"I'll get fat again... I'll go back to how I used to me..." Azul whispered, painful memories resurfacing. "I don't want that... I have to change..."

"If you want to change, then change. But not like this. If you want, I can help. I would know as you can see." said Vil, showing off his body.

Azul frowned. Was he serious? He was probably skinny his entire life.

"I know, you're probably thinking I haven't had problems with my body since I came out the womb, but in reality, I was always underweight." said Vil. "So in order to become beautiful, I took to better eating habits and exercising more."

"But we're different people." Azul muttered, hanging his head low.

"And we can figure out what's right for you together. You don't want to destroy yourself anymore than you have." said Vil, holding out his hand. "Will you trust me?"

Azul looked at his hand before hesitantly placing his hand in his. Vil helped him to his feet then gave him a smile.

"You'll like the way we create together rather than puking everything you ate back up." said Vil, leading him over to a sink. "Now properly clean your hands. I don't have a spare brush but I've got some mouthwash. Here."

Azul quietly thanked Vil, wondering why he was being so nice to him. They didn't even know each other.

"You're really nice..." Azul muttered, before using the mouthwash to rinse his mouth.

"I'm simply trying to make everyone beautiful." said Vil, flipping his hair. "I'd rather not have our school get a bad rep."

Azul weakly smiled before watching Vil give him a warm one. He was certainly obsessed with beauty but he didn't seem to have ill intentions towards him.


	19. Foreign Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: anything in bold is the other language. Why am I doing it this way? 1) despite having learned two languages, they're not nearly enough for me to use which brings me to 2) I do not want to offend anyone with the languages I choose, so use that brilliant imagination of yours to think of what they'd sound like~

## Rook

Rook placed his hat on their head watching them smile in glee. Perfect was the first word to come to mind when he looked at them. They twirled around, happily singing lyrics to a song.

"It seems we've been hit by cupid twice, don't you agree?" Rook said, allowing them to twirl him around.

"Yeah. It's like, I love you, but it's being multiplied by ten." they said, stopping their twirling and sitting down.

Rook did the same before resting his head on their lap.

" **You're really breathtaking...** " they said in Arabic.

Rook silently blinked, trying to process what he just heard. It definitely wasn't Japanese or French.

"My dear, do repeat yourself. I didn't quite catch it." said Rook, touching their cheek.

"Hm? I said you're breathtaking." they responded in perfect Japanese.

"Non, mon amour. You are the life stealer. You shine everywhere you go..." said Rook, giving them a peck on the lips. "My beautiful sunshine."

"That's so **sweet**..." they said, covering their face. " **You'll give me a toothache** like this."

Rook was at a loss for words. It was like the important points had been omitted. He politely asked for a repeat, getting it in perfect Japanese again.

"You often speak in another tongue yet... you never notice it?" Rook mentioned.

" **I do? I feel I'm speaking normally though.** " they said in confusion.

Rook lightly facepalmed, pretending to faint in their arms.

"So dramatic..." they muttered, pinching his cheek.

* * *

## Jamil

Jamil ran his fingers through their hair, taking in their beautiful face. When he became absolutely smitten for them, he didn't remember, but he certainly didn't mind it.

"So, are you coming to tonight banquet?" Jamil asked, holding their hands.

"Yeah, of course! I love the Scarabia banquets, especially the food." they replied happily.

Jamil grinned from cheek to cheek, feeling a bit shy.

"Maybe we can sneak off and ride the carpet together...?" Jamil suggested, kissing their knuckles.

" **That sounds lovely!** " they said, slipping into the Russian language.

Jamil blinked, not entirely sure how to respond. Seeing that they were smiling, it had to be a positive response. They went back to eating their snacks when Kalim suddenly jumped out from behind them.

"Aw, Jamil's spending quality time with his lover." cooed Kalim, taking a seat on Jamil's other side.

"Kalim, hi! What's up?" they asked happily.

"I'm great. Just checking up on Jamil to see if he's ready to throw down tonight." responded Kalim.

"Of course! **I plan to spend the entire time with him.** " they said with a giggle.

"Um, what did they say?" Kalim asked.

Jamil shrugged, just as lost as he was. They looked between the both of them, wondering why they looked confused.

"Is there a problem? **Should I not have claimed him solely?** " they asked worriedly.

"No, there's no problem." said Jamil quickly, stroking their hair.

They smiled happily, glad to know everything was okay.

* * *

## Vil

They quietly watched Vil decide on a color before deciding to offer up advice.

"I think the dark red would look good." they said, showing him which.

"Yeah, if I was a hooker." Vil muttered, putting on his usual purple color.

"What's wrong with trying new colors? People will get bored of the same old stuff." they said, only spouting facts.

"Fine. I'll try the dark red. You put it on." said Vil, handing them the brush as he took off the eyeshadow.

They cleaned the brush before stroking the bristles over his eyelid.

" **Maybe I shouldn't do this...** " they muttered in Korean.

"I'm sorry, what?" Vil asked, not knowing the language.

"I said maybe I shouldn't do this... I think I'm doing poorly." they said, still brushing it on.

"Guess I should prepare for the worst huh?" Vil said, expecting to look like a clown.

" **Sorry...** " they mumbled, causing Vil to wonder what they just said. "It's done."

Vil looked in the mirror before sighing heavily. It was awful. He really did look like a hooker with this much eyeshadow on.

"I knew it was a bad idea to rely on you." grumbled Vil, wiping his eyes. "The color choice wasn't bad, just your applying."

"See, **I told you you'd like the color.** " they said cheerily.

"Honey, I have zero idea what you're saying." Vil commented, now adding on a bit of eyeliner.

"Huh? I said I told you so." they said in confusion.

"No, you said 'See...' before speaking gibberish." Vil said, imitating them.

"Hey, take that back!" they said with an angry pout.

"Make me baby." Vil teased, blowing a kiss in their direction.

They found themselves unable to stay mad at him. Vil giggled in delight, placing a peck on their cheek.

" **Meanie...** " they mumbled.


	20. Get the Hang of It

"I still can't believe you of all people agreed to come out!" they said, giving Idia a bright smile.

"Ah... O- Of course..." Idia stuttered, noticing the watchful eyes. "Anything for you..."

"Aw. You're so cute when you stutter." they giggled, nudging Idia with their elbow.

Idia lightly laughed before looking at their hand. It was okay to hold it, right? He slowly reached over to hold their hand then stopped. Maybe not now. In a little bit sounded ideal.

"Ah, there it is!" they said, hurrying ahead without him.

The aquarium. They had subtly hinted that they would love to go with him sometime so he figured why not for a first date? Though if he were to be honest, he would've preferred something with a bit more excitement.

They were given entrance and they had hurried over to one of the tanks. Idia couldn't lie, the interior design was pretty cool.

"Hey, that fish looks like you." they said, giggling.

It was a light blue fish that was partially hidden behind a rock.

"No it doesn't." Idia mumbled before glancing at their hand.

Maybe now. He shakily reached over but they had taken off without yet again. Next time, for sure. He was easily losing confidence though. They continued to point out things, hoping to get Idia interested in aquatic life. It didn't seem to be working.

"Well, why don't we break for lunch? I'm sure you're hungry." they said, facing Idia.

"Now that you mention..." Idia mumbled before two growling stomachs could be heard.

Idia's face turned extremely red while they simply had a faint blush. They led the way as Idia tried making the redness of his cheeks disappear.

They sat down in the mini food court with their preferred lunches. Idia whined unhappily as they had swiped some of his food. So he did the same. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity, but he's already failed twice.

_"Third time's the charm though..."_ Idia thought before inching his hand closer to theirs.

"Ah! I didn't get anything to drink!" they exclaimed, moving their hand from his reach.

"We can share..." Idia said, sliding his bottled water over.

"You're a lifesaver." they said, giving him doe eyes.

His heart nearly jumped out of his mouth. So. Flipping. Cute. He internally screamed over how cute they were while keeping his calm exterior while he ate.

They tossed out their trash before continuing on. There was only so much left of the aquarium and after that... the most likely progression of the date would be walking them home. Given that nothing occurred in between.

"Idia? Where are you going?" they asked, watching him walk past.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." he apologized, moving to stand next to them.

"Now! Now's the chance! You've got to seize it!" is what he'd like to say, but after three failed attempts, it was probably best to give up. Though, once more shouldn't hurt.

Idia reached out once more before stopping. Something was going to happen. He could feel it. The moment he started to pull back, he felt his hand being held by a warm one. He looked up and saw them smiling bright, giving his hand a squeeze. His cheeks reddened once more, feeling extremely shy.

"Just to make sure I don't lose you." they said, pulling him closer.

A small smile formed on his face as he held them close.

_Mission Accomplished._


	21. Reok: Tempt you

"Yes."

"No."

"I'll rub your back, scratch behind your ears, rub your belly and sing you to sleep for two days."

"...Deal."

Rook clapped happily before giving Leona a tight hug. He hated that he gave in easily to Rook. He wordlessly hugged Rook back, secretly loving the affection.

"Not in class..." Leona muttered, seeing Crewel was about to turn around.

"Right, right." said Rook, helping him finish their classwork.

Leona held the rat while Rook dropped a few drips of the potion on the rat. Leona tossed it back into the cage and watched along with Rook as it turned into a rabbit. Rook cooed as he took it out and started petting it.

"Hm. Good boys." said Crewel, more surprised to see Leona putting in effort, no, in class at all. He stopped walking, making his way over to them. "Kingscholar, it's very rare to see you in any of your classes. Yet as of late, you've been attending."

"You make it sound like a problem." Leona shot back. "One would think you teachers would sound happier."

"We are. It's just... unusual." said Crewel, wondering if he hit his head or was put under a spell. "Do keep attending classes and you'll be out of here in no time. Though, you should've been a year ago."

They watched Crewel walk away before Rook looked at Leona, still holding the rabbit.

"I've been wondering too. Why do you come to class?" Rook asked.

"I don't feel like camping out here anymore." lied Leona, turning his attention to the book so he wouldn't have to answer questions.

"Well, whatever your _real_ reason is, I'm glad. We get to spend more time together." said Rook happily, grazing his finger over Leona's cheek.

It was obvious when Leona lied to him, but he rarely called him out on it. It was just how he operated. The bell rang, signaling their last class of the day was over. Rook let the rabbit free, watching it hop off.

"So, what else do I need to tempt you with?" Rook asked, knowing he's probably upped his requirements.

"Let's just go." responded Leona, waiting for Rook to lead. Rook extended his hand, waiting for him to take it. "Never mind, I'll walk myself."

"You really hate showing affection don't you..." Rook muttered, following after him.

They stepped through the mirror into Pomefiore, greeted by a gentle silence. Leona sniffed, something sweet hanging in the air. Rook looked at him, wondering if he smelled something.

"Is someone baking?" Leona asked, feeling a bit hungry.

"I wouldn't know. But we can definitely check it out." said Rook, leading the way.

Leona followed Rook as he opened the doors to Pomefiore. The sweet scent was coming strongly from their right. Rook seemed to have noticed it too. Rook mentally listed off the possible students before narrowing it down to five. They came up to the communal kitchen before poking their heads in.

"Ah, just the people I wanted to see!" said Rook happily.

"Oh, Rook. Classes are finally done?" Vil asked, keeping him at a distance. "Don't touch me. I just put on a new moisturizer."

"Hey, Rook." said Epel, earning a slap on his back by Vil. "Rook senpai. Vil... senpai was teaching me how to make healthier desserts."

"Simply marvelous!" said Rook before remembering. "I would love to taste test, but someone else does too."

They looked to where he was gesturing and saw Leona leaning against the wall near the open door.

"What's that crusty ass lion doing here?" Vil hissed, fearing his breath would contaminate the air.

"Ah, see... Remember I told you two not too long ago about me being in love?" Rook started, earning nods from the two of them. "And then screaming my head off saying I was in a relationship...?"

"Rook, get to the point." demanded Vil.

"Yeah, we kinda- kind of have something going on..." said Epel, gesturing to the bowl full of batter behind him. _"Not that I really mind if it keeps Vil from working me to the bone..."_

"I'm dating Leona!" said Rook happily. "Hey, come over."

Leona sauntered over before feeling Rook hug him from the side.

"Seeing you like this reminds me of a housewife with five kids and a cheating husband." said Leona, looking Vil up and down.

"I won't play into your games, you overgrown child." Vil snapped. "Rook, I don't like jokes like this. I could be using my time to be teaching Epel the proper way of being a Pomefiore student."

"Is our captain really your boyfriend?" Epel asked, desperately not wanting to go back to baking.

"Oui! If he wasn't, would I be able to be this close to him and not get hurt?" Rook said, scratching underneath Leona's chin.

"Stop that." Leona fussed, swatting his hand away.

Vil dropped the tray of cookies.

"Absolutely not! I will not permit you to date this, this... ruffian!" Vil said loudly while Epel saved the surviving cookies.

"I don't need your permission." said Rook flatly.

"Ooo, nice one." said Leona, pinching Rook's cheek.

"There are plenty of things you can permit and not, but not when it comes to my love life." Rook said, lovingly rubbing his head against Leona's arm. "So, you're going to be seeing us together more often."

"Wow, Rook senpai. I'm happy for you both!" said Epel, offering Leona a cookie. "I think you look great together."

"Unbelievable. Are you really going to date this deadbeat? He's been held back two years. _TWO!_ " Vil exclaimed, slamming his hand on the counter.

"Watch yourself, pretty boy..." Leona warned. "Wouldn't want that pretty face messed up would you?"

Leona backed off at the feeling of Rook tugging on his sleeve. Vil exhaled loudly before glaring at Leona.

"I swear on my eternal beauty if you so as much hurt my vice, I'll have you hunted and killed." Vil threatened. "What's worse than a vice like him is a heart broken and utterly useless one like him."

"I won't if you don't work him as hard as you have been. I need him more than you do anyway." said Leona with a shrug.

Vil rolled his eyes before shooing them away. Rook laughed in glee, not expecting that big of a reaction.

"You owe me, you know." Leona reminded him.

"Yes, yes. Back rubs, ear scratches, belly rubs and singing you to sleep." said Rook, scratching underneath his chin again.

Leona purred softly before swatting his hand away, a faint blush on his cheeks.


	22. Rook + Leona: I’ll kill you

A patterned knock could be heard on the door. Ruggie opened the door before closing it.

“Who was it?” Leona asked, having been awake for a while.

“The last person in Twisted Wonderland you’d want to be with.” said Ruggie, making sure he was comfortable.

“God, not the stalker…” Leona grumbled. “Get him out.”

Ruggie nodded before heading to kick him out. Ruggie opened the door and immediately started pushing him.

“My, where are you taking me?” he asked.

“Somewhere that you can’t bother Leona, Hunt.” Ruggie muttered, telling everyone to make sure Rook didn’t step inside once he threw him out.

“Is it wrong for an old friend to check up on an old friend?” Rook asked, trying to get Ruggie to let go of him.

“No, just not him. You’ll cause him more stress than necessary.” Ruggie said before finally tossing Rook out. “Don’t come back.”

Rook sat on the ground, staring at the closed doors. Ruggie quickly headed back to Leona’s side, knowing he probably wanted a few things. He opened the door, preparing to memorize what he wanted.

“Did you get rid of him?” Leona asked, sitting up.

“Just as you wanted.” Ruggie responded.

“Why did you do that?” he heard Leona growl.

He messed up? But how? He knew Leona like the back of his hand.

“Didn’t want him gone?” Ruggie asked in confusion. “You clearly said ‘Get him out’. My ears are in top condition today.”

“Bring him back or I’ll kill you.” Leona threatened.

“No need!” said a voice before someone came flying through the window. “I’ve arrived.”

Ruggie facepalmed along with Leona as Rook posed about.

“Our King of Beasts! I’ve heard you’ve overblotted during the tournament!” said Rook, getting up close to him. “How unfortunate I could not be there to aid you.”

“I think you would’ve made things worse…” Ruggie deadpanned.

“Non, non! Do you forget the special bond we three share?” Rook said, pulling Ruggie over to them. “You had stopped mini me from overblotting and thus became closer friends than before!”

“No. Not really. Regarding the friend part.” muttered Leona, pulling away from Rook. “Why are you even here?”

Rook smiled before tossing Ruggie out the room. He leaned against the bed, looking up at Leona.

“Tell me your feelings.” he said with a wink.

“Ruggie!” Leona shouted but he didn’t come.

“Oho, do not worry about our little dandelion. He’ll be taking a much needed break.” said Rook, showing he had swiped Ruggie’s magipen. “Now speak, for I am a fortress of kept secrets!”

“I wish you’d die.” Leona spat before turning away from him.

“Sharp with your tongue as always. How have you kept two friends all this time?” Rook whined, staring at his backside.

“I’m giving you two seconds to jump out the window you came through.” said Leona lowly.

He counted to two, but Rook hadn’t moved in the slightest.

“I see. Our kitten king refuses to speak. I shall take my leave then.” said Rook, rising to his feet. “Remember, no one cares as much as we.”

Leona heard the door close. He was spouting nonsense from when they were kids. Those days were gone. He was a lot smarter and tougher than his weak child self.

“Yet I susceptead to overblot…” Leona mumbled, his ears bending in shame and sadness.

He vividly remembered Rook on the verge of overblotting when they were kids. What did he do right that he did wrong? They were both pretty negative at the time. The more he thought about it, the more visible the answer was. Something he refused to reconsider. Friends.

“Friends never got me anywhere…” Leona whispered, despite that not being true at all.


	23. Mallca: Please teach me

Cater plopped down next to Malleus as they enjoyed their personalized candies from Sam's. Malleus looked between his candy and Cater. Cater finally noticed.

"What is it?" Cater asked, not used to him looking around so much.

"How do you... kiss someone?" Malleus asked softly before putting the lollipop back in his mouth.

"Eh, the great and op Malleus doesn't know how to kiss?" Cater teased, nudging his side.

"You don't have to be so loud about it, Diamond..." Malleus hissed, a bit of green fire coming out of his mouth.

"Oho, looks like someone's pissed." Cater mumbled, shrinking back. "Well, I suppose I could help."

Malleus smiled, sucking happily on his candy.

•

He stood in Cater's shared dorm room, watching him search through things.

"Why do you want to know how to kiss though? Someone caught your eyes?" Cater asked before gasping. "Is it Lilia?"

"No! I mean, no..." Malleus said before controlling his volume. "Lilia has someone already."

"Aw, is little Mally heartbroken?" Cater whined, puckering his lips.

"Ah, just be quiet!" Malleus hissed, green sparks of fire emitting from his mouth.

"Goodness, it's so easy to get under your skin. Wonder what changed..." Cater said before humming to himself.

Malleus started to fidget with his magic crystal before Cater produced...

"A pillow?" Malleus asked watching Cater approach him with it.

"It's the staple for prepping those kisses. Don't worry, I've put a little protective spell on it so kiss all you want." said Cater happily.

Cater watched as Malleus awkwardly kissed the pillow. Cater started to cringe before taking the pillow away.

"Wow, that was... horrendous." said Cater, needing to bleach his eyes.

"Was it really...? I was doing what I thought was right..." Malleus said, embarrassment present on his face.

"Aha... _who have you been watching...?_ " Cater thought. "Maybe you do better watching someone."

Malleus nodded slightly before his eyes widened. He grabbed Cater's wrist, pulling him back.

"No, no. Let me try one more time. I'll try harder." said Malleus, his heart contracting painfully at the thought of Cater kissing someone else.

"Okay..." Cater said, handing him the pillow.

Malleus swallowed hard, feeling Cater's stare on him. He had to get it right. If he didn't...

"Mally? Are you gonna try or should we do the demon-"

"I'll do it!" he said before moving the pillow closer.

Cater frowned, seeing it was still bad, but it was a much better improvement than the first time. Maybe it was best if he got someone to help him demonstrate.

"Mally. Maybe you do better by seeing... just let me go get someone-"

"No, please! I... I'm trying my best..." Malleus muttered, biting his bottom lip.

"Hm... I didn't want to suggest it since you could feel uncomfortable..." said Cater before meeting his eyes. "I could kiss you and you mimic me."

Malleus' face burned, reaching all the way up to his ears. Cater tilted his head, wondering why he was so red. Was it that uncomfortable?

"See, I knew-"

"I'll do it, really!" Malleus said, little green sparks of fire coming out his mouth.

"You're uh... drooling... fire." Cater mentioned, seeing it starting to burn away at the rug.

They quickly put it out. Cater stepped closer to Malleus, taking his hands in his. Malleus' heart thumped wildly in his chest as Cater stood before him with such a flirty and seductive look.

"These are the first steps you want to take. It'll really set the mood." said Cater, backing up. "Now try it."

Malleus nervously walked over to Cater and took his hands in his. Cater gave him an approving nod. Malleus grinned happily.

"Next we'll move onto the peck kiss. Make sure you pay attention." said Cater, giving him a wink.

Malleus gulped, his face heating up again. He was going to kiss him. He was going to kiss him right here, right now. His stomach churned, the feeling of vomiting very high. Cater cupped his face, rising to the tip of his toes. He placed a soft kiss onto Malleus' lips, pulling away and opening his eyes.

"Mally? Are you okay?" Cater asked worriedly.

"Yes! I mean, I'm okay..." Malleus said, scratching his neck. "Is it my turn...?"

Cater nodded and waited. He felt Malleus take his hands and lean towards him. Cater blinked rapidly, surprised by how soft his lips really felt. A faint blush dusted his cheeks.

"How was that...?" Malleus asked quietly.

"It was perfect. I'm sure whoever you've got the hots for will love it." said Cater, laughing heartily.

"You think...?" Malleus asked curiously.

"Definitely. You're got cute lips." Cater said, giving him a wink.

"Ah..." Malleus whispered, fire dripping from his mouth. _"Cater don't say such things like that..."_

"Mally, stop drooling!" Cater whined, putting out the small fires. He sighed heavily then looked at him. "Well, there's still the french kiss. Would you like to try that?"

"Yes, please teach me." said Malleus.

Cater cupped his face and got on the tips of his toes. He pressed his lips against Malleus', using his thumb to open his mouth. Malleus' eyes went wide as he could feel Cater's tongue moving around in his mouth. Cater was immediately spooked, not expecting Malleus' tongue to touch his.

"Um, so yeah... like that." Cater muttered, covering his face. "So uh, go ahead and try it..."

Cater's heart beat fast as Malleus got closer. When did he get so nervous? Why was he so nervous? His eyes widened as he felt Malleus enter his mouth. He hesitated before locking his arms around his neck, responding to his advances. Malleus pulled him closer, wanting to embrace this moment while he could. He didn't know when he'd get another chance like this.

They pulled apart, panting for air. Their faces burned bright, Cater stepping away from him. He rubbed his neck, avoiding meeting his eyes as he calmed himself.

"And that's how you kiss... I suppose..." Cater said but it came out barely above a whisper.

"I enjoyed myself." said Malleus happily, covering his ears. "Thank you."

"Right, right..." Cater mumbled, his face starting to cool down.

He glanced up at Malleus before feeling his heart beating incredibly fast. He didn't want to believe it, but a few simple kisses were enough to paint Malleus in a different light.


	24. Fight of the Period

Riddle ate his lunch, minding his own business as Cater talked nonstop about what was trending on Magicam. Trey half listened, thinking of literally anything he could be doing right now instead of listening to Cater.

Riddle felt someone tap his shoulder before being pushed out of his seat. Riddle rubbed his side, looking up to see who the perpetrator was. He angrily glared, rising to his feet.

“What the hell was that for, you octopus?” Riddle pressed, dusting himself off.

“For existing.” Azul spat, flicking his forehead. “You little tyrant.”

Riddle stepped on Azul’s foot. Everyone was starting to look as their fighting became more vocal. Cater filmed everything, the two of them now tugging and pulling on each other. Azul stole a few quick kisses, knowing when people wouldn’t catch it. Riddle would sneak in a few endearing words to Azul, knowing he was the only one who would get it.

“Stop messing with me.” Riddle complained, trying to pull Azul off him.

“I don’t want to, little red. You’re just so easy to mess with.” Azul responded, discreetly caressing Riddle’s cheek.

“I think we should-” said Trey but Cater quickly sat him down.

“No! This is gold! Don’t ruin this for me!” Cater hissed, taking Trey’s glasses as extra measure.

Everyone was about to start recording when two students ran in.

“Vil and Leona are going at it in the hall!”

About half of the students in the cafeteria left to check it out, including Cater. Sure enough, there was Leona and Vil. Vil was surprisingly putting up a good fight.

“I swear I’ll bite you if you come at me again.” Leona growled.

“Bite me then you weak cat!” Vil shot back. “I’m not scared of you.”

Cater excitedly recorded, never expecting to see Vil get into a fight AND look disheveled. Students were cheering all around. Leona had finally bitten Vil on his shoulder.

“Kinky…” Vil whispered, running his fingers through Leona’s hair.

“Shut up. You know you like it…” Leona muttered.

“Bite me again.” Vil muttered.

“Man, I wish I could watch both fights at once!” a student said, looking between LeoVil and the cafeteria.

Azul finally pulled away from Riddle, visibly tired. Riddle panted, fanning himself as he glared at Azul. Everyone eagerly waited to see what would happen next. Azul stepped closer to Riddle, practically on top of him.

“Did I get your attention?” he whispered.

“You always had it, you dumb octopus.” Riddle responded, placing a hand against Azul’s chest. “Kiss me or I’ll force you.”

“Hnn, the little tyrant forcing me to kiss him? I’d love to see you try…” Azul whispered, stroking Riddle’s hair.

Everyone exchanged looks, not entirely sure what was going on. Some went out into the hall to watch the other fight while the rest went back to their seats to enjoy the rest of their lunch.

Things started to die down out in the hall, Vil appearing tired while Leona still had energy to spare.

“You’re hesitating, you overgrown cat.” Vil sneered.

“Because it wouldn’t be fair to kick someone when they’re down.” Leona shot back, assessing how much energy Vil had left before his body gave in.

“You’re underestimating me.” Vil said in displeasure.

Leona easily caught Vil before immobilizing him. He yawned as Vil struggled, trying to get free.

“As expected, Leona won.” said a student with a shrug.

“Wait!”

Everyone gasped as Leona fell back, holding his nose. Vil rolled his shoulder, smirking evilly as his hair continued to fall out of place.

“I said don’t underestimate me.” Vil said lowly before feeling a bit concerned. He squatted beside Leona who continued to cover his nose. “I didn’t hit you too hard, right…?”

Leona allowed him to look. Vil frowned, quickly pulling out his handkerchief and wiping the blood from his nose. It was hard for the others to see what was going on, but they assumed Vil was checking to see if he was down for the count.

“We should probably get you to the infirmary… God, I didn’t mean to hit you so hard.” Vil mumbled, guilt starting to eat at him.

“It’s fine. At least this way they’re satisfied.” said Leona, gesturing to the retreating students.

Vil helped Leona up once everyone had left the hallway. He took a different route to the infirmary, knowing they wouldn’t run into any of the observers.


	25. Malleo: Uncle

Cheka excitedly ran through the mirror, his guards chasing after him. His tail moved happily, recognizing the dorm. Savanaclaw. His uncle was inside. He ran ahead, once more leaving his guards in the dust.

“Cheka sama!” a guard wheezed, weakly reaching out.

Savanaclaw students moved out of the way, watching the small child run through the walkways.

“Uncle Leona!” Cheka shouted, swinging his door open.

Ruggie’s ears stood up on alert before recognizing the child. He looked towards Leona’s bed, wondering if he would say something.

“Good god…” Leona muttered before feeling something heavy land on him. “Shi- Darn.”

“I’ve missed you so much! How have you been? Are you making friends? Can I meet them?” Cheka asked in rapid fire.

“You didn’t tell me Cheka was coming. I would’ve gotten things ready.” said Ruggie, prying the child off him.

“I didn’t know either.” said Leona, looking at the squirming child. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting!” he cheered, hitting Ruggie square in the jaw.

Leona snorted, watching Ruggie massage his jaw. Cheka could be cool sometimes. He reluctantly got out of bed and had Cheka take his hand.

“Where are we going?” Cheka asked.

Leona let his hand go before closing the door. Cheka looked around before realizing Leona left him. His guards appeared, completely out of breath. Cheka ran off, figuring he could explore the school himself and find his friends.

•

Cheka skipped around, trying to peek into rooms and see what was going on. He found himself bumping into someone, sending him falling back on his tush.

“My, what is a child doing in our school?” the voice asked, lifting him to his feet.

Cheka craned his neck, looking up at the extremely tall guy. His eyes widened, seeing something growing out of his head.

“Hey mister, what are those things?” Cheka asked curiously.

“These? They’re my horns. They’re like your ears, a part of me.” he said, touching them.

“Wow… They’re really cool! Can I touch?” Cheka asked.

Malleus picked him up, allowing him to touch them. He was fond of children. He adored their innocence. Cheka carefully touched them, admiring the ridges in them. They were completely different from his ears. Malleus put him down before getting down to his height.

“So, what is your name little one?” he asked.

“Cheka Kingscholar. My daddy is Farena Kingscholar and my uncle attends this school!” said Cheka before frowning. “But he doesn’t want to hang out with me.”

“I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you.” said Malleus happily. “Wait, Leona is your uncle?”

Cheka nodded, taking Malleus’ hand. It was big and warm. Malleus asked him questions about himself, learning more of what Cheka liked and disliked.

•

“So, you’ve always relied on magic?” Cheka asked, looking at him.

“Yes. So I’m not very familiar with the machinery of today…” admitted Malleus, thinking of the Ignihyde dorm. “However, I’m not opposed to their presence. As you can see.”

Cheka curiously looked at the small device in his hand. He didn’t know what it was.

“What does it do?” Cheka asked.

Malleus pressed a button and a cute noise came from it. It was a small creature. He watched Malleus play with it and care for it.

“Wow, I want one…” Cheka muttered before being handed the device. “I can play with it?”

“Go ahead.” said Malleus, watching him play with his pet.

“Hey, are you friends with my uncle? I wanted to meet his friends but he won’t introduce me.” Cheka mumbled, handing the tamagotchi back.

“I do believe we are. We’ve had some nice chats here and there.” said Malleus, thinking back with fondness. “I haven’t talked to him at all today though.”

“He might still be in his room! Why don’t we go?” Cheka suggested.

“Ah, I don’t wish to bother him…” Malleus muttered, feeling a bit shy.

“Huh? Why not? Aren’t you friends?” Cheka asked in confusion.

“Oh, we are it’s just… I get very nervous around him these days. I’m afraid of embarrassing myself.” Malleus confessed, a faint blush on his cheeks. _“He’s also been avoiding me at times…”_

“Friends do embarrassing things together.” said Cheka, hopping off the bench and pulling Malleus with him. “Let’s go be silly and do embarrassing together! I’ll get uncle Leona to be embarrassing too!”

Malleus continued to protest against his idea but his words fell on deaf ears.

•

Leona’s door swung open, startling the sleeping lion. Cheka placed his hands on his hips, feeling confident.

“Uncle Leona, get up!” Cheka said, jumping on him.

“I’m up! Stop jumping on me.” Leona fussed. He sat up and froze at the sight of Malleus. “Oh… hello.”

Malleus awkwardly waved, not sure what else to do. Cheka pulled Leona out of bed, having him stand across from Malleus.

“Malleus said he’s afraid of embarrassing himself in front of you. So let’s make him feel better by embarrassing ourselves.” Cheka suggested. “Make funny faces!”

The two exchanged looks, finding it hard to refuse the small child. Their faces heated in embarrassment, hoping the other wasn’t creeped out.

“Oh, I know. Let’s exchange embarrassing moments!” Cheka said cheerily.

“Cheka-”

“That sounds fun.” said Malleus, sitting down with Cheka.

Leona sat down as well. Could he really bring up such embarrassing things in front of Malleus? Cheka finished before pointing to Malleus.

“When I was little, I would sometimes burn things to ashes when I sneezed. I was very sick one day and burned my clothes right off my back in public.” said Malleus, his face extremely red.

“Uncle.” Cheka said.

“Uh, my parents told me that when I was learning to walk, I was directionally challenged and often ran into things. Yet I never cried and just laughed it off…” Leona confessed, his face burning bright.

Malleus and Cheka giggled some, amused by the thought of a small Leona running into things. This made him blush even more.

“You look really cute like this.” Malleus blurted out before realizing his mistake. “Did I say that out loud…”

“Um, thanks…?” Leona responded, not wanting to read too much into it.

“Say something nice back.” Cheka quipped.

“You… you got pretty eyes…” Leona mumbled.

Cheka listened as the two made a few more compliments.

“You’re both red in the face. Are you sick?” Cheka pointed out.

They quickly looked at each other before looking away. Why was he blushing? It couldn’t be. Or could it?

“Why are you blushing? I’m not blushing. Yes you are! Stop copying me! Do you like me or something?” they said in unison.

They quietly stared at each other, not sure how to proceed.

“Just say what’s on your mind! Daddy always tells me that it helps a lot.” said Cheka, having them hold hands. “Say your feelings! Your honest feelings~!”

They met each other’s gaze before Leona decided to speak up first.

“I uh, kinda… maybe… like you…” Leona whispered, not really wanting him to hear.

“Leona, I really like you. You’re just so… I don’t know but I can’t stop thinking about you.” Malleus said quickly, squeezing his eyes shut.

They both took a moment to realize what had just occurred. Cheka smiled happily, unknowingly causing them to confess their feelings.

“Yay, feelings!” Cheka cheered, hugging both their arms.


	26. Vick: I had to!

Jack watched from a window as a third year class played soccer. His eyes followed one person and one person only. Even now he radiated immense beauty.

“Howl!” Crewel shouted, startling Jack.

“Sorry, Crewel…” Jack whimpered, turning his attention to the cauldron in front.

“I told you.” Epel said, patting his back.

“But it’s the perfect opportunity…! The way his hair moved when the wind blew it when he ran… His shouting and directing his teammates… he’s a born leader…” said Jack dreamily. “Even when we were young, he was such a great person… Not that we hung out much.”

“You’re really head over heels for him…” Epel muttered, keeping Jack’s bodily fluid from entering their potion. “You’ve been crushing for months now. You should confess!”

Jack let out a shriek, disturbing the class. He apologized again, glaring at Epel.

“Me? Confess? I can’t! I don’t know how!” Jack said, panicking internally. “What if I mess up? What if he’s turned off if I write it down? It’s too much pressure!”

Epel pet Jack, telling other students to mind their business.

“How about I help you? I’ve gotten a lot confessions back home.” said Epel, hoping it’d ease his worries.

“You will? Please help me.” Jack whined, his heart aching.

•

“Favorite drink?”

“Hand pressed smoothie, not machine made!”

“Favorite movie?”

“Begrudgingly 3, not 2 because it was awful!”

“Hobby?”

“Yoga! It gives him a sense of peace!”

“Something only the two of you know?”

“He hates rabbits because one tried eating him!”

Epel clapped, seeing Jack was just about ready to go.

“We all know Vil. If you’re gonna do something for him: 1) It must have value to **him** 2) it must be **beautiful** and **grand** no matter what 3) don’t show up sloppily dressed or else he’ll only focus on that.” said Epel, looking Jack over. “I think you look good.”

“The collar is choking me a bit though…” Jack confessed, feeling his throat being squished.

Epel loosened it as Jack had his hands full. It still looked proper, but would it pass Vil’s extremely observant eyes? He double checked the makeup products, making sure none of them were cheap nor his least favorite brands.

“Okay, remember those three things and keep him busy for just a bit. Too long and he’ll be unhappy.” said Epel, patting Jack’s back. “How are you feeling?”

“Extremely unconfident.” Jack replied, feeling himself starting to sweat. “I… I can’t do this. I’m so scared…”

Epel hugged Jack, listening to him sob. He couldn’t imagine how scary this was. Everyone knew how harsh Vil could be. Epel heard his phone ding, signaling it was time.

“Vil is leaving the classroom. Still don’t want to do it?” Epel asked, patting his back. “It’s okay to say you don’t want to. We can always try again in a few months.”

“A few months…? What if…” Jack muttered before his eyes widened. “What if he gets a boyfriend in that time frame!?”

“Jack-” Epel said but he was already zooming out the door. “Oh god, he left the flowers!”

•

Vil fixed his makeup using his hand mirror before being stopped by a taller student. He looked them up and down before narrowing his eyes. This was it. He already messed up with his appearance.

“May I help you, Jack?” he asked, surprising him.

“Oh, uh… Uh…” Jack stammered, realizing he left the flowers in Epel’s room. “Do you want to um, get a drink…?”

“From where?” Vil pressed, crossing his arms.

“Trey! Uh, he uh… mentioned he was trying out making smoothies… by hand!” said Jack, trying his best not to mess up his words.

“Trey making hand made smoothies… I suppose I could try.” said Vil, walking ahead.

Jack visibly deflated, having gotten through phase one.

Jack opened the door for Vil as they entered the kitchen. Trey waved, pouring his creations into two cups.

“So, what do you think since you’re a connoisseur of hand made smoothies?” Trey asked.

Vil hummed, taking in all the flavors present.

“It’s lumpy. But I liked the flavors you chose, so it being lumpy isn’t much of a problem.” said Vil before taking another sip. “Ah, I’m a sucker for a tinge of sour.”

“Getting nothing but praise from Vil himself. I really outdid myself huh?” said Trey, glancing at Jack. “Your thoughts?”

“It’s really good! I can see why Vil senpai really loves them!” said Jack, his tail having been wagging non stop.

“Hm, I guess you do have some smarts about you.” said Vil, looking at him from his cup.

Jack melted inside. Everything was going well despite the small hiccup. Now he just needed to get Vil to their last stop: an indoor picnic where the makeup gifts awaited.

“Thank you for this, Jack. I couldn’t help but notice you’re rather… dressed up. Is there a formal occasion?” Vil asked.

“Oh, uh… no. Not really…” he replied.

“I see, I’ll get going then.”

“Wait-!”

He felt his soul leave his body. He quickly let go of Vil’s arm, knowing he’d explode. He was so close, yet he had to mess up.

“What is it?” Vil asked.

He wasn’t mad? He always got mad when people touched him. Was he tamed from having the lumpy smoothie?

“Um, there’s somewhere else I want to take you. I promise it’s the last place.” said Jack quickly, not wanting him to think it was a scavenger hunt or something.

•

Epel finished setting up, thanking Kalim and Jamil for helping. They quickly left, hearing footsteps approaching. Vil looked into the room, taking in the decorations and the aroma of food. Neatly wrapped boxes sat against a blank board. He looked back at Jack, wondering if they made a wrong turn.

“Let’s sit.” Jack said, heading over.

“Is this where you wanted to bring me?” Vil asked, narrowing his eyes at the decorations.

Oh no. Were they not good? Should they have been more extravagant?

“Yes…?” Jack replied.

Vil said nothing more, sitting across from Jack. He picked up a mini sandwich and bit in. He blinked a few times before letting out a pleased moan. It was delicious. He checked what was in it, seeing it was nothing but healthy things.

“Did you make these?” Vil asked in awe.

“Um… I had some help…” Jack confessed, not wanting to take credit for Jamil’s handiwork.

“Well, either way, they’re so good.” said Vil before trying more food.

His tastebuds were being assaulted left and right. Even he couldn’t make bland food taste this delicious. He reluctantly stopped himself from eating more, afraid he’d gain weight from consuming too much. The neatly wrapped presents caught his eye again.

“Ah! I almost forgot.” said Jack, getting up.

He saw the flowers hiding behind the board. He picked them up and held them before getting himself situated.

“Vil senpai, I have something I need to say…” said Jack, grabbing Vil’s attention.

Epel discreetly turned the board while Jack held the flowers and gifts.

“‘I’ve always loved you from afar, but I want to love you by your side. Will you go out with me?’” Vil read before looking at Jack.

Epel was starting to feel nervous as well. They went through all this trouble, making sure everything was perfect. To hear Vil reject him would just be heart shattering. And he wasn’t even the one crushing.

“Jack…” Vil said, causing them both to hold their breath. “This was very kind of you. Sharing a smoothie together, talking about things together, enjoying this delicious meal together. It’s clear you’ve put thought into this.”

 _“For someone who’s usually straight to the point, he’s dragging this out…”_ Epel thought.

“I don’t really expect much from someone who doesn’t know beauty like I do, but I guess we can find out.” said Vil, popping another mini sandwich into his mouth before scolding himself.

“So… yes…?” Jack asked, needing clarification.

“Yeah.”

Jack excitedly ran over to him, handing him the flowers and gifts. Vil opened them one by one, looking at each of them.

“These are… expensive.” said Vil, looking at all of them. “You really went all out on these…”

“I had to! Settling is not enough when it comes to you. Everything has to be perfectly beautiful or it’s nothing but a potato.” said Jack, looking at him with hopeful eyes. “They’re good, right?”

Vil closed the pallete, stacked everything together and handed it back.

“I don’t want them. Return it all.” said Vil.

“Huh? So they-”

“They are good enough. They’re perfect.” replied Vil, keeping the nude lipstick. “You spent an unnecessary amount on me… Get some of your money back.”

“But-”

“I won’t repeat myself, Jack. Do it now.” said Vil before stopping him. “And loosen these, you look like a fish out of water.”

Jack looked at his loosened buttons, not expecting Vil to unbutton his shirt. He quickly took off, getting a stern glare from Vil.


	27. Che'nya x Trey: Therapy for the mind

Che'nya laughed in amusement as he was pursued by Night Raven students. He vanished into thin air before reappearing up on the second floor.

“Get him!”

Che'nya sighed, seeing there was more of them. He disappeared once more, reappearing much farther away. Who would’ve thought they’d be angered just by his presence? He let out a startled meow, finding himself being caught in a bag.

“Where did he go!?”

“Come out you Royal Sword scum!”

Che'nya flailed around in the bag before feeling that he was being carried. He continued to move around, trying to claw his way out.

The bag was finally put down before being opened. Che'nya rolled out before seeing he was in a room. His cheshire grin made itself known at the sight before him.

“I told you if you’re going to visit, just come straight to my room.” he fussed, making the bag disappear.

“Aw, where’s the fun in that Trey~” Che'nya responded, his tail waving around. “You’ll just save me in the end.”

“Maybe next time I’ll feed you to the wolves.” said Trey, getting back to his homework.

“Hnn. What are you working on?” Che'nya asked, watching over his shoulder. “Ooo, are we transforming things?”

“And changing the color at the same time.” said Trey before sighing. “And then we have to age it by five years.”

“That’s easy~” Che'nya mewled, nuzzling himself against Trey. “Nya…. I missed you…”

“I can’t get anything done if you keep clinging to me.” Trey commented, prying Che'nya off him.

Che'nya stood beside him, watching Trey transform the rat into a cute little colored hedgehog. It reminded him a bit of their childhood.

“Hey, Trey. Remember when we fought over a hedgehog just like this?” Che'nya piped up, his tail wrapping around Trey. “We hit and bit each other before you almost fell and hit your head…”

“Why bring up old memories while I’m trying to make this hedgehog younger?” Trey sighed, having to start over. “As if I’d forget the day you tricked me into kissing you and telling other kids about it.”

“I did no such thing nya~” said Che'nya with a cheeky grin.

The hedgehog started to appear younger before Trey’s crystal stopped emitting magic. The hedgehog scampered around in the cage, confused as to what was going on.

“Fine. We can pretend you didn’t then. So, what are you here for? A trip down memory lane?” Trey questioned. “Answer honestly or I feed you to those students.”

“Really, I just missed nya~ Can’t I miss my childhood sweetheart?” Che'nya said with an obvious pout.

Trey shook his head, taking out his phone to make a post.

“Okay, okay. I’m… having a bit of trouble with homework. I can’t focus at RSA.” confessed Che'nya, rubbing his arm. “Can I do it here?”

“Oh? Is it okay for someone of NRC to learn what kind of work RSA students get?” Trey teased. “But sure. Do what you need.”

Trey watched Che'nya take the hedgehog out of the cage before it scampered underneath the bed. He opened the window some before clasping his hands behind his back. His eyes widened slightly at the soft melodic tune Che'nya belted out. As if by some magical trance, the hedgehog came out of hiding and a few birds hung out in the room. Soon a few mice crawled in, sitting by Che'nya’s feet.

“I see…” Che'nya muttered before speaking in mouse. He heard the birds chirping, voicing their complaints. “That is pretty bad…”

“You all learn animal language too…?” Trey asked, scaring the animals.

“Yeah. I’m not very good at it actually. I can’t understand that hedgehog at all.” Che'nya responded, softly singing and bringing the animals back. “The singing helps them know you don’t intend to hurt them. It also works as therapy for the mind.”

“The more you know…” Trey whispered. He tried the song Che'nya used, sending the animals into a frenzy. “Uh oh.”

“Yeah, I see why they don’t teach nyu all.” Che'nya chuckled. The animals eventually came back without the use of singing. “So, mind helping me with communicating?”

Trey sat beside Che'nya before feeling his tail wrap around him. He gently pet him, earning pleased purrs from the cat beside him. The hedgehog made noises, complaining he wanted pets too. Soon the mice and birds were agreeing.

“What do you think they’re unhappy about?” Trey questioned.

“Seeing they were fine until you started petting me, it’s probably about that.” said Che'nya, looking at him.

Trey nodded before teaching him how to apologize to all of them, starting with mouse as it was easiest.


	28. Reok: Drunk Sugar

Leona poked the meat, seeing it was absolutely charred. The vegetables? Undercooked. The rice? A hard lump. He looked at Rook who seemed to be enjoying it.

“Rook, this isn’t food.” Leona spoke up, pushing his plate away.

“I followed the recipe from my father though…” Rook responded, taking out the recipe book.

Leona walked over, looking over Rook’s shoulder. Sure enough, that’s how it was written. The meat had to be charred, the vegetables undercooked and the rice in a not so soft ball form.

“Did you eat this for dinner…?” he asked a bit concerned.

“Yes… It’s not as bad as it looks Lea.” said Rook. “Try it please? For me?”

Leona sat down before cutting off charred meat. Rook watched with doe eyes as Leona ate some vegetables and rice.

“Surprisingly it’s not horrible…” Leona admitted, eating more.

“Right? It’s called Avagardé.” said Rook. “Ah, I made a few more different dishes. Let me get them.”

Leona moved the plates aside then had another placed in front of him. A small strip of fish drizzled with chocolate and basil leaves. He didn’t know how he felt about chocolate with his fish, but he was going to find out. He also put a bit of basil on his piece and ate it.

“The hell is this? Why is this stuff tasting better than it looks!?” Leona said in pure confusion.

“This was my favorite dish growing up, La Le Samon!” Rook exclaimed. He walked over to Leona, stealing a kiss. “It’s tastes even better coming from you.”

Rook kissed him again, addicted to the taste. Leona finally stopped him, feeling low on oxygen.

“You can be so greedy…” Leona commented while smiling. “I love it when you are.”

“Well, I have a few more dishes for you to try.” said Rook, scurrying back to the kitchen.

He came back with a bowl with a dark liquid. It was bubbling. He prayed to the heavens this tasted good like the others. He got a spoonful and swallowed. He started coughing, quickly trying to wash out the taste. His eyes started to water, Rook hurrying to get him some milk. He quickly downed the milk Rook brought him, feeling some relief.

“Why is it so spicy!?” Leona wailed, his mouth on fire, his eyes burning and slowly losing a bit of hearing.

“I don’t know… I followed the directions.” said Rook, checking the book. “Oh, slight mishap. I think I put too many peppers in.”

“Think!?” Leona wheezed, collapsing to the floor.

•

Rook smiled happily, seeing Leona had fully recovered. He shrank back at his angry glare.

“The last two are desserts. I promise neither are spicy.” said Rook, rubbing his neck.

“You’re gonna pay for that last dish. With your ass.” said Leona, watching Rook touch his ass. He let out a few snorts, enjoying the horrified look. “I’m joking. You’ll just have to do my homework for a few days.”

Rook seemed relaxed before going to fetch the dessert. He came back with two harmless marshmallows. He wasn’t expecting him to eat that. Rook blew them out, ushering him to try. Leona chewed before feeling liquid enter his mouth and burn his throat.

“Did you put alcohol in this?” Leona questioned, it feeling very familiar.

“Mhm. The english for it is Drunk Sugar.” said Rook, eating the other. “I’m technically not allowed to have more than one. We kinda had a bad experience one night.”

“They let you have alcohol that young?” Leona asked worriedly.

“No. I snuck them. I didn’t know at the time.” Rook confessed, licking his lips. “I’ll go get the last dessert.”

Leona was a bit worried as Rook had eaten one. If he couldn’t have more than one, his tolerance was low. Rook staggered in, carrying a bowl. He rubbed his eyes before walking normally again.

“Last one, Coco Pome.” said Rook, moving to sit down and missing the chair completely. “Damn it… stop moving chair.”

“If sober Rook was annoying, I can’t imagine you drunk…” Leona said, more worried for his safety than anything.

He took a spoonful of the almost black ice cream and found it delicious despite its noticeable bitterness. He looked over and saw Rook still wasn’t in the chair. He went around the table and saw him sitting on the floor.

“Rook.” called out Leona.

Rook looked up before his heart rate picked up. His face flushed more as he tried to hide.

“Don’t look at me like that…” Rook said softly, nibbling on his finger. “It’s giving me lewd thoughts…”

“I’m not giving you any suggestive looks you weirdo.” Leona deadpanned, reaching out for him.

A soft moan escaped Rook’s lips at the feeling of Leona simply tapping him. This was going to be a pain in the ass.

“Stop… you’re making me want to-”

“And that’s enough from you.” said Leona, using magic to tape his mouth.

Rook squirmed around, seemingly giggling at every touch.


	29. Vick: You deserve a reward

Jack sat on Vil’s bed, watching him do his morning routine. Vil wouldn’t let him help no matter how much he promised to follow his directions carefully. Then again, he prided himself on his beauty, so having outside help would probably ruin it.

“Jack, could you come here?” Vil asked, seemingly having trouble. Jack sat beside him before being shown his face. “Is there anything in my eye?”

“Ah, an eyelash. I’ll get it for you.” said Jack, grabbing a tissue.

“Wait, Jack-”

Jack was already trying to get it out of his eye. Vil relaxed and decided to trust him. After a bit of directing from Jack, the eyelash had been removed.

“Hm, guess you’re not just all muscle, no brain.” chuckled Vil, especially impressed with one thing. “You didn’t ruin my makeup either.”

“I could never! You’ve been working hard on it. Plus I’ve grown used to being careful. You know, younger siblings.” said Jack, his tail wagging happily.

It wasn’t everyday Vil praised him, so he made sure to internalize the times he did.

“You deserve a reward.” said Vil, finishing his eye makeup.

Jack tilted his head, wondering what it was. A Vil pass that allowed him one night of getting to sleep in the same bed as him? A small date planned by Vil? Vil had him lean forward before his tail stuck up from being kissed.

Vil giggled in delight, kissing him again, sending Jack’s tail standing up again. This wasn’t at all what he was expecting. Vil never initiated french kisses, no, allowed french kisses at all. Jack’s cheeks started to turn red as Vil went in for a third.

“V- Vil…” Jack whispered, his emotions on full display.

“I’ve really wanted to do this for a long time. You’ve given me an excuse to.” responded, smirking before kissing him again.

No thoughts, head empty. That was Jack’s current state of mind. All he could feel was Vil’s soft lips. Vil had given him one last kiss before admiring his handiwork. You could easily mistake Jack for a tomato at this point.

“You’re so cute like this. It makes me want to keep you all to myself.” chuckled Vil before going back to finishing his morning routine.

Jack held his tail as his ears bended. How could he act so cool about it? Why wasn’t he feeling embarrassed? He felt Vil pet him, sending his anger away. If he liked it then he had nothing to complain about.


	30. Ohana means Family

“So? What do you think? The weekend starts tomorrow.” said Lilia, looking at the two of them.

“We aren’t kids anymore, old man.” Silver muttered, his consciousness wavering.

“For both the dorm leader and vice to both be absent for a day… It doesn’t sit well with me.” said Malleus, shaking his head. “So much could happen within an hour, Lilia.”

“You both need it, especially you.” said Lilia, pointing to Malleus. “When was the last time you had a proper break?”

The two of them didn’t respond before shaking their heads. Lilia sighed before walking away. If they didn’t want to, that was that.

•

Lilia groaned in displeasure at the sound of knocking on his door early in the morning. The one time he decided to get some sleep was the time someone felt the need to disturb it.

“You…” Lilia muttered before being pulled out of his room.

His clothes were changed with magic while he was forced to run out of the dorm.

“What’s gotten into you both?” Lilia asked, seeing they were leaving Diasomnia.

“You’ll see when we get there, old man.” Silver responded, holding Lilia tighter.

•

Lilia looked around, seeing where Silver had taken him. He looked up at Malleus who wore an unreadable expression. Silver walked over to the swing set, pushing the one for small children.

“You loved the swings. You also fell asleep easily in them…” Lilia commented, looking at the look of nostalgia on Silver’s face.

“I still love swings, but I can’t really use them unless someone’s there to catch me.” Silver laughed, stopping the little swing. “And how could I forget the seesaw?”

Lilia walked over to it with Silver, sitting on one end. He was easily lifted into the air, Silver weighing more than he. Lilia looked, seeing Malleus looking at the slide.

“I’m sure you remember getting stuck in it because of your horns.” Lilia said, watching Malleus tense. “Of course you do.”

“I didn’t know at the time, okay?” Malleus hissed, clearly embarrassed.

“He got stuck in the slide? I wish I could’ve seen that.” said Silver in awe.

“Or what about the time your horn got stuck in the hole of the swing chain and we had to cut you out?” Lilia said, chuckling at the memory.

“Lilia!” Malleus shouted, his face turning more red.

“You were both a joy to watch over and help grow…” said Lilia, looking at them. “You’re all so big now…”

“Hey, don’t talk like that, father…” Silver whispered, not bothering to correct himself. “Just ‘cause we’re big doesn’t mean we’re any different. Well, besides obvious ones.”

“We can still play around like we used to, just we’d be doing older people things.” said Malleus, now standing by the seesaw.

“I know, I know. It’s just… back when I found you, Silver, I didn’t know if I’d be here with you right now. Maybe your parents would’ve come for you. Maybe I’d kick the bucket.” Lilia explained, holding Silver’s hands.

“But you are now… And that’s what you should care about.” said Silver, giving him a bright smile.

“We’re really thankful to have had someone like you watching over us as we grew… especially Silver. Having no place to call home, no one to call family. Until you came.” said Malleus.

“Oh, stop it…” Lilia croaked, tears threatening to leave his eyes. “This wasn’t supposed to be a sad trip…”

“What did you expect coming to a playground that brings up fond memories?” Silver chuckled, getting up from the seesaw. “Will you push me on the swings? Just like old times, father?”

Lilia burst into tears, startling the other two. They pulled him into a group hug, sharing their love and warmth just like he did.


	31. Vil x Rook: Don’t stalk him

Rook watched Leona from afar, taking detailed notes. He started memorizing what his tail movements meant.

“There you are!” Vil said loudly, causing Leona to wake up and move away.

“Ah, there goes my prey…” Rook said sadly. “What can I do for our beautiful leader?”

“How many times must I tell you to leave him alone?” Vil fussed, stamping his foot.

“I don’t really see the harm in it. He has yet to harm me.” said Rook, sighing at his incomplete notes.

“That’s not the point! Don’t stalk him anymore!” Vil said angrily before walking away.

“My, his temper has gotten worse these days…”

•

“Rook, where’s my limited edition Dosèznae eyeshadow palette!?” Vil shouted, checking all of his drawers once more.

“It’s right in front of you.” said Rook before going back to fixing his eyeliner.

Sure enough, there it was. Vil didn’t say anything else as he started reapplying his eyeshadow. He often glanced at Rook, noticing how he was putting on his eyeliner.

“No, no. That’s all wrong. Come here.” Vil fussed, wiping his eyes clean.

Rook allowed Vil to make the necessary changes. Vil easily started to apply before it slowly started to creep in.

“Finish the rest yourself. I don’t need to baby you.” Vil said angrily, quickly packing up and dropping things in the process.

Rook now stood alone in Vil’s bathroom, confused as to what just happened. He shook his head, doing what Vil was doing before he took off.

•

Rook wrote down notes, watching Leona gnaw on his tail. Something he did when he knew no one would disturb him anytime soon.

“He’s… feeling… aroused…” Rook whispered to himself, before watching him again. “Correction… feeling… childish…”

“Rook!”

Rook tackled Vil to the ground, afraid Leona might’ve heard them. He looked up, thankful to see he hadn’t.

“Could you stop being so loud!? I’m trying to work!” Rook fussed, pushing up off him. “Lately you’ve been getting in the way of my studying…”

Vil sat up, glaring.

“If you have something to say, then say it.” said Rook, writing down more notes. He slowly stopped, turning to face Vil. “Or is it…”

“What?”

“Look, I’m not trying to steal anyone’s man here, especially yours, our beautiful poisonous queen.” said Rook, giving him a smile. “I’m simply observing a wild beast within a school full of delicious looking prey.”

“He’s not my man, you are!” Vil retorted before realizing what he said. “Oh…”

Rook was now staring at him with wide eyes.

“Vil? Did I hear correctly?” Rook asked, taking a break from watching Leona.

“So what? I said it. I don’t want you watching him. I’m tired of you giving him your everything and giving me none!” said Vil angrily, his jealousy bubbling to the surface. “I deserve attention too! I’m just as interesting as that overgrown child!”

Rook watched Vil stomp away with a beet red face. He picked up his things, hurrying to catch up to Vil. Their amazing dorm leader, Vil Schoenheit who was perfect in all aspects, feeling such an attraction to a simple, rugged person from the dry savannah. Certainly that made for an interesting topic.


	32. Bangs are Cute

Lilia pushed his bangs up before letting it flop. It was blocking his eyesight. He wasn’t confident in his cutting skills. He could use magic, but he didn’t know enough of hairstyling magic for it.

“Maybe I can ask Silver.” Lilia muttered before leaving his room.

Lilia found himself in Silver’s room. As usual, he was fast asleep. He started to rethink his choices. He’d lose more than just his hair if Silver did the cutting. He left Silver’s room, seeking out Malleus.

“Cut your bangs? I’m not very confident but I can try.” said Malleus, lifting his bangs. “It’s so long…”

“Malleus sama!” a booming voice said from down the hall.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out who it was.

“Hello Sebek. Are you busy?” Malleus asked.

“Never for you!” Sebek said loudly, standing with his arms by his sides. “How can I help?”

“Would you assist me in cutting Lilia’s bangs? I’m sure a second opinion would be great to have.” said Malleus.

“IT’D BE AN HONOR, MALLEUS SAMA!” Sebek shouted, getting emotional.

“Please, stop being so loud. Have you no volume control?” Lilia asked, unplugging his ears.

“My apologies…” Sebek whimpered, shrinking back.

“What’s with all the noise…” a voice groaned.

“Ah, you’re awake Silver. We were just about to cut my bangs.” said Lilia, pulling Silver close to him. “Would you like to help assist Malleus?”

Silver nodded, leaning against Lilia.

•

Lilia sat in a chair as Malleus approached him with scissors. If someone were to see the scene without context, they’d think some horrific experiment was about to occur. Silver and Sebek stood on Malleus’ sides, giving him directions.

“You cut off too little.”

“Wait, there’s more right there…”

“Ah! Too much!”

“Wait, not- oh…”

“Maybe try here…?”

“This looks okay… right?” Malleus whispered.

“Um, try here.”

“No, don’t listen to Silver! This is the best spot.”

“Don’t be stupid. Wait, Malleus-!”

Snip. They looked in horror of what they had done. Lilia noticed they stopped talking, so he started to open his eyes.

“Don’t look yet! We aren’t done!” said Sebek, covering Lilia’s eyes as Silver brought something over to blindfold him.

They pulled Malleus over, discussing how to fix this mess. Malleus tried using magic, causing Lilia’s hair to grow. They’d just start over.

“Yes, right there!”

“A little more to the right.”

“Not too much.”

“Ah, this is hard…” Malleus hummed, having his forehead wiped by Silver.

“Oh no…”

“No, not there!”

Snip. They were back where they started.

“Can I look now?” Lilia asked, kicking his legs.

They exchanged looks before removing the blindfold. Sebek created a mirror with magic, revealing the truth. Was he mad? Was he disappointed? They couldn’t tell.

“We’re so sorry, it’s not-”

“I like it.” said Lilia, playing with his freshly cut bangs.

“You do?” Silver asked worriedly, now wide awake.

“The design is cool. Maybe I’ll be hip in the youngins’ eyes.” said Lilia, smiling in delight.

 _“No, not at all…”_ the trio thought in unison.


	33. Ariel: Azul

Riddle stood out in the sports field, having been called out by Azul. One would think he’d steer clear of the very place that he doesn’t do well in. What made it even more strange was him telling him to wear his P.E uniform.

Soon a broom came flying, stopping right beside him. He looked around, seeing no one present. Did it escape? Soon the Leech twins came into view, flying in the air. They were just as hopeless as Azul, but were generally better out of the three of them.

“What are you two clowns doing here?” Riddle sneered, getting on the broom present.

It was a perfect fit for his height. Something fishy was going on.

“Just helping a long time friend of ours.” said Jade, him and Floyd now hovering on both sides of Riddle.

Floyd sent out the first firework, Jade next. They weren’t really anything special, but it was always nice to watch fireworks. He never really got to see them up close. Just from afar within the confines of his home.

Soon the fireworks started to take shapes, most being different colored hearts. Soon letters started to appear. Riddle carefully looked at each.

“I… l- lo- love… R- Ri- Riddle?” Riddle read before noticing something below them.

Azul tightly gripped his broom before mounting it. Riddle squinted, not sure if Azul was riding a broom or not. Azul was suddenly lifted into the air. He was steadily getting higher at that.

“Is he… flying?” Riddle gasped, looking to Jade.

“Indeed. You don’t know how painful it was watching him try constantly.” said Floyd, having terrible memories.

“I asked him why he didn’t quit as he usually did after a while.” said Jade, Azul waving at them from his spot in the air. “He said if he wanted to be your boyfriend, he had to be able to fly decently. He didn’t want to be shameful in other’s eyes.”

Riddle’s eyes softened, letting the broom he rode descend to Azul’s height before flying over to him.

“S- So… what do y- you think?” Azul asked, trying not to look down at the ground.

“Azul, I’m really impressed. And touched. No wonder you kept saying you were busy these days…” said Riddle, cupping Azul’s face.

“Ah, I’m so relieved…” said Azul before he started to drop.

Riddle quickly grabbed his wrist, keeping him from crashing to the ground.

“Don’t lose focus, Azul. Really, to get this far on your own… how much were you training…?” Riddle asked, letting Azul sit on his broom.

“Not too long, haha…” Azul chuckled.

“He’d train well into the night, his exhaustion was always visible.” said Jade, him and Floyd coming down to their height.

“Hush!”

“And when we’d tell him to break, he’d get mad and say ‘Riddle can’t have an incompetent boyfriend in terms of flying!’ and start practicing again.” said Floyd, laughing at Azul’s embarrassed face.

“Azul… I really can’t stress enough how amazingly touching this is. You really tried your hardest for me.” said Riddle, hugging Azul. “You did well…”


	34. Tiny Tots with Issues

Yuu stirred the contents in the cauldron, seeing it was coming together nicely. They checked the time before seeing they were going to be running late for the dorm leader meeting. Crowley had wanted them to sit in on this one this time around. Yuu hurriedly packed up, a new ingredient accidentally toppling in as they cleaned.

Without giving it much of a second glance, Yuu quickly bottled it up before hurrying to the meeting.

•

“There you are!” said Kalim happily.

“Late as always. I’d have your head but you don’t have any magic, so it’s pointless.” said Riddle, shaking his head.

“Sorry, I was trying out this recipe I found. It’s supposed to help relieve stress and improve brain function.” they said, pouring some of the potion into their drinks.

“I think I’m fine.” said Crowley before they continued on with the meeting.

Azul took a sip of his tea along with Riddle. They both found themselves coughing a bit, the taste tickling their throats. The others soon drank and started experiencing tickling in their throats as well.

“Is there something wrong, boys?” Crowley asked, seeing they were clearing their throats a lot.

“Yuu, what kind of recipe did you find?” Azul hissed.

“In a book-” Yuu started then watched as the seven dorm leaders shrank before their eyes.

“Yuu, what is the meaning of this!?” Crowley asked, watching Leona bite the others. “They’re children now!”

Yuu looked at the scene, wondering what went wrong. They were extra careful when creating the potion. Malleus hiccuped, singeing Vil’s hair. They started fighting. Yuu had Crowley help them separate them before sighing in defeat.

“You’re taking responsibility for your mess.” said Crowley, shaking his head. “I’ll help you find a cure. It’s a good thing we elected vice dorm leaders too…”

“Right…” Yuu mumbled, crying, shouting and biting going on all at once.

•

Ace and Deuce helped Yuu bring the dorm leaders to the Ramshackle dorm.

“Our dorm leader really is a crybaby huh…” said Ace, watching Riddle cry.

“At least you’re not close to having your finger bitten off.” Deuce hissed, constantly moving his fingers out of Leona’s reach.

Malleus teared up before blubbering, a hot stream of fire emitting from his mouth.

“Hot!” Ace hissed, dropping Malleus and Riddle.

That only made things worse. Objects started to catch fire as Malleus wailed, fire coming from his mouth. Deuce moved to help Ace, only to have his finger bitten by Leona who jumped from his arms. Vil wiggled out, scurrying off to god knew where.

“Can’t you two be reliable just once?” Yuu complained, thankful that Kalim, Idia and Azul were well behaved.

“It’s not my fault he started spewing fire!” Ace whined, finally getting Malleus to calm down.

Deuce finally captured Leona then noticed Vil was missing.

Ace reassured Riddle, finally getting him to stop crying.

“Vil is missing.” Deuce mentioned, holding Leona tight.

They called out to Vil, separating to cover more ground. They finally located Vil who camped out in the bathroom by the mirror. Typical. Yuu waved to Ace and Deuce, thanking them for their assistance.

“You sure you don’t want us to stay?” Deuce asked, watching the dorm leaders run around behind Yuu.

“I’m sure. As long as I keep the troublemakers isolated, it should work out.” said Yuu, smelling something burning. “Bye!”

Yuu turned around and saw part of the rug was being eaten by green fire. Crowley had given them a magical tool, saying it would aid them should anything go seriously wrong.

“Uh, put out that fire?” Yuu said before water squirt from it, putting it out. “It’s actually useful…”

Yuu put them in separate rooms, leaving Leona and Malleus in empty rooms. They put Riddle and Azul in one room, the last three in another.

## Riddle

Yuu squatted bear Riddle who silently looked at the floor.

“Hey, everything alright?” Yuu asked, Riddle’s silence being a bit concerning.

“Do you have any books?” Riddle asked.

“Uh…”

The magical tool glowed before creating a book. Convenient. Yuu looked at the book, seeing it was about magic spells. Yuu looked Riddle over, seeing his magipen had turned into a brooch.

“Looks like it has interesting spells.” said Yuu, flipping through the book with him.

Riddle stared at a page before his magicrystal started to glow. A bunch of toys started falling from the air. Riddle caught one, it being a slice of cake with a face on it.

“It’s cute.” Riddle mumbled, grabbing a few more.

Riddle flipped through the book more. Soon the cake toy was transforming into a decently sized book on adavanced spells.

“I think that’s enough-” said Yuu before being pushed back by Riddle’s magic.

Yuu rubbed their side before hearing blubbering. Riddle was going to cry. Yuu quickly moved to cover his mouth, seeing Azul was still sleeping.

“Don’t cry. I won’t take your book, okay? Let’s look at them another time.” said Yuu, closing the advanced spells. “Why not study the Queen of Hearts rules? You like her right?”

Riddle nodded, no longer getting the urge to cry. Yuu sighed in relief, watching him read them over. They secretly wished for the book to disappear. The magical tool did just that.

“Do you need anything? Food? Water? Need help going to the bathroom?” Yuu asked, seeing he’s been sitting and reading for quite some time.

Riddle shook his head, his mind focused. Yuu nodded, patting his head. If anything, he preferred this Riddle over the one constantly beheading those who broke rules.

## Leona

Leona growled, swiping at Yuu.

“Leave me alone.” Leona grumbled, curling up in a corner.

“Is it wrong of me to care about you? I am the reason you’re in this mess.” said Yuu, stepping closer to him.

Leona bared his fangs, making them step back. He was way too feisty.

 _“Maybe he’d calm down with a cat toy…”_ Yuu thought.

The magical tool glowed, putting a cat toy in their hands. Leona looked up, watching Yuu shake it in the air. Resist. Yuu shook it again. Resist! Yuu shook it, sending Leona flying, trying to pounce on it. Yuu giggled in amusement as they played keep away with Leona.

Leona meowed, swatting at it with his hands. Yuu finally let him have the toy, watching him play with it in delight.

“Aw, aren’t you a cute little lion cub?” Yuu teased, listening to Leona meow.

Leona froze before tossing the toy away.

“Y- You tricked me!” Leona hissed, seconds away from attacking Yuu.

“Tricked? All I did was shake it. You’re the one who gave chase.” said Yuu, laughing behind their hand.

Leona sat down, crossing his arms. They really expected him not to give in to his instincts? Yuu sat beside him, petting him.

“I won’t purr.” huffed Leona.

Yuu raised an eyebrow before scratching underneath his chin. Leona easily started purring. Leona growled, moving away from Yuu. They were making him soft.

“Stop it! I’m a tough guy! I can’t be soft.” Leona grumbled, turning up his nose. “Soft kings are weak kings.”

“Being soft doesn’t make you weak. Being soft makes you stronger. Plus people like you more.” said Yuu.

Leona didn’t respond, but made his body language more open. Yuu shook the cat toy again, getting his attention.

“Will you be heartless or kind?”

Leona looked at Yuu then at the toy. He got on all fours before jumping towards the toy.

## Azul

Yuu watched Azul burying himself in books, books and more books. All he ever did was read. He didn’t even try interacting with the others. Yuu sat in front of him, lowering the book so he could see their face.

“Azul, why don’t you play with the others?” Yuu asked.

“I don’t want to.” Azul responded, still reading.

“But they want to play with you.”

Azul shook his head, moving the book from under Yuu’s hand. He knew better than to trust others. He was going to be made fun of and hurt as a means of amusement. That’s how it always ended. No one really cared about him.

“I’m fine reading…” Azul muttered.

Yuu hummed, trying to come up with an idea, one that wouldn’t go past Azul’s boundaries but allow him to play with the others.

 _“I know what I need!”_ thought Yuu, the magical tool already bringing their thought to reality.

Azul curiously looked at the box that rested on Yuu’s lap.

“Riddle, Idia, do you want to play a game?” Yuu asked the two other boys in the room.

They hurried over, sitting on either side of Azul. Yuu explained the game to them before helping with their game play. Azul was smiling. That was a good sign.

“This is really fun…” mumbled Idia, his eyes peeking out from behind his hair.

“We should play every day!” said Riddle, laughing happily.

They helped Yuu clean up once they had their fun meter filled of the game.

“Can we play another?” Riddle asked.

“I’d like that…” Idia whispering, hiding behind his hair.

“This one.” said Azul, creating the game himself with magic.

The others came in, soon wanting to play as well. Azul was happy and so were the others. It was also great having another distraction so they could go and try searching for a cure.

They finished playing, breaking for nap time. Yuu patted Azul’s head, seeing him resisting sleep.

“Did you have fun?” Yuu asked, stroking his hair.

Azul wordlessly nodded, trying not to fall asleep but failing.

“It’s not so bad playing with others, right?” Yuu quipped, seeing he was seconds away from knocking out.

“I like them…” Azul whispered, letting his eyes close.

Yuu continued to stroke his hair until they knew for certain Azul wouldn’t be waking up. It was nice to see them bonding over board games.

## Kalim

“Kalim, please settle down.” said Yuu, watching Kalim paint the room yellow.

He used more magic, turning Vil’s clothes brown and making cat ears appear on Idia’s head. Yuu snatched Kalim up before confiscating his magipen turned armlet.

“Time out!” said Yuu angrily, placing him in a corner.

Idia and Vil looked at Kalim who sat chained to the seat. He looked so clueless, it was hard not to laugh at. The magical tool helped Yuu change things back to normal except the chains on Kalim. One would think he’d be the easiest along with Idia.

Kalim started to move his seat, needing to move around and be active. He waddled around, tipping the seat side to side. Vil noticed and instantly went to tattle. Kalim stopped moving as Yuu gave him more time in time out.

Kalim was getting antsy. Simply moving his fingers wasn’t enough anymore. He squeezed his eyes shut before feeling the chains release him. He excitedly ran around, making Vil upset. Naturally he was tattled on, put back in time out with heavier restraints.

Vil huffed, finally glad to have peace again. Idia peeked out from behind his hair before minding his business. Kalim sat in the cage, pulling on the bars. At least he had room to move around.

His time out was close to ending, and he was close to snapping. It felt like the bars were closing in on him the more he stared. Kalim burst into tears, hyperventilating at the same time. Vil ran to get Yuu, needing his peace and quiet back.

Kalim started using magic wildly, trying to escape the cage. Yuu came in, using the magical tool to get rid of the cage.

“It’s okay, Kalim, you’re free.” said Yuu, seeing they should’ve just had him weighed down.

Kalim snuggled against them, wiping his tears and snot all over them. He whimpered some more before settling down, no longer feeling trapped.

“How about this? You behave and I won’t have to put you in time out.” said Yuu, stroking his hair. “You’re not the only one in this room.”

Kalim looked at Vil and Idia with his blurry vision. He nodded, not wanting to go back in the cage.

“What made you feel you had to escape being in time out?” Yuu asked, cleaning his face.

“I wanted to move around…” Kalim blubbered. “It was draining just not doing anything.”

“So you escaped… And what about before? You were crying so much…” Yuu muttered, afraid Kalim would’ve suffocated himself.

“The bars were getting closer to me… It was scary. I felt trapped.” Kalim weeped, the memory scary him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry…” Yuu apologized, hugging him tight. “I won’t do that ever again. I promise.”

Kalim linked his pinky with Yuu’s before smiling at the feeling of them ruffling his hair.

## Vil

Yuu watched as Vil sloppily applied makeup on his face with a pleased smile. Vil was still Vil, whether a ~~wrinkly~~ old man or a young kid. Vil looked up, feeling Yuu staring at him.

“Stop staring and take a picture.” Vil snapped before going back to decorating his face.

“Vil, you look like a clown.” Yuu said bluntly.

Vil’s soul left his body as the word clown rang in his ears. Yuu could see saying that only angered the budding beauty guru.

“You can’t tell me I look like one! Your skin is all dry and you have chapped lips! You’re one to talk, hag!” Vil shouted before marching out the room.

He’d show Yuu. He was going to look jaw dropping gorgeous and prove Yuu wrong. Yuu followed after Vil, a bit worried he’d get himself into some trouble. Vil stood on a stool, using the bathroom mirror. He used his magichoker, a number of beauty products appearing from thin air.

“Do you really not want any help?” Yuu asked, watching him use eyeliner wrong. “Not at all?”

“I know what I’m doing!”

Yuu shook their head, seeing him mixing colors. The older Vil would have fainted at this point.

“I guess I won’t share an ultimate beauty tip I happened to see online.” said Yuu, turning their back to Vil.

Vil stopped, looking at Yuu. An ultimate beauty tip that he didn’t know about? Impossible.

“Tell me! I must be beautiful at all costs!” Vil demanded, words from certain others ringing loudly in his mind. “I have to be!”

Yuu hummed in amusement before taking a wipe and wiping his face. Yuu had him wash his face again before drying it. Vil let Yuu work on his face as they talked, telling him what they were doing.

“And viola!” said Yuu, turning him towards the mirror.

Vil placed his hands against the mirror. He was beautiful. Yuu made him beautiful. An ultimate beauty tip really existed. Though if he thought about it, it sounded like multiple regular tips. Was it all a ploy to allow them to touch his makeup? For someone who looked like a potato, they were pretty good.

“I like it.” said Vil, smiling a bit. “The potato has some talent.”

 _“Actually, I was kind of surprised myself…”_ Yuu thought, having no experience with this much makeup.

The magical tool glowed slightly, having done its part.

“But if you ask me Vil, I think you look absolutely beautiful without makeup. Let your natural beauty shine sometimes. It’s really breathtaking…” said Yuu, patting Vil’s back.

Vil looked at Yuu then back at himself in the mirror.

“I think I prefer this…” lied Vil, hoping off the stool.

## Idia

They had a silent staring contest.

“Idia, how are you.”

Silence.

“Having fun playing your game?”

Silence.

“Are you hungry?”

Silence.

“Tired?”

Silence. Yuu was really thankful Idia wasn’t a handful like the others, but it was extremely worrying that he wouldn’t talk at all. Though, if Idia was hungry he’d get food himself. The same applied if he was tired. He would tuck himself in and sleep. It felt like they weren’t really needed.

“Well, if you’re okay then I’ll go check on the others.” said Yuu, starting to get up.

“Story…” Idia mumbled.

“Huh?”

“Read to me…”

Idia produced a book from behind him that was slightly charred, mostly like due to his hair. Yuu took the book, seeing it was about the god of the underworld. Yuu started to read, noticing Idia was curling up beside them. The magical tool glowed, protecting Yuu from Idia’s flames.

Yuu paused, checking to see if Idia was still awake. He was. They reached down and stroked his hair before realizing they’d burn their hand. However, they didn’t feel anything. Idia leaned into their touch, wanting Yuu to read more. Yuu continued, seeing it was starting to get good.

Yuu finished the story and saw Idia was playing a game. Was he not listening? They moved to ask but Idia had sat up, crawled into their lap and continued to play in peace.

“Did the story not interest you?” Yuu asked, watching him defeat enemies.

“It did. I’ve read it a lot.” said Idia, beating the boss. “I wanted someone else to read it.”

“Hm, aren’t you suddenly talkative.” mentioned Yuu, pinching Idia’s cheek.

Idia whined in displeasure, snuggling closer to Yuu.

“Can I play?” Yuu asked, seeing it looked like fun.

Idia saved the game before handing Yuu the reigns. Yuu was surprisingly good for someone who’s never played video games before. They easily cleared a few levels for him before handing it back.

“You’re cool, Yuu.” said Idia in awe.

“Ahaha, beginner’s luck.” chuckled Yuu, not sure how they did it either.

The magical tool glowed faintly.

## Malleus

Yuu entered the room with extreme caution. The scent of burnt wood hung in the air, but nothing was on fire. Yuu felt Malleus’ eyes on them as they closed the door.

“How’s our favorite dragon boy?” Yuu asked, slowly stepping closer.

Yuu stopped at the sight of green flames glowing in his mouth. It was hard to tell what he was thinking and how he was feeling. They didn’t like the idea of isolating him from the others, but he could seriously injury the others if he’s not careful.

“I’m sorry you’re being separated from the others. Once we get your fire under control, I promise you can play with them all you want.” promised Yuu, stepping closer.

Malleus now faced Yuu, dragging his nail against the floor. He didn’t like being alone. Though, it was nice having Yuu visit him.

“So, is there anything you want to do? I’ll do it with you.” said Yuu, patting Malleus’ head.

“I want to play games. Board games, card games, hand games, physical games.” said Malleus, his eyes sparkling.

Soon many games sat between them, courtesy of the magical tool. Malleus picked one up, seeing it looked promising. He let out a small sneeze before the game suddenly felt lighter. He burned it.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll ask Lilia how you controlled your fire. Don’t worry about it too much.” said Yuu, reassuring him. “Let’s play this one.”

Yuu started setting up the game, seeing he was a bit happier. The more they played, the happier Malleus got. They played a few other games, further increasing his happiness. Yuu assessed the situation, seeing Malleus hadn’t burned anything else to ashes. Maybe taking him over to the others now would be good.

“Where are we going?” Malleus asked, feeling Yuu lift him to his feet.

“To play with the others!” said Yuu cheerily, pulling him out of the room.

He was going to get to play with them all. He couldn’t contain his excitement. It visibly showed, burning Yuu’s sleeve. Yuu stopped. Oh no. He was going back. He started to whimper, not wanting to go back already.

“Calm down some, okay?” Yuu said, opening the door.

Everyone looked at Yuu and the dragon child.

“He burned me!” Vil yelled, remembering from last time.

“He destroyed the board game.” Azul complained.

“Everyone, stop. He didn’t do it on purpose. He hasn’t learned how to properly hold back his emotional flames.” said Yuu, pushing Malleus in. “You all have made mistakes too.”

They quieted down, unable to deny that. Malleus walked over to them before putting out his hand. No one held it. Malleus pulled back, his heart heavy. Soon a hand seized his, shaking it up and down.

“Let’s play! I wanna see what we can burn!” said Kalim, dragging Malleus away from the others.

“What an idiot.” Vil muttered.

Yuu watched Kalim play with Malleus, having him burn furniture and book pages.

“Hey, stop that! He’s not your personal furnace!” Yuu fussed, slapping Kalim on the hand.

“Hey, let’s play hide and seek! You hide, I seek!”

Malleus happily agreed, running off to hide. Kalim counted before taking off to find Malleus. Yuu tagged along, wanting to make sure they didn’t wander into dangerous areas in the dorm.

Kalim frowned, figuring it’d be easy to find Malleus because of his horns.

“Yuu, I can’t find him…” Kalim mumbled, holding their hand.

“Malleus? Kalim gives up!” Yuu shouted, looking around.

Nothing. They shouted for Malleus to come out again. Nothing. They started looking around more, worried about him. Kalim spotted a faint light in the corner of his eye. It was coming from… outside? It was pouring out.

“Yuu, there’s a lot glowing outside.” said Kalim. “Can we go look?”

“You stay here in case he’s somewhere around here.” said Yuu before heading out.

There weren’t a lot of places to hide outside the dorm. Yuu noticed the light Kalim was referring to.

“Malleus!” Yuu shrieked, dropping the umbrella and running over. “Don’t let go!”

Malleus whimpered in fright, his grip loosening from the rain. Yuu was about to tell him to let go when Malleus started letting out more distressed fire. It wasn’t going to work like this.

 _“Something to calm him… what can calm him…”_ Yuu fretted. Malleus let out a scared yelp, worrying Yuu more. _“Come on! Think!”_

A thought had suddenly popped into their mind. Sing a song. Yuu found them-self singing a song they’ve never heard of, seeing Malleus had started singing along too. Soon Malleus was being brought down, landing safely in their arms.

“How in the world did you get on the roof?” Yuu questioned, sheltering him from the rain.

“Magic.” said Malleus. “But then it started raining…”

Kalim ran over to them, hugging Malleus tight. He was okay. Drenched in rain, but okay.

“Kalim, I told you not to move from there.” Yuu said.

“But you hadn’t come back… I was worried.” said Kalim. “But you’re both okay!”

Yuu ushered them back inside, not wanting them to catch a cold.


	35. Silver x Riddle: I, Riddle Rosehearts

Jade amusingly stared at Riddle who stared at the student seconds away from falling into the cauldron.

"Go save your sleepy prince." Jade said, knowing exactly what he was looking at.

Riddle lifted Silver into the air just as his body was about to fall in. An air horn rang, waking Silver up.

"Silver." Crewel said, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry." Silver apologized. "How do I get down..."

Riddle gently placed him down, watching Silver get lectured by Crewel. Jade finished their classwork, seeing he wouldn't be able to concentrate.

"You've been doing all this staring and rescuing from afar for months now. Isn't it time you confessed?" Jade suggested, needing his partner back.

"I suppose you have a point." said Riddle, actually agreeing with him.

Jade was ready to list reasons before he realized Riddle agreed. Well that was easy.

"How are you planning to confess?" Jade questioned, wanting to be there to record the mess it'll be.

"I'll be straight to the point." Riddle said, facing Jade.

The bell rung, signaling the end of class.

"That's very like you, but..."

"But what?"

"Silver's unique. What will you do if he fell asleep mid confession? What if he fell asleep just before giving you an answer, giving you extreme anxiety and unable to perform your duties as dorm leader?" Jade said, gesturing to Silver who left the classroom. "Could you bear it?"

"I-I see..." Riddle muttered, giving it more thought.

Jade chuckled in delight. It was always fun getting Riddle shaken up.

•

"Silver's favorite dish? Hm, it's a local dish of the Valley of Thorns. I'll be more than happy to show you how it's made." said Lilia happily.

"I'm in your care." said Riddle, waiting for instructions.

Lilia directed Riddle before seeing he was adding too little or too much. Riddle let him help, seeing he knew best.

The two of them worked together, creating the dish that would make Silver's mouth water.

"Now that I think about it, why do you want to make his favorite dish?" Lilia asked, seeing that the stew was bubbling nicely.

A big bubble grew before exploding. The color was pretty off putting.

"I want to tell him something important, but I'm afraid he may fall asleep while I'm doing that." explained Riddle, peeking into the pot. "So this is what it looks like..."

Lilia had him heat up the rice so they could put the stew on top of it.

"Enjoying your favorite meal probably would keep one awake. You're incredibly intelligent, Riddle." Lilia said.

"I'm aware. I don't focus on pointless things like my useless first years." said Riddle, taking some of the stew and pouring it over the rice in a bowl.

"And the finishing touch... chocolate and chili peppers." said Lilia, drizzling the melted chocolate on before shaking the bowl full of cut peppers in top.

"Chocolate and peppers... How interesting..." muttered Riddle. "Perhaps we should try it first?"

"Nah. I've cooked this a million times. Just go and take it to him. He should be in his room." said Lilia, sending Riddle on his way.

•

Riddle knocked on Silver's door, tightly holding the covered dish. The door opened and Silver poked his head out.

"Rosehearts?" Silver said in confusion.

"Please, call me Riddle. We're the same age after all." said Riddle, his heart beating in his chest. "I would like to discuss something with you. Could I come in?"

Silver let him in before closing his door.

"What's in the container?" Silver asked curiously.

"Oh, sit down first." said Riddle, leading him to the desk. "I um... I made you your favorite dish."

Silver took off the lid, the familiar aroma filling his nose. This was definitely it, Mystery Meat in Cocoa with chili peppers.

"How'd you know this was my favorite?" Silver asked, now giving Riddle his full attention.

"I asked Lilia, seeing you two know each other well." said Riddle, placing the utensils down. "Please, have some."

Silver happily dug in before he immediately stopped chewing. Silver quickly pulled over the trash can, spitting it out.

"My god, what was that!?" Silver wheezed, swearing he saw a light beckoning him over.

"I... Is it not good?" Riddle asked, worried his chances of successfully confessing were slim.

"It's awful. I can't believe you thought I'd like this..." Silver said, visibly hurt.

"But Lilia said he's made it a million times! Did we make an error...?" Riddle said, biting the tip of his thumb.

"Lilia helped you...? Now it makes sense..." Silver sighed, dumping the contents of the container into the trash. "Never rely on Lilia for cooking. He's a terrible cook."

"Ah..."

"But, I really appreciate the thought. If you want, I could show you how to _properly_ make it sometime." Silver suggested.

"I would like that a lot..." Riddle replied, smiling happily.

"It's a date then." Silver joked.

Riddle blinked rapidly before feeling his face heat up. A date? It was going to be a date? What did a date consist of? Did he have to wear special clothing? Did people kiss on dates? His face burned brighter at the thought of kissing.

"Riddle? Riddle!" Silver called out, bring him out of his thoughts. "You okay? You're looking a little red there..."

"I- I'm okay. Just a little hot..." Riddle whispered, his mind still stuck on the thought of kissing Silver. "A kiss..."

"You said you had something to tell me." Silver mentioned. "What was it?"

Riddle squeaked in surprise. He had forgotten all about it. There was definitely no way Silver would accept his feelings after butchering his favorite dish. Still...

"I wanted to confess my feelings for you. I like you." said Riddle, his entire face red at this point.

"I like you too." Silver replied, meaning it friendly.

"You do...? So we...?" Riddle asked.

"Of course we're friends. You've helped me a lot, you know?" Silver commented, patting his shoulders.

"You're an idiot." Riddle blurted out before quickly trying to save himself. "I mean, an idiot for not understanding!"

Silver raised an eyebrow, not seeing how that was any better. Riddle really looked like he was struggling.

"Hey, take your time. You're looking really stressed." said Silver, patting his head.

"Silver, I, Riddle Rosehearts, am trying to tell you that I have romantic feelings for you and I would like your hand in dating." Riddle shouted, getting his feelings out.

He met Silver's eyes, his face continuing to heat up. Silver stared at him before opening his mouth to speak.

"I..."


	36. Your Kiss Is Magic

"What the hell?" an Ignihyde student said, feeling something touch his cheek.

"Ah!"

"Ick!"

"Gross!"

"Tingly..."

Che'nya chuckled in delight, watching from his hiding spot at the confused students. He loved terrorizing them. He disappeared and reappeared, kissing more people on their cheeks, a few getting one on the lips.

"Damn it. He got away." Trey hissed, seeing the upset and disturbed students with a few gay exceptions.

"We won't catch him at this rate. But, judging from how he's been moving, he might appear at the cafeteria." said Riddle, having Trey follow him back through a shorter route.

Just as they arrived at the cafeteria, so did Che'nya. Che'nya excitedly kissed more students, even getting to the first year gang. Che'nya came back to Deuce, finding him a bit cute.

"Doodle Suit!" Trey yelled, aiming his magic at Che'nya.

Che'nya disappeared right before it could hit him, hitting Deuce instead. Che'nya reappeared by an Octavinelle student, laughing his head off as Deuce lost his ability to properly function.

"Off With Your Head!" Riddle said, missing Che'nya and hitting the student. "That annoying feline!"

Che'nya appeared in front of Riddle, giving him a quick peck on the lips. Riddle used his magic again, hitting Trey instead of his intended target. Che'nya stood behind Trey, kissing his cheek before disappearing in delight.

"Ah, my bad." said Riddle, removing his spell. "He's impossible to catch!"

"No, we're just not thinking like him." said Trey, formulating a plan. "I've got it."

The first years felt Trey and Riddle looking at them. It couldn't be anything good.

•

Epel sat out in the open minding his business.

"Kind of hope I don't get kissed by the strange feline again. I don't think I could handle it..." Epel said to himself as if he were thinking aloud.

They all watched from their hiding spots as Epel acted as natural as he could.

"He did seem interesting though. I've never met a feline who could come and go at will..." Epel said, pretending thinking of Che'nya was distracting him.

They knew how much Che'nya loved his abilities praised. They soon saw it, Che'nya appearing behind Epel. Riddle readied his spell, waiting for when his head was fully visible.

"Hey, you." Che'nya said moving to stand in front of him. "You really think I'm just interesting?"

"Y- You again! Don't kiss me!" Epel warned, pointing his magipen at him.

As they expected, Che'nya didn't feel threatened at all.

"I'm not." he said, sitting in front of Epel, his tail wrapping around himself.

"Huh?"

"You're curious about my abilities aren't you?" he chuckled.

"Um, yeah... What kind of feline are you, being able to come and go without using magic? We have our own lazy feline who can't do that." said Epel, genuinely curious.

"Of course that overgrown kitten wouldn't be able to. He's not a Cheshire." said Che'nya, his tail moving in glee.

Riddle and Trey exchanged looks. Was Che'nya really just sitting and having a conversation with Epel? Riddle felt he should still behead the naught feline.

"Going off topic a little, why were you kissing all of us?" Epel asked, closing the book he held. "Are you feeling lonely?"

"Wha-? What does one have to do with the other?" Che'nya asked in confusion.

"Well, doing that gets people's attention and wanting attention is related to feeling lonely." Epel explained. "If you want to talk, I'm more than happy to."

Che'nya looked at Epel's outstretched arms. Epel let out a gasp, feeling Che'nya curl up in his arms. Riddle covered his mouth, afraid he'd say something and blow their cover. Che'nya never curled up against anyone unless he felt really comfortable with them. How did Epel do that in minutes when it took them years?

"Your oldest and dearest friends were chasing you and you liked that, huh?" said Epel, earning a nod from Che'nya. "Do you attend Night Raven?"

Che'nya shook his head. Epel nodded, wondering where he went to school.

"Far from home, stressful school life, your dearest friends attending a different school... I see why you went on a serial kissing spree." said Epel, petting him. "Though, you're giving them a hard time with that. Maybe you should stop."

"'Kay~" Che'nya muttered, purring a little.

He was completely tamed. Che'nya stood on alert, hearing sounds. Trey and Riddle stepped out, showing they weren't going to use magic on him.

"If you just missed us, you could've told us." said Trey.

"Would've stopped by Royal Sword to hang out. Or let you come here and hang out." said Riddle.

"You? Hanging out?" Che'nya parroted while laughing.

"I'll have your head if you keep laughing." Riddle warned.

The four of happily talked, having solved the serial kisser issue with kind words rather than force.


	37. Lilia: Am I shipping?

“Father, what are you doing?” Silver asked, watching him take a selfie.

“I’m trying to do the gram.” said Lilia, showing him Magicam.

“Do the gram-”

Lilia chuckled in delight, knowing Silver was dying inside.

“What can I do for you though?” he asked, knowing he didn’t come to him just to talk.

“Malleus wants to throw a tea party. We could use your expertise.” Silver said, hoping he’d help.

“A tea party? Who would you be teaing about?”

“I- That’s not even how it’s used!”

Silver massaged his temples, listening to Lilia laughing in delight.

•

Cater scrolled on Magicam as he sat with Vil, Lilia, Kalim and Ace. Lilia had him stop scrolling, seeing something catch his eye.

“Is that what you call being a cap?” Lilia asked before receiving looks of disbelief. “Is he not saying so?”

“Lilia… Capping means lying. He’s not lying.” said Ace, wondering how dated he was.

Cater started playing a video which caused them to collectively laugh.

“He’s basic!” Lilia hollered.

Everything went silent. He looked at them wondering why they looked so appalled.

“No. That’s not it. At all.” said Vil, the most appalled person in the room.

“Really? I swore he was with it.” Lilia muttered.

He soon found himself being kicked out of the room. Lilia simply laughed, seeing the youngsters of today were easy to mess with.

•

“Hey, Divus.” said Lilia, his sleeves giving him paws.

“Truly, I insist you get a smaller size.” said Divus, watching the few students in the elective enter the room.

“Today we will be learning how to properly…” said Divus, gesturing to the items on the tables.

“This is shade.” said Lilia, looking at the poor creature being cut into.

Everyone looked at him, not sure what in the world he was trying to say. Even Divus had an air of confusion around him.

“Lilia, I suggest focusing on your work.”

“High key!”

Divus visibly died a little inside. What was this abomination of a student doing? The other students were just as appalled.

“Hm? You’re all staring at me with such faces? Am I shipping?”

Lilia laughed behind his hand, seeing they were all cringing. The joys of being a prehistoric misusing modern slang.

•

“Are we being high key?” Lilia asked Silver who he was playing games with.

“Father, please. The entire school is talking about you!” Silver complained, not wanting to hear another misuse.

“Am I not snatched?”

Silver threw his cards in the air, truly giving up on him. Either he was really hopeless or messing with everyone. Neither were ideal. Lilia laughed, giving Silver a hug.

“It’s all lit, no need for stress.”

Silver covered his face, seconds away from crying. His father was horrible. Was it possible to disown him?

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop.” said Lilia, rubbing his back. “But just a quick reminder…”

Silver watched him pull out a wrapper.

“How is this a goat?”

The one time he wished his sleepiness kicked in, it wouldn’t.


	38. Ariel: It’s only been a minute

Riddle’s class finished right on time. He said a quick goodbye to Jade before hurrying along. Being tardy wasn’t just against the rules, but bad manners too. He checked the time, seeing cutting through the courtyard would shave off some seconds. He soon slowed down, something catching his eye.

“Azul Ashengrotto?” Riddle called out.

“Riddle Rosehearts.”

They had a silent stare down before Riddle approached him, giving him a look.

“This is something up Floyd’s alley. What are you doing in the fountain?” Riddle asked, taking note his skin was slimy and not of a human color.

“It seems I was careless. I didn’t think I’d have so little time before I changed back.” said Azul, his legs splashing water around. “I’m stuck here like a beached whale.”

“I can go get the potion for you.” Riddle suggested.

“That’s the thing… it has to be made.”

“You’re an idiot. Stay there for all I care, I have to get to the meeting.” Riddle said, not really wanting to leave him.

What could he do? He didn’t know the recipe and there wasn’t one lying around.

“That’s fine. I’ll just call Kalim and have him let me listen in.” said Azul.

“Don’t rely on that idiot. Are you really just going to sit here like this?” Riddle complained, hurt that the first person he thought of calling was Kalim.

Why not him? Were they not close enough? Was he not doing enough for him?

“If I leave this fountain, I’m as good as dead. Ah, I could ask Jade to whip one up.” said Azul, seeing Jade would be out of class too.

Why? Why wasn’t he considering him? He was standing right in front of him! Why wouldn’t Azul ask _him_ for help? He wanted to scream and shout and let it all out.

“Riddle, you seem a bit hot under the collar. Is something wrong?” Azul asked, staring into his eyes.

Riddle walked away, his anger going up and down like a rollercoaster. Fine. Azul could be that way. It’s not like he really wanted to help him. It’s not that he didn’t like catching glimpses of his octopus form. It’s not that he liked him and wanted him to know. Azul sighed, seeing Jade sent him an okay emoji.

•

“And I think we can say this meeting is finished.” said Crowley, gathering up papers.

“Finally. I can go sleep.” Leona grumbled, the first one to leave.

Riddle looked at Azul’s seat before hurrying out the room. Was he still there? Did he get the help he needed yet? Was there still a chance for him? He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. Riddle could see the courtyard coming into sight. He was clearly out of breath, but Azul was more important.

He slowed to a stop at the fountain, breathing heavily. Water from the fountain hit Azul’s torso dead on as he slept, his legs dangling off the sides. He was still here. Jade hadn’t come through yet with the potion. As much as he didn’t want to, he found himself calling Floyd.

_“Goldfish~!”_

“Shush. Where’s your brother?” Riddle demanded.

 _“Hnn… that’s not how you talk to me, fishy.”_ Floyd said in displeasure.

“I… I’m sorry. I really need to know where Jade is. He has something Azul needs…” Riddle said, retracting his fangs. “It’s important…”

 _“We’re working and things are really hectic without Azul. Floyd, get off the phone! But Jade, it’s goldfish… He says you have something important to Azul. Important… Oh! Holy shit, the potion!”_ Riddle heard before the call was suddenly disconnected.

He looked at Azul. He couldn’t wait for the twins. Azul’s eyes fluttered open just as Riddle moved to leave.

“Riddle… you’re still here?” he whispered, still half asleep.

“I came back from the meeting. Jade forgot about your potion.” said Riddle, hoping he’d see him as his last hope.

“Oh. Guess I’ll be sleeping here then.” said Azul, getting comfortable.

Snap. That was the last straw.

“Are you being serious right now? You’ve had so many opportunities to ask me! So many! Why won’t you ask me to help you? I want to fucking help you!” Riddle shouted, his anger finally erupting.

“You want to help me? Really?” Azul said, not once ever thinking Riddle would give him the time of day. “Oh…”

They both looked away with faint blushes on their faces.

“Then… please, help me.” Azul said, leaning forward.

Riddle felt his face heat up more at the look Azul was giving him. Cute. His heart beat fast as he kept eye contact.

“Would it be easier if you could travel in water?” Riddle stated more than asked.

Azul soon found himself being lifted out of the fountain before being encased in water. Riddle pushed himself a bit further, making sure it couldn’t break open. Azul moved around, truly impressed with it. Riddle watched as Azul made himself float, being able to move freely.

“We make a good combo.” said Riddle before clearing his throat. “In terms of a magic duo…”

He’d take it, though he would’ve preferred if Riddle meant it in the romantic sense.

•

Riddle sprinkled in dried seaweed, watching the blue mixture turn bright red. A nod from Azul told him everything was proceeding as it should.

“Now we wait.” said Azul, holding a few of his legs.

“How long?”

“An hour.”

They sat in silence as time passed by slowly. Riddle looked over at him, taking in his full octopus form. Hot damn. He couldn’t stop staring. He was absolutely breathtaking.

“Riddle…?” Azul called out, seeing he was staring awful hard.

“Huh? Oh, has it been an hour?”

“It’s only been a minute.”

Riddle laughed nervously, seeing he was caught staring. He couldn’t help it. The urge to kiss him was strong. Azul glanced at Riddle, wanting to touch him. Who knew when they’d get to be this close again? Azul reached through the water before placing his wet hand over Riddle’s. Their minds overworked themselves, processing the fact they were touching.

“Azul, I…” Riddle started before trailing off. “I hope I did the potion right…”

An hour had finally passed and Riddle had scooped up the usual amount Azul needed to drink. He released his spell, quickly helping Azul drink. What he didn’t expect was him sitting naked on the floor, the cup in his hands the only barrier from him getting a look at his genitals.

“I see clothing doesn’t come with the transformation…” Riddle muttered, using magic to give him something to cover up with.

Azul was dying of embarrassment. He would’ve put himself on full display in front of Riddle had it not been for the cup. Riddle turned his back to him, allowing him to put on the oversized shirt. Azul hugged him from behind, now covered and thankful.

“I should’ve asked sooner. Thank you.” Azul mumbled, pulling away from Riddle.

He finally had enough. Riddle turned around, capturing Azul’s lips. He wouldn’t get another perfect chance like this. They both blinked, Riddle waiting to hear his thoughts.

“I do too…” Azul whispered, pecking his lips.

Their faces heated up, finally voicing their feelings to each other.


	39. Sesi: Aurora

The first year gang sat together, talking about crushes, iconic couples and whatever was trending. Everyone looked at Sebek who was awful quiet. Usually they'd be rejoicing, but this kind of quiet was unnerving.

"Everything alright over there?" Deuce asked.

"Yeah. We were talking about those two Savanaclaw upperclassmen, right?" Sebek said, steering the attention away from himself.

"Right. They're so loud at night I had to room with Ruggie..." said Jack, having flashbacks. "Ruggie is a cuddler at that..."

"Aw, afraid of a little affection?" Ace teased, earning a playful hit from Jack.

Sebek was quiet again. Certainly he'd have something to say about gossiping about two guys going at it at night, disturbing others.

"Sebek. You with us?"

"Yes."

Epel shook his head. What a liar. They stole Sebek's lunch and magipen, forcing him to interact with them.

"There's something on your mind, tell us!" said Ace, transferring the magipen to Jack.

"There really isn't." Sebek responded, trying to get Jack to return it.

"Is it Silver?" Epel guessed.

Bingo. They exchanged looks before smirking evilly.

"You're still pining after him? Why not confess to him already?" Ace said, high fiving the others.

"You aren't going to get anywhere feeling sorry for yourself."

"I'm not pining over anyone." Sebek stammered, crossing his arms. "Where are you getting this from?"

"You're so obvious. You were doodling his name fifty million times in your notes earlier today." said Jack, poking his forehead. "You're in like."

"Am not! Silver is an annoying piece of hot garbage that doesn't take his work of protecting Malleus seriously because of his unfortunate condition." said Sebek with a huff. "Unreliable."

"You gave him backhanded compliments." Deuce said flatly.

"Ah! You're frustrating me!" Sebek said loudly, quickly leaving the table.

"He's got it bad." said Epel, eating from Sebek's tray.

Sebek found himself wandering into the woods, needing to clear his thoughts. He didn't like Silver. His friends were crazy. No, he was crazy. Crazy for Silver. He was the most beautiful human he's ever seen. It was incredibly unfair how looking into his eyes made him feel like he was looking at an Aurora.

His almost silver colored hair looked silky and was probably soft to the touch. And those lips. Those lips that know nothing of what they could be used for. Sebek felt himself trip over a root, stumbling forward a bit and falling at someone's feet. The animals had run away at the sight of Sebek.

"Silver..." he whispered, gazing upon the sleeping beauty.

He poked his leg, making sure he was absolutely asleep. He crawled over to his side, gazing at his face. He could never confess to him when he was awake. It was almost impossible. He would always add unnecessary things, making it harder to get back on track.

"Silver... do you know how beautiful you are? Even with such a mysterious background, I find myself drawn to you like these animals." said Sebek, seeing no harm in voicing his feelings if he was asleep. "You always look so peaceful when you sleep. You sometimes look like the sleeping princess surrounded by animals. I often wonder who are you, what are you. How are you so familiar with animals?"

Sebek shook his head, psyching himself up to continue.

"I found myself slowly falling for you without realizing it. And here I am, feeling all these things and unable to tell you straight up. It so hard when you're awake. I get so nervous... so I say things I don't mean. I truly do feel a strong attraction to you. I want to hug, kiss and cuddle you. I want you to feel safe with me..." said Sebek, hesitating before touching Silver's hair. "I want you to feel the same way."

Sebek sighed heavily, his head hanging. How could he say all of this while he was sleep? What made him being awake any different? He knew, he just didn't want to recognize it. He really loved Silver. He'd do just about anything for him.

Sebek moved to get up before his entire body froze.

"What a way you have with words..." a voice said not too far away.

Sebek slowly turned, seeing Silver's eyes open. How long had he been awake? How much did he hear?

"I heard everything." Silver whispered, seeing he was about to ask. "You like me... that's a bit surprising."

"You misheard. I-"

"You don't have to play dumb." yawned Silver, sitting up. "The next logical step is to respond to you, isn't it?"

Sebek was lifted to his feet by Silver. He was extremely nervous. What would his answer be?

"Sebek, you said really nice things about me. I'll cherish them." said Silver, holding one of his hands. "But no."

Glass had shattered. Sebek looked at him wide eyed.

"I'm sorry. I just don't feel that way about you. You aren't my type either." said Silver, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure there's someone out there dying to have you."

Sebek stood frozen as Silver walked away, animals following after him and carrying his things.


	40. Idia + Che'nya: Precious cat

Idia sat in his chair, searching the internet for cat videos that he hasn't seen. Not that he wouldn't rewatch them. He click on a Magitube video, watching two kittens play. A high pitched squeal came from him. He loved cats. He always did his best in animal languages, wanting to communicate with them.

"Big brother!" Ortho called out, entering his room.

"Ah, Ortho..." said Idia, a small smile on his face. "I was watching these two kittens play."

"They're very cute!" said Ortho, analyzing the video before it being downloaded into his databank. "You said we could play outside together at 3!"

"Is it time...?" Idia mumbled, his anxiety kicking in. He swallowed hard, psyching himself up. It's for Ortho. He could do it. "Alright, I'll grab the ball..."

•

Ortho twirled around in glee, so happy to be playing outside with Idia. Idia threw the ball, Ortho catching it with ease. Ortho threw the ball too hard, sending it flying.

"I'll get it, so don't move."

Ortho waited for Idia to come back. Idia started searching through the bushes, trying to find it. He felt something hit him from the side, almost knocking him over. Twitch, twitch. Idia's eyes widened. Twitch.

"You..."

"Outta the way lighter head!" they hissed.

Those fangs. Idia helped them up before playing with their ears.

"You're a cat..." Idia whispered, wondering why he didn't have any whiskers.

"Stop touching me!"

"Please, just let me pet you! I'll be gentle, I promise!" Idia begged. "I... I really love cats!"

They heard faint sounds of shouting coming from behind him.

"I gotta go. I'm being chased."

"I- I- I'll protect you! They have to listen to their senior!" said Idia, holding them close.

The raging students soon arrived, seeing him in Idia's arms.

"Good job, Idia!"

"Teach his a lesson!"

"I don't know why you all are... are..." Idia said before easily losing confidence. "... targeting this adorable cat. Leave him alone!"

A ring of blue fire further separated them from Idia.

"He's Che'nya from Royal Sword!"

"RSA scum don't belong here!"

Che'nya knew he was in for it now. All Night Raven students hated Royal Sword students.

"I... I don't care!" shouted Idia, picking Che'nya up and running away.

"The hell...?"

"They said he was loony."

"That's what happens when you never leave your room."

Ortho watched Idia come back with a person rather than a ball.

"Are we playing catch with him?" Ortho asked innocently.

"No. We are going to protect this precious cat from everyone who wants to hurt him!" declared Idia, massaging Che'nya's ears. "Who's a good kitty?"

Che'nya unwillingly purred, his body loving the feeling. Ortho cheered, seeing they get to play bodyguards.

•

They painted heavily, having escape another horde. Che'nya was genuinely surprised they were helping him cause a ruckus. Idia looked at him before scratching under his chin. He received a lot of affection for no reason, but he didn't really mind.

"There!" voices called out, charging towards them.

Che'nya watched as Idia quickly sent his skull, creating a wall of fire. He grabbed Che'nya's wrist, having him run. They came to a stop again, needing to catch his breath. Kalim bounces over to them before stopping, seeing Idia glare at him.

"Hey, is that Che'nya? Hey!" said Kalim happily, jogging over to Che'nya to do their handshake.

"You're not against him...?" Idia asked, clearly tired.

"Against him? What for? He really knows how to party, haha!" said Kalim in glee. "That party at Royal Sword was lit!"

"Right?" Che'nya agreed, a playful smirk on his face.

"You went to a party at RSA...? Isn't that cheating on NRC?" Idia asked with wide eyes.

"Not really. I'm always being invited over and Silver too! Jamil sees it as a pain though..." Kalim said with a frown.

Soon an angry mob came from a blind spot. Idia had Kalim tag along, needing the extra help. They hid in a classroom, hearing angry voices pass them by.

"Oh! Jamil, Azul!" Kalim said cheerily.

Idia tightened his hold on Che'nya. They would certainly be out to get him.

"So there's the Royal Sword student." said Jamil, taking out his magipen.

"Don't take all the credit, Jamil." said Azul, doing the same.

They quickly left, dashing down the hall. If they could just get back to Ignihyde, everything would be fine.

They found themselves skidding to a stop, unfortunately crashing into the person in front of them.

"Shit..." a soft voice said, picking up their books.

"Little apple~" Che'nya said, helping him.

"Oh, Che'nya! Are you here to visit?" Epel asked, a smile on his face.

"Hm, maybe I am. Maybe I'm not." said responded, wrapping his tail around him. "Why don't you join us for some fun?"

Epel watched his books float in the air before disappearing. He wasn't given much time to process it as Jamil, Azul and other students were running towards them.

•

They looked from their hiding spot. The Hall of Mirrors was not far away from where they were. However, the area was swarming with students. A camouflage spell would be extremely useful in this situation.

"Big brother! I've located a path we can take that won't let us be detected! But we must move now." said Ortho, having analyzed everything.

They all followed after Ortho, keeping their heads low as students carefully looked. Che'nya's tail continued to tickle Kalim's nose, causing him to sneezed. The half animals instantly picked up on the sound.

"Over there!"

They started to run, see the hall was just right there. Their path was blocked by students who came out. They moved to head back but there were students coming that direction too.

"What do we do...?" Ortho said sadly.

Everyone backed up against Idia, seeing a ring of blue fire around them. Was he using magic? The circled closed in on them before they were encased in a literal ball of fire.

"Walk with me or else you'll get burned." Idia whispered before walking.

Students jumped out of the way, avoiding getting burned. Students waiting inside the room moved, already feeling how hot the fire was.

•

Idia smiled happily, petting Che'nya as they hung out in his tightly secured room.

"You cause an awful amount of trouble for one simple feline." said Epel, amazed at all the various games Idia had.

"Ah, you're so perfect..." Idia muttered, rubbing Che'nya's belly.

"Hey, why don't we play this one?" Kalim said, taking out a board game.

Ortho took a seat beside them, wanting to play as well. Che'nya purred in bliss, seeing Idia as another student he could run to if he needed shelter.


	41. Precious cat (cont)

Che'nya purred in delight as Ignihyde students waited on him hand and foot. Idia was the ringleader, punishing those who slacked on providing him with all his demands. If he deemed someone had worked well enough, he'd give them a few kisses. To some it was the highest honor.

"Idia~" Che'nya purred, crawling into his lap.

Idia immediately started scratching behind his ears. Che'nya purred lovingly, rubbing himself all over Idia. Idia's heart melted, tears falling from his eyes. He was in love.

They were startled out of their moment by someone knocking on Idia's door. Idia opened the door, allowing the student in.

"Idia, we received word that we have traitors among us!" he said, kneeling before Che'nya. "How should we deal with them?"

Idia looked to Che'nya, his word absolute. Che'nya smirked evilly, giving them a thumbs down. The student nodded, quickly hurrying out.

"It's so nice having power nya~" Che'nya mewed, biting Idia's earlobe.

"I'm just so happy to be blessed with you..." Idia weeped, his love for cats astronomical.

Ortho entered the room, greeting Che'nya and Idia.

"Hm, Ortho, right?" Che'nya said, earning a nod. "Broadcast a message. I want all of the fish available on school grounds."

"Right away!" said Ortho, broadcasting Che'nya's message to the entirety of Ignihyde.

"Oh, and the person to bring me the most gets a very special treat nya~"

Ortho added it in to the broadcast. They could hear all the Ignihyde students outside the dorm, fighting amongst themselves to receive the special treat. Some decided to work together in hopes of getting to share the treat. Idia lovingly clung to Che'nya, loving the way he took charge. Cats were really amazing creatures. He didn't mind one bit that Che'nya had him wrapped around his feline finger.

"Ortho, be a dear and make sure no one comes in. I have something important to discuss with Idia." said Che'nya, running his hand over Idia's cheek.

Ortho saluted before leaving the room. He didn't get far, hearing a shriek coming from Idia's room that disappeared as suddenly as it came.

•

"This is madness! Not only is he not from our school, he's also from our rival school!" said Leona, wondering why those nerds from Ignihyde never worshipped him.

"I must agree. He's going to ruin the beautiful name we have worked up." Vil said, not really caring otherwise.

"I don't really understand what's going on, but I don't see a problem!" said Kalim cheerily.

"There is a problem!" they said in unison, causing Kalim to shrink back.

"He's been brainwashed by those Royal Scums. Always attending their parties." said Azul with a shake of his head. "We can't let Idia be controlled by that cat any longer."

"Riddle, how do you deal with Che'nya?" Malleus asked, everyone now looking at Riddle who was awful quiet.

"I don't. Trey does that. He's extremely hard to read, especially with that annoying ability of his." Riddle explained, giving them a hopeless look. "Even now, Trey doesn't know how to deal with this. He's got an entire dorm on his side."

"I heard they punish those who dare to defy him." said Vil, checking his nails. "I think they're reduced to useless snails or something. Highly disgusting."

"That's awful..." said Kalim, starting to realize the gravity of the situation.

"They don't kill them. They're kept safe in some room." said Vil, having gotten info from a runaway student. "Unfortunately my informant was found out and you can guess what happened."

They collectively sighed, wondering what to do. Leona's ears perked up, hearing voices. Everyone looked as Leona rushed over to the window.

"Oh my god..."

They soon joined him, watching Ignihyde students carrying loads of fish.

"How much you wanna bet that feline is behind this?" Azul asked, crossing his arms.

"We've got to end this. Ignihyde may become Cheshire at this rate." said Malleus, watching the last of the Ignihyde students disappear from view.

"We can try banning him from school grounds." Leona suggested.

"That would be effective, until they start rioting." said Vil. "I've seen recording of what goes in within those walls. They. Will. Eat. Us. Alive."

"It's that bad?" Kalim asked in awe. "Che'nya's really cool!"

Kalim soon received a slap on the back of his head from Vil.

"We'll have to come up with another plan." said Riddle at a complete loss.

•

Che'nya checked each basket, finding it hard to pick a winner. It was when he reached the last basket that he could decide.

"You three, win." said Che'nya.

The other students groaned while the winners cheered and hugged each other. Che'nya had the others store the fish in the kitchen while putting one basket in Idia's room. He led the winners into an empty room, locking the door behind him. A few cries rang from the room, causing other students to look back in envy. They wanted whatever they were getting.

Ortho watched Idia play games, not used to seeing such a blissful look on his face.

"Big brother, what did Che'nya want to discuss with you?"

"Adult stuff." Idia responded, tilting his gaming console.

"Oh."

He didn't know what that meant, but if he was being vague about it, he wasn't supposed to know. Ortho looked up at the faint sound of something coming from down the hall. He poked his head out, seeing the winners walking down the hall in a daze. Che'nya licked his lips as he walked over to Idia's door.

"Curiosity killed the cat." said Che'nya, ushering Ortho back inside.

Che'nya happily ate the various fish dishes while lying on Idia's bed. Ortho was pretty thankful for Che'nya. Ever since he appeared in Idia's life, his brother had been so much happier. He even left his room from time to time. That never happened. If anything, he wanted Che'nya to stay permanently.

"Che'nya, you don't plan on leaving, right?" Ortho asked, gaining his attention.

"Not at all nya~" said Che'nya, crawling onto Idia's lap. Idia moved to stop playing but Che'nya moved his hands back. "Don't mind me."

Idia couldn't not mind him. There was this precious cat on his lap that needed attention. He quickly saved his game, tossing it to the side and petting Che'nya. Ortho couldn't believe it. Idia chose Che'nya over games. He felt himself starting to cry. Che'nya was really going to be Idia's saving grace.

Che'nya mewed, kneading his hands into Idia's shirt. Rapid knocking was heard on the door. Ortho opened it, seeing a student stumbling in.

"Idia, there's trouble! It's... It's the other dorm leaders!" he said quickly.

Idia got up from his spot, telling Che'nya to stay put. That wasn't Che'nya's style, so he ended up tagging along. Sure enough, there stood the other six dorm leaders with angry faces.

"Idia, this has gone too far. You're letting Che'nya rule Ignihyde! He's Royal Scum for fucks sake!" Vil said before Leona added on.

"I don't care. He is a cat that needs my protection." Idia said, holding Che'nya tight.

Che'nya purred lowly, licking Idia's face. They could practically see hearts emitting off of Idia right now. They charged towards Idia, Malleus blocking off all means of escape by blocking them in. He stood on top of the cubed structure, seeing Ignihyde students trying to bust their way in.

"I can't have you all disturbing them." said Malleus sending them backwards with wind magic.

Idia protected Che'nya with his body, his magic sealed off by Riddle. They were serious about separating Che'nya from him. Well, he was going to get serious too.

"Watch out!" said Vil, protecting the others.

"My god that was hot..." Riddle muttered, Idia's blue flames slowly dying down. "He's not going to give up without a fight huh..."

"I'm telling you, let me just turn him into sand. Ignihyde can just elect a new dorm leader." Leona said, seeing they were being too soft.

"Hey, we can't hurt people with magic for personal reasons!" Kalim said, before having an idea. "What if I used Oasis Maker?"

"You'd drown you dummy." Azul spat, wondering where Kalim's brain cells disappeared to.

Vil protected them again, just barely making it.

"Idia's attacking us, he's clearly breaking the rules here!" Leona argued.

"That doesn't make us doing it any more right!" Riddle argued back.

"I'm saying we can just put him out with my Oasis Maker!" Kalim shouted.

They all looked at Kalim. That. That was actually a good idea. They quickly devised a plan before letting Kalim use his unique magic.

"Oasis Maker!" Kalim said, water spurting from his crystal.

Idia and Che'nya hissed, shielding themselves from the water. Leona ran towards them, snatching Che'nya from behind Idia.

"Alright, Idia. You gotta do the right thing." said Azul, all five of them pointing their magipens at him. "Convert Ignihyde back to the way it was."

"But..."

Che'nya struggled in Leona's arms, trying to get back to Idia. Idia felt tears leave his eyes. They were taking Che'nya away from him. They were taking his only other joy in this hellish world he lived in.

"Is it just me or is Idia acting strangely...?" Kalim whispered, seeing Idia's hair starting to change color.

Riddle and Vil quickly combined protective shields as a sudden surge of red hot flames enveloped them all, melting the cube structure Malleus had built. Their shield instantly fell apart after the surge. Had they been any slower they would've suffered degree burns. Malleus and the Ignihyde students stared at Idia whose hair glowed red, flaring out behind him. Even Che'nya was scared.

"I. Won't. Let. You. **TAKE HIM!!!!** " Idia roared, another surge of fire on its way.

The dorm leaders quickly combined shields, just as Idia's fiery surge was released. Everyone could feel the burning heat. Vil and Kalim quickly evacuated everyone out of Ignihyde, not wanting anyone to get hurt.

"Look at what you did!" Riddle hissed, pulling Che'nya's ear. "We're all about to be fried because of you!"

"How was I to know he'd go ballistic?" Che'nya said with a grin.

Idia charged towards Leona, ignoring the others. The others chased after Idia who chased Leona, tightly holding Che'nya.

"Let me go!" Che'nya demanded, seeing things wouldn't change if something didn't happen.

"Fire surge!" Riddle shrieked.

Malleus quickly protected them, it feeling like Idia's flames were getting hotter.

"Not just that... Look!" Azul pointed out, Idia slowly being covered in blot.

"Leona, let Che'nya go!" Riddle shouted.

"What!?"

"LET CHENYA GO OR ELSE WE'LL HAVE BIGGER PROBLEMS!"

Leona tossed Che'nya aside before heading in a different direction. They watched Idia slow down, approaching Che'nya. His hair slowly showed it was changing color, the blot covering his leg disappearing. Che'nya backed up in fear.

"I'm not going to hurt you... please don't run..." Idia whispered, his timid self returning.

"I can't stay here. Turn Ignihyde back." said Che'nya, disappearing.

Idia sank to his knees touching the spot where Che'nya used to be. Vil and Kalim had come back after making sure everyone was waiting in the hall of mirrors. They approached Idia who aimlessly dug at the ground, tears streaming down his face. None of them were sure what could be said that wouldn't upset him.

"Just when I had a little more joy..." Idia said, his voice cracking. "We're cursed..."

Idia's last words came out choked as he loudly started to weep.

"Big brother, why are you crying?"

They looked to see Ortho hovering near them. He wasn't evacuated with the others?

"He's gone... Che'nya's gone..."

"But I'm still here! You have me, big brother." said Ortho, smiling happily.

Idia looked up at Ortho, his face a crying mess. Ortho gave him a hug, feeling Idia hug him back. It seemed Ortho solved the issue they were having. They brought the Ignihyde students back, explaining that things would be going back to normal, before the Che'nya mess happened.


	42. Idia: Precious Cat (overblot ver.)

Che'nya happily ate the various fish dishes while lying on Idia’s bed. Ortho was pretty thankful for Che'nya. Ever since he appeared in Idia’s life, his brother had been so much happier. He even left his room from time to time. That never happened. If anything, he wanted Che'nya to stay permanently.

“Che'nya, you don’t plan on leaving, right?” Ortho asked, gaining his attention.

“Not at all nya~” said Che'nya, crawling onto Idia’s lap. Idia moved to stop playing but Che'nya moved his hands back. “Don’t mind me.”

Idia couldn’t not mind him. There was this precious cat on his lap that needed attention. He quickly saved his game, tossing it to the side and petting Che'nya. Ortho couldn’t believe it. Idia chose Che'nya over games. He felt himself starting to cry. Che'nya was really going to be Idia’s saving grace.

Che'nya mewed, kneading his hands into Idia’s shirt. Rapid knocking was heard on the door. Ortho opened it, seeing a student stumbling in.

“Idia, there’s trouble! It’s… It’s the other dorm leaders!” he said quickly.

Idia got up from his spot, telling Che'nya to stay put. That wasn’t Che'nya’s style, so he ended up tagging along. Sure enough, there stood the other six dorm leaders with angry faces.

“Idia, this has gone too far. You’re letting Che'nya rule Ignihyde! He’s Royal Scum for fucks sake!” Vil said before Leona added on.

“I don’t care. He is a cat that needs my protection.” Idia said, holding Che'nya tight.

Che'nya purred lowly, licking Idia’s face. They could practically see hearts emitting off of Idia right now. They charged towards Idia, Malleus blocking off all means of escape by blocking them in. He stood on top of the cubed structure, seeing Ignihyde students trying to bust their way in.

“I can’t have you all disturbing them.” said Malleus sending them backwards with wind magic.

Idia protected Che'nya with his body, his magic now sealed off by Riddle. They were serious about separating Che'nya from him. Well, he was going to get serious too.

“Watch out!” shouted Vil, protecting the others.

“My god that was hot…” Riddle muttered, Idia’s blue flames slowly dying down. “He’s not going to give up without a fight huh…”

“I’m telling you, let me just turn him into sand. Ignihyde can just elect a new dorm leader.” Leona spoke, seeing they were being too soft.

“Hey, we can’t hurt people with magic for personal reasons!” Kalim said, before having an idea. “What if I used Oasis Maker?”

“You’d drown you dummy.” Azul spat, wondering where Kalim’s brain cells disappeared to.

Vil protected them again, just barely making it.

“Idia’s attacking us, he’s clearly breaking the rules here!” Leona argued.

“That doesn’t make us doing it any more right!” Riddle argued back.

“I’m saying we can just put him out with my Oasis Maker!” Kalim shouted.

They all looked at Kalim. That. That was actually a good idea. They quickly devised a plan before letting Kalim use his unique magic.

“Oasis Maker!” Kalim said, water spurting from his crystal.

Idia and Che'nya hissed, shielding themselves from the water. Leona ran towards them, snatching Che'nya from behind Idia.

“Alright, Idia. You gotta do the right thing.” said Azul, all five of them pointing their magipens at him. “Convert Ignihyde back to the way it was.”

“But…”

Che'nya struggled in Leona’s arms, trying to get back to Idia. Idia felt tears leave his eyes. They were taking Che'nya away from him. They were taking his only other joy in this hellish world he lived in.

“Is it just me or is Idia acting strangely…?” Kalim whispered, seeing Idia’s hair starting to change color.

Riddle and Vil quickly combined protective shields as a sudden surge of red hot flames enveloped them all, melting the cube structure Malleus had built. Their shield instantly fell apart after the surge. Had they been any slower, they would’ve suffered degree burns. Malleus and the Ignihyde students stared at Idia whose hair glowed red, flaring out behind him. Even Che'nya was a bit scared.

“I. Won’t. Let. You. TAKE HIM!!!” Idia roared, another surge of fire on its way.

The dorm leaders quickly combined shields, just as Idia’s fiery surge was released. Everyone could feel the burning heat. Vil and Kalim quickly evacuated everyone out of Ignihyde, not wanting anyone to get hurt.

“Look at what you did!” Riddle hissed, pulling Che'nya’s ear. “We’re all about to be fried because of you!”

“How was I to know he’d go ballistic?” Che'nya said with a grin.

Idia charged towards Leona, ignoring the others. The others chased after Idia who chased Leona, tightly holding Che'nya.

“Fire surge!” Riddle shrieked.

Malleus quickly protected them, it feeling like Idia’s flames were getting hotter.

“Not just that… Look!” Azul pointed out, Idia slowly being covered in blot.

“Leona, let Che'nya go!” Riddle shouted.

“What!?”

“LET CHENYA-!”

Riddle wasn’t given a chance to finish his sentence as Idia had suddenly turned around, sending hot flames towards them. The collar around Idia neck started to melt before he chased after Leona again. Leona was too far for him to hear his shout.

“GIVE HIM BACK YOU STUPID LION!” Idia shouted, another fire surge appearing, melting everything it touched.

Leona’s tail had caught fire, causing him to accidentally let Che'nya go. They watched in fear as blot had completely covered Idia. Che'nya found himself encased in a fire cage while overblot Idia stepped closer to Leona, the ground beneath his feet starting to melt.

Leona could feel the intense heat, making him sweat profusely. It felt like he was in an oven.

“You… you… you heartless beast!” Idia shrieked, slamming his hands on the ground, sending hot flames towards Leona who quickly tried avoiding them.

The ground melted behind the flames. Idia turned his attention to Che'nya who sat in the fire cage while Leona continued to run from the flames that didn’t seem to die.

“I won’t let them ruin our empire.” Idia said softly, making sure the fire wasn’t too hot for Che'nya.

Che'nya found himself being risen up high into the sky on a makeshift pedestal. Idia truly kept him in high regards. He liked this.

“Make'em pay, Idia!” Che'nya shouted, his tail moving feverishly.

“Don’t rile him up!” Riddle complained, watching Idia coming towards them.

They had no choice but to run, Idia’s flames being too hot to be near and the fact the ground was melting. Vil and Kalim had come back to see what was going on.

“Kalim, do you think you could use your unique magic?” Vil asked, seeing the others were in trouble. “If Malleus isn’t able to do anything, we might be done for…”

“I can try.”

They ran over, Kalim’s using his unique magic to create a steady rainfall. The water didn’t seem to be affecting him much. He and Vil combined water spells, sending it towards Idia. It immobilized him slightly, enough to let the other get away and ready to fight.

Che'nya watched as Idia constantly melted away their defenses as they attacked him with an assortment of water spells. To think he was doing this well without a magicrystal to act as a filter for his blot. He was worried he’d lose.

“You can do it, Idia!” Che'nya mewed, giving him support.

Their defenses were destroyed again, this time Idia’s flames hitting them dead on. They didn’t suffer as much, having blocked some of it with strong water magic. Did Idia get stronger after Che'nya shouted? They started to run, knowing their defenses wouldn’t last like last time.

“What should we do? I’m sweating like a pig!” Vil fussed, looking back and seeing the ground melting. “Ignihyde is going to be destroyed at this rate!”

“I know what we need. We need as many people as we can get and collectively use water spells.” said Riddle. “Kalim, can you get as many people to come to Ignihyde as soon as possible?”

“On it!”

They watched Lilia, Silver and Sebek appeared out of thin air. How did they know? Kalim hadn’t even mass texted everyone. The Diasomnians combined their magic, creating a bettered verison of a protective shield, able to withstand Idia’s flames.

“I was wondering what was taking you so long. Now I see.” Lilia muttered, watching Idia’s dark spirit aiding Idia in trying to destroy their shield. “How did this even happen?”

Azul filled them in, hoping the students would hurry up and arrive. Students started to pool into Ignihyde, readying their magic. The dorm leaders did the same, ready to put an end to Idia.

“Do it now!” Azul shouted, everyone attacking Idia with a large ball of water.

They looked, seeing his hair was flickering between red and blue. The dark spirit was still hanging around, which meant Idia hadn’t been defeated. They noticed Che'nya was running towards them.

“Che'nya, stay back!” Riddle shouted, firing a water spell at the cat.

Che'nya evaded it, leaping into the air and landing in front of Idia. Riddle glared at him. Why was he getting so defensive? Vil wasted no time in attacking Che'nya. Che'nya’s feline reflexes kicked in before he attacked Vil back, knocking the beauty down.

Che'nya sat, subtly taunting them as he scratched his ear.

“Idia isn’t moving. The dark spirit is still there. We can finish him, but we need to get rid of Che'nya.” Malleus observed, assessing the situation. “Where’s Leona? We could use him.”

“We have to work with what we’ve got before Idia gets back up. Lilia, Silver, Sebek, could you deal with Che'nya?” Riddle asked, glancing at the feline. “He doesn’t like being splashed by water like most cats.”

They nodded, approaching Che'nya. They were ready to move in and finish off Idia, but even the three of them we’re having trouble with the feline. Malleus couldn’t believe it. How could one feline cause Lilia so much trouble? Che'nya hissed, taking down Sebek and using him as a spring board to attack Lilia, injuring his arm.

Silver and Lilia moved to attack Che'nya only to end up hitting each other. Che'nya landed back in front of Idia, lying down on the ground. That was the last straw. They all attacked together, hoping someone could get close enough to Idia.

Azul found an opening, hitting Idia with another water spell. Che'nya looked back, seeing the dark spirit disappearing.

“We finally did it…” Vil exhaled, letting his body fall to the ground.

“Che'nya, you stupid, sly feline! Do you know how much trouble you caused us!?” Riddle shouted, pulling on Che'nya’s ears.

Che'nya kicked Riddle, retreating back to Idia’s side. Idia’s blue hair returned back to its normal shape as he lied on the ground. Idia started to stir, his body in immense pain. His cheek received rough licks.

“Che'nya? You’re okay…? You’re okay…!” Idia muttered, giving Che'nya a tight hug. “Thank Hades…”

Che'nya purred softly, glaring at the people staring them.

“Che'nya, you’ve got to go. You’ve already caused our school enough problems.” Azul complained.

“Leave while we’re asking nicely…” Malleus threatened, his magipen ready to be used.

Che'nya looked at Idia whose eyes were basically pleading with him not to go.

“So you think me leaving won’t make him overblot again?” Che'nya retorted, finding himself slightly attached.

“We don’t know, but we do know that we’re putting an end to your rule over our school’s dorm.” Riddle spoke, stepping forward. “Get. Out.”

Idia held Che'nya tighter. Che'nya looked at Idia, lovingly rubbing his head against him.

“I can’t stay here…”

“Che'nya…”

Che'nya’s body slowly started to disappear. Idia was panicking and in tears. Che'nya couldn’t leave him. Not his precious cat. Che'nya was his ray of sunshine. Idia whimpered, receiving one last kiss from Che'nya before he disappeared.

Idia lied face first on the ground, crying into his arms. Che'nya left him. He left him because of them. His family really was cursed. He couldn’t have nice things in life. Everything he loved and cared for always left him.

•

Che'nya sat in his room, his tail wrapped around him. A knock on the door was heard. The knock was heard again. One of his roommates answered the door, allowing them in. Che'nya felt his bed dip and arms wrap around him.

“We heard about what happened at Night Raven. How scary to get caught up in that.” they said, petting him.

Che'nya was silent.

“Do you want to talk about it? I personally would like to know the fight details.”

Che'nya pulled away, hiding within his bedsheets.

“If it was that traumatic, maybe you should go see Mr. Pachu'a. I’ll go with you.”

“You’re really talkative today, Rielle…” Che'nya mumbled, slowly coming out of his sheets.

“I’m just worried about you. Let’s go see him, okay?”

Che'nya wordlessly followed him.

•

“To think Prince Rielle would pay me a visit. What can I do for you?” Mr. Pachu'a asked.

“It’s not me. It’s him, Che'nya.” Rielle stated, closing the door. “He got caught up in an overblot situation and-”

Che'nya left. Mr. Pachu'a raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll come back. Sometime.” Rielle chuckled before going after Che'nya.

“Hey Che'nya, we heard you got caught up in an overblot!”

“Che'nya, are you okay? We saw what was posted…”

“Che'nya!”

“Che'nya!”

“Cheny'a!”

Che'nya screamed, running away from everyone.

“What’s his deal…?”

“He acts like we were harassing him…”

Rielle arrived, asking if they’ve seen Che'nya. They all started talking, delaying Rielle.

Che'nya climbed up onto the roof, knowing no one could bother him up there. Memories continued to flash in his mind. It had only been a day and everyone was pressing him. Idia’s pleading eyes were very fresh and vivid in his mind. He could still hear him crying.

Che'nya’s tail moved around as he remembered everything. Why did he protect Idia anyway? They didn’t even know each other. He was just using him. He looked out into the sky.

“My family’s cursed… I don’t really get to enjoy things like this.”

Che'nya found himself sighing. He was using the dorm for his own selfish purposes. Idia knew he was yet still treated him like the best thing to ever happen to him.

“My family’s cursed… I don’t really get to enjoy things like this.”

It was those same words that sent him running to Idia’s aid when the cage dispersed. It was those words that made his normally neutral self pick a side. Someone considered him important, went along with his little whims, wanted the best for him. All of that was enough to turn him against his childhood friend and his buddies.

“Che'nya! There you a- Woah!” a voice called out.

“Rielle…”

“Hey! I was really worried when you suddenly took off. Counseling isn’t going to help is it?” Rielle asked with a sigh. “Well, just know that you have friends who are here for you and won’t pester for details until you’re ready to share.”

Che'nya extended his hand out, helping Rielle onto the roof. His flying wasn’t the best and he feared him falling from up high.

“Rielle… how do you know if you’re… attached to something?”

“In what sense? Feelings?” Rielle questioned. Che'nya nodded. “Well, for example, if you have to part from them, you’ll find yourself thinking you don’t want to and want to spend more time together.”

So it was an attachment. He had gotten attached to someone besides his childhood friends. Che'nya mewed lowly, slowly accepting this feeling.

“I was scared. He was suddenly shooting fire and chasing after this lion guy who held me. And then I was put in a cage and he overblotted… He was protecting me and fighting his own schoolmates… I was cheering him on but… he lost.” Che'nya said, simplifying what occurred. “Once I was free, my body was moving on its own… I didn’t want to leave him… he didn’t want me to leave either…”

“Aw, Che'nya…” Rielle cooed, scratching behind his ears. “That’s not even attachment, you straight up like him!”

“Eh?”

“Yeah! How cute~”

Che'nya didn’t say anything, knowing Rielle was speaking nonsense. Che'nya doesn’t like people. That’s not how he rolled. But then why did he miss the pets, the ear scratches, the belly rubs, being treated so kindly? Could he really like someone…?

“I miss him…” Che'nya admitted, his cat features showing his displeasure. “But I can’t go back… They’ve banned me.”

“Then have him come here. Or meet up in the city!”

Che'nya sat up. Meet in the city. Rielle was a genius. His only problem was getting in contact with Idia. He tried thinking back, seeing if he remembered any of Idia’s social media handles. Rielle hummed in delight, pleased to see Che'nya was feeling better.

•

Rielle walked up to Che'nya who just finished retelling the story to other students.

“So, excited?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

Rielle could clearly see he was, his tail not being subtle. He kept quiet about it, knowing Che'nya would deny it even as he took his last breath.

“Rielleeeeeeeee!” a voice called out, jumping on him.

“Hey, Mei. Class ended?”

“Hello to you too, Mei.”

“Oh, Che'nya’s actually here. What a surprise.”

Che'nya rolled his eyes. He made it seem like he was never around. Soon the others arrived, the two of them saying the exact same thing Mei said.

“Why do you all sound surprised!? I’m a student here too!”

“Well, usually when something is going down…” Jamie started.

“You aren’t here.” Eosin finished.

“It’s not my fault I care about my grades rather than drama at school.”

“Hey, did you hear? Che'nya’s going go meet his crush!”

They collectively gasped. Oh boy, there Rielle went, exaggerating things.

“No, I’m not crushing on anyone. I’m just meeting a friend.”

“Who’s a boy.” Rielle giggled.

They started to pester him for details. He stayed as vague as possible, simply letting them guess until they ran out of people.

•

Che'nya patiently waited for Idia as he watched kids play around. Would Idia come out of his hole of a room for him? He’d find out. Soon a blue haired male came into sight. Che'nya’s body moved on its own, running to give him a hug. Che'nya hugged him tight, rubbing his head against him.

Che'nya’s heart pounded in his chest as he purred, receiving pets from him.

“You came…”

“I couldn’t say no to my favorite feline.”

Che'nya purred loudly, licking Idia’s face. He was okay with this liking thing. It was Idia, his favorite person.


	43. Che'nya: Precious Cat (overblot ver. cont.)

Che'nya sat in his room, his tail wrapped around him. A knock on the door was heard. The knock was heard again. One of his roommates answered the door, allowing them in. Che'nya felt his bed dip and arms wrap around him.

“We heard about what happened at Night Raven. How scary to get caught up in that.” they said, petting him.

Che'nya was silent.

“Do you want to talk about it? I personally would like to know the fight details.”

Che'nya pulled away, hiding within his bedsheets.

“If it was that traumatic, maybe you should go see Mr. Pachu'a. I’ll go with you.”

“You’re really talkative today, Rielle…” Che'nya mumbled, slowly coming out of his sheets.

“I’m just worried about you. Let’s go see him, okay?”

Che'nya wordlessly followed him.

•

“To think Prince Rielle would pay me a visit. What can I do for you?” Mr. Pachu'a asked.

“It’s not me. It’s him, Che'nya.” Rielle stated, closing the door. “He got caught up in an overblot situation and-”

Che'nya left. Mr. Pachu'a raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll come back. Sometime.” Rielle chuckled before going after Che'nya.

“Hey Che'nya, we heard you got caught up in an overblot!”

“Che'nya, are you okay? We saw what was posted…”

“Che'nya!”

“Che'nya!”

“Cheny'a!”

Che'nya screamed, running away from everyone.

“What’s his deal…?”

“He acts like we were harassing him…”

Rielle arrived, asking if they’ve seen Che'nya. They all started talking, delaying Rielle.

Che'nya climbed up onto the roof, knowing no one could bother him up there. Memories continued to flash in his mind. It had only been a day and everyone was pressing him. Idia’s pleading eyes were very fresh and vivid in his mind. He could still hear him crying.

Che'nya’s tail moved around as he remembered everything. Why did he protect Idia anyway? They didn’t even know each other. He was just using him. He looked out into the sky.

_“My family’s cursed… I don’t really get to enjoy things like this.”_

Che'nya found himself sighing. He was using the dorm for his own selfish purposes. Idia knew he was yet still treated him like the best thing to ever happen to him.

_“My family’s cursed… I don’t really get to enjoy things like this.”_

It was those same words that sent him running to Idia’s aid when the cage dispersed. It was those words that made his normally neutral self pick a side. Someone considered him important, went along with his little whims, wanted the best for him. All of that was enough to turn him against his childhood friend and his buddies.

“Che'nya! There you a- Woah!” a voice called out.

“Rielle…”

“Hey! I was really worried when you suddenly took off. Counseling isn’t going to help is it?” Rielle asked with a sigh. “Well, just know that you have friends who are here for you and won’t pester for details until you’re ready to share.”

Che'nya extended his hand out, helping Rielle onto the roof. His flying wasn’t the best and he feared him falling from up high.

“Rielle… how do you know if you’re… attached to something?”

“In what sense? Feelings?” Rielle questioned. Che'nya nodded. “Well, for example, if you have to part from them, you’ll find yourself thinking you don’t want to and want to spend more time together.”

So it was an attachment. He had gotten attached to someone besides his childhood friends. Che'nya mewed lowly, slowly accepting this feeling.

“I was scared. He was suddenly shooting fire and chasing after this lion guy who held me. And then I was put in a cage and he overblotted… He was protecting me and fighting his own schoolmates… I was cheering him on but… he lost.” Che'nya said, simplifying what occurred. “Once I was free, my body was moving on its own… I didn’t want to leave him… he didn’t want me to leave either…”

“Aw, Che'nya…” Rielle cooed, scratching behind his ears. “That’s not even attachment, you straight up like him!”

“Eh?”

“Yeah! How cute~”

Che'nya didn’t say anything, knowing Rielle was speaking nonsense. Che'nya doesn’t like people. That’s not how he rolled. But then why did he miss the pets, the ear scratches, the belly rubs, being treated so kindly? Could he really like someone…?

“I miss him…” Che'nya admitted, his cat features showing his displeasure. “But I can’t go back… They’ve banned me.”

“Then have him come here. Or meet up in the city!”

Che'nya sat up. Meet in the city. Rielle was a genius. His only problem was getting in contact with Idia. He tried thinking back, seeing if he remembered any of Idia’s social media handles. Rielle hummed in delight, pleased to see Che'nya was feeling better.

•

Rielle walked up to Che'nya who just finished retelling the story to other students.

“So, excited?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

Rielle could clearly see he was, his tail not being subtle. He kept quiet about it, knowing Che'nya would deny it even as he took his last breath.

“Rielleeeeeeeee!” a voice called out, jumping on him.

“Hey, Mei. Class ended?”

“Hello to you too, Mei.”

“Oh, Che'nya’s actually here. What a surprise.”

Che'nya rolled his eyes. He made it seem like he was never around. Soon the others arrived, the two of them saying the exact same thing Mei said.

“Why do you all sound surprised!? I’m a student here too!”

“Well, usually when something is going down…” Jamie started.

“You aren’t here.” Eosin finished.

“It’s not my fault I care about my grades rather than drama at school.”

“Hey, did you hear? Che'nya’s going go meet his crush!”

They collectively gasped. Oh boy, there Rielle went, exaggerating things.

“No, I’m not crushing on anyone. I’m just meeting a friend.”

“Who’s a boy.” Rielle giggled.

They started to pester him for details. He stayed as vague as possible, simply letting them guess until they ran out of people.

•

Che'nya patiently waited for Idia as he watched kids play around. Would Idia come out of his hole of a room for him? He’d find out. Soon a blue haired male came into sight. Che'nya’s body moved on its own, running to give him a hug. Che'nya hugged him tight, rubbing his head against him.

Che'nya’s heart pounded in his chest as he purred, receiving pets from him.

“You came…”

“I couldn’t say no to my favorite feline.”

Che'nya purred loudly, licking Idia’s face. He was okay with this liking thing. It was Idia, his favorite person.


	44. Don’t regret this

“You’ve got a death wish.” said Azul, following after Jade. “You can’t just march in and demand things from those of Diasomnia…!”

“Hm? I just want to see if Lilia is as great as everyone says he is.” Jade explained, entering Diasomnia’s door.

He received looks from students as he searched around for Lilia. He was going to challenge him to game of wits. Surely the man rumored to be ancient old could easily fair well against him in a game of chess. He resorted to something less physical, both of them not really the fitness type.

A student finally told him the location of Lilia’s room. He walked down stairs before knocking on the respective door.

“Jade Leech. It’s not often I’m approached by you. What does a youngin want with me?” Lilia asked, brushing out his hair.

“I’m challenging you to a chess match. Will you accept?” Jade asked, getting straight to the point.

“Ah, I see some young ones still have the fire in their eyes.” said Lilia, seeing people having less motivation as time went on. “I accept. When will it occur?”

“It could happen at any time. Right now even.” said Jade, his smile never wavering.

“Fufu… a troubling smile you have there. Alright, let me finish with my hair and we can start.” said Lilia, leaving the door open if he wanted to come in.

Jade stepped inside, noticing the black curtains that covered the windows entirely. Was he really that opposed to sunlight?

“What a brave soul you have, challenging someone with years of wisdom under their belt.” said Lilia, amused by Jade. “I hope you don’t mind losing.”

“I can assure you, I don’t intend to.” Jade responded.

•

Jade and Lilia sat across from each other, sitting at a table where you could see everything going on underneath, making cheating extremely slim. Two people stood next to Jade and Lilia, further making sure cheating was nipped in the bud. Leona yawned, having been asked to referee. The game started.

“Don’t regret this.” said Lilia before making his move.

“I won’t.” replied Jade, making his.

Riddle and Vil kept a close eye on Lilia and Jade. He had beheaded them earlier, making sure magic wasn’t used. Both were going back and forth in terms of losing pieces. Things were starting to look bleak for Jade.

“I must say, it’s not everyday you find youths who use their brains.” said Lilia, impressed Jade was able to keep up with him.

“Thank you for your praise. However, you’ll come to praise me even more.” said Hade, making his move.

“My queen!” Lilia gasped.

How could he not foresee that? He looked at Jade who laughed behind his hand. Vil didn’t call him out for cheating. Leona didn’t make a call. It was a perfectly calculated move. He couldn’t let his guard down. They continued to play, Lilia losing a few more pieces. They both only had three pieces left. Everyone in the room could feel the tension.

“Rook to B5.”

“Bishop to D4.”

“Knight to A1.”

“King to C3.”

They stared each other down. Everything came down to his next move. He needed to corner his king. Lilia moved his piece, deeming it the best move he could make. Jade smiled widely. Game, set and match. After his turn, Lilia moved. His bishop, captured. His rook, captured.

“Any final words?” Jade asked, moving his rook around with the tip of his finger.

“I’ve been bested by a child.” Lilia said, watching Jade corner his king.

“Checkmate.”

“An ending I wasn’t expecting.” said Leona, truly thinking Lilia had it in the bag.

“How did you do it?” Lilia asked. “Teach this aging man your secret.”

“If I did that, I’d never win again.” said Jade, getting up from his seat. “It seems you aren’t all powerful as rumors say.”

“I never claimed I was.” chirped Lilia, getting up as well.

They shook hands, displaying good sportsmanship.

“I would like a rematch. How does tomorrow afternoon sound?” Lilia asked.

“I’m there.” Jade replied, smiling with his eyes.


	45. Cheka: Lost

"Cheka sama!" a guard shouted, the young prince running loose.

"I'm going on ahead and you can't stop me!" Cheka shouted before running off.

"We deserve raises..." another guard said tiredly.

Cheka was forced to slow down, a number of students in his path. He made lefts and rights, trying to find the place called Savanaclaw. He was dying to see his uncle. He continued to make more turns, peeking into rooms. Where was Savanaclaw? How did he get there?

Cheka continued to get more lost. Students whispered to each other, wondering who's kid he was. Cheka started to tear up some, finally realizing he was alone. He entered a nearby room, deciding to wait for the guards to show up and help him.

"I've never met you before!" a slightly robotic voice said.

Cheka look up, seeing a robot hovering. Cheka reached up and touched his hair, expecting it to hurt but not feeling anything.

"My hair is artificial!" he said cheerily. "It's supposed to mimic big brother's and the god of the underworld!"

"That's so cool... I have ears." Cheka said, wiggling them. "And a tail too!"

Cheka stood up, turning so the robot could see.

"You're really cute! But I don't have you in my databank. Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Cheka! I was coming to visit family here." he said, extending his hand. "Who are you?"

Cheka tilted his head, seeing the robot wasn't responding. Did he run out of battery? He was instantly startled by him suddenly moving.

"Cheka Kingscholar, son of Farena Kingscholar and Leona Kingscholar's nephew." Ortho said, shaking Cheka's hand. "Nice to meet you!"

"Whoa, how did you know!?" Cheka asked in awe.

"I searched the internet! It's very convenient." he said with a grin. "I'm Ortho, Ortho Shroud. My big brother is Idia Shroud. He's a genius!"

"Really? I bet you're great too!" said Cheka, holding Ortho's hands.

"Hehe~ I'm only as great as big brother makes me to be! He designed this body for me. Isn't it cool?" said Ortho, singing Idia's praises.

Cheka nodded in agreement, noticing the flame in his chest where a heart is usually located.

"What's that?" Cheka asked, moving to touch it.

"You can't!" Ortho yelled, backing away. "Big brother said I can't let anyone touch it."

"Ah, I'm sorry." apologized Cheka.

"If you aren't doing anything, do you want to play?" Ortho asked, seeing this as an opportunity.

"Sure!"

•

The duo played a few rounds of catch before another few of tag. Ortho was a lot of fun. He had completely forgotten the entire reason he came to Night Raven in the first place. He was finally caught by Ortho, being spun around in his arms.

"I've never had this much fun before!" said Ortho, grinning widely.

"Really? You don't play with your big brother?" Cheka asked curiously.

Ortho shook his head, sighing sadly.

"He prefers to stay inside. I don't mind staying inside and playing games with him, but I think sunshine will do him some good." Ortho said, looking down at the ground.

"Have you asked him?"

"Yeah... There were times he'd say yes but then something would come up..."

Cheka held Ortho's hands, giving him a smile.

"Why don't we go and convince him together? I'm pretty good at convincing people." said Cheka, puffing our his chest.

"Really? I really want to play tag with him." said Ortho.

"Let's get moving!" Cheka said cheerily.

•

Ortho opened the door to Idia's room, pointing to the long, blue haired male sitting in his seat like L from death note.

"Big brother, are you busy?" Ortho asked.

"I'm never too busy for you. What's-" Idia said, turning and seein Cheka. "Who's that?"

"I'm Cheka! Ortho wants to play. You aren't busy, so play with him!" he responded, walking over to him.

"Well, that's true but-"

"Please, big brother? Just a game of tag!" Ortho pleaded, grasping Idia's sleeve.

"I don't-"

"Please?" they said in unison, looking up at him with the biggest, roundest eyes he's ever seen.

Idia caved immediately. How could anyone resist two adorable faces? He'd have to be the biggest jerk in the world. The small duo high fived, their little plan being a success.

* * *

**bonus:**

Idia wheezed heavily as Cheka and Ortho ran from him. Kids had way too much energy. They ran back over to him, circling around him. Even then he couldn't catch them.

"Can we... we break?" Idia pleaded, falling to his knees.

They ran over to him, worried. Idia assured them he was fine, he just needed some rest. Physical exercise just wasn't his thing and never would be.


	46. Cheka: Lost (cont)

Idia collapsed, his HP at 0. He was done for. The light was calling his name. He weakly sent an SOS into the dorm leader group chat and his location before passing out.

Cheka and Ortho hovered over Idia, poking his body. Was he dead? They shook his body, trying to get him to move.

"Idia!"

They two looked back, seeing a cheerful person running over to them with someone following close behind.

"Kalim Al-Asim!" Ortho said, allowing Kalim to hug him.

"Hey! Who's this little cutie here?" Kalim asked, looking at Cheka.

"He's Cheka, Leona's nephew." said Ortho. "We were playing with big brother but he suddenly collapsed and won't wake up..."

Jamil was dragging Idia away while Kalim kept the kids busy. Soon Riddle, Trey and Azul arrived. Cater had tagged along, hearing adorable kids were involved. It would make for a great Magicam moment.

"So the recluse Idia was pushed to the edge by two small kids..." said Riddle, looking at Jamil who took care of Idia.

The Leech twins came over, wanting in on the fun. Vil, Rook and Malleus eventually arrived, having to come from farther away. Cheka looked at all of them, wondering what they were doing here. Ortho seemed to know them all.

"So, what's the emergency? I could be doing a number of other things." said Vil, looking around.

"He says it's those two. If they aren't kept busy they'll cause a ruckus in the school." said Jamil, watching Idia pass out again.

"I'm great with kids!" said Kalim, picking up Cheka and spinning him around.

Cheka laughed in delight, relishing in all the attention he was getting. He wiggled out of Kalim's arms, a familiar scent filling his nose. He ran off.

"Uncle Leona!!!!!" Cheka squealed, jumping onto the lion who had just barely made it to the sports field.

"I knew I smelled furball..." Leona grumbled, handing Cheka off to Ruggie. "Your guards are still looking for you."

"I don't care. I'm having fun out here." he pouted, slipping out of Ruggie's arms.

Kalim filled everyone in on what the emergency was before clapping, having a brilliant idea.

"Let's play hide and seek with them in the woods!" he said cheerfully.

"I know you're not expecting me to go into those musty ass woods which will definitely cause some sort of damage to my skin." said Vil, crossing his arms.

"Then stay here so people can find their way back if they're found!" Kalim suggested.

"Hm, that sounds doable." Vil said, impressed Kalim came up with such a good idea.

"Anyone else want to stay behind?"

Everyone else was pretty much okay with the plan. Ortho and Cheka watched Riddle, Azul, Cater, Trey, Malleus, Rook, Leona, Ruggie, and the twins run into the woods before starting to count. They finished counting before stopping each other.

"Together or separate?"

"Won't we cover more ground separately?" Cheka suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" Ortho cheered before they split ways.

The entirety of the woods was a complete maze. Things had been altered and structures built. The dorm leaders really went all out for them. Cheka climbed a tree, noticing there was no end in sight. He continued to climb before seeing no sunlight. He looked down, no longer seeing the ground. Cheka was visibly panicking. He let go, feeling his legs easily touch the ground. Did he really not get that far?

Ortho checked behind a screen, seeing a tea party going on. It was cute. He kept moving, unaware of a person hiding within the tea party. Ortho couldn't use his body to the fullest, his signals being jammed and blocked. It didn't matter, it just made looking for them even more fun.

"H- Hey!" Riddle hissed before being pushed into a rose bush.

"There's no time Riddle. Cheka's coming!" Trey whispered before transforming him and Cater into mice, scurrying into the bush.

Cheka soon arrived, looking around. Everything was twisted and wonky. Water was flowing up and birds were flying upside down. The three of them held their breath, seeing Cheka sniffing around. Cheka sniffed the rose bush before backing up and sneezing repeatedly. His nose was out of commission for a while.

Trey and Cater high fived each other, knowing he would use his nose to locate them.

"I guess they're not here..." Cheka muttered before continuing on.

"I told you the rose bush was a good idea." Cater said, looking at Riddle.

"Surprisingly."

Rook stood amongst other life like statues as Ortho came through. He couldn't use heat detection, so his only option was to feel them. Ortho touched the Trey statue, admiring how real it felt. He felt ones for Ruggie, Malleus and finally the actual Rook. He couldn't choose.

"Um... um... ah... this is hard..." Ortho sighed, despite really enjoying what the others have done for him and Cheka.

It was Hide and Seek, NRC Edition. He finally picked one, the Ruggie statue. Nothing. Ortho kept moving. Rook relaxed, wondering if they made things too hard for the little ones.

•

Vil read up on popular beauty trends while Jamil kept an eye on Idia's condition.

"No one has been caught yet... One would think the first would be Kalim." said Jamil, sitting underneath Vil's umbrella.

"True. That idiot Rook should be easy to catch as well. The hardest person to catch I think would be those twins. God they're slippery." said Vil before pulling down his sunglasses. "No pun intended."

Idia slowly came to, staring up at Jamil. Where was he? What year was it?

"How are you feeling?" Jamil asked, feeling his face.

"Is... is Ortho... fun..." Idia whispered, weakly reaching up.

"Yes, they're having fun. I hope..." said Jamil, still wondering how no one had been caught yet.

"Hey, if you're alive, tell us what's going on in those woods." Vil demanded. "You can at least do that much for bringing us here."

Idia summoned his skull, doing a bit of programming before it took off. A large screen sat in front of them, split in half. Half showed the actual in person footage while the other half marked where everyone was, the two oranges being Ortho and Cheka. Riddle was a rose, Trey and Cater their respective trump suits, Rook his hat, the twins eels, Azul an octopus, Kalim a sun, Ruggie a hyena, Malleus a dragon and Leona a lion.

"Hm, they're relatively close by, so why are the little ones having trouble?" Vil muttered, seeing Rook and one of the twins were practically right next to each other.

"Give them a little more time. Maybe they added a little twist." said Jamil, making sure Idia drank plenty of water.

**[Back In The Woods]**

Cheka ran, seeing Ruggie up ahead. He skidded to a stop, seeing him run over water and up the waterfall with ease. He was highly impressed but saw he wouldn't be able to continue his chase. He turned around and saw Ruggie had gotten behind him. He gave chase again, finally catching Ruggie.

"Ah. I've been caught." said Ruggie, actually grateful. "I'll give you a tip. If you see a rose bush, give it a good kick."

Cheka nodded, watching Ruggie head back. A rose bush. A light bulb went off.

Trey and Cater transformed again, hearing quick footsteps. Cheka was back. Riddle had shrunk himself, making it a bit harder to spot him. Soon they felt their rose bush being attacked, leaves quickly falling.

"Aha! Gotcha!" said Cheka, holding the three of them in his hands.

"I told you we should've split up!" Riddle fussed.

"Ah... I wonder how he found us..." Cater said in defeat.

"Ruggie told me after I caught him." Cheka quipped, putting them down. "He said if I see a rose bush, kick it.

They grew in size, Cater and Trey transforming back into humans.

"That's Ruggie alright..." said Trey with a shake of his head.

"Well, we'll be waiting for you both back at the field." said Riddle before walking away with Trey and Cater.

Ortho hummed, watching the animals dance around and sing. He clapped along, unaware of Kalim hiding nearby. His plan worked. They'd be too into the animals to even remotely notice his presence.

"You're all so good! I want to teach an animal to dance." said Ortho, watching a bird land on his arm. "You're very cute Mr. Bird."

He smiled sadly, wishing he could understand the bird chirping.

"I'm not having any luck in finding people in hide and seek. I always relied on my technology, so without it, I feel like a tin can." said Ortho cheerily. "I think it makes finding them much more rewarding though."

Kalim teared up, not realizing how much he needed his technology. Ortho looked up, hearing shuffling.

"Found you!" said Ortho, giggling in delight.

"Aw, you found me!" laughed Kalim, wondering if it was all planned. "Try checking out the tea party."

Ortho watched Kalim skip off in glee. The tea party? He hurried back to where he saw the tea party.

Nothing about it seemed amiss. Ortho sat down, watching invisible people drink from empty cups. A tea pot sat on the table. Ortho picked it up and looked inside.

"Azul!" he said in surprise.

"You found me! Wasn't too hard was it?" Azul replied, having Ortho lift him out.

"A little, but Kalim helped me!" he said happily. "He suggested I come back here."

Azul grew in size, giving Ortho a pat on the head. Ortho watched him leave, wondering how many were left. Soon Idia's skull was hovering before him. 5 were remaining. Ortho decided to go back to the life like statues. Someone had to be there.

Cheka was visited by a skull, it displaying a number of how many people were left. Half of them still were hiding. He found himself passing through trees before a wide open space could be seen. It reminded him of home. Before he could step through, two large lions appeared, baring their fangs at him.

Were they real? Fake? He didn't want to find out, running away. The lions disappeared, revealing Leona standing behind.

"I can't believe he's the next ruler. Weak." Leona scoffed.

Ortho stared long and hard at the statues. One of them had to be a person. Who were the ones left? It would've been convenient to know. Ortho stopped at Rook, really taking in his features.

"If you're the real Rook, then you'll hate this!" said Ortho, smudging Rook's eye makeup.

Nothing. He gave up. He really couldn't tell.

"You're right. I don't like it." said Rook, moving his limbs. "I was very disheartened to see you give up so easily the first time."

"They all looked so real..."

"Very true, but we wanted you to be able to discern things without the use of overly complicated technology, to just be a young one." said Rook, caressing Ortho's cheek. "You are having fun, yes?"

"Yeah! I think it'd be less fun already having the answers! Thank you!"

Rook smiled in delight.

"If you find a lake, fish, don't swim." said Rook before leaving.

A lake? He hasn't seen one, but he'll definitely keep an eye out now.

•

"So good!" Azul squealed, stuffing himself with fried food.

"Azul, please mind your weight. Haven't we discussed proper ratios?" Vil reminded him.

"Right..."

"Jamil, your cooking just can't be beat." said Kalim, scarfing down his stew.

"I really like these sweets... It's really the perfect balance of sweetness and cake..." Riddle muttered, his eyes sparkling.

Idia had receovered some, now able to sit up on his own. Another error message showed up.

"Someone please tell what's going on with Ortho. Why am I being blocked from checking his system?" Idia asked, panic settling in.

"He's fine. We just cast a spell that rendered certain technological uses useless." said Azul, being fed a salad by Vil.

"Ah... I hope he's okay... Maybe I should-"

"You're staying here." said Jamil, forcing Idia to eat more.

**[Back In The Woods]**

Cheka happened upon an area swarming with mushrooms. He touched one before backing up, seeing it spray some kind of gas. The grass around it died. Cheka proceeded with caution before freezing up. Something had scurried past him rather quickly.

"Hello...?"

Psssshhh. More mushrooms had discharged some gas. Cheka started coughing, backing away. His head started to hurt. Was this a part of hide and seek?

"Oh my..."

Cheka looked up, seeing double.

"This isn't part of hide and seek little one. You wandered out too far." they said, seeing Cheka didn't look well. "Close your eyes."

Cheka did as he was told. His body started to tingle before the throbbing pain in his head disappeared. He now found himself staring at Jade.

"As an apology for leading you into a dangerous place, I'll let you catch me." Jade said, thankful Cheka hadn't gone in further.

Cheka touched him, officially catching him. That was easy.

"I believe there's two left. A dangerous roar could be heard from afar, but fear is your greatest enemy."

Jade walked backwards into the mushrooms spewing gas before disappearing. A dangerous roar? Greatest enemy?

Ortho finally found the lake. It seemed harmless enough.

_"If you find a lake, fish, don't swim."_

Ortho used his boosters, getting an aerial view of the lake. There didn't seem to be anything in it. He looked around, seeing if he could use anything.

"Aha!"

He lowered a vine into the water. He was fishing. Kind of. He felt something grab hold of the vine. It instantly snapped. He did this a few times before lifting Floyd out of the water.

"Aha, you caught me!" Floyd laughed, drenched in water.

"What would've happened if I entered the water...?"

"Well... we both might be dead." Floyd deadpanned, reminding Ortho that he was a robot that ran on electricity also.

It made sense now why Rook said that. Plus fishing was way more fun. Floyd picked Ortho up, carrying him back with him to the others.

Cheka found himself standing not too far from the open savannah like space. This had to be the one Jade was talking about. He stepped forward, yelping at the sight of the two lions. His body shook as they looked ready to eat him.

_"... but fear is your greatest enemy."_

Cheka swallowed hard before approaching them. He let out a weak battle cry, charging towards them with his eyes closed. The lions disappeared, revealing Leona. Cheka felt himself bump against something.

"Uncle!" he gasped, his eyes sparkling.

"To think you didn't have guts before..." said Leona, patting his head. "I'm impressed."

Cheka's eyes widened at his praise. Leona praised him. Leona lifted Cheka onto his back, carrying him back to the others.

•

Cheka dug into his meal, thanking Jamil with his mouth full. Idia hugged Ortho tight, so grateful to see he was okay. Everyone happily chattered before Kalim gasped.

"What?"

"Don't gasp so suddenly."

"Malleus!" Kalim shrieked, heading back into the woods.

"Malleus...? Oh no, Malleus!"

Soon a group was rushing back in, hoping to find him. Vil shook his head, having Idia bring up Malleus' whereabouts. He called Kalim, trying to direct him and the others.


	47. Vick: Doing favorites

"No... I can stay up..." Jack whined, some drowsiness clearly visible.

"Come on. We both know you're always in bed by 9." said Vil, tucking him in.

Jack whined more, resisting. Vil found himself being pulled into bed with him.

"If I'm forced to sleep, so are you." Jack muttered, rubbing his head against Vil's chest, knowing he'd complain if he did his face.

Vil sighed, not bothering to protest it. He let Jack hold him in his arms. He had to admit, Jack's natural animal warmth was very relaxing and comfortable.

"Remember the first time we shared a bed together?" Jack asked, his tail wagging happily.

"How could I not? I smelled like wet dog for the entire day. Your scent would just not wash out!" Vil said, his memory vivid.

"I keep saying sorry..." Jack whined, giving him puppy eyes.

"I suppose it's fine... It kept those weird other half animal boys away from me." said Vil, remembering they steered clear of him after getting a whiff of Jack's scent.

Everyone was hesitant around Jack in their elementary and middle school days. Little did they know Jack was nothing but a big softie.

"Ah, remember the time I fell asleep in your bed after taking medicine for my fever? I wasn't expecting to wake up to a mutt cuddling me." said Vil, referring to Jack.

"You were shivering... the blanket wasn't helping so I tried using my body heat." Jack said, remembering how much Vil shook.

He did stop shaking once Vil's body recognized his heat. It felt very rewarding.

"Ah, I'll never forget the first time we had a sleepover. I'm still upset that you spilled my favorite nail polish. It was a limited time only!" Vil complained. "You still haven't paid me back."

"Then what do you want in return...?"

Vil pursed his lips, snuggling closer to Jack. What did he want? Well, he knew, he just didn't want to voice it.

"There's a new limited polish coming out from the same company. Get me one and we'll be even." said Vil, keeping his true want to himself.

"Oh! Remember when you stayed over that night and I showed my limited edition Power Pup plushie?" asked Jack, having a good memory of that time.

"Do you still have that thing?"

"Of course, especially since you signed it! It's a collectors item now since you're famous." said Jack, smiling widely.

Ah. He purposefully did that. Vil was already aware he was destined for greatness, so he wanted to give Jack a little momento. To think he still had it all this time...

"Ah, remember when you were staying over and we heard the news of that man being killed somewhere in the neighborhood? How did we ever sleep that night?" Vil muttered, not remembering.

"All I know is you were hugging me tight and I was doing the same. Oh! We sang songs together... and uh... wrote haikus! You wrote funny ones." said Jack, fragments coming back slowly.

"And we ate unhealthily like normal children. I regret doing that. I gained pounds." said Vil, remembering working his ass off to get rid of them.

"Ah, I think my favorite time of sharing a bed out of all of them was sharing my body heat with you." said Jack. "It gave me an excuse to be close to you."

"Hm, if we're doing favorites, I think mine would be that cold winter day when the heating in my home was broken so we stayed over. You were just so warm it was hard not to fall asleep on you..." said Vil, smiling fondly at the memory.

He felt Jack peck his lips before apologizing.

"I told you, it's okay. We're a couple. You're allowed to initiate kisses." said Vil, seeing he was still remembering the pre dating rule. "I'll just have to take better care now that they're being used more."

He pulled Jack in for a kiss, wanting to show him his feelings. To think the little wolf that followed him around would end up dating him. They kissed again, this time more deeply full of passion. That little wolf, doing idiotic things that captured his heart little by little. He watched Jack smile happily before knocking out in seconds. He checked the time. It was definitely past his bedtime. Vil got comfortable before closing his eyes, needing his beauty sleep.

•

Jack stretched out, having walked Vil back to Pomefiore early in the morning. The moment he stepped in, everyone was looking at him. A few of them walked away, looking at him as if he were diseased. He kept walking, that stare being the same everywhere he went.

"I'm telling ya, I saw it! They were sharing a bed!"

"Vil sharing a bed...? He's cursed!"

Jack looked at Ruggie and another Savanaclaw student.

"Ruggie senpai?" Jack called out.

"Ah! J- Jack. What are you doing here?"

"I live here? Anyway, everyone is acting strange. They're looking at me weirdly, some even ran from me. What's going on?" Jack asked, worried for his future.

"You know the guys. Mass hysteria and all..." said Ruggie, scratching his cheek. "Don't worry about it!"

Jack watched Ruggie walk off. Was it really nothing to worry about?


	48. Kaja: Let me help

Jamil sighed, staring at Kalim’s face. What a cute idiot. He wanted to squish his cheeks and give him kisses. Ace noticed Jamil was sitting off to the side. He headed over, wondering what was up.

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” Ace asked, startling Jamil.

“Just Kalim. It’s driving me insane being so close to him and having these feelings. Do you know how hard it is to not kiss him to shut him up?” Jamil muttered putting his head in his hands. “I want that boy to be my bride.”

Ace patted Jamil’s shoulder, used to hearing him cry about his feelings for Kalim. He understood though. Kalim was such a good boy you’d do anything to protect him.

“I have to write out my feelings…” Jamil muttered, opening the Magiter app.

Jamil quickly typed out his feelings, tapping send. Ace got a notification that Jamil posted. He squinted a bit before opening Magiter as well. Oh. He looked at Jamil who was busy doing other things on his phone. Should he tell him? Maybe not.

•

Kalim happily laughed with Silver when his phone received a notification. His smile widened. His favorite person had posted on Magiter.

“Oh? Jamil posted.” said Silver, reading his tweet. “Oh. Oh.”

Kalim wondered what’s Silver was ohing about so much. Silver quickly took his phone, not sure if it was right for Kalim to see. Just about everyone who was friends with Jamil and Kalim knew of the mutual feelings the two had for one another. Seeing Jamil posted about Kalim on his main Magiter account was worrying.

“Hey, give my phone back. Jamil posted and I want to see!” Kalim whined, trying to get Silver to hand it back.

“Look, a blue jay!” said Silver, Kalim easily falling for the trick.

“Wait, there’s no bird… Ah!” he said, seeing Silver left with with his phone. “Silver!”

Silver ran down the hall, quickly looking for an escape route. Kalim was hot on his heels. He panicked, jumping from the second floor.

“Are you crazy!?” Kalim shouted, watching Silver limp away.

•

“Jamil, calm down!”

“Why didn’t you tell me I posted it on my main account!?”

“Stop fussing at me and just delete it before Kalim sees!”

Bing. Jamil’s phone signaled he had gotta a text message. It was from Kalim.

  
  
  
  


Jamil sighed, feeling bad for lying to Kalim. Kalim was happy for him to be crushing on someone. Maybe he’d never like him back. Maybe it was all just one sided.

“Jamil!” a quiet, cheery voice called out.

Kalim sat next to Jamil, peering at what book he was reading.

“Oh, you have homework on the origins of the magic carpet.” said Kalim, purposefully moving closer to Jamil. “Let me help.”

“Ah, it’s fine.” said Jamil, closing the book.

Kalim watched Jamil quickly walk away, a crack forming in his heart. He got up as well, following after Jamil. He couldn’t lose him to whoever he was crushing on. Jamil was his everything.

“Jamil, wait!” he called out, seeing Jamil speed walking down the hall. “Jamil!”

Sometimes he wished Kalim wouldn’t be so hard headed. He looked back, seeing Kalim catching up to him. He finally stopped, turning on his heel.

“Please, I don’t want to talk about my crush and I don’t need help with my homework. You can barely do your own!” Jamil seethed, stamping his foot.

Oh no. He wasn’t supposed to get angry.

“Wait, no, that came out wrong-”

“I see. Sorry, Mimi…” Kalim muttered, walking past him.

Jamil pulled him back, holding him close. Kalim stared down the hall before wrapping his arms around Jamil, burying his face in Jamil’s shoulder.

“You weren’t supposed to see that post…” Jamil whispered. “I didn’t want you to know…”

“Know about what?” Kalim asked, feeling Jamil tighten his hold.

“I really like you. So much I often space out thinking about nice it’d be to hold you like this everyday, surprise you with kisses and give you all my love…” Jamil confessed, pulling away from Kalim.

“I like you too.” Kalim replied, giving him an eye smile.

“Of course you do-”

“No, I _like_ you.”

Kalim pecked his lips, grinning like a fool.

 _“God you’re so cute…”_ Jamil thought, willing himself not to cry.


	49. Epel + Lilia: The Beautiful Queen

Epel sighed heavily, leaving yet another class on the Beautiful Queen. Truly he had nothing against her, he just didn’t feel he belonged. He couldn’t care less about his appearance. He liked the way those in Savanaclaw lived. That was what he was hoping for when he saw the black carriage arrive.

Epel sat under a tree, opening his books to work. One day he’ll understand, but for now, he didn’t.

“Why make such a face?” a voice said from above.

Epel squeaked, not expecting to see a person hanging upside down. How was his jacket still on?

“Oh, you’re Lilia… senpai, from Diasomnia.” Epel said, catching himself.

“I know all about you. The small beauty of Pomefiore who in truth feels no connection to where he was sorted to. But, the mirror never lies.” said Lilia, flipping and landing perfectly on his tush.

“It’s just that… I want to be a great magician. I want to use great spells and show I’m a force to be reckoned with. I’ve battled animals the same size as me as they tried destroying our orchard! Yet…” Epel muttered, his gaze dropping to his books. “I don’t think Pomefiore will help me achieve what I want…”

“So you don’t think the Beautiful Queen was powerful in her own way despite being so beautiful?” Lilia asked.

“Well, I-”

“Let me tell you a story. The Beautiful Queen wasn’t always as powerful as you hear about in books. If anything, she was a lot like you, a bit lost. She eventually found her calling in the last thing she expected. She honed her beauty alongside learning powerful spells that would aide her in keeping herself beautiful and destroying those that lied in her path. Hence the poison apple was born.” said Lilia with a smile. “The Great Seven were people like us, starting out like lost confused lambs.”

“What book did you read that from?” Epel asked, wanting to know more.

“What book? Kufufu… I just happened to have a vast amount of knowledge on things.” said Lilia, turning the pages of Epel’s book. “Things are very much glorified and twisted in the pages of books.”

Epel sighed, still wanting to know why. What did the mirror see that he couldn’t?

“Even if the mirror wasn’t wrong, I don’t understand. What’s my purpose? Being here in Pome doesn’t make me feel threatening… Everyone picks on us, especially those from Savanaclaw…” Epel whispered, remembering when Lilia helped him out. “You’re small just like me yet people find you intimidating.”

“You have to give them a reason to fear you.” said Lilia, stretching out before lying next to Epel. “I just happened to have a lot of experience in baffling my enemies with my fighting skills.”

“Really? You got into a lot of fights when you were young?”

Lilia chuckled.

“Sure, we’ll go with that.” Lilia chuckled more. “When on the battlefield, underestimating your opponent is the sure fire way to death.”

“So, you’re saying you purposefully let them think you’re weak before beating them to death?” Epel asked with wide eyes.

“Hm, yep. It’s also fun in a way.” said Lilia, nudging his side. “We small people can be threatening in different ways since we can’t with height. And I think that’s a good thing. It forces us to get creative and actually be a threat. Tall people have no substance.”

Epel giggled, really enjoying this talk with Lilia. Who knew he’d have some good advice?

“You’ll find your threat one day. Think of what you can do and what you can’t. Knowing your limits and pushing past them is what will separate us little ones from the big ones.” said Lilia, turning the page to poison apples. “Pomefiore will show you your path one day… You’ve just got to open your heart to it.”

Epel stared at the diagrams of poison apples before looking at Lilia. Open his heart to Pomefiore. Maybe Lilia was right. Maybe he was too busy feeling sorry for himself to see something could be learnt from a pampered dorm like Pomefiore.

“Lilia, I-” he started then saw Lilia had disappeared. “I’ll try my best from now on…”


	50. Vick: Budget vegetables

“Ah ah.” said Vil, putting his hand between them. “Did you brush, floss and use mouthwash like I told you to?”

“Yes.” Jack replied.

“Lip balm?”

“No…”

“No kiss then.” said Vil, turning away from him.

“But we’re a couple… couples kiss…” Jack whined, his tail hanging between his legs.

“Can you afford to damage this face though? You of all people should know how expensive I am. To even be dating someone as rugged as you, I’m already risking things.” said Vil.

“I understand…” Jack mumbled, picking up his tray.

“Jack-”

Jack was already out of ear shot. Vil sighed heavily. This was exactly the reason why he was against dating in the first place. Jack wanted to be intimate but he couldn’t give him that, not without him changing his hygiene and skin care routines.

“Maybe…” Vil muttered, starting to write things down.

•

“This is…?” Jack asked, looking at the memo.

“Your new skin care routine. I also include mouth care since you keep forgetting lip balm.” said Vil, feeling proud of himself. “Don’t worry about buying anything, I have products perfect for your skin.”

Jack leaned into Vil’s touch. He loved the way he took charge.

“If you really want to kiss me, you’ll do these everyday. Got it?” Vil said, looking into his eyes.

“Right! I’ll do my best!”

Vil chuckled in delight, watching Jack’s tail wag feverishly.

•

Vil talked to his classmates before hearing someone mention Jack.

“Hey Vil, is something new going on with Jack? a Pomefiore student asked, gesturing he come over.

Vil peered at their phone screen. Cater had taken a picture with Jack. He squinted a bit before smiling.

"It’s working I see.” said Vil in delight.

The student tilted their head, not sure if that was an answer or a thought said aloud.

“Vil?” a scared voice called out.

“Jack- oof!” Vil said, feeling Jack crush him with his weight.

“Everyone’s been looking at me all day and it’s freaking me out.” Jack whispered, burying his face in Vil’s chest.

Everyone looked at the couple on the floor. Were they seriously going to fuck with people around?

“Jack, sit up!” Vil hissed, not wanting this kind of attention.

Jack did as he was told. Vil looked at his face. It was smoother than usual. That was a good sign.

“I see what it is.” said Vil, giving him a peck on the lips. “They’re just used to seeing rugged you.”

“Still, it’s weird…”

•

Vil reapplied his makeup before hearing two students out in the hall talking.

“He looks so good!” they said.

“I don’t know what Jack changed about his diet, but damn he’s finer than fine.” the other said.

It’s only been three weeks since Jack initially started changing his routine. Surely not much has changed since Jack’s initial stare scare. He opened up Magicam. Jack’s followers had increased five times what it used to be. He tapped on the latest photo, seeing it was posted this morning.

“‘I feel really great! Bouncy skin and it feels very airy. Thanks @beautyqueen I love you’. His skin!” Vil read before looking at the photo.

Jack was glowing. Things were turning out great. They were able to kiss more and really act like the couple they were.

“Ah, there you are!” said Jack happily, nuzzling his cheek against Vil’s. “I feel like a new person!”

“Of course. That icky dry skin is a thing of the past. You’re even more beautiful now.” said Vil, connecting their lips.

Jack’s tail wagged excitedly, another part of him getting excited as well. Vil felt a bit of a bump before looking at Jack.

“Did you just poke me?” Vil questioned.

“Um… yes, but…” Jack mumbled, his cheeks flushing. “Not with my finger…”

“Really Jack? You want to do that?” Vil asked in disbelief, stepping back. “That’s a whole other routine you’re going to have to add.”

Jack’s ears and tail fell at the news. There was so much that went into dating Vil. One would think he’d be fed up with it by now, but he wasn’t. He understood. Vil’s selling point was his beauty. And if changing his own routines would help, he’d do it.

“I’ll do it! I’ll do anything for you if it means we can regularly touch each other without worry of damaging your skin.” Jack said, holding Vil’s hands.

“Jack…” Vil whispered, tears welling up in his eyes.

Jack quickly pulled a tissue out of a packet, wiping Vil’s tears without smudging his makeup a lot.

“Give me that.” Vil muttered, snatching the tissue and full on wiping his eyes. “I was reapplying anyway.”

•

Vil heard murmuring as he made his way to lunch, why was everyone looking into the cafeteria?

“What are you all standing here for? Either get in or get out.” Vil snapped.

He shielded his eyes once they parted. What was this bright light? It died down, giving him a chance to look. His jaw dropped.

“Jack!?” Vil said, watching numerous guys hang around him. He angrily marched over, slamming his palms on the table. “Get lost you budget vegetables!”

The boys scurried off, leaving Vil and Jack alone. The bright light was coming from Jack. He was practically ethereal at this point. How? How was this possible? How could this rugged child of Savanaclaw be more beautiful than he?

“Vil? Vil!” Jack called out, scared that he was glaring at him with such hate. “Did I do something…?”

“You’re not allowed to be more beautiful than I! You’re Savanaclaw trash!” Vil shouted angrily.

People stared. Vil calmed down, realizing what he said. Tears welled up in Jack’s eyes as some students started to laugh, some posting on Magicam while others minded their business but were clearly talking about it. Seeing Vil getting jealous of someone in Savanaclaw being more beautiful was amusing. Jack ran, his feelings hurt.

“Wait, no… come back!” Vil shouted, moving to catch up to Jack, only to trip and land on his face.

This caused everyone to start laughing, posting clips and pictures of Vil face first on the floor. Vil quickly got up, some of his hair falling out of the braid.

•

Jack sniffled, having cried 'til he couldn’t anymore. He was just trying to make Vil happy. He just wanted to have more skin ship with him. He didn’t ask for this beauty.

“Jack! Oh thank god…” Vil wheezed, his hair falling out of place, his shirt unbuttoned and tie… missing?

“Vil! What happened to you!?” Jack asked worriedly, holding him close. “You don’t look as beautiful as usual…”

“Are you okay? No wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I was jealous. I should be most beautiful but then you… I’m sorry. Beauty is my everything… but you are too.” Vil said, his words jumbled and all over the place.

“Then… I’ll do this.” said Jack wiping dirt all over his face. Vil’s soul left his body. Jack caught him as he fell forward. “No good…?”


	51. 1st Years: Piledriver!!

“Ready? Fight!” said Deuce before quickly moving to sit with Epel and Ace.

“Ooo, a right hook!” said Epel.

“Hit him with a jab! Jab him!” Deuce shouted.

“You’re both getting worked up…” Ace muttered despite dying to shout out as well.

“But you know… Jack is right.” said Deuce.

“Ha? I knew you were stupid but not this stupid.” said Ace.

The two soon started fighting as well while Epel sat watching both fights. He broke up Ace and Deuce, telling them to save their fighting for later as things were getting good.

“Holy…! Get him Sebek!”

“You got this Jack! Pile-driver!!!”

“They’re on concrete you idiot!” Ace seethed, slapping Deuce.

Malleus was taking his usual stroll through the courtyard when he stopped the first years. He took a seat beside Epel, a bit curious as to what was going on.

“Malleus senpai!” Epel said in surprise. He moved to notify Ace and Deuce but they had started fighting again. “Not again…”

“Why are they fighting?” Malleus asked.

“Well-”

“Epel! Why are you just sitting here amidst all of this?” a voice fussed.

“Vil senpai, I-”

He soon found himself being lifted into the air, being sat at a table that he swore wasn’t there before. Soon tea was brewing as Vil sat down across from him. He didn’t understand what was going on.

“Are you going to sit there or have some?” Vil said aloud. Malleus sat in the free seat, often looking at the tussling first years. “Here. We have quite a scene to witness.”

Epel looked at his seniors before his fighting friends. Drinking tea while watching them fight really made him feel different.

Sebek pushed Jack off him, landing a punch against his cheek. Jack wiped the blood, making it seem like a fly touched him.

“Just admit it! Vil is the most beautiful!”

“As long as Malleus is alive Vil will never be the most beautiful. Even after he dies!”

Jack snarled, tackling Sebek to the ground again. Sebek turned the tables, now hovering over him. Jack bit his arm, sinking his teeth more into his skin as Sebek refused to let go.

“Ha!” Sebek shouted, making onions appear with magic.

Jack flailed around, kicking Sebek in the stomach as he ran to get away. Jack growled in anger, his canines on full display as he got down on all fours. Sebek side stepped his charge, hopping on Jack’s back.

“Aren’t so tough now are we?” Sebek cackled, watching Jack struggle under his weight.

He was soon being launched off before being choked. Jack smirked, seeing he had him right where he wanted him.

“Spirited first years aren’t they? said Vil, seeing Ace and Deuce had tired out. "If only they’d put this energy into their work.”

“You are very beautiful Vil. It must feel nice having someone defend your honor like this.” Malleus commented.

“Please, having some as loyal as Sebek must be a joy.” Vil responded, watching Sebek and Jack exchange blows again.

Epel brewed more tea, wondering when his seniors would actually act like seniors and set his waring friends straight.

Sebek weakly punched Jack, nearly falling off balance. Jack bit his hand, not as hard as he could.

“Look at you. You’re a breath away from collapsing.” said Jack, looking at the dried blood on Sebek’s body.

“The pot calling the kettle black.” said Sebek, spitting out blood onto the ground.

Jack was in just as poor condition as he. They both pulled back before landing a punch on each other’s cheek. They both collapsed to the ground, their bodies giving up on them. They couldn’t even lift their arms anymore.

“It felt so short. Then again I was late to the party.” said Vil, wrapping everything up.

Both seniors picked up their respective boys, carrying them to the infirmary. Epel followed after them, carrying Sebek and Jack’s things.

“Vil is most beautiful!”

“Malleus is!”

“We’ll permanently silence the both of you if you don’t quiet down.” threatened Vil.

The two of them clammed up, looking at their wounds.


	52. Trey x Jade: Just a thing in a weird place

“Azul, no.”

“Azul, yes.”

Jade and Floyd glared at each other before facing Azul.

“Look, I’ve been hinting all last week about this week. If you don’t want to work, fine, but don’t expect any pay for the next month.” said Azul.

“That’s not even reasonable.” Jade argued.

“Neither is your reason for refusing to participate.”

Floyd and Azul looked at him, awaiting his final answer.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Great, I already have your preparations. The other staff will have different ones from you two.” said Azul cheerily.

“What about you?”

“What about me, Jade?”

Jade didn’t say anything else, seeing he wasn’t going to win this time. Floyd cheered happily, excited for the week.

•

“He still doesn’t know right?” Cater asked, looking at his helpers.

Ace and Deuce nodded. They started to whisper amongst themselves, formulating more plans.

“And what are you three doing?” Riddle asked.

Cater pulled him down, not wanting Trey to possibly overhear. He filled Riddle in on their plan, knowing how much he liked a certain someone. Riddle was genuinely surprised by how they’ve kept Trey in the dark this long. Azul wasn’t exactly subtly about it.

“Well, if you need help-”

“Thank you Riddle!” Cater squealed, hugging Riddle.

Ace and Deuce joined in, showering him with love.

“H- Hey…!”

“Aw, Riddle’s blushing~” Cater teased. “Photo time!”

The picture was immediately uploaded onto Cater’s Magicam.

“So, any questions about the plan?”

They shook their heads. They went their separate ways, needing to keep Trey in the dark until tonight.

•

“Hey Trey, did you hear?” a student said, taking out his phone.

“Hm? Hear what?” Trey asked curiously.

“M-”

“Huh? I’m sorry you suddenly stopped talking.”

“Huh? No I didn’t. I said, M-”

Trey rubbed his ears, wondering if he was suffering from hearing loss. Though, that couldn’t be the case if he heard Trein perfectly for an entire two hours.

“Sorry, I think I’m having hearing problems today…” Trey apologized before going back to work.

Riddle’s filtering magic worked and Trey didn’t suspect a thing.

The bell for class rung, Trey and the first years having a joint class with Crewel. They partnered up with him before Deuce was being sent with someone else.

“So, what are you doing after classes, Trey senpai?” Ace asked, stirring the cauldron.

“Homework, maybe some studying. Make some sweets.” said Trey. “The usual, I guess. Why?”

“Oh nothing…” chuckled Ace, seeing he had no plans. “How has your day been?”

“You know, I’ve been having some hearing loss, but it’s really weird hearing loss. Someone would ask if I heard before I suddenly can’t hear them anymore. But I could hear them just fine not too long ago.” said Trey, pulling on his ear. “I was thinking of getting it checked out. After this class.”

Ace’s internal alarm went off. How to keep Trey from going to the nurse? An idea came to mind. Have him help him with things after class until his next class. It had to work.

•

Trey sighed, sitting in his last class. He’s been running around all day, not getting a chance to visit the nurse. Luckily class was going to be let out early, giving him time before someone found him.

The class was eventually let go. Trey moved to hurry to the infirmary before someone small stopped him. Not again.

“Yes, Lilia?”

“You aren’t too busy, are you?” Lilia asked, having been asked by Cater to keep Trey away from the infirmary the best he could. At least until he got there.

“A little…” Trey muttered.

“I promise this won’t take too long. After I could walk with you to wherever you need to be.” said Lilia, leading Trey away from the infirmary.

Trey rubbed his eyes, listening to Lilia recite poetry. It was… interesting, and taking longer than Lilia said.

“I really have to get going-”

“Trey~”

Not another one. Trey rubbed his temples, wondering why today was such an against Trey Clover day.

“Come, come. You’re needed back at Heartslabyul. Riddle’s about to lose it.” Cater lied.

“Again? Didn’t I just fix a problem this morning? Trey complained. "You know what? That’s it. I’m going. I am going to go have my ears checked, go back to my room and not be bothered!”

Cater texted everyone in a panic. Trey was going to find the filtering magic. Cater took a deep breath before saying he’d fix it. He grabbed Trey’s wrist, trying to drag him back to Heartslabyul.

•

Evening finally came and they couldn’t be happier. All they had to do was get Trey to Mostro. Deuce knocked on Trey’s door, the only one allowed to visit him at the moment.

“What is it, Deuce?” Trey asked softly, stacking a tower of cards.

“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. With all of us.” asked Deuce, watching Trey complete the tower. “We’re heading to Azul’s business.”

“Mostro’s? Hm, I guess. I can say hi to Jade who I really haven’t seen all day now that I think about it.” Trey muttered, knocking over the tower.

Deuce let the others know he was coming down with Trey.

They excitedly waved as Trey walked down the winding stairs with Deuce.

“Riddle? You’re coming too?” he asked in disbelief.

“I’m trying to be more friendly.”

They excitedly chatted, avoiding the topic of what was going on at Mostro’s. They reached the hall of mirrors, a few people entering Octavinelle. They did the same, looking at Octavinelle at night. It never ceased to amaze them.

“Is that a line…?” Trey asked, seeing something up ahead.

Sure enough, it was. They worriedly looked at each other, forgetting. Mostro’s might close before they got in.

“Mackerel? Mackerel!?” a voice called out.

Only one person was nicknamed mackerel. They looked to Deuce who waved. They quickly took Trey’s glasses and covered his eyes as Floyd happily ran over. Floyd held Deuce in his arms, giving him a deep kiss.

“You’re finally here! I thought you weren’t coming…” Floyd pouted before rubbing his cheek against Deuce’s head. “We have your table ready.”

“Deuce?” Ace said.

“Wait, wait. You got him to reserve us a table? _HIM_!?” Riddle asked in disbelief.

“Ah, the perks of dating someone who works at Mostro. Please lead the way, Floyd~” said Cater, kicking Riddle for stepping out of line.

Trey really couldn’t see a thing. They helped him walk before he was finally told to sit. They removed their hands and returned his glasses.

“Surprise!” they said in unison, presenting the inside of Mostro.

“It doesn’t look that different…” Trey muttered.

“Hello, I-” a voice said before stopping.

They all looked between Trey and Jade who wordlessly stared at each other. Jade cleared his throat, fixing his headdress.

“Welcome to Maid Mostro. I will be your servant tonight.” Jade said, his cheeks flushing. “Here are your menus, my masters.”

“Thank you.” said Cater, looking at Trey.

He was blushing alright.

“Shall I give you time to mull it over?”

“You know Jade, I never expected this from you.” Trey said, resting his cheek against his fist.

“I didn’t like the idea of a pay cut.” Jade responded, keeping his composure. “You’ve been staring at me since I came over. Is this what you’re into?”

“You’ve been shifting your weight since you’ve been standing here. Is something making you uncomfortable?” Trey shot back, raising an eyebrow. “Are you possibly wearing…?”

“Have my master’s decided what to order tonight?” Jade asked, changing the topic.

“It’s just so hard. I really want to try to maid special but I’m also leaning towards a kelp salad…” Cater whined, him and the others purposefully stalling so they could talk more.

“Is that the same for drinks…?” Jade asked weakly, Trey’s staring destroying him.

“What do you recommend?” Riddle asked, seeing the various teas they had.

Just a little. If Jade could lift the dress up just a little, he’d be able to tell. What if he was right? His eyes widened before he closed his legs. That was his answer. How could he get him to lift it just a little?

“Ah, I see. I’ll go with the mixed berry pineapple tea.” said Riddle. “I still need time to decide my meal.”

The others soon placed their drink orders before waiting for Trey.

“Jade, I think you’ve got a little something on the end of your dress.” lied Trey.

Jade lifted the end, trying to see what it was. He was right. Jade furrowed his brows, not seeing anything.

“How deceitful. I ought to throw you out, master.” Jade said, smiling.

“I honestly thought you had something there. Is it wrong for me to want you to look your best?”

“Would it be that much of a hassle to simply be upfront about what you want to say?” Jade shot back before leaving without his drink order.

“Wait, you forgot… his order…” Cater muttered. “Wow. I can’t tell if you’re flirting or attacking him.”

“Yeah, that’s some weird flirting. Then again I’ve seen Floyd and Deuce…” said Ace, earning a hit from Deuce.

“Mackerel~!” Floyd shouted, diving into the booth and cuddling Deuce. “I don’t want to work anymore.”

“But you have to. I want to see you parade around more in your outfit. It’s really cute.” said Deuce, fixing Floyd’s headband.

“Hnn…”

Deuce kissed Floyd’s forehead before looking down.

“Floyd!” Deuce hissed, turning his head away.

“Wha?

"You… You’re showing…” Deuce stammered, his face beet red.

Floyd looked and saw his lower half was exposed. He smirked evilly, lifting it up more.

“Is mackerel feeling shy? Look more~” Floyd teased.

Deuce fixed his dress, sending him back to take orders. He looked and saw four pairs of eyes on him.

“Stop looking at me! I’m embarrassed enough!” Deuce grumbled, covering his head as he banged his forehead against the table.

Jade returned with their drinks, placing them before their respective requesters. Trey looked at Jade. He and Floyd were the only two wearing a different outfit, which meant if that was what Floyd was wearing underneath…

Trey bit his lip, closing his legs more. Hot damn.

“Have you decided on your meals, my masters?” Jade asked, glancing at Trey. _“Order the maid special…”_

“Hm, I’ll have a seafood wrap.” said Riddle.

“Fish and chips.” said Ace.

“Uh… seafood burger with hot wings.” said Deuce, earning stares. “What? I’m not ordering the maid special…”

“Floyd was hoping you would though.” said Jade. “He’ll be so heartbroken.”

“Fine. The maid special then…” Deuce mumbled, wondering what it was.

“I’ll get the maid special too. I’m very curious. What about you, Trey?” Cater said, looking at him.

Jade’s grip subtly tightened on his memo pad. Order it, order it. Trey looked the menu over once more before deciding.

“Kelp salad.” he said, placing his menu with the others.

Everyone looked at him in disbelief. Was he serious? They did all this work just for him to get a kelp salad?

“Okay, just to make sure. Two maid specials, a seafood wrap, no clams extra seaweed, fish and chips, mayo and mustard on the side and a kelp salad.” Jade repeated, looking at them.

They all nodded. Jade walked away with the menus before hearing Trey call out to him.

“Actually, make that three specials.”

Jade nodded, scratching out the kelp salad.

“Look at you! I really wonder what the special is. Is it a kiss on the cheek? The lips? A lap dance? A special song sang just for you? It’s endless!” said Cater, more excited for Trey than himself.

“Hey, Jade. Did he order it?” Floyd asked, pulling on his arm.

“Who are you referring to?” Jade asked, placing other orders on a tray.

“Deuce. Did he order it?”

“Yes. I mentioned how sad you’d be if he didn’t. He gives in so easily.” Jade said, giggling softly.

“Ah, I can’t wait.” Floyd whispered, happily walking off.

Riddle looked back and saw three maids approaching their direction. Meals were placed before them as the three maids had taken seats on their laps. Floyd cheered happily, looking at Deuce.

“So, what’s the maid special…?” Deuce asked, wishing Floyd wouldn’t move so much on his lap.

“We do whatever you want us to do.” the Octavinelle student said sitting on Cater’s lap. “What you can’t have us do is anything illegal, sexual or answer too personal questions.”

“Boo…” Floyd spat.

Jade looked at Trey, trying his best not to blush. Not in front of him where he could easily see. He wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.

“So, if we ask for a kiss…” Trey muttered.

“Where would you like to be kissed, master?” Jade asked.

Trey pointed to his lips. Jade cupped his cheek, giving him a brief kiss.

“Ooo, I want one too. Kiss me~” Cater said, receiving a nervous kiss from his maid.

“Tell me, my maid, how do you feel about me?” Trey asked.

“Of course I love my master.” said Jade, reciting his lines.

“You know what I mean, Jade.” said Trey, trying to wring it out of him.

“Is what I’ve said not enough?” Jade asked.

Trey sighed, giving up for now.

“I would like to be fed.” he said.

Jade reached over, lifting food to Trey’s mouth and watching him eat. Trey put his finger through the hole in his outfit, touching Jade’s chest.

“This isn’t crossing the line, right?” Trey asked, slowly running his fingers over Jade’s skin.

“If I was female, it would.”

Trey ran his hand over Jade’s exposed back, watching him shiver a bit. He could get behind this special. Literally. Jade continued to feed him, his heart warming at the sight of him enjoying himself.

“I really like you…” Jade whispered, feeding him more.

“Hm? What did you say?” Trey asked, despite having heard it.

“I said I really like you, master. I’m having a lot of fun.”

“I really like you too, Jade.”

Jade simply chuckled, stuffing Trey’s mouth full of food. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, knowing Trey really meant those words. He couldn’t hide his blush any longer, his cheeks turning bright pink.

•

The Heartslabyul gang waved to the Leech twins as they headed back with full stomachs. Cater had to carry Deuce with the help of Ace, the poor soul having been eaten alive by Floyd.

“So, what happened?” Floyd asked, remembering Trey had him accompany him to the restroom.

“Ah… nothing really.” Jade mumbled, touching his lips. “Just a thing in a weird place…”

“In the restroom? Really!?”

“I don’t like what you’re insinuating. Get back to work.” Jade huffed, unbelieving Floyd would think so lowly of him.

* * *

•

•

•

•

•

_~~hihi~! so the first is what jade and floyd are wearing. the second is the rest of the workers~~~ _

  
  
  



	53. Rudia: You’re in hell

“Blue diamond.” Ruggie called out, shaking him. “Tell me, where are we going for our date?”

“You’ll see when we get there.” replied Idia, finishing up the last of his work.

“You can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.” Ruggie muttered, resting his chin on Idia’s shoulder.

“I learn from the best.”

“Hey!”

Idia turned, giving him a quick peck on the lips before shutting everything down. Ruggie took Idia’s hand before feeling him pull away.

“Idia, don’t start this.” Ruggie warned.

Idia placed his hand back in his. Ruggie smiled, letting Idia lead the way. He hoped the date included food, but he made sure to eat something just in case.

They found themselves walking the halls of Night Raven, Ruggie at a loss of what was going on. He wanted to ask, but he would probably be secretive again. Idia finally went down a hall before stopping at a door. Ruggie’s nose instantly picked up on delicious smells coming from inside.

They stepped inside, greeted by a sight. Ruggie’s jaw dropped.

“Nerdsville?” he blurted out before clearing his throat. “I mean, wow… the board game club.”

“I knew it. You don’t like it.” said Idia, sighing heavily.

“No, I do! I really do, just…” Ruggie said as he looked around. “For a date?”

“I get it. Maybe we can try again-”

“No! Don’t do that. Just show me what we’re doing.” said Ruggie, holding his hands. “What matters isn’t what we’re doing but who we’re doing it with.”

Idia smiled happily, pressing a quick kiss onto his lips. He found himself sitting down at a table with Azul. Ruggie watched them talk, hearing nothing but nerd nerd nerd.

“Right, Ruggie?” Idia asked, grinning.

“Uh, yeah. Fun.” he replied, having no idea what he was agreeing to.

Azul started setting up the game, Idia having him choose a piece. He picked the dog, placing it on go. Idia choose the cat while Azul picked the top hat. Ruggie looked at the various spaces on the board, wondering what it was. He started to read before he was handed paper money.

“Okay, I’m going to explain the rules so please listen.” said Idia, placing a hand on Ruggie’s shoulder.

Ruggie listened as Idia explained the game play. It seemed easy enough. Idia explained the spaces and cards before asking if he had questions. He asked a few, giving hypothetical situations. Once his questions were answered, they rolled to decide the order.

Ruggie yawned, seeing nothing was progressing. It sounded exciting when Idia explained it. You couldn’t even buy anything until you went around once. They had finally gone around the board once. Ruggie landed on one of the carpet stations. He bought it, seeing no harm in it, unaware of how that shape the future of the game.

•

“Damn it! I missed Thorn Palace again!” Azul seethed, landing on go.

Ruggie laughed, finding Azul’s raging amusing. Idia was still pretty calm, but he’s seen how he gets when he’s frustrated.

“Ah, I missed it too…” Idia mumbled, landing a few spaces past go.

Ruggie roller, getting a four. He was still behind and in last place in terms of cash. He kept landing on their territories and having to pay up. They rarely landed on his carpet station. Azul and Idia took their turns before his cane along again. He was getting bored. He lazily rolled.

“9… 9!?” Azul said, startling Ruggie.

“Oh… Oh…” Idia moaned, biting his finger.

Ruggie moves his piece before landing on…

“Thorn Palace… Hm. You want this, Azul?”

“Don’t you dare buy it!”

Ruggie was already placing money in the bank, taking his territory card. Azul was in tears while Idia groaned in displeasure. Ruggie hummed happily, putting a little hut on it as well.

Gameplay continued and Ruggie’s luck seemed to keep rising. Getting opportunity cards that allowed him to collect money or advancement cards that sent him to unclaimed territories. He even got two get out of hell cards. Azul wailed as he rotted in hell while Idia started to struggle to pay off Ruggie’s rising territory prices.

“This game is pretty fun.” said Ruggie, collecting money from Azul.

“It’s always fun when you’re winning!” Azul spat, wondering how he could turn things around. _“The carpet stations!”_

His idea was soon crushed, seeing Ruggie had the one he needed. He couldn’t come back from this. Idia soon declared bankruptcy, putting all of his territory its back on the market. Maybe there was still a chance! Azul glared at Ruggie, seeing he still had a chance if he could just get the place next to Thorn Palace, Breaker’s Drop.

“Come on, give me luck.” Azul said before rolling. Two ones. Azul rolled again, double fours. “Uh oh.”

“One more double and you’re in hell.” said Ruggie, his ears twitching in glee.

“Go Ruggie.” Idia cheered, earning a glare from Azul. “He’s my boyfriend. I have to cheer for him.”

Idia blushed and put his hood up as Ruggie had kissed his cheek. Azul rolled. The die rolled, standing in suspended animation. If it rolled forward, Azul was sent to hell. Backwards and he was safe. The die fell…

“Ruggie!” Idia hollered, high fiving him with both hands despite Ruggie being the reason he lost.

The top hat was sent to hell. Azul growler angrily, vowing he’d crush Ruggie when he got out. Ruggie aimed to buy Breaker’s Drop, just missing it by one spot. Azul laughed evilly, buying his way out of hell.

“It’s mine!” Azul said, rolling the die.

Nope. Ruggie laughed, watching Azul take three steps.

“Maybe next time.” Ruggie teases, sticking his tongue out.

“You didn’t even care about this game! And suddenly now you do?”

“Like you said, it’s fun when you’re winning.”

“Yay Ruggie!” Idia cheered softly, hugging Ruggie.

Azul fumed more, watching them kiss.

“Not everyone here is in a happy relationship!” Azul grumbled, waiting for Ruggie to roll.

Idia squeaked in surprise, Ruggie pulling him in for a deep kiss by his collar. Azul audibly groaned, letting his head collide with the table. Ruggie smiled happily, resting his forehead against Idia’s.

“Best. Date. Ever.” he whispered, wanting to run his fingers through Idia’s hair.

“I’m glad to hear it…” Idia whispered back, moving Ruggie’s hand to touch his hair, assuring him it was cooled down.

Ruggie purposefully took his time with stroking Idia’s hair, wanting to watch Azul suffer more.

“Sorry about forcing you into bankruptcy. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.” Ruggie said.

“It’s fine. I’m just happy to be with you.” Idia responded, kissing his neck before resting his head on his shoulder.


	54. Reok: De…

Leona lied splayed out on his bed, sleeping peacefully. He opened his eyes, seeing it was dark out yet there was light in his room. He sat up before his eyes rested on a person posing in his room half naked. Bunny ears sat on their head with a bunny tail on their backside, black open backed panties, and knee high socks ultimately completing their look. He knew this person.

“Rook…?” he called out.

He didn’t respond, simply staring with a finger in his mouth. Leona blinked, suddenly watching Rook walk around a pole that had somehow appeared in his room.

“Rook, what are you doing?” he asked, watching Rook make his way up.

Still no response. Leona watched as Rook pole danced. He watched as Rook went from an ankle spin to an inside leg hang. How was he doing this? How did he know pole dancing? Why was he pole dancing? Leona swallowed, watching Rook go into a bow and arrow. Rook moved into a gemini before looking in his direction.

Leona’s body shivered, drinking in the look Rook was giving him with those pretty green eyes. Rook motioned for him to come over with his finger before smirking. As if by magic, Rook was standing before him at the foot of the bed. Leona’s heart beat wildly in his chest as Rook got on his knees, spreading his legs open as he ran his hands over his body.

“Rook, stop it…” Leona muttered, more for his own sake. “Stop…”

Rook crawled closer to him before presenting his ass to him, spreading his cheeks.

“Rook…!”

“De…”

“…si…”

“…re.”

..

…

….

Leona’s eyes snapped open, the morning sun just barely over the horizon. He rubbed his head as he sat up. No pole, no candles, no Rook. Just morning sunshine and the dry air. Leona stopped moving, his erection extremely obvious. He silently cursed, grabbing a towel so he could shower.

Ruggie yawned, walking down the walkway to Leona’s room. If there was anything he didn’t like, it was waking up Leona. He slept like a brick in cement. He knocked on the door before entering. He simply stared before his mind caught up with the rest of him.

“You’re naked! God, warn someone!” Ruggie exclaimed, covering his eyes.

“That’s what you get for just entering without permission.” Leona responded, getting dressed.

“I’m surprised you’re even awake. You never wake up on your own.” Ruggie commented, peeking to see if it was okay to look. “Finally changing your ways?”

“All you ever do is run at the mouth. Why not do something useful.” Leona complained, putting on his vest.

“The day I do is the day you stop being a slob, be responsible and fucking graduate.” Ruggie spat, seeing he had work to do later.

Neither said anything else as they headed out together, soon joined by Jack.

•

As usual, Leona skipped class. Rook sighed, seeing he wouldn’t get to watch him in class. He didn’t have a window seat either. He tried looking out but students blocked the way.

After a boring movie length class, Rook set out to find Leona, a favorite past time of his. After a lengthy search, he found him camping out behind one of the buildings. Rook watched him from afar, simply observing his movements. They were surprisingly different today. They were slower, more dragged out. Rook took notes. What did it mean? Leona’s ears twitched, sensing something nearby.

Rook looked up, his eyes meeting Leona. What he didn’t expect was for him to jump in surprise before running away on all fours. Rook hummed, writing the reaction down as well.

•

Leona settled down, knowing Rook wouldn’t be able to find him here. He made himself comfortable before slowly drifting off. The dream continued to haunt his mind. Rook settled down, watching Leona attempt to sleep. His movements were the same as before. Rook stilled his breathing, seeing Leona was looking in his direction. He silently let it out once his attention was diverted. His senses were still the same.

Rook accidentally let out a sneeze, his eyes meeting Leona. He didn’t jump this time, simply mewling as he scrambled to his feet and ran. What did this all mean? He followed after him. If he wanted answers, he’d have to directly ask the source. He caught up to Leona, blocking his path.

“How are you feeling today?” he asked casually.

Leona’s words caught in his throat, only a meow coming out in their place. Rook laughed in amusement, writing it down. Leona had took that opportunity to run.

“Hey, I’m not done with you!”

“But I am with you!”

Rook caught up to him, grabbing his arm. Leona let out a startled yelp, sending Rook slamming onto the ground.

“Holy shit, Leona….” Rook cursed, rubbing his back.

Leona ran off in a panic. Rook painfully wrote down his experiences. His conclusion?

“Leona… you’re in heat, aren’t you?” Rook theorized, massaging his pained backside.

•

Leona panted heavily as he hid in his room. This was the safest place he could think of. Rook had never stepped foot into Savanaclaw. All he’d do is stay here, let everything pass and chew him out as usual.

“Tally ho!” a voice shouted before someone came flying through his window.

Leona wrapped himself in his bedsheet, keeping Rook at a distance.

“Cute.” Rook said, looking at cannoli Leona. “So, tell me our wonderful king of beasts, is it that time of the year?”

“Go away.” Leona seethed, hiding his head under a pillow.

If he couldn’t see him, he could easily throw insults. The pillow was removed and tossed who knew where. Rook sat in front of him, wanting answers.

“Nothing wrong with being in heat. Let I, a wondrous hunter, help you.” said Rook, giving him a smile.

“I’m not in heat! Go away!” Leona roared, leaving his cocoon. “Leave before I throw you out the window you came in!”

“Hm, you’re drooling.” Rook pointed out.

Leona quickly shrank back, still baring his fangs.

 _“Stop looking at me with those eyes… that smile…”_ Leona thought, his chest heaving. _“Just leave!”_

“Ah, don’t look so hostile. As if you want to eat me.” Rook teased, unaware it was only fueling Leona further. “I would make a good snack, wouldn’t I?”

“Stop it!” Leona groaned, his hands tightly gripping the sheets. “Why are you teasing me like this?”

“Is it not what I do everyday? Pushing further and further, seeing how far I can get without getting into perilous trouble?” Rook said lowly, going into a whisper as he leaned down to Leona’s height. “It’s a thrill, my king…”

Leona snapped. Rook watched him pin him to the bed with his weight, tightly squeezing his neck with both hands.

“I warned you… now you’re going to suffer the consequences…!” Leona growled, moving to bite Rook.

He stopped mid way, quickly releasing Rook’s neck. Rook coughed harshly, his brain trying to quickly get oxygen. Leona moved off of Rook, the scene before him switching between dream and reality. Rook looked at him with a look he’s never seen before. Fear.

“I’m-”

Rook wordlessly got up and left the room. Leona put his head in his hands, slowly losing his mind.

“De…”

“…si…”

“…re.”

Leona looked up, seeing Rook sitting before him with those knowing green eyes and that innocent smile. Rook gently touched his face, wiping his tears before discreetly grinning evilly.


	55. Reok: Si…

Trey watered his plants, seeing they were growing happy and healthy.

“Ah, Rose Chevalier. Your plants are looking as beautiful as ever.” said Rook, admiring how they shined.

“Well that’s what happens when you take proper care of plants.” Trey commented, checking on his others.

“That is true. However, it pains me to ask this of you.” said Rook, looking at the strawberries.

“What is it?”

“I need a few leaves from your strawberries to complete a potion I’m crafting. It’s supposed to stimulate my pores, making them porous.” said Rook, sighing. “Alas if it’s not okay, I’ll try to see if an alternative could be used.”

“It’s fine. Here.” said Trey, picking off a few.

“Ah, what a kind soul you have. I’ll surely pay you back.” said Rook, heading back over to his creation.

“It seems like you were able to get them.” said Crewel, watching Rook pull apart the leaves.

“A little lie goes a long way.” said Rook, stirring the contents in the small pot.

Crewel stepped away, hearing a student in need of his help. Rook hummed in delight, hoping the potion turned out how he expected. It’d allow him to instantly knock out anyone he desired, giving him as much time as he wanted to inspect them. He long stopped observing Leona, the scene still fresh in his mind.

“Oops.” he said, watching basil flakes fall into his mixture after he accidentally knocked it over. “Oh-”

The concoction exploded, coating him from head to toe. Rook groaned, seeing he’d have to start all over. He quickly got to work just as Crewel had come back.

“Hunt, did you have an accident?” he asked, staring at him.

“Yeah. I accidentally added in more basil flakes. These gloves are so bulky.” Rook muttered, watching the liquid turn light blue again.

“Yes, I see… You seem to have… transformed.” said Crewel, using his pointer to poke his ear.

Rook moved to touch his ear then failed to grab it. He tried again. Still nothing.

“Crewel sensei, I can’t feel my ears…” Rook whispered, starting to panic.

“Because, they’re up here.” said Crewel, giving Rook a mirror.

Rook squeaked, watching the bunny ears twitch around. They had to be fake. He pulled on them, hurting himself in the process. They were real alright. He removed his lab coat, feeling something moving around in his pants.

“I’m impressed that you created a transformation potion, but it’s also a problem.” said Crewel, watching his student freak out.

“What? What could be more problematic!?” Rook whined.

“I don’t have an antidote off the top of my head since I’m not familiar with bunny transformations…” admitted Crewel, cursing his younger self for deciding not to learn. “I promise I’ll work hard to find one for you. It would be best if you were left in a half animal’s care…”

They looked around, seeing no half animal students. Crewel had an idea of who he wanted. Someone who wasn’t active and had time to spare. Someone who wasn’t afraid to use force. Rook simply just wanted to be human again, his rabbit instincts making him want to eat all the greenery around him and flee from Crewel’s protective hold.

•

Crewel entered the classroom, apologizing to Trein before spotting Ruggie.

“Where’s Kingscholar?” he demanded.

“I don’t know… Maybe behind a building? Oh! I know. He’s sleeping by Ramshackle.” said Ruggie, remembering.

Crewel apologized to Trein once more, closing the door. Where was Crewel taking him? It felt like they were walking forever and his instincts were trying to get him to run and hide.

They found themselves by the abandoned dorm. There lied Leona, sleeping the day away. Crewel whacked Leona on his head with his pointer, glaring at him.

“I wasn’t even doing anything…” Leona grumbled.

That was the last straw. Rook went running, fearing for his bunny life.

“Catch him or I will fail you this school year.” Crewel threatened.

Leona reluctantly gave chase before catching him easily. He carried him back over, wondering if he’d get extra credit.

“I’m entrusting him in your care while I search for a cure.” said Crewel, leaving without another word.

“What-”

Leona dropped Rook, taking in his look. Almost blonde ears poking out of his head. Leona rubbed an eye, swearing he saw Rook looking up at him. Neither were willing to step forward and talk.

“Get up.”

Nothing.

“I said get up.”

Leona blinked, before shaking his head. It was a one time thing. A faint chuckle rang in the back of his mind as he finally got Rook to stand up.

Rook trembled in fear, his mind constantly flashing back to that moment in Leona’s room. He was definitely going to kill him that day. Leona could tell from his eyes and ears that he was still afraid of him.

“If you want to run, run.” said Leona, walking away. _“I can’t watch you…”_

He felt something grab hold of his arm. Those piercing green eyes looked up at him with that innocent smile. Leona rubbed his eyes. Rook shook terribly as he clung to his arm, squeezing his eyes shut as he looked away.

“De…”

“…si…”

“…re.”

•

Leona watched Rook sitting on the floor, trembling. Was he cold or afraid? They were starting to blur together. He was pretty easy to watch over. He looked away for a moment before seeing Rook sitting on the edge of the bed. When did he get there? He slowly crawled over, staring at him in silence.

“Go away!” Leona shouted, causing Rook to look at him.

What was he shouting about? Leona looked, seeing Rook giving him a weird look. Great, now he looked like a weirdo. Why was he here? He thought he had left. It was just that one day.

“Why are you here? I thought you wanted to run away.” Leona said, looking at the rabbit that sat on the pile of pillows.

“Its scarier being alone.” Rook muttered, his ears twitching. “It was simply choosing the lesser of two evils.”

Evil. A pang went through Leona’s chest. Faint giggling rang in the back of his mind, a hand running over his arm. They sat in silence. Dream Rook hadn’t come back in awhile, making it safe to approach him.

“Your tail must be suffocating…” Leona muttered, picking Rook up.

Leona stopped, immediately dropping him as he stepped back. Rook glared at him before noticing he was covering his face with one hand, biting his other hand with his mouth. He shouldn’t be, but started to feel a bit of concern.

“It does feel a bit suffocating…” Rook agreed.

“I have a spare. Use those.” Leona said, keeping his eyes covered.

Rook quickly changed, noticing they were a bit loose. It made sense, seeing as Leona was bigger than him. But it felt nice, letting his tail breathe. Leona hadn’t moved from his position. He was still too fearful to approach him, but…

“Is everything okay?” Rook asked, staring at him.

“Yes.”

“You haven’t moved though.”

“I’m fine.”

That was the end of the conversation. Rook sat back down on the pile of pillows, watching Leona roll onto the other side of the bed.

Rook yawned before seeing himself staring at Leona who was mere inches away from his face. He wasn’t saying anything, just staring. It was starting to become unnerving. Leona backed away, giving him an innocent smile. Rook rubbed his eyes, no longer seeing him. He looked up, seeing Leona hadn’t moved at all.

“De…”

“…si…”

“…re.”

What in the world did he just see?

•

The sun had fully set, night settling in at Savanaclaw. Crewel still hadn’t found a cure. Leona had been successfully avoiding Rook, Dream Rook fully having come back to haunt him. Rook was starting to dislike the distance, often seeing hallucinations of Leona touching him. Rook quietly crawled onto the bed, curling up near Leona.

He opened an eye, seeing Leona staring at him. He placed his hands on his chest before slowly inching upwards, his hands clasped around his neck. Leona started to smile, his hands moving as he leaned down to bite him. Rook shrieked, startling Leona and sending him rolling off the bed.

“What the-” Leona hissed before seeing Rook rolling around before lying on his back, kicking his legs up with a smile.

Leona blinked, the real Rook looking at him with worry.

“I’m so sorry…” Rook apologized, helping him up.

“Why are you in my bed? There’s a nice pillow bed on the floor. You said you were comfortable there. You-”

“I know what I said but… I’m lonely.” Rook mumbled, sighing to himself. “I just wanted to be near someone.”

Leona didn’t say anything else, lying back down with his back to Rook. Dream Rook lied on the floor, kicking his legs as he looked up at him with those god forsaken beautiful green eyes. That innocent smile that wasn’t at all innocent. Dream Leona lied behind Rook, endlessly teasing him with touches and words, often slipping a hand around his neck.

They were both tired of dealing with their dreams.

•

Leona awoke early in the morning, his body registering touches that weren’t his own. Rook quietly slept, clinging to Leona like a baby to its mother. He pulled himself free, wondering if Crewel had found it or not. It was starting to get suffocating, trying to silence “Rook” while trying to not interact with Rook.

“Rook” lied at the foot of the bed, arching his back as he looked at him with a finger in his mouth.

“Stop…”

“Rook” lied down, lifting his ass into the air.

“Stop it…!”

“Rook” crawled over to him, the smirk making its return.

“Stop it!”

Rook jolted awake, wondering why Leona was yelling. He looked distressed. Did he forget something?

Leona looked at him, breathing heavily. He soon found his wrists being pinned above his head while Leona sat on him. It was the same yet different. He wasn’t being choked.

“What do you want from me!?”

“Huh…?”

“What is it? What do you want me to say?” Leona croaked, seeing “Rook” smiling up at him and trying to move.

“I don’t really know…?” Rook responded, wondering what was going on.

Rook moved around, trying to get Leona to let go of him as his hand starting gripping his shirt.

“You made him fear me… isn’t that enough…?” Leona whispered, blinking and coming back to reality. “I…”

Leona quickly let him go before running out the room. Rook sat up before shivering. He was back. “Leona” sat before him, holding his face by his chin. Teasing words left his lips as he stared into his green eyes. He couldn’t look away.

“Stop it…”

“Leona” smiled, continuing to tease him with words.

“Stop it…!”

“Leona” ran his hands over his body, ultimately leaning in to bite him.

“Stop!”

It then occurred to Rook. Leona had yelled like this as well. Was he being haunted too? Rook checked his phone, still no message from Crewel.

•

The two sat far apart with their respective dreams hanging around. Neither knew what to do. Leona heard his phone ring. He quickly answered.

 _“Good news. I’ve got a cure. Please bring Rook to the gardens.”_ said Crewel before hanging up.

“Hey. He found it.” said Leona, slowly getting out of bed. “Let’s get moving.”

Rook stayed seated. He didn’t mind being half rabbit all that much now. Maybe it was done for a purpose. Had it been fulfilled yet?

“Didn’t you want to be human again?” Leona mentioned, remembering how much he had talked about it.

“I don’t.” he found himself saying.

“…What? Crewel busted his chops in finding an antidote and you don’t want it anymore?”

It wasn’t his fault. It was “Leona’s”. The things he would whisper made being half rabbit not sound so bad. He wanted to know what those felt like as a half rabbit. “Leona” cupped his face from behind before faintly laughing.

“I mean, I do, want it. Just, not now.” said Rook, “Leona’s” hands exploring his body.

“Rook” smiled, holding onto Leona’s arm, seemingly laughing behind his hand.

They were losing their minds. This madness had to end. But when?


	56. NSFW Reok: …Re…

The two continued on as normal, but Rook now being half rabbit. He had the potion that would turn him back, but each time he looked at it he’d put it away. A few downsides was that his vision had become average, he was always getting an urge to run and hide, and people would unnecessarily pet him. An unfortunate downside he learned in secret: he was very sensitive in his lower area. It wasn’t easy trying to shower when the water constantly hitting him turned him on.

“Leona” never left him alone. He was always hanging around, especially when he happened to cross paths with Leona. “Leona” was always at his fullest then. It drove him insane, him desperately trying to get rid of him so they could talk somewhat normally.

Rook sat in class, not expecting Leona to enter a few minutes late. As luck would have it, the only free seat was by him. “Leona” & “Rook” danced around, touching their respective owners. “Rook”, silent as always, lying across the table, forcing Leona to stare at his ass as he slowly lifted it before doing it in reverse. “Leona” held Rook by his throat, walking his hand up his thigh. Both were highly uncomfortable with the current situation.

•

Rook sighed, glad to see “Leona” was nowhere to be seen. He was annoyingly persistent, especially with getting him to touch his tail. Why would he need to touch his tail? What would that accomplish? Why was he fascinated by his tail?

“You’ve been so distracted these days. I keep telling you, drink that potion and get rid of this.” Vil fussed, slapping him with lettuce.

“You don’t understand… there’s this… person hanging around me constantly. You can’t see him but he’s almost always here…” Rook said, knowing he sounded crazy.

“God damn it, Rook. You need that potion now!” Vil said, seeing this transformation was making him worse than he already was.

Rook had a thought. Leona was probably experiencing something similar, remembering the way he yelled. He had to find him. Rook scrambled out of his seat, emptying his tray and heading out. If he remembered correctly, Leona would usually be sleeping in the temperate zone. What he wasn’t expecting was for “Leona” to appear. He did his usual teasing before simply hugging him from behind.

Rook arrived at the gardens, entering the temperate zone. It was extremely quiet. He walked around, carefully watching his step as to not run into Leona. His body had frozen completely, seeing the beast asleep down a row of trees. His flight instincts kicked in, saying it was dangerous. “Leona” appeared again, dulling his flight instincts. It was those teasing words again.

“Touch your tail…”

“No.”

“Squeeze your neck…”

“No.”

“Present yourself…”

“No…”

Rook looked at Leona, his body trembling. He was still asleep.

“ **Touch** your tail…”

“ **Squeeze** your neck…”

“ **Present** yourself…”

Rook approached him, hesitant to wake him up. “Leona’s” words grew louder, causing him to tap Leona harshly. Soon “Leona” was no longer heard.

“You again…” Leona grumbled, “Rook” appearing and lying on him, kicking his legs daintily.

“I wanted to ask you something…”

“I may not answer.”

“Back when you were watching me… you yelled stop. Are you… are you being haunted by something?” Rook asked, fidgeting with his fingers.

“Leona” & “Rook” joined hands, dancing with one another before breaking apart.

“No. Why would you think that?” Leona spat, wondering how he figured that out.

“Rook” played with his hair, his green eyes staring into his.

“Because I am. I thought maybe you’d understand my situation but… I guess not…” Rook muttered, turning to leave.

“I am.” Leona confessed. Rook turned around, watching the lion sit up. “Ever since that day I choked you… It’s been here and only ever fully present when you’re around.”

“It’s the same with me! It just suddenly showed up, hanging around and fully present when I’m around you…” Rook said, sitting down with Leona.

“It does lewd things…”

“It says lewd things…”

They looked at each other before blushing. To think they were in the same boat.

“I wish I could get rid of it…” they said in unison again.

“Leona” & “Rook” lied in front of their respective owners, touching them sensually. “Rook” sat up, moving as if he were going to kiss him. “Leona” did the same.

“Stop!” they shouted before looking at each other.

Leona had an inkling of an idea, but there was no guarantee he was right. Even still…

“Why don’t we try… kissing?” Leona suggested. “They’re always fully present when we’re together so…”

Rook nodded, scooting closer to Leona. Leona leaned in half way, waiting to see if Rook was really game. Rook closed the gap, the two soon tasting each other. “Rook” & “Leona” became more persistent. Rook slowly wrapped his arms around Leona’s neck as he felt his arms wrapping around his waist. They pulled apart, still seeing them hanging around.

_“ **Touch** your tail…”_

_“ **Squeeze** your neck…”_

_“ **Present** yourself…”_

“Leona, could you… touch my tail?” Rook asked, finally giving in.

Leona brushed his hand over Rook’s tail, hearing a faint moan come from him.

**_“Touch it…”_ **

Rook reached back, rubbing his tail more, little moans escaping his lips. “Rook” looked at Leona, touching his tail as well. He pulled said tail out, sticking his fingers in his asshole.

“R- Rook…” he stammered, watching Rook stop touching himself. “You um… ah…”

**_“Squeeze…”_ **

Rook lifted his hand, placing it against his neck. It felt good. Leona didn’t know what to do. “Rook” waved his ass around more, throwing his head back as he fingered himself.

“Do you… do you want to try…” Leona whispered, his face extremely red. “Having… sex…?”

Rook looked at him wide eyed. He found himself agreeing. They stripped each other of their clothing, now sitting nude in front of each other. Rook stared at Leona, “Leona’s” voice echoing in his mind. Leona used magic, a thing of lube appearing in his hand. Unexpectedly, Rook’s hidden penis was now standing erect. ( ~~yes, rabbit dicks hide in a slit until needed, also to protect it from getting hurt~~.)

Rook turned around, presenting himself to Leona. He felt Leona stick his lube coated fingers in his ass. He reached back, playing with his tail. He started to leak pre-cum, the feeling playing with his tail gave him being exquisite. Leona listened to Rook moan softly, adding to his throbbing erection. He was going to fuck him. He was really going to right here, right now.

Leona removed his fingers, rubbing lube over himself before getting into position. Rook looked back at him, his eyes full of need. He ran his hands over Rook’s ass, earning a faint moan. He gave it a little slap, gaining a louder moan than before.

“Your ass is sensitive, isn’t it…?” Leona asked, rubbing his ass gently.

“Yes… very…” Rook whispered, groaning in pleasure.

Leona slowly entered Rook’s ass, listening to his gasping moan. Leona slowly started to move, holding Rook by his hips. Rook weakly played with his tail, giving himself more pleasure. His tip and part of his shaft were coated in pre-cum.

“Harder…” Rook moaned, needing more.

Leona rammed into him harder, his grunting slowly becoming moans of pleasure. The sound of skin slapping together mixed in with their melodious chorus of moans and panting. Rook’s body quivered in pleasure, begging Leona to fuck him as hard and fast as possible, unaware of himself coming all over the floor beneath him. Leona granted his wish, digging his nails into the rabbit as he fucked him.

“Rook” & “Leona” watched on in delight before slowly fading into nothingness. Rook started stroking himself, drooling in bliss as Leona’s movements were becoming more rushed and desperate. Rook moaned loudly, coming again as Leona had seized him by the neck, slightly choking him as he came into his ass. Leona rode out his high before letting Rook go. Rook’s ears and tail twitched as he lied on the floor, completely fucked and pleasured. Leona leaned down, planting kisses along his back, often kissing his sensitive rump.

“It’s all splitting…” Rook mumbled, still horny. “I’ve still got…”

“Hey, relax. You not only came twice but had your sensitive spot pleasured greatly…” Leona mentioned, watching Rook sit up.

“I… I can’t stop. I need it, I need you.” Rook said, grabbing Leona by his shoulders. “Fuck me, please…”

Leona gave him a kiss, holding him by his waist with one arm. Rook wrapped his arms around him before feeling Leona pull away.

“Feel better…?”

Rook shook his head, already moving himself back onto Leona’s shaft. Rook leaned him back, grinning in delight as he rode him. He wasn’t going to let it end yet. Leona looked up at him, preparing himself for many more rounds.


	57. Jade x Silver: What about us?

Silver pushed further, trying to taste Jade as much as he could while they were still alone. They parted for air, looking at each other with lovingly hungry eyes.

“I think they’re over here.” a voice said causing them to quickly separate, fix themselves and pretend nothing happened.

“Ah, Silver. There you are.” said Lilia, noticing Jade was looking further down before going into the next aisle. “Studying together with Jade?”

“We just happened to meet. Our classes are doing work on the Sea Witch, so…” Silver said, giving Lilia a smile. “You know a lot too, don’t you? Maybe you could help us.”

“Hm, if it’s for you, sure. But, do you really want that?” he asked.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, Jade and all.”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate the help too. Isn’t that what being friends is?” Silver said cheerily before heading back to his seat.

 _“Yeah, ‘friends’…”_ Lilia thought, watching Jade come out talking to Riddle.

Silver looked up, seeing Riddle was joining them as well. Another perceptive person, great. Both Lilia and Riddle helped them with work, it going faster than expected. Lilia really did know a lot about history.

“Ah, it’s all done!” said Silver happily, only falling asleep twice while working. It was a new record. “Thanks so much, Riddle, Lilia.”

“You both have my thanks as well. I didn’t you were knowledgeable about the Sea Witch too, Riddle.” said Jade in awe.

“I like to read up on the others now and then.”

Silver thanked them again before excusing himself. Lilia went with him. Jade quickly looked away from Silver, not wanting to get Riddle suspecting.

“So you and Silver?”

“What about us?”

“You two are cute together.” said Riddle.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I should get going, Azul is going to work me to the bone tonight.” said Jade, picking up his things and leaving.

•

“Ah… right there…” Silver moaned, running his fingers through Jade’s hair as he bit him.

“What about… here?” Jade whispered, giving him a deep kiss.

Silver kissed him back with the same intensity. He moaned into their kiss, feeling Jade grind against him.

“Stop… you’ve got to work tonight…” Silver muttered, holding his face.

“It’ll give me something to look forward to afterwards. Floyd is a deep sleeper.” Jade responded, kissing Silver’s cheeks.

They quickly separated, Jade pulling out his phone as Silver buttoned up at the sound of the door opening. They fake laughed as if they saw something funny on Magicam.

“Oh, jellyfish is here too.” said Floyd, tossing his clothes off to the side. “Ja~de, Azul wants us working from opening to closing. How annoying.”

“Really? It’s a good thing I didn’t have plans.” said Jade, wondering how Silver felt about it.

“Maybe I’ll stop by tonight and hopefully we can chat. Take off a bit of stress.” Silver suggested, making it sound as friendly as possible.

“Can I talk to jellyfish too?”

“Of course, Floyd. We’re all friends.”

“I thought you were dating Jade though.” Floyd said.

“We’re not.” the couple said in unison.

“Right… and I’m not an eel.” Floyd muttered, grabbing his work clothes.

“I’ll let you get ready. Bye.” Silver said, waving as he left.

“Jade, you’re dating him.” Floyd said once more.

“Everyone we meet today is swearing we’re dating. We aren’t.” said Jade, grabbing his clothes as well.

“If you say so…”

•

Silver waited in line, not expecting it. Was there an event? A new special? The line moved up, moving him closer to the entrance. If the place was packed it meant his chance of getting Jade as a waiter were slim.

He was finally given entrance, being seated with a few others. As he expected, he didn’t end up with Jade. He placed his drink order before scanning the room. He spotted him placing dishes on another table. Ah, he looked so cute working. Jade smiled before turning to leave. Their eyes met. Silver waved, earning a smile in return.

He watched Jade walk away. He shouldn’t have expected much, seeing they were hiding things. He had to admit, he kind of liked it. Their drinks were placed on the table by Floyd before he scurried off. Silver lifted his cup before spotting a yellow piece of paper underneath. He discreetly slipped it under the table, opening it to read.

 _“'When the bell strikes ten, head outside.’ Outside…?”_ Silver mumbled, quickly hiding it.

An hour. He had to be out in an hour. He kept a close watch on the time as he enjoyed his drink.

Their dishes eventually came. Twenty minutes. Silver ate to calm his nerves. He looked up, seeing Jade serve others with a smile. All his worries melted away as his eyes followed Jade everywhere, almost making him forget about the time. Jade looked around before heading out the back door.

He jogged around, waiting for Silver to come out. He spotted him, gesturing for him to come over. Silver felt Jade hug him, letting out a satisfied sigh.

“Recharging your batteries?” Silver asked, stroking his head.

“I can only bottle up so much anger before I snap at a customer.” Jade muttered, almost fully recharged.

“Well, you’re working all night… I’ll try to stay nearby so you can come recharge.” said Silver, knowing he couldn’t stay inside.

“Thank you.”

They reluctantly parted, heading back the way they came.

•

Silver found himself being invited into the VIP Lounge by Azul. Why? He didn’t know. He sat on the couch in the empty room, Azul having to go back out and help. He had to admit, the room was nice. Azul could really be a successful businessman in the future.

The door open and closed. Jade let out a sigh before noticing Silver. What was he doing in here?

“How did you get in? Azul doesn’t let just anyone in.” Jade pressed.

“But he invited me. He told me I could stay as long as I liked. And I wanted to stay near you so…” Silver explained before feeling Jade kiss him.

It was needy and desperate. Silver gave him his love, seeing he needed a bigger recharge than before. They quickly parted, hearing the door open.

“Oh, was I interrupting?” Azul asked.

“We were just discussing our homework. On the Sea Witch.” said Jade, narrowing his eyes at Azul.

“Oh, don’t mind me then. Carry on.”

Azul was trying to catch them in the act. They discussed their homework, keeping an eye on Azul’s movements. Azul grabbed what he needed before leaving. Jade ushered him to keep talking. As expected, Azul opened the door again.

“Sorry, thought I forgot something.” said Azul before leaving again.

Jade tapped his foot before going in for another kiss. He soon had his fill, feeling ready to tackle customers again.

“I’ll be here if you need me.” said Silver, holding his hands.

“There won’t be a time when I won’t need you.” Jade responded, pulling away to head back out.

God was he in love with that eel.

•

Silver jolted awake, hearing the door open. Azul, Jade and Floyd entered, all three flopping onto the couches. Azul had landed against him.

“You’re still here?” Floyd quipped.

“Yes. You said you wanted someone to talk to.” said Silver. “I wasn’t leaving until you three were done.”

“How kind of you Silver.” Azul muttered, getting comfortable against Silver, knowing it’d piss off Jade.

“Ah, I’m so tired I can barely move…” Jade said, trying to convince Azul he wasn’t internally screaming at their close proximity. “Carry me back…”

“As if I have enough strength myself. Have Floyd carry you.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Azul would be easier for me to carry since we’re the same height.” said Silver, helping Azul up. “You two should head back to the dorm too. Sleep in a proper bed.”

“O~kay” said Floyd, nudging Jade to get up.

•

Silver waved to Azul who immediately passed out once his head hit his pillow. He wanted to head over to the twins’ room, but Floyd was probably still awake. Even still he needed to know if Jade was okay.

He knocked on the door and was granted entrance. Floyd was splayed out on his bed, out cold. Jade was still awake. Silver quietly closed the door before tiptoeing over to him. He sat on Jade’s lap before giving him a kiss.

“You worked hard today. Get some rest.” said Silver, caressing his cheek.

Jade leaned into his touch, placing his hand over Silver’s.

“I wish you could stay and sleep with me…” Jade whispered, burying his face in Silver’s shoulder.

“One day…”

They shared another kiss before Silver left his arms. Jade watched in sadness as the door closed behind him. One day.


	58. Afterglow Boys: Pampered rich kids

Leona dried his hair, scrolling on Magicam. Ruggie was thankful his room wasn’t as messy today, but the laundry was visibly piling up. Pampered rich kids. They don’t know the value of a dollar.

Leona happened upon Rook’s latest post, seeing he posted an up close shot of his new makeup. Ruggie wondered what Leona was staring so intently at on his phone. Just as he peered at his phone, one single word escaped Leona’s lips.

“Cute.”

Ruggie watched Leona hesitate before liking the photo then unliking it.

“You got it for your stalker huh?” Ruggie asked, watching Leona startle.

“You’re hearing things.”

“Really? Didn’t you just call Rook… cute?”

“Did not.”

Ruggie sighed, casting a small reanimating spell, taking his phone out to record. A small Leona appeared, scrolling on his phone.

“Stop.”

Ruggie kept going.

“Stop! I said it, okay?”

“Say it again.”

“I won’t say-”

_“Cute.”_

The reanimation disappeared. Ruggie stopped recording.

“What should I do with this information?” Ruggie said aloud. “Maybe I could tell Rook?”

“Don’t you dare. That ego of his would never die down!”

“Then, you have to do everything I tell you. Starting with laundry.”

Leona started to grumble as he picked up the basket.

“What did you say? Should I tell Rook?” Ruggie teased, waving his phone.

“I said I’m going.” Leona snarled, angrily leaving the room.

Ruggie flopped onto Leona’s bed in bliss. This was the life. Having Leona do everything he did was just the tip of the iceberg.

•

“Hey, I want one of those good sandwiches.” Ruggie complained.

“Get it yourself.” Leona spat, enjoying his meal.

“Then I guess I could just so happen to-”

Leona was already getting up. Ruggie snickered, loving how all of this was turning out. Having him attend his classes, buy him things, massage him even. Was this what it was like being rich? He was living for it. Leona angrily placed the sandwich before him then took his seat.

“Thank you.”

Leona growled in response.

•

“Ruggie, I need your help. The rats have escaped again.” said Trein, shaking his head. “I also heard Heartslabyul was having a critter problem as well.”

“I ca- Actually, I’ll help. When do you need them?” Ruggie responded, dialing for Leona.

“Preferably in three hours.” said Trein before telling him where they scurried off to.

Ruggie told Leona what he needed from him. As usual, he threatened to expose him. Ruggie decided to head over and watch how Leona handled the situation.

“Chuuu!” the rat squeaked, running from Leona.

“Chu chuuu chuchu.” Leona said, getting on his knees.

This was gold. Ruggie recorded Leona being attacked by the rats before threatening them in mouse.

“Chuchu chuuuu!” the rat squeaked, sitting by Leona.

The others continued to give him hell. He finally rounded all of them up, handing the cage to Ruggie.

“Ah, we aren’t done. Seems like those rule freaks need help too.” said Ruggie, seeing the chaos on Magicam.

Leona was about to protest then clammed up. He wordlessly followed Ruggie.

•

“Oh thank god. Ruggie!” Ace shouted, running over to him. “Trein said you were coming and we couldn’t be more thankful. The hedgehogs escaped and we don’t know where they ran off to! We have to get them back before Riddle senpai finds out…”

Ace noticed Leona hanging by his side holding a cage full of rats.

“Uh…? What’s his deal?” Ace asked.

“He’ll be helping in my place.” said Ruggie, taking the rats. “I’ll be back after delivering these to Trein.”

Leona sighed, looking down at Ace. Since when did Leona get ordered around?

“Well, the last time we saw them they were scurrying off into the rose maze…” Ace said before watching Leona walk off. “He’s really doing it…”

Leona entered the maze, keeping an ear out.

_“Hedgehog is similar to mole, making both languages hard languages to learn.”_

Leona shook his head, pushing the thought of Rook away. He was the reason he was even in this mess. His ears picked up on a small voice.

“Cheee.” Leona called out softly, getting on his knees. “Cheechee.”

A hedgehog came out of hiding, scurrying up into his arms. He had to admit, they were cute. Leona continued to search around as the hedgehog made itself comfortable on his head.

“Cheecheechee cheeee!” another small voice said.

“Chee. Chee chee?” Leona responded, looking around for her.

She scurried out, seeing her friend on top of Leona. If he was with him then it must be safe. Just a few more to go.

Ruggie came back just as Leona helped Ace cage the hedgehogs. Ace thanked Leona again before they noticed Ruggie had come back.

“Leona was a lot of help surprisingly! Thanks!” Ace said before heading back inside.

“Hm. When backed into a corner, you really do strut your stuff.” said Ruggie. “Didn’t know you knew mole.”

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m a Kingscholar.” Leona muttered, seeing it as natural to know.

“I’m feelin’ kinda thirsty. Buy me something from Sam’s."

Leona knew better than to protest at this point.

•

"Well isn’t this a rare sighting. The cat is now wearing the collar.” said Sam, handing them the drink.

“Feels good.” said Ruggie, laughing happily.

“Enjoy it while it last, little demon.” Sam said, watching them leave.

“Man, I’m really living life! Why didn’t I blackmail you before?” Ruggie said, taking a swig.

Leona didn’t say anything, not really in a mood to talk. Ruggie frowned.

“Talk to me.”

“What about?”

“I don’t know, anything.”

“The sky is orange.”

“Okay, something _interesting_.”

“The sky is a yellow orange.”

Ruggie visibly gave up as Leona laughed in amusement. It was a little payback for making him his pack mule.

•

“Absolutely not.” Leona fussed, seriously not wanting to do it.

“You have to. That ball is precious to Lucius and it’ll get me bonus points with Trein.” said Ruggie, pointing to the ball sitting in the gutter.

“No. I’m not doing something dangerous.”

“Then maybe I’ll just tell Rook how you called him cute while looking at his Magicam photo.” Ruggie threatened. “Wouldn’t want that now would you?”

Leona grumbled before starting to scale a nearby tree.

“Hm. To think he found a picture of mine cute.” a voice said, standing next to Ruggie.

“Ah! R- Rook!” Ruggie stammered.

Leona clung to the branch, seeing Rook down below. Now he really couldn’t back out.

“So, you were threatening the poor beast. Blackmailing to better phrase it.” said Rook, looking at the hyena. “That so like your species.”

“So what if you know. As long as-”

“Leona, you don’t have to do whatever it is you’re doing. I know already.” Rook shouted.

“Damn it Rook!” Ruggie growled.

Leona crawled back down, both thankful and slightly mortified. Rook knew he called him cute. He wasn’t going to let him hear the end of it.

“So you think I’m cute?” Rook asked straight out.

“No.”

“But Ruggie just showed me the evidence.”

“I did not.”

“But-”

“I said I didn’t call you cute! You’re not cute!” Leona roared, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Then what am I?”

“You’re beautiful!” Leona shouted before realizing. “Wait, I didn’t-”

“You think I’m beautiful!?” Rook said, gasping loudly.

Ruggie didn’t expect this at all. Leona quickly ran away as Rook chased after him, demanding that he repeat it.

“Stop chasing me you lunatic!”

“I’ll stop once you say it to my face again~!”

Ruggie watched them disappear around a corner before sighing. There went his pampered life.


	59. Unacceptable Hair

Ah. Another beautiful day in Pomefiore. Vil started his morning routine, feeling good about himself. The sun shone brightly as the few birds chirped, well, cawed. Nothing could ruin this morning for him.

Vil opened the door to his room then stopped, watching students pass him by. His eye twitched. More students passed by. His eye twitched more. Vil took a deep breath, smiled and put his hands near his mouth.

“Rook Hunt… IF YOU DON’T SHOW UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME WITHIN TWO MINUTES YOU’RE GOING TO BE BALD!” Vil shouted, scaring the students in the hall way.

“Tally ho!” a voice shouted, skidding to a stop in front of Vil.

“Why are my students wearing their hair… You!” Vil hissed, seeing where it all started. “Stop this madness!”

“Does it not look interesting to style though?” Rook asked, turning around.

“No. Change it this instant. I will not allow disorder in this dorm!” Vil said loudly, messing up Rook’s hair. “Tell all of these pathetic cabbages that they need to proper fix their hair or else I’m going to lost my shit.”

Rook nodded, stop any student he came across. Vil smiled, glad to have things under control again.

•

Another beautiful day in Pomefiore. Crows were cawing and the sun partially hidden by a cloud. Today was going to be absolutely great. Vil finished powdering his face before putting on a nude lip glass. He was perfect and beautiful.

Vil stepped out, freezing in his tracks. veins could be seen popping out on Vil’s forehead. Vil walked down the hall, wearing a smile on his face, slowly scaring the students of Pomefiore. Vil knocked on a door before busting it down with magic. Rook looked in horror of the poor door.

“So you go behind my back again hm?” Vil asked, slamming his hand against the surface.

“I don’t know what you mean. I told them all like you said.” said Rook in confusion.

“You! Come here. I said come here!” Vil yelled, a student quickly running in. Vil pulled on his hair, smiling all the same. “Then explain this.”

“Honest Vil, I have no idea.” said Rook freeing the student from Vil’s hold. “Why did you do this with your hair? Vil had done that to me to punish me.”

“It looked cool, just like the explosive hair!” the student said before Vil’s head scarily turned, his smile unwavering.

The student squeaked in fear before running away. Rook put up his hand, knowing what Vil wanted him to do. Vil calmed down, looking at the busted door. He easily fixed it with magic before leaving like a normal person would.

•

Another-

“Rook Hunt!” Vil shouted, causing Rook to poke his eye.

“Yes our beloved queen?” Rook asked, his eye watering.

“Why do they have stupid bob cuts like yours! It’s appalling!”

“Hey, this is my natural hair. I can’t do anything about it.” said Rook attempting to put on eyeliner.

Vil took his eyeliner, throwing it across the room. He truly didn’t do anything this time around yet Vil was just so angry with him. He could understand the first time. He purposely wanted to start a trend amongst the students. The second time was purely accidental. This time he truly had no part in it.

“I don’t care if it’s natural or a wig. Stop. Influencing. _My_. Students.” Vil threatened. “You’ve always been on thin ice with me.”

“Vil, I can one hundred percent tell you honestly right now that I had absolutely no part in this week’s trending hairstyle.” said Rook, picking up his eyeliner. “Ah, it spilled a little…”

Vil slammed his door shut, knocking things off the shelves. He could hear shrieking outside his door. He didn’t pity them. They should’ve known better than to disregard Vil. An angry Vil is a dangerous one. Rook finished his makeup before stepping out into the hall. It was empty, a tumbleweed had probably passed through. Hopefully Vil didn’t hurt them too bad.

•

Should we even bother?

Vil stepped out into the hall, not seeing anyone. Vil walked to Rook’s room just as he came out.

“No one is walking about. It’s time to be up and ready for classes.” said Vil. “Do you know anything?”

“Not at all.” Rook answered honestly. “ I did find it a bit strange that I didn’t hear voices like usual.”

Rook opened Magicam as he walked down the hall. He stopped before looking at Vil who knocked on a door.

“Vil, wait-”

The door slammed shut. Vil uncrossed his arms, egg and flour running down his sleeves and face. Things were about to get messier than they already were.

Rook quickly requested backup, hearing a door being busted down along with shrieks.

“Come quickly…!” Rook whispered, looking behind him, seeing Vil walk out as if he wasn’t just covered it egg and flour a few seconds ago.

Rook watched Vil walk down the hall, more shrieks and screams heard. He hurried to stop him, worried he might accidentally hurt someone.


	60. Big Brother!

“Hey, hey, big brother.” said Floyd, tapping Trey’s shoulder. “Can you help me with homework?”

“Uh… okay…?” Trey muttered, sitting down with Floyd.

“Big brother Trey, could you help me too?” Jade asked, already sitting down.

“Well-”

“Me too! Can I join in, big brother Trey?” Ruggie said, taking a seat.

“Why are you three-”

“Hey, big brother, what does this mean?”

“Big brother Trey, I can’t figure out this equation.”

“Big bro! Is this incantation correct?”

Trey wordlessly helped them, wondering why they were calling him big brother. He received a thankful hug from Floyd, turning his attention to the other two. He finished helping them and they gave him hugs as well before leaving.

“What in the world was that about…”

•

“Big bro~!” Cater called out in a sing songy voice.

“Not you too.”

“Big bro!!” Kalim shouted, giving Trey a big hug.

“Hello, big brother Trey.” said Jamil, giving him a smile.

Kalim and Jamil went on their way, having a class to get to.

“Cater, what’s going on?”

Cater tilted his head, not understanding.

“Big brother Trey!” said a loud voice.

“Seb-”

“Big brother~!” all of Diasomnia said, giving him a group hug.

This was seriously getting out of hand. Trey pried them off, stepping back.

“You too, Lilia? Malleus?”

“Is something wrong, older brother?” Malleus asked, giving him an innocent confused look.

“We’re just showing our love and appreciation, brother.” said Lilia, earning nods from the three behind him.

Trey wasn’t given a chance to speak as they walked away, chatting happily. He looked to Cater who shrugged.

“Come on, everyone knows you’re always in the know. What’s going on here?” Trey pressed, backing Cater against the wall.

“Not here, brother…” Cater whispered, blushing as he averted his gaze. “People will judge us…”

“Good god-” Trey cursed, walking away from Cater.

Cater giggled in delight, absolutely living for this.

•

Trey sat in his room, trying to figure out why he was being called big brother by so many people. Some of them were even older than him, specifically Leona who called him just to say he missed him. Leona never misses people.

He was startled out of his search by a knock on the door. He granted them entrance before searching again. He looked, seeing it was Riddle. If anyone was sane, it was Riddle. He quickly got up, holding Riddle close.

“Riddle, I need help. Everyone’s acting weird around me.” Trey said, sitting him down on us bed before sitting next to him.

“What can I help with, big brother?” Riddle asked.

“Riddle, not you too!”

“Not me too what?” Riddle asked in confusion.

Trey rubbed his temples, pushing Riddle back onto the bed. There had to be something going on.

“Big brother, is this really appropriate…? We’re siblings after all…” Riddle muttered, looking at Trey with innocent eyes.

Trey quickly kicked Riddle out of his room. He calmed down before sighing. He started to make a tower of cards, emptying his mind.

“Big brother huh…?”

•

Ace and Deuce were startled awake with their roommates as Trey banged two pots together.

“Time to get up! You gotta shower, brush your teeth and get dressed and ready for school.” Trey shouted before walking over to Deuce. “Did you stay up late last night? That’s a big no no. You need your eight hours of sleep. I’ll make sure you all sleep on time tonight.”

Trey woke up Cater and Riddle, giving them the same speech. Trey often checked in on them showering, making sure they washed properly and in easy to forget spots like behind the ears.

“Ace, you’re doing it wrong.” said Trey, taking his scrubber and starting to properly clean his stomach.

“S- Stop!” Ace squeaked, trying to cover himself up.

Deuce laughed at him before Trey looked at him.

“Deuce, you didn’t scrub your back properly.” Trey fussed, heading over to help.

“W- Wait…!”

Cater couldn’t resist taking photos of them being terrorized by Trey.

“Cater, no phones while showering!” Trey fussed, taking Cater’s phone.

“Wait, Trey!” Cater whined, clinging to him. “Give it back! I can’t live without it!”

“Riddle… good job.” said Trey, patting Riddle’s head.

•

“Wrong! Do it again.” said Trey, having Ace fix his grip and angle.

“Riddle, just a bit lower.”

“Cater, too hard.”

“Deuce, you’re not even trying!”

They collectively groaned as Trey drilled them on proper brushing. How did this even happen?

“Cater, you’re slacking.”

“S- Sowwy!”

•

Jack wheezed as he, Epel and Sebek rolled around, laughing at Ace and Deuce.

“I can’t believe he fearlessly got in the same shower as you AND started to wash you.” Jack wailed, his stomach hurting.

“‘Deuce, you missed a spot on your back.’ Ahahaha! How did it feel, Deuce?” Sebek hollered, clinging to Epel.

“Just wait. It’s gonna happen to you too.” Ace frowned, hoping it happened to them too.

“Eeeeee!” a voice yelled.

“Isn’t that… Ruggie?” Deuce commented. “And Trey!?”

“Leave me alone!” Ruggie shrieked, Trey pursuing him with grooming tools.

“You need to take proper care of yourself! You may have fleas! Even ticks!” Trey yelled.

Trey stopped, seeing Jack on the floor. Jack’s ears bent, not liking the look Trey was giving him. Jack yelped, Trey dragging him by his tail.

“Good luck~” Ace teased, waving to Jack who tried crawling away.

They watched them enter a room before hearing banging against the door before panicked barking. They exchanged looks, a bit worried about Jack. They walked away, not wanting to be caught by Trey. He was a madman at this point. A tanned hand could be seen in the door window, slowly sliding down it before disappearing.

•

“I can assure you. I don’t need all of this.” said Rook, watching Trey tighten his safety gear.

“Even still, Leona could end up throwing you.” Trey said, tightened Rook’s helmet. “Perfect.”

“This is going to weigh me down.” Rook said flatly.

“Ah, speaking of Leona, there he is!” said Trey.

Leona often shuddered, memories of Trey fresh in his mind. He would never be the same again.

“Leona!” Trey waved. Leona looked in his direction, seeing Rook covered head to toe in safety padding. Leona ran away, fearing for his life. “Hm, I thought he’d be more happy to see me. We had such a bonding moment.”

“What did you do to him…?” Rook questioned, never seeing Leona run from anyone.

“Hm, I just gave him a check up.” Trey said. “He was trying to scratch and bite me so much I had to give him something to relax.”

 _“I would too, Leona…”_ Rook thought, trying to take off the padding.

“There you-” Vil said before laughing. “You stupider than usual, Rook.”

“Ah, Vil! I’ve been looking for you actually.” said Trey, walking over to Vil.

Vil hadn’t heard the news yet about Trey.

“Vil, don’t go with him! Vil!!!” Rook shouted, trying to follow them but the padding was too heavy. “Damn it…”

Vil wondered what Trey was doing before seeing him tossing his makeup into a bag he created.

“What are you doing!?” Vil shrieked.

“You don’t need all of this makeup. God it’s a wonder how you have any money left.” said Trey before looking around. “You don’t need this either.”

“Hey, you can’t just take my oils!”

Vil tried stopping Trey who had practically emptied out his room. The bag disappeared along with his things.

“You’re a growing kid, so you don’t need so much makeup and all that other beauty stuff.” said Trey happily. “Some good old water and this will do the trick.”

Vil sank to his knees before grabbing onto Trey’s leg.

“Give it back! You can’t take my things!” Vil weeped, his makeup starting to smear.

Epel watched Vil being dragged on the floor as Trey left his room. He even got Vil.

“Ah, Epel. Just the little brother I wanted to see.”

Epel ran. He’s heard of Trey terrorizing everyone. His memory of Jack was still fresh, his panicked barking ringing in his ears. He just barely managed to lock himself in his room as Trey had surprisingly kept up with him with Vil clinging to his leg.

•

“Little Floyd, come here.” said Trey, carefully searching the floor and behind objects. “Big brother just wants to help you.”

Trey’s head snapped in the direction he saw something move. There he was. Trey whistled innocently, pretending he didn’t see. He pounced on Floyd, turning him slightly. Floyd wailed, the weird soft thing being plunged into his ear.

“Stop it!” Floyd cried out, crying and laughing at the same time.

“As your big brother, it’s my job to make sure you have clean ears.” Trey said, flipping Floyd over.

He hated it. Trey looked up, hearing footsteps.

“Jade’s here isn’t he?”

“No!”

Trey finished up with Floyd before running in the direction he heard the footsteps.

“Dearest Jade. Come out. Big brother just wants to play.” said Trey, looking around. “Floyd and I had a lot of fun.”

Trey closed the door behind him, not allowing anyone to enter nor leave. Jade had thrown something, making it seem like he was moving. Trey fell for it. Jade made a mad dash for the door. He only got as far as opening it before a heavy weight crushed him underneath.

“You haven’t properly stretched today.” Trey said, moving Jade’s arm. “Let me know if it hurts.”

Jade flailed around, trying to get free.

“Is my sweet little Jade not happy? Big brother just wants to help.” said Trey, petting Jade.

Jade let out a gasp, feeling his bones crack. Trey was going to kill him. Trey turned, pulling Jade’s legs. He let out a pain yelp, feeling his legs being forced to open more than they’re used to.

“Good boy. Your big brother is proud.” said Trey, patting Jade’s rump before getting up. “I’m always happy to help.”

Jade lied motionless, surprised by how much lighter he felt after having his limbs stretched. Even then, it hurt. Jade took out his phone, updating the others. Trey had gotten Octavinelle, Azul lying off in a daze in another room.

•

“All these games! These eye bags. That’s it. I’m confiscating then. You need to get proper amounts of sleep.” said Trey, practically cleaning off Idia’s shelves of video games.

“No! Not my games!” Idia wailed, trying to snatch the bag.

Trey overrode Idia’s computer, putting an admin lock on it. Idia gasped in horror. He couldn’t do anything. Trey looked around before sighing.

“Clean this room. It’s like a pigsty!”

“But-”

“Idia!”

Idia weeped, cleaning his room. Trey watched him, making sure he didn’t try skipping out. Ortho entered the room, seeing Idia’s room was half empty and his digital screen was entirely red. His brother was also cleaning.

“Oh, Ortho. How are you?” Trey asked, giving him head pats.

“I’m great! But my brother…” he said, seeing Idia weep while picking up month old trash.

“He’s doing something that’s needed. I’ve restricted his internet access and confiscated his video games until he gets on a proper sleeping schedule.” said Trey, looking around the room. “But it seems like he’s going to need help.”

They both started helping Idia clean, making things go faster. The room sparkled, people now able to see what color Idia’s floor was.

“Can I have?” Idia begged, needing stimulation.

“No. Play a board game, card game. Anything that doesn’t require you to stare at a screen.”

“Please, I’m begging you! I’ll go mad!” Idia yelled, shaking Trey by his shoulders.

“You should’ve thought about that before.”

Idia collapsed to the floor after Trey had left. Ortho gently shook him, a bit worried.

•

“We should decorate.” Trey suggested, looking around the room.

“Trey, my r-”

“We can put some plushies here. A few paintings here… Oh! Why don’t we grow a little garden together?” Trey said, waiting for his input.

“Trey, I don’t need anything.”

“Nonsense Malleus. As your big brother, it’s my job to help you out with things. Your room is bland, so we’ll spruce it up.”

Malleus didn’t get a chance to protest as his room was suddenly becoming vibrant.

“What do you think? More of something? Less?”

“I don’t want it!”

“Oh… I thought I was being helpful…” Trey muttered, averting his gaze. Everything disappeared instantly. “I just wanted to be a good big brother to you.”

“Trey…”

“My tiny Malleus, please forgive me.”

Malleus was at a loss for words. He soon found himself being pressed against his bed, his mouth being forced open.

“To think you don’t properly floss…” Trey muttered, looking at his teeth.

“Wha-”

Trey kept his mouth open with an object, pulling out floss. They were right. He was a madman. Malleus let out noises as Trey started to floss his teeth.

•

Everyone hid on school grounds, each sharing their horror stories.

“How did this even start?” Vil hissed.

“An idiot got a bright idea.” Leona replied, looking at Floyd.

“It wasn’t me. It was Ruggie.”

“Not me, Deuce!”

Everyone started to blame each other before Ace noticed something.

“Epel isn’t with us…”

Everyone looked. It was true. Epel was missing.

Epel giggled in delight, watching them all from afar. He started it all. He planted the idea in their heads ever so subtly.

“Big brother Trey… I’ve found them.”

_“Good job, baby apple.”_


	61. Orka: Am I fixed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (please note orka is not a ship name, it’s easier to type)

Cheka sat in Idia’s room, his ears and tail drooping. Ortho looked at him, wondering what was wrong.

“I’m happy to see you again.” said Ortho, holding Cheka’s hands.

“Me too…” Cheka mumbled, resting his head on Ortho’s shoulder.

“You seem sad. What’s wrong?”

“Uncle Leona won’t play with me no matter what I try…”

Ortho held Cheka in his arms as the lion cub cried. Why could his uncle see how much he looked up to him? How much he wanted to spend time with him while he could?

“Don’t cry, Cheka!” said Ortho, drying his face with a tissue. “I’ll help you like you helped me!”

“But… my uncle is mean to other people…” Cheka sniffed.

“I will do my best. Big brother will help me too.”

“Big brother what?” Idia said, looking at them.

Ortho gave him puppy eyes, holding the sad Cheka close to him.

“Okay.” Idia blurted out.

Ortho cheered happily, hoping to get Cheka to smile.

•

Ortho swung Leona’s door open, playing loud music and startling the lion out of bed. Ortho stopped the music, hovering over to Leona who rubbed his backside. Idia walked in with Cheka, holding his skull tight.

“Leona Kingscholar. Your nephew wants to play with you.” said Ortho, helping him to his feet.

“Why would I do that? He’s got you and that airhead Kalim.” Leona spat, flicking Ortho’s forehead.

“Idia.” Ortho said. They nodded. “Hit it.”

Leona covered his ears as Ortho started singing off key to music that played loudly. Cheka joined in, seeing it looked like fun. Idia had put in earplugs, simply watching for Ortho’s gesture for him to turn it off.

“Fine, fine! Just stop that racket!” Leona roared, pulling on his ears.

Idia stopped the music at Ortho’s gesture. He gave Cheka a high five.

“I told you I could help.”

Cheka gave Ortho a hug, thankful to have him as a friend.

•

Leona sat on the ground with Idia, waiting for the two to make up their minds.

“They dragged you into this?” Leona asked, not looking at him.

“Yeah… but I don’t really mind. They’ve grown on me.” said Idia, watching them approach.

“Let’s play tag first, then games in Idia’s room!” said Cheka, having Leona get to his feet.

Ortho sat down with Idia as the Kingscholars played.

“I’m really happy you made a friend, Ortho.” said Idia, patting his head.

“I don’t understand. Isn’t everyone at Night Raven my friend?”

“A friend around your age.” said Idia, pulling Ortho closer. “It’s been so long…”

“What do you mean?” Ortho asked.

“It’s nothing.”

Ortho didn’t press, seeing Idia didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Cheka ran over to Ortho, using him as a shield.

“Come here!”

Cheka squealed in delight as he ran away from Leona. Ortho smiled, happy that Cheka was happy. Cheka sought him out for safety again.

“Play with us!” said Cheka, grinning bright.

“But-”

Cheka lifted him up, having Ortho run with him. A weird sensation coursed through his circuits, causing him to let go of Cheka.

“Ortho? Ortho…?” Cheka called out, seeing he wasn’t moving.

Idia noticed what was going on and hurried over. He started checking Ortho over, becoming more worried as nothing seemed wrong. Ortho suddenly popped up, acting as if nothing happened.

“Why do you all look like that?”

“You stopped moving!” Cheka wailed, hitting Ortho’s arm with both fists. “It scared me.”

“I did? Hm, was I updating, big brother?”

Idia shook his head. It was weird.

“Big brother, something weird had gone through my wires not too long ago. Could you take a look?” Ortho asked.

“Of course. But what about them…?”

“They can play in your room until I’m fixed!”

The elders were afraid of that.

•

Leona played another round of One Up with Cheka while Idia worked on Ortho. He closed everything up, allowing Ortho to come out of sleep.

“Am I fixed?” Ortho asked, feeling Idia taking him off support.

“You were never broken.” Idia said, not seeing anything different. “There wasn’t anything in you.”

“But… but I felt it. Am I becoming rusty?”

“What? No!”

“Maybe you’re not all robot.” said Cheka, looking at Ortho.

“What do you mean?” Ortho asked, watching Cheka walk over to him.

“I don’t know, it just sounded cool.” he responded, scratching his cheek.

“Not all robot…” Ortho muttered, never giving it thought. He looked to Idia, knowing he’d have answers. “Big b-”

“Stop putting ideas in his head.” Idia fussed, bopping Cheka on the head. “He’s always been a robot.”

Cheka rubbed his head as he apologized. Ortho continued to silently think it over. Could he possibly have humanity?

“Hey, Ortho. Play with us since you’re fine now!” said Cheka, pulling him over to play anyway.

Ortho sat down, noticing Idia was joining them too. They had exciting rounds of One up before switching games. Ortho picked out a party game they would all enjoy, putting it in Idia’s gaming system.

“You know, Ortho? We could be best friends!” said Cheka, looking at him with an eye smile.

“Best friends? I’ve never had a best friend before.” said Ortho, having heard Idia talk about it before.

“Then I’m your first.” said Cheka, nuzzling against him.

The sensation flowed through his circuits, forcing him to shut down.

“Ortho!?” Idia shouted, quickly opening him up.

“Your little brother’s really been on the fritz today huh.” said Leona, watching Idia somehow navigate the various wires.

Nothing. He couldn’t find anything wrong. Why did he suddenly shut down? He had Ortho reboot himself before he came back to life.

“Hi! Did I miss anything?” Ortho asked, unaware that he had shut down. “You all have that look again…”

“You just… shut down! Why?” Idia asked. “I couldn’t find anything in you physically or digitally…”

“I don’t know. I didn’t know I shut down.” said Ortho, feeling awful for having worried his brother. “I feel fine though.”

They eventually went back to playing, Ortho’s shut down still weighing heavy on their minds.


	62. RSA: Uh, what?

[Meanwhile at Royal Sword Academy during the Che'nya Invasion…]

“What? Again?” a student said, their pearly whites blinding.

“Isn’t this like his fourth time over there?” another said, remembering he skipped out on club activities.

“You don’t think he…” a third student said with a small gasp.

“Rielle, what do you think?”

Rielle looked at them, peacefully eating his lunch and obviously not listening.

“Of what?” he asked, really into today’s lunch.

“Che'nya! Haven’t you noticed he’s been hanging around in Night Raven lately?”

“Yeah! I’m starting to think the worst…”

“You’re all worrywarts!” said Rielle, a bubbly smile on his face.

“Worrywarts…”

“If Che'nya wanted to go to school at Night Raven, why would he come here? It’s not like we don’t send in applications first.”

“Rielle has a point…”

“Yeah. I completely forgot.”

Rielle gave them another reassuring smile before going back to his lunch. They were right to be worried. Many students have left over the years to Night Raven, the lure of being a little bad the real hooker.

•

Rielle greeted other students, most of them only knowing him because he was a prince. Everyone always wanted to be close to someone rich and/or famous.

“Rielle!” a voice called out, catching his arm.

“Eosin. What are you doing here?”

“We have home economics together, remember? Mr. Allan told us through email.” said Eosin, letting go of Rielle’s arm. “Wait a minute…”

Rielle gave Eosin a weird look as he poked his forehead.

“I can faintly see lines on your forehead. Have you been thinking deeply?” he asked, gracefully sliding down the banister.

“I sometimes wonder how closely you watch me, Eosin.”

“I’m just worried about a friend is all.”

Rielle smiled softly, somewhat glad to have Eosin as a friend.

“Hey, have you heard about what’s-”

“Been going on with Che'nya? Of course. Mei and Jamie have too. Anyone who knows that feline follows him on Magicam.” said Eosin, extending his hand for Rielle to take.

Rielle brushed past it, continuing to the left towards the classroom.

“I’m worried about him. Do you think he’ll transfer too?” Rielle asked, his hand on the doorknob.

“Who knows.”

•

Rielle moved his hair out of his face, finding himself standing outside with Eosin. Mr. Kingscholar was supposed to meet with them as today was one of his guest speaking days. Rielle squinted, seeing two figures heading towards them.

“Oh, well look what the cat dragged in. Move any slower and you might miss him!” Eosin called out.

“Rielle!” a horned male called out, giving him a loving hug.

“Mei!” Rielle responded, hugging him back.

Eosin pulled them apart, narrowing his eyes.

“We’re gonna talk with Mr. Kingscholar about coming with us to talk to Che'nya. He’s-”

“Been frequenting Night Raven a lot these days. We know. You’ve texted us.” said the taller male with tiger ears.

“No need to get snippy, Jamie.” Eosin said, shrugging his shoulders. “We can’t lose anymore students to Night Raven or other schools.”

They collectively sighed. The door opened, revealing the lion they had been waiting for.

“Rielle and friends. You four always seem to be together when there’s a problem at RSA.” chuckled Farena, ruffling their hair. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“It’s Che'nya, sir. He’s been going to Night Raven a lot and we’re feeling a bit concerned as his classmates…” said Eosin, not really caring what Che'nya did.

“So, we were hoping you could come with us to talk to him?” Rielle said, Jamie and Mei nodding.

“Well if you’re friends, you won’t need me now would you? Just tell him how you feel.” said Farena.

“See, I told you.” Mei said, patting Rielle’s head only to have his hand slapped.

“Then, do you have any tips on how to go about it?”

•

Che'nya arrived back on school grounds, his stomach bulging. To think he’d have an entire dorm wrapped around his finger all because he was half feline. Life was certainly treating him right.

“Che'nya!”

“Oh? If it isn’t bubble boy.” said Che'nya, his tail swishing. “And the rest of your posse.”

“I have something to ask and I’m going to come right out with it.” said Rielle, stepping forward.

Che'nya crouched slightly, unsure of what Rielle was going to do.

“Um… why do you keep going to Night Raven? Are you leaving us?” Rielle asked, taking Che'nya’s hands in his.

“Uh, what?”

“You keep going over there, what other reason could there be?” said Mei, smoke coming from his nose.

“I like terrorizing the students. They chase me all around and it’s funny to see them crash into each other when I disappear nya~” Che'nya responded, locking his hands behind his head. “And now I’m some overlord of one of the dorms. Turns out the leader is a total cat worshipper.”

They all stared at him in disbelief. Someone worshipping Che'nya? That was something they needed to see.

“Look.” said Che'nya, showing them a video he had recorded. Sure enough, the students of Ignihyde were bowing down as he sat on a chair high above them. “Cool nya~?”

“To think we consider them our rival school… easily submitting themselves to a nasty feline.” said Jamie.

“Hey, you’re a cat too.”

“Yeah, but at least I’m not domesticated.” Jamie smirked, watching Che'nya shrink back. “Hm, know your place, street cat.”

“Jamie, cut that out.” Rielle said, giving him a disapproving look.

“You’ve gotta tell us more about your adventures in Night Raven! Which dorm is this, senpai?” Mei asked, very interested.

“Mei knows how to behave.” Che'nya said, patting his underclassman’s head. “I’ll tell you everything. So the dorm is Ignihyde and it’s apparently founded on the god of the underworld…”

They all crowded around Che'nya, interested to hear what Ignihyde was like. Che'nya started to mention the other dorms, before Rielle recognized a name. Azul. Didn’t he used to know someone named Azul? He couldn’t quite remember, his childhood slightly hazy.

“So now they do everything I tell them. I’m sleepy? They tuck me in. Hungry? They bring me food. I’m treated like royalty nya~” Che'nya said, giggling in delight.

“Now I see why you’re always going over. You’re important there unlike anywhere else.” said Jamie, flicking Che'nya’s ear.

The two hissed at each other before Eosin hit them both on the head. They quietly apologized, separating themselves.

“Well, now that we learned what Che'nya’s been doing, we can finally focus on our homework that’s due in two hours.” said Eosin, closing his hand mirror.

“Two hours!?” they shouted in unison before running around in a panic.

Mei watched them before creating little fireballs and flicking them at his friends, ceasing their movements.

“Oi, watch the fire!” Jamie grumbled, putting his tail out.

“We can still make it if we run to the library.” said Mei.

They quickly started to run, not wanting to waste a single minute.


	63. Trey x Sebek: That’s all

“I want a divorce!”

“We’re not even married, you idiot!”

They angrily walked away from each other. Riddle walked around the corner and saw Trey heading towards him. He was about to call out when he took notice of the serious look on his face.

“Trey?”

“Oh, hey Riddle. What’s up?”

“I could ask you that. It’s not often you have a look of anger on your face.” said Riddle, feeling concerned.

“I just got di- I had an argument with Sebek. He’s been highly unreasonable these days.” said Trey, sighing heavily.

“Is that so… Take a little time to yourselves and blow off steam. Talk to each other later.” said Riddle, patting his back.

“I know. Here’s to hoping we don’t argue again.” Trey said, looking back and not seeing Sebek.

•

Trey sat on the grass, waiting for Sebek. He was never late when meeting him. He leaned back, looking up at the night sky. More time passed, no Sebek. He should probably call. He called Sebek’s phone before hearing it faintly in the distance.

He left his spot, feeling curious.

“I’m coming, okay? I had a few things to take care of.” said Sebek, a tad annoyed.

“You’re making it sound like I’m calling you every minute.” Trey muttered.

Trey spotted Sebek, but didn’t expect to see him with another person. He hid himself, wanting to eavesdrop.

“I’ll be there soon.” said Sebek before hanging up.

Trey silently cursed, seeing they were talking in whispers. From his current angle, things already looked shady between them. His anger flared up again, watching them unnecessarily touch each other. Sebek had started to move, causing him to hurry back to his spot.

“Sorry I’m late. Things at Diasomnia then someone wanted to talk.” said Sebek, sitting beside him.

Trey moved away. Sebek frowned but didn’t say anything.

“Earlier today. Personally, I feel like I’m right, but you also made valid points. I’ll try to implement them.” said Trey, wondering if he’d bring up who he was talking to.

“I also started to see where you were coming from. I take my job as his guard seriously, but I didn’t realize it was really starting to cut into us time. My world revolves around the both of you, so I should act like you both have the same importance.” said Sebek, reaching to hold Trey’s hand.

Trey wasn’t holding his back. Was he hoping he’d say he’d put him first?

“I’m happy to hear that. So, what made you late? Malleus?” Trey asked.

“It was Lilia actually. Silver kept falling asleep so he asked me.” Sebek explained.

That’s it? He’s not going to mention who he was talking to?

“Is that all?”

“Yeah? Were you expecting more details?”

“Are you absolutely sure that’s all?”

“Yes Trey. That’s all.”

No way. He must have been doing something he shouldn’t have if he won’t talk about it.

“I know you were talking to someone.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That Ignihyde student! You were laughing and touching each other unnecessarily!” Trey fussed, pulling his hand away from Sebek.

“You were spying on me!?”

“Don’t change the subject!”

“You were invading my privacy! This is bigger than who I was talking to!”

“Who. Was. He!? Is he your secret boyfriend?”

“Trey, you’re my only boyfriend! Why are you getting so worked up!? We didn’t do anything!” Sebek shouted, unbelieving of Trey right now.

Trey got up from his spot and walked away without another word.

“You can’t just walk away!”

“Watch me!”

Sebek groaned, putting his head in his hands. Weren’t they supposed to make up? Not make things worse.

•

Riddle and Jade watched as Trey and Sebek shouted at each other. Harsh insults were said before they parted ways. They’ve been at this for the entire day.

“Trey’s so stressed these days.” Riddle said with a sigh. “Everyone’s coming to me with their problems.”

“Well, you are the dorm leader. Surprisingly, you don’t act like one.” Jade quipped, watching Sebek hurt his hand from hitting a tree. “I think it’s rather fun to watch a couple chew each other out.”

“You have no heart.”

“Thank you.”

•

Silver uncomfortably listened to the couple argue. He just wanted to have a little study session. Trey left angry. Sebek was flipping pages harshly. At this rate, they were going to break up.

“Sebek.”

“What.”

“Are you breaking up with Trey?”

“No… maybe. I don’t know.”

Silver took Sebek’s book, trying to think of an analogy.

“I don’t really understand why you’re fighting, but have you asked him how he’s feeling lately?”

“I don’t want a lecture from you.” Sebek muttered, leaving as well.

•

Day three of the couple fighting. They silently watched on as things looked as if it would get physical.

“Is there anything we can do? I’m tired of all this shouting.” Kalim mumbled, covering his ears.

Azul bravely approached them, tossed them both into a nearby room and had the others join him in blocking off the door.

“Isn’t this just going to make them kill each other?” Silver asked.

“Well, it’s better than listening to them fight all day long.” said Jamil.

Sebek sat far away from Trey. Neither said a word. Neither wanted to be the first to reach out. So they just sat in silence. Time passed by them, the silence slowly becoming deafening.

“Trey.” “Sebek.” they said at the same time.

“You first.” they said in unison.

“I’ll go…” Sebek muttered, leaving his spot. He stood near Trey, wondering if he’d move. “May I sit?”

Trey gave him permission. Sebek sat beside him before looking at him.

“How are you feeling?”

Trey stared at him in silence. How are you feeling? He looked down at the table.

“I’m f-”

“Trey, how are you feeling?” Sebek repeated, squeezing his arm. “Tell me…”

Trey was silent before resting his head on Sebek’s shoulder.

“Stressed… angry… sad… scared… lonely…” Trey whispered, letting himself be vulnerable.

Silver’s advice surprisingly worked. Sebek rubbed Trey’s back, nuzzling against him.

“Am I the cause of them?”

“Yes and no. You’re only part of my stress.” Trey muttered, relishing in their closeness. “I don’t feel lonely anymore…”

“I’m feeling those too, you know… angry because you were accusing me of cheating… sad that we were arguing constantly… scared of possibly breaking up… stressed by everything going on…” Sebek said, holding Trey. “Lonely because… you weren’t by my side when I woke up in the morning…”

“I didn’t know you were feeling that way.” said Trey, pulling back so he could see Sebek’s face. “I’m so sorry… I’ve been selfish.”

“We both have.”

Trey leaned in, giving Sebek a small kiss. Sebek pulled him back in, having been starved for too long. He ran his fingers through Trey’s hair, wanting more of him.

They all tried seeing what was going on through the small window on the door as they had gone strangely quiet.

“Anything?”

“They’re too far off to the side. We’ll just have to hope there isn’t a dead body in there.”

Kalim tried the door but it wouldn’t open. He tried again.

“I think we locked them inside…” Kalim mentioned, thinking the door got stuck from their combined weight.

They all tried the door and got the same result. They tried peeking in again, still seeing nothing. They pressed their ears to the door, hoping to pick up on something.

“Why not call them?” Riddle said. He called Trey’s phone. No answer. He tried Sebek. No answer. “They’re not answering…”

Azul texted them, waiting and waiting for a response.

“Should we leave them…?” Silver suggested.

“I don’t think that’d be smart, especially if one of them is dead.” said Riddle. “We’ll just wait.”

•

Trey buttoned Sebek’s shirt before sighing in relief. Sebek buttoned his vest before throwing his arms around Trey. He was glad they weren’t going to break up.

“We should probably show our friends we made up. They called and texted a lot.” said Trey, wiping a white stain off his phone screen.

Sebek opened the door, not expecting to see them waiting outside the door.

“Seeing that you’re both alive, either you made up or broke up.” said Azul.

“Made up.” said Sebek before giggling, hiding behind Trey.

“What he said.” said Trey, watching their friends give them looks as to why Sebek was giggling like a four year old child.


	64. Rudia + Ortho: It was grate!

Ortho stopped short, seeing Ruggie snickering off to the side.

“Hello, Ruggie Bucchi.” said Ortho, startling him slightly.

“Oh, your Idia’s kid bro. What do you want?”

“I was curious as to what was funny. You were doing your ‘shishishi’.” Ortho said.

“Ah, just pranking. Oh. Here comes my victim.” said Ruggie, having Ortho take a look.

The door opened and a bucket full of onions fell out. The poor soul happened to be Jack. Ortho laughed along with Ruggie, finding confused and disgruntled Jack amusing.

“I would like to participate in your next prank. Is that okay?” Ortho asked.

“You could be pretty useful actually.” Ruggie muttered, the scale of his pranks ranging higher.

•

Ortho finished setting up, giving Ruggie a thumbs up. Azul soon arrived before noticing what Ruggie held in his hands. He excitedly jogged over before finding himself falling into the earth. Ruggie laughed in delight, leaving the friend food behind.

Ruggie had Ortho spread the stashed sneezing powder all around the teacups of Heartslabyul with him. They watched from the outside as everyone started having sneezing fits, even Riddle.

Ruggie and Ortho continued to prank students around school before seeking out Sam’s shop for protection. They laughed in delight, high fiving at their success.

“It seems the small dog and it’s wild blue yonder had quite a day.” said Sam, leaning against the counter.

“We sssssssure did.” Ruggie said, sending them into fits of laughter.

“It was grate!” Ortho said, laughing hard with Ruggie.

“Memories that bond souls together.” Sam whispered, amused by the sight.

“You’re a lot of fun, Ruggie.” said Ortho, smiling bright.

“You aren’t too bad yourself, pint size.”

“It’d be great if big brother was dating someone like you.” said Ortho, pushing the tips of his fingers together. “Maybe he’d get out more and be happy like this… Oh! Big brother is calling for me. I have to go. Bye bye!”

Ruggie watched Ortho leave before his face flushed. Did he just indirectly get Ortho’s approval for dating his brother? His tail wagged happily at the thought. He’s always watched Idia’s live-streams on Magich and watched him beat others in PVP numerous times. Idia worked hard, getting his character or team to the amazing levels they are. He admired that dedication and love. He was extremely kind to fans, even those who didn’t speak his language. Though, he couldn’t say the same for his opponents.

Ruggie slapped his cheeks, bringing himself out of his daze. Idia was going to live-stream tonight, so he was going to try and get himself noticed out of thousands of viewers.

•

Ortho tidied up around Idia’s room, noticing he hadn’t gotten out of bed at all today. Did he not place in rankings?

“Big brother, is everything okay? Did you at least get good rewards?”

“I did rank actually, it’s just…” Idia said hoarsely before coughing. “I’m dying.”

Ortho dropped everything, rushing to Idia’s side.

“Hold on, big brother. I’ll save you!” Ortho shouted, starting to disassemble himself.

“No, no! It’s a figure of speech!” Idia wheezed, stopping Ortho. “I’m just sick.”

Ortho fixed himself before taking Idia’s temperature. 100 degrees fahrenheit (37 degrees celsius). That wasn’t good. He started to search the web for the best way to tackle a problem like this.

“Ortho, don’t you dare do anything dangerous. I can deal with it myself.” Idia coughed, being forced to lie down.

“I’ve gathered data to best take care of you! Please wait.” said Ortho before rushing off.

Idia closed his eyes, seeing he couldn’t stop him even if he wanted to. He soon found himself being buried under blankets and an ice cold cloth being placed on his forehead. He let out a sigh, watching Ortho flit around, trying to make him comfortable.

•

Ruggie lied belly down on his bed as he waited for Idia to start his live stream. The live stream started and he quickly tapped the notification. He quickly typed in a “hello”, hoping Idia would see it. Ruggie started to notice something off. His head was bobbing more than usual. He quickly sent an “are you okay”. Soon Idia turned around, as if he was talking to someone.

He knew those hands. Ruggie sat up, biting his lip. Go. Don’t go. Why not? Why? He grabbed his phone, hurrying off to Ignihyde. Why was his head bobbing? Why was Ortho trying to interrupt?

Ruggie found himself standing in front of the Ignihyde mirror. He quickly stepped through, taking in the sight. He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time for that. He entered the dorm, asking students where Idia’s room was. He was pointed in the right direction.

He stopped in front of a door, hearing voices inside. He knocked, hoping one would answer. The door opened, revealing Idia. He wasn’t expecting him, causing him to jump back in fright.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ruggie! I need your help!” Ortho squeaked from behind Idia. “He can’t play games. Help me get him in bed.”

That meant possibly touching Idia.

“I’ll do my best.”

Ruggie helped Ortho drag Idia into bed before having him sit on top of Idia, keeping his arms pinned back. Ortho politely explained things to Idia’s followers while Ruggie was trying, and failing, to hide his blush. Everything about this looked sexual.

Ortho had shut everything down before getting mad at Idia for going behind his back. Ortho had Ruggie let him go, knowing Idia wouldn’t be getting back up.

“You came at such a great time, Ruggie. The gods must have heard my pleas!” said Ortho, holding Ruggie’s hands. “Could you help me take care of my brother? He has a fever.”

“A fever… I know a good soup recipe.”

“Marvelous! I’m unable to make soup myself. Big brother says I will definitely harm myself making it.” said Ortho.

“I see. Don’t worry, you just look on.” said Ruggie, having Ortho follow him.

•

Idia sat up at the sound of his door opening. The aroma was extremely pleasing to smell. Ruggie sat on the bed, giving Ortho the bowl and spoon.

“You made. You feed him.”

Ruggie’s heart started being faster at the thought. His hands shook, making it nearly impossible for him to scoop anything. He calmed himself some, getting a spoonful and having Idia eat it. He continued to feed him, wiping the corners of his mouth before his movements slowed. Just a bit closer… just a bit and you’ll know what those lips taste like.

Ruggie snapped back to reality, clearing his throat. He didn’t just think that.

“Are you f- full or…?” Ruggie asked, avoiding his gaze.

“I’d like a little more please.” Idia asked softly, further attacking Ruggie’s heart.

He couldn’t do it anymore. He was too cute. Ruggie accidentally spilled soup on himself, quietly cursing.

“I’m sorry, I just wasted-”

“It’s okay. There’s still more.” said Idia, taking the bowl and drinking from it, tasting meat and vegetables in the mixture.

Idia gave him a smile, sending his heart into a frenzy. He didn’t know how much more he could take before he lost himself and straight up kissed Idia.

“Big brother, you should date Ruggie! He likes to have fun like you. We had a lot of fun messing with people today. He’ll be able to get you out more!” said Ortho, causing Ruggie to blush deeply.

“Don’t say things like that. It’s embarrassing to people.” said Idia before apologizing.

Ruggie rubbed his neck, assuring things were okay. If only Ortho knew the hoops he’d jump through to be able to call Idia his and his alone.


	65. Malleus: I wish…

Malleus was minding his business, enjoying his rest in his lamp when he was suddenly being summoned. A pair of hopeful eyes looked at him while another pair seemed skeptical.

“You with the bright eyes. You’ve summoned me for wishes haven’t you?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that how this works?” he replied.

“What’s your name?”

“K-”

“Jamil. It’s Jamil.” said the other.

“I know a lie when I see one. Kalim, yes?”

“Wow, you’re amazing Mr…?”

“Call me Mal.” said Malleus, looking at Kalim whose eyes shone bright like a star. “I’ll cut to the chase. Three wishes and I’m out.”

“My first wish is-”

“Kalim, think about it first. He’s a genie. He can do anything. ANYTHING.” Jamil emphasized.

“I wish you could turn Night Raven College into a friendly place.” Kalim asked.

“As you wish.” said Malleus, snapping his fingers.

**[Back at Night Raven College…]**

“Good morning everyone! Have a good time in classes!” the building said.

Students screamed in fright. The building had suddenly grown a mouth and eyes.

**[Meanwhile…]**

“I wonder if it worked. Anyway, for my second wish!”

“Listening.” responded Malleus, drinking herbal tea.

“I wish Jack Howl would love me.”

“Kalim, he can’t-”

“As you wish.”

Snap. Kalim looked around, wondering if it really did happen. Malleus created a mirror, allowing them to see what had become of Jack Howl. Sure enough, he was professing his love for Kalim. Malleus made it disappear.

**[Meanwhile in Jack’s room…]**

Jack posted up yet another picture of Kalim on his wall. He painted and salivated, rubbing his face against a picture.

“I love you, my precious. I’ll be your one and only love. I’ll give you everything I own! Even my body!” Jack professed, whining loudly.

**[Back to Kalim…]**

“Kalim, use your last wish to have everything changed back. I know something’s going on, something bad.” said Jamil, shaking Kalim.

“You think so?”

“Is that your wish?” Malleus asked. “Do you really want to waste it on that?”

“Kalim…”

Kalim looked between them before sighing. He knew what choice he had to make.

“I wish…”

•

Malleus yawned, snuggling underneath his bedsheets. Yet another happy person. He made his mirror appeared, watching Kalim run from Jack, the school building greeting people and a crowd of people wanting to be friends with Kalim.

“Fufu… his friend was very perceptive. Too bad for Kalim.” said Malleus, getting some shut eye.

His lamp sat comfortably on someone’s table, waiting to be discovered.

•

Malleus was reading up on the news when he felt his vessel being rubbed.

“Hello, hello. How may I be of service?” he said cheerfully.

“Ah, so it’s not an oil lamp.” he said. “So I get three wishes?”

“Yes you do, you extremely beautiful man named Vil.” said Malleus. “Call me Mal.”

“Alright then, Mal. I wish to be the most beautiful person in the world.” he said.

Snap. It was done. Vil looked out into the hall. He quickly closed it.

“Where are their faces!?”

“You want to be the most beautiful don’t you? I granted your wish, Vil.” said Malleus, shrugging his shoulders. “I can change it back.”

“For my second wish, I want unmeasurable popularity so my modeling can really take flight.”

Snap. Vil looked as his door was being knocked on.

“Final wish?”

“Hm… I wish…”

•

Malleus yawned, watching Vil through his mirror. Faceless people chased after him, wanting his autograph or for him to professing their love. Some even offered him their bodies. He smiled in bliss, snuggling under his covers. His lamp hidden under other purchases. He couldn’t wait to please his next master.

Malleus played table tennis with himself before he was suddenly being lifted into the air. He ran his hand over the side, seeing he was being held. Would they give him a rub?

“So you decided to give in to curiosity~” said Malleus, looking at him upside down.

“I know how genies work. I’m going to be real specific with you.”

“My, aren’t you a smart guy, Ruggie?”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere. Now, my first wish. I wish I had a box of a dozen donuts.” said Ruggie, waiting for the magic to happen.

Snap. Malleus did exactly as he asked. This guy didn’t seem like he could trick him, so it was best to play along.

“Second wish. I wish Leona Kingscholar would be a responsible guy.”

Snap.

“Final?”

“Hm, more donuts.”

Snap. Malleus sighed, going back into his lamp. The Ruggie guy was boring to say the least. He watched Vil and Kalim suffering with their wishes. Kalim was once again being humped by Jack who was being pried off by Jamil. The building was still friendly. Vil was a shaking mess as he hid from his world of crazed faceless people.

Hopefully his next master will be more interesting.

•

Malleus found himself sitting on the floor in a dirty room. It was a pigsty. He felt his lamp being lifted up and rubbed by a cold hand.

“Hello.”

“Hi! What are you?”

“I am a genie and I’ll grant you three wishes.”

“Ooo! Then for my first wish, I wish my big brother would go outside more.”

Snap.

Idia found himself turning around and heading out of the dorm building to the courtyard on campus. He felt one of the trees before urinating like a dog.

“Your next wish? Fufu…”

“Hm… I wish I was a cool robot!”

Snap.

Ortho found himself being cooled down by fans floating around him. Ortho gave him a weird look.

“Your final?”

“I wish I was a real person so I can attend school with my brother!”

“As you wish…” Malleus said before snapping.

He looked at Ortho before sighing. The poor thing.

He went back inside his lamp was it was magically transported somewhere else.

•

Silver looked, seeing a lamp sitting on Lilia’s dresser.

“Was that lamp always there?”

“No. That’s not mine.”

They inspected it before Silver gave it a rub. Out came Malleus doing a little performance.

“Ah, a joker. Do be careful with what you wish for.”

“I wish… I wish I knew who I was.”

“Silver, adoptive son of Lilia Vanrouge. Are you not?”

“That’s not what I-”

“Second wish?”

Lilia gave Silver a hopeless look. He warned him.

“I wish to be immortal like my adoptive father.”

“No can do my friend. If there’s anything I can’t do, it’s grant eternal life.”

“Then, can you extend my life past a normal human’s…?”

Snap.

“Third wish?”

“I wish I would stop being so sleepy all the time. It’s getting in the way of my life.” said Silver.

“Silver, maybe-”

“As you wish.”

Snap.

Silver’s eyes closed as his body fell back before being caught by Lilia.

“Don’t look at me like that. He asked to stop being so sleepy. So, put him to sleep until he dies.”

“This is why we eradicated your kind.” Lilia hissed.

Malleus chuckled in delight as he went back into his lamp before being transported elsewhere.

He rubbed the side, checking his surroundings. It was an office. The door opened, revealing a person. Their eyes met. Would be come over or leave him alone? He left him alone. Malleus summoned his mirror, checking up on his previous masters.

They were still in utter chaos. He was living for it. The guy had finally come over to him.

“Floyd… he seems interesting.”

Floyd rubbed the lamp, having Malleus appear.

“Three wishes, right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Then, I wish I never had to do boring things.”

Snap.

“Second wish?”

Floyd looked around, wondering if it worked.

“I wish Jade and I remain close forever.”

Snap.

Jade looked around, wondering why he was cuffed to Floyd. Floyd looked at Malleus, glaring at him.

“You said you wanted to remain close.”

“Not like this! Free us!”

“That’s not how you ask.”

“I wish Jade and I weren’t-” Floyd said then stopped. “I wish I had a key to unlock these handcuffs.”

Snap.

A bunch of keys sat at their feet. Floyd growled while Malleus laughed in glee. The twins started going through them as Malleus retreated back into his lamp. Humans were so easy to mess with when they weren’t specific.

•

His lamp sat comfortably under a tree, the sunlight hitting it just right.

“Oh! Photo op!”

Malleus ran his hand over the side, looking to see who it was.

“Hm… so his name is Cater. Obsessed with Magicam and making things cute…” said Malleus, looking at him start to walk away. “Wait, don’t go!”

Malleus moved his lamp, getting Cater’s attention. Cater picked it up, wondering if he was seeing things. He accidentally rubbed against it before Malleus came out, bowing to him.

“Oh, picture!” said Cater before uploading it to Magicam. “To think, a real live genie! You’re gonna grant me three wishes aren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“What should I call you?”

“Mal.”

“Okay then Mal. I wish you were a human!” said Cater, looking at him expectantly.

Malleus snapped, his form changing into that of a human. Cater started poking him, truly amazed by his talents. He was cute like this too. Malleus waited for him to make another wish.

“You know. I’m gonna save my two wishes. So you’ll be spending more time with me.” said Cater happily.

He watched Malleus’ lamp shrink in his hands, becoming a little phone charm.

“So cute!!” Cater exclaimed, quickly attaching it.

•

Malleus yawned, a few days having passed and Cater still hadn’t wished for anything else. It was nice that he had a master long than an hour. He got to learn things about humans that he didn’t know already.

“Cater, do you ever intend on using your last two wishes?”

“I already know what my third one is. I just don’t really have anything I want right now for my second.” Cater replied, giving Malleus a smile. “I’m really enjoying our time together though. It’s fun hearing about your adventures across Twisted Wonderland.”

“To think there was someone like you out here in the world. The world ceases to amaze me.” said Malleus, looking at Cater’s phone. “What is this?”

“Ah, a new trending dance challenge. Wanna try it together?” Cater asked.

Malleus nodded. Cater set up his phone before having Malleus practice with him. Cater laughed in glee, watching Malleus mess up a few times. Malleus watched Cater, his mind dizzy. He sat down, needing a moment to sort himself out.

“Too much physical activity? Take a break. I can just record by myself.”

“No, I want to do this. It seems fun.” said Malleus, getting back up.

Cater started the recording then had Malleus come into the frame. They did the dance before Cater gave him a high five. The recording ended, having reached the limit. Cater did a few touch ups while Malleus sat down, his heart racing. He’s always had fun messing with people’s wishes, but he didn’t know he was missing out on things like this.

•

Malleus hung by Cater’s side, people having gotten used to him. No one ever suspected him of being a supernatural being. A month had gone by and Cater still hadn’t made a second wish. He didn’t want to rush him unlike before.

Cater looked, noticing he was deep in thought. Cater poked his cheek, startling him.

“What are you thinking about? Anything I can do?”

“I’ve just been thinking about how long it’s been since you made your first wish and haven’t made a second.” said Malleus lowly. “Yet you know your third and final wish.”

“Hm. I think I know what I want to wish for.”

Malleus stepped back a bit, a strange feeling in his chest. Cater stopped, seeing Malleus looked unwell.

“Mal? Is everything okay?” he asked worriedly.

Mal. That’s right, he never told him his full name.

“My full first name is Malleus.” he responded, regaining his composure. “It’s a high honor for you to know my first name.”

“Wow, I’m really touched! So my second wish…”

“Are you sure? Once you make a wish, it’s gone forever. You can’t unwish.”

Cater nodded, knowing well enough. Malleus didn’t want to hear it. Hearing it mean Cater asking for his third wish too.

“I wish Malleus was a student here at Night Raven College.” said Cater, looking up at the ceiling. “You can do that, right?”

Malleus snapped. Everyone soon recognized him as not just a friend, but a fellow student. He didn’t know what was on Cater’s mind right now.

“And your third?” he asked weakly.

He now understood what this heavy feeling was in his chest. Fear. Once Cater made his wish, they wouldn’t be together anymore. He didn’t want that. Cater was…

“My third wish… I wish…”

Malleus covered his ears and ran. He didn’t want to hear it.

•

Malleus hid in a supply closet, wiping his tears. He wasn’t going to grant his final wish for as long as he lived. As long as he couldn’t hear it, he couldn’t grant it. And they’d get to stay together.

When did he let himself get attached to a human? He would outlive him anyway. Yet Cater was kind to him, talked to him, listened to him. No one had ever done that for him.

The door opened, revealing Cater. Malleus tried to get out but Cater blocked the way.

“My third wish. I wish-”

“Stop! I don’t want to hear it. I won’t grant it!” Malleus shouted, covering his ears.

“I wish you were free.”

Malleus looked up at Cater, tears falling from his eyes. He wanted him to be free. His fingers snapped on their own, the lamp phone charm shattering into pieces.

“Cater, I-”

“What are you waiting for? You’re a student here.” said Cater before extending his hand out.

Malleus hugged Cater tight, silently weeping. Cater hugged him back, glad to see he was happy with his final wish.


	66. Kaja: I love every inch of you

Kalim helped clean up after the banquet. He often stole glances at Jamil, watching his side bang move as he moved. Jamil caught him staring, forcing him to quickly act as if he was looking behind him. Jamil simply shook his head, moving away. Kalim pouted, wanting to see his face but having to clean.

“Dorm leader, we could use your help!”

“Coming!”

Kalim tried sneaking glances at Jamil, sad to see Jamil wasn’t looking at him. Jamil was looking alright. Every time he looked away, Jamil would look at him. Their eyes finally met again. Kalim happily waved, Jamil looked away before quickly blowing a kiss. Kalim caught it and pressed it to his lips. Jamil blushed like crazy, going back to cleaning.

The Scarabians had finally finished cleaning up, most heading to bed to get well deserved rest. Some hung around in the lounge, wanting to chat a bit more. Kalim bounced over to Jamil, a bright smile on his face.

“I’m not doing anything else tonight.” Jamil said, putting his hand up.

“I just wanted you to bring water to my room like you do every night.” said Kalim before skipping off.

How nice it must be to be so carefree as if nothing wrong was going on the world. Jamil left to get ready for bed before bringing Kalim his water. He didn’t understand why Kalim always asked since he never drank it when he came in the next morning.

Kalim tucked himself into bed, waiting for Jamil to arrive. After numerous nights of plotting, he was finally ready to enact his plan. It had to work. He’s practiced and practiced.

Jamil knocked on the door before being granted entrance. The moment he set the cup down, he felt himself being pulled and now facing a smiling Kalim.

“Gotcha!”

“Kalim, wh-”

Kalim silenced him with a finger. Jamil swallowed, Kalim’s orange eyes peering into his gray ones. What was going through his mind? Why wasn’t he allowed to speak? He felt Kalim drape an arm over him before getting comfortable.

“I love staring into your eyes.” Kalim muttered, scooting closer. “They hold so much mystery…”

“Thank you…?”

“I love hearing your voice, especially when you call my name. It gets me really excited and happy.”

“Okay…?”

“I love feeling your touch. It makes me feel warm and secure, that you’ll always be here for me, even when I fall to rock bottom.”

“Kalim…”

Kalim leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“I love and appreciate everything you do for me. I know you see it as a duty, but I don’t want you to feel like that’s all it is.” said Kalim, his hand on Jamil’s waist patting his lower back. “If you don’t want to do something, tell me. I promise I’ll stick up for you.”

“You shouldn’t-”

Kalim silenced him with a gentle peck to the lips. It was already bad enough they were dating without their parents knowing. To boldly defy serving him? They’d have his head.

“I love you, Jamil. I love every inch, centimeter, feet, whatever measurement, of you. You’re simply amazing… especially with that sexy, intelligent brain of yours.” Kalim whispered, pecking his lips again. “I want you to know that. I need you to know that.”

Jamil pulled him in for a deep kiss, his urge unable to be contained any longer. Kalim kissed him back, having Jamil’s answer. Kalim peppered his face with little kisses, wanting him to feel his love in full.

“You’re so dumb, but I love it.”

“Hey, I’m not dumb!”

Jamil chuckled, giving him another kiss before pulling Kalim closer. Kalim grinned widely like a fool, hugging his Jamil tight.


	67. Kalim: Must… protect…

Kalim silently watched Jamil’s chest rise and fall as he slept. Jamil overblotted. Jamil was unhappy with his life. Jamil was just plain unhappy. It wasn’t his fault, it was the people around them. They wanted him to look like a fool while he himself was played up to be a genius. Jamil would never betray him, he was just acting out. Jamil was his closest and dearest friend. Jamil would never hurt him.

Kalim tightened his grip on his pants, his anger slowly flaring up. The Scarabia students were responsible for this. Those nosy fish people too. Their parents were responsible for forcing Jamil into this situation. He was angry with all of them. His unique magic may not be as strong as the other dorm leaders, but he for sure was going to put it to good fucking use.

The students of Scarabia found themselves being gathered in the lounge. They couldn’t possibly imagine what Kalim wanted to say to them at a time like this.

“Relax… desert… ending… Sing… dance! Oasis Maker…!”

The students all looked around as water started pouring into the room. Kalim ran out, having trapped them all into an invisible cube. Students tried jumping out the open windows only to collide against the invisible wall.

“It’s all your fault! You made Jamil betray me! You all pushed him into overblotting! You’re all the worst!” Kalim shouted before running.

The water continued to rise in the room, soon to entrap them within the refreshingly cool water. Kalim breathed heavily as he stood in the hall of mirrors. The fishes. Where were they? He scrolled through Magicam, not seeing them in photos, so he opted to texting them. He had one of them come to Scarabia on the premise of needing help.

Kalim patiently waited, seeing the one he asked for arrive. He knew he couldn’t win in terms of magic, so he was going to use the heat to his advantage.

“What do you want, sea otter?”

“Just follow me.”

Floyd reluctantly followed, hating the heat. Kalim had him search around for something that didn’t exist. He muttered a spell before casting it on Floyd. He quickly took his magipen before putting him in a jar. Floyd was visibly upset before seeing the look in Kalim’s eyes.

“I’m going to cook you.”

Floyd banged against the jar before remembering his phone. He patted himself down before seeing his phone peeking out of Kalim’s pocket.

Floyd continued to bang against the jar while Kalim turned on the fire on the stove. He was thrown into a pot before a lid was quickly put on. Floyd fanned himself, the temperature slowly rising. Kalim’s magicrystal slowly gained more blot as he went after the other twin.

•

Jade ran away, being chased by insects and small animals inside an enclosed space. He looked up at Kalim who looked at him with such anger and intensity. He couldn’t understand why.

“I bet your brother is fried to a crisp. Soon you’ll be eaten by one of these friends of mine.” said Kalim, standing up and walking away.

Jade angrily banged against the container before feeling himself being dragged by his leg. More blot covered Kalim’s crystal.

Getting Azul would be tricky. He was much better at magic than he was, so he had to be quick. It was then he had an idea. Not even Azul could discern it.

Azul heard a knock on his door and granted them entrance. He wasn’t expecting to see Kalim, especially with deep fried food. Something was up.

“What’s the occasion? Hm?” Azul asked, carefully eyeing him.

“Just a small thank you for helping out at Scarabia. If it wasn’t for you guys, things could’ve turned out really bad.” said Kalim, placing the food in front of him before looking away. “I really am a clueless idiot.”

“Glad to hear you realize it. Hey, why don’t you eat one?” Azul said, pushing it towards him.

Of course he’d ask. Kalim took one and ate without complications. Azul seemed it to be safe. He picked one up before biting into it. Kalim smiled happily before watching Azul fall out of his chair, writhing on the floor before ceasing movement.

“Thanks for nothing you stupid octopus.” Kalim said lowly before leaving.

•

Kalim had arrived back at Scarabia, checking in on Floyd. He turned off the fire, picked Floyd out before ever so nicely cutting into his side. He threw him back into the jar before hiding him away. He headed back to the lounge, knowing none should be moving. He removed the spell, watching bodies fall to the floor. He didn’t feel satisfied. More people had wronged Jamil. And more people could do him wrong. So he was going to get rid of all of them, anyone who could stand in the way of Jamil finally being happy.

He stepped into the hall of mirrors, seeing students happily talk to each other. Disgusting. He approached them with happy smiles, acting like his innocent and cheery self. He eventually pulled them into an empty room before getting physical, using magic if necessary. Kalim closed the door before nodding. He could use this room for a bit until he needed a new room for more bodies. Blot continued to crawl across Kalim’s magicrystal as his anger continued to rise.

•

Kalim looked at the person he sat on, their face bloody from his relentless attacks. He still wasn’t satisfied. There were still people who could possibly make Jamil feel unsafe and unhappy. He never wanted to see Jamil unhappy again. He never wanted to see him overblot again. He was going to protect him like he should’ve been ages ago.

“He-” a voice said before stopping.

Kalim turned and looked, blood all over his hands and face. Kalim was faster, grabbing them and trapping them inside.

“You’re acting really weird…”

“You shouldn’t have come in here, Ace.” Kalim said, stepping towards him. “You’ve seen too much.”

“S- Senpai…?”

Kalim wasted no time in subduing Ace, making sure he could never speak of what he just saw. Kalim used magic, getting rid of the bloodstains on him. He stepped out of the room. Jamil needed more protection. He needed to do something. Something bigger.

Kalim started abducting more students one by one, drowning them with his unique magic. Blot slowly creeped up Kalim’s leg as he drowned yet another student. The blot continued to creep up his body, before slowly enveloping him. He was going to make everyone pay for making Jamil betray him, making him feel unsafe and unhappy, making him overblot and nearly die from it.

A dark spirit formed behind him, resembling that of his inner soul. Students passing by saw Kalim before screaming in fright.

“ _Relax in the desert, a never ending party. Sing, dance! **Oasis Maker!**_ ” Kalim shouted, a heavy downpour beating down on the school.

The rain wouldn’t stop. Kalim trudged through the school, attacking anyone within his sight. The dorm leaders and teachers eventually arrived on the scene, watching casualties lie beside Kalim. Kalim angrily glared at them before shooting elemental magic at them without warning. Blot continued to coat his body, eating away at his life force.

“ _Must… protect…_ ” Kalim muttered, attacking them once more, the downpour increasing the time of flooding greatly.

Kalim protected himself as the others started fighting back. They were going to hurt Jamil too. He couldn’t let them. Kalim sent a fireball, knocking Riddle far back.

“ _ **You won’t hurt him again!**_ ” Kalim shouted, his spirit swiping towards them, knocking the teachers back.

“Kalim, you’ve gotta snap out of it!” Vil shouted, one of the few still standing.

Vil protected himself as Kalim’s spirit attacked. He could see Kalim visibly getting weaker. At this rate he really was going to die.

“Kalim…! You’re going to die!” Riddle shouted, holding his side.

Malleus arrived, assessing the situation. He didn’t know why Kalim overblotted, but he could see things weren’t looking good on either side. He muttered a few spells before sending Kalim back. Vil and the others watched as the two fought.

“Sometimes it really is great to have someone overpowered…” Idia muttered, holding his head.

“ _I’ll end you! I’ll end you all! He’d never betray me like this! He’d never be this unhappy! **You’re all to blame!**_ ” Kalim screamed, blotty tears running down his face.

Kalim used magic, sending Malleus flying back into the building, leaving a nice dent. They hurriedly ran over to him as he fell. Malleus weakly got up, wondering how in the world he got stronger.

“Are we going to lose him…?” Riddle whispered, watching their teachers try and fail constantly.

They all noticed someone standing in front of Kalim. It was…

“ _Jamil! I’ll protect you. I’ll get rid of anyone who threatens your happiness! They made you betray me!_ ” Kalim said, glad to see Jamil.

“You’re absolutely disgusting. I don’t want anything from you. It makes me sick, especially looking at you right now. You’re a complete idiot if you think I’d be happy about this.” said Jamil, his hair and clothes plastered to him. “No matter what you do, it won’t change the fact I did betray you and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”

Kalim was quiet until he started to cry blotty tears, tears of emotional and physical pain mixing together. The downpour became worse, Kalim starting to choke and gasp. Jamil stepped towards him, seeing his spirit wasn’t going to attack him. Vil ran to stop him, only to be sent flying back by Kalim’s spirit. Jamil pulled the dying Kalim into his arms, blood and blot coming from Kalim’s mouth.

The downpour slowly let up, the dark spirit slowly fading along with the blot. Kalim lied limp in his arms, his head resting on Jamil’s shoulder. The others quickly approached, needing to know if Kalim was okay.

“I’ll take him to the infirmary…”

They watched Jamil walk off with Kalim. They sent Malleus with him, just in case he decided to get a little risky.

“I really thought he was done for…” Riddle muttered, remembering the pained look on Kalim’s face.

“Well, right now we don’t know what state he’s in other than ‘not good’.” said Vil, seeing Riddle was still holding his side. “Maybe we should get you to the infirmary as well.”

Riddle reluctantly accepted his help, following after Jamil and Malleus.


	68. NSFW Call boy - Azul: Client? Leona.

Azul hummed, reading over statements of how Mostro Lounge was doing. Things were okay, but he wanted to increase sales. He packed up to head to his room when Jade had entered.

“Leaving so soon?”

“Yes, I have… important things to do.”

“Need any help?”

“No. It’s a one man job. Thank you though.” said Azul, locking up the VIP Lounge.

Jade watched Azul leave Mostro. It happened much too often these days, Azul leaving early and coming back late. Yet he never left a trace of where he disappeared to. He disliked that he cleaned up well.

•

Azul closed the door to his room, stripping off his clothes as he looked at the information. Client? Leona Kingscholar. Likes? Going in raw. Turn ons? Having his name moaned, having his ears bitten. Dislikes? Doing too much work. Azul rolled up his sleeves before deeming himself ready.

Azul made his way into Savanaclaw, not really digging the dry air. Savanaclaw students looked at him as he took the walkways to Leona’s room.

He knocked before going into a little patterned knock. He was granted entrance. Azul closed the door before looking at the lion lying in bed. All he had to do was get his ass fucked, get paid and leave. No unnecessary teasing and pointless words. Azul walked over to him. unbuttoning his shirt.

“You look good.” Leona said, looking at Azul’s bare chest. “Too bad you look like a twig.”

Azul ignored his teasing, starting to undress him. Leona, turned, giving him better access. It seemed he really just wanted to get it over with. He didn’t want that, he wanted to tease him until he couldn’t stand it.

“Hey, stop. I won’t pay you if you don’t do what I ask.” said Leona, his bulge popping out of his pants.

“Alright, what should I do first?” Azul asked sweetly.

“To think you’d resort to this to get money. Pathetic. Are you that desperate for money?”

“I really don’t know what you’re trying to get at here…”

“Should I toss madol at you? Have you dance for me? I’d love to see you shake that ass.” said Leona, propping himself up on his arms.

Azul sighed then gave Leona little shakes, not expecting ass slaps.

“More!”

Azul silently grumbled, feeling Leona slap his ass more. Leona palmed Azul’s crotch, making him stop. He opened his legs more, giving Leona more room to feel him.

“Hm, I don’t wanna please you.” said Leona, masssging Azul’s ass. “Take your pants off.”

Azul did as he was told. He really didn’t want to do this anymore. The plan was to fuck him, get paid, and leave. This was nothing but teasing. Azul sat on his bed nude, watching Leona eye him up and down. He felt Leona hold his thighs, spreading them apart. Azul narrowed his eyes, feeling Leona touching him. He soon found himself on all fours again.

Leona gently massaged his ass, really stalling for time. He did realize he’d have to pay more the longer he kept him.

“Your ass is so squishy, I wonder how it feels inside…” Leona muttered, sticking his fingers inside.

Azul squeezed his eyes shut, Leona’s fingers moving around inside him. They were finally getting somewhere. Leona pulled out, wanting to tease him a bit more. Azul took this opportunity to bite his ears, hearing pleased grunts from him. Azul continued to bite them, letting small moans leave his lips, often sneaking in his name.

He felt Leona hold his hips, grinding himself against him. There we go. They were finally getting out of teasing. Azul left his ears, pulling him for a kiss, making sure he sensually moan into it. Leona’s grinding started to feel more needy. That’s exactly how he wanted him. Azul pulled away, moving so he could remove the rest of Leona’s clothing. Azul seductively licked his lips, looking at Leona’s growing erection.

Leona pushed him back, not having had his fun yet. Azul cursed under his breath, seeing he should’ve moved faster. Leona used his tail, using the tip to stroke Azul’s erection. He covered his face, embarrassed that he was turned on by this. Leona smiled in delight before lying back on the bed. Azul crawled over to him, using the lube he brought with him and rubbing it all over Leona’s shaft, often teasing the tip.

Azul positioned himself over it before slowly sitting down on it, letting it enter his ass. Leona sat and watched as Azul did all the work. Leona teased his nipples as he let bite marks on Azul’s body. Azul moaned in bliss, making sure to throw in Leona’s name. He could feel Leona twitch inside him every time he said his name. His research never failed him.

Surprisingly, Leona had started massaging his thighs, teasing his own throbbing shaft. Azul tried getting Leona as deep as he could, pleased to hear Leona starting to moan louder. Azul hissed slightly, feeling Leona scrape his nails against his thighs as he quickened his pace, needing to feel Leona more.

Leona couldn’t barely sit still, fighting the urge to ram into the octopus that rode him. He hated seeing that lewd look on Azul’s face. It was making him even more horny and desperate to make Azul drool in being pleasured by his dick. Azul tightly gripped the bedsheets, his moaning coming out short and deep. He came onto Leona’s stomach, arching his back and still going strong. He couldn’t rest until Leona was satisfied.

He felt Leona move him off, flipping him with his ass now in the air. He wasn’t given time to process anything as Leona plunged into his, a throaty gasp leaving his mouth. Leona moaned in pleasure, pushing himself deep inside Azul. His ass was tight and felt as if it was cushioning him. It felt so fucking divine. Leona bit along Azul’s back, feeling his climax coming soon.

Azul drooled some, never having felt this much pleasure ever. The way Leona’s dick felt inside him was something spectacular. He was slowly growing addicted. He felt Leona dig his nails into his hips, thrusting hard into him. Leona’s movements became sporadic until he felt warm liquid spreading inside his ass. His chest heaved along with Leona’s, both a bit tired. Azul looked, seeing he had come a second time without noticing.

Azul weakly sat facing Leona, now waiting for payment.

“Show me your ass.” Leona demanded.

Azul did as he was told, feeling the cum being squeezed out. Leona chuckled, circling his pink rim with his finger.

“You did decently. Here.” said Leona, pulling out the cash.

Azul counted it, seeing it was more than the actual price. He looked at Leona who didn’t say anything.

“You added extra.”

“That’s for already knowing what I like and not wasting time.”

Azul didn’t say anything as he started getting dressed. He wondered what Leona was looking at on his phone with such a dirty look. Leona’s eyes met his.

“Curious?”

“Hardly.”

Leona pulled him over, showing he had recorded him squeezing out his cum before getting a good shot of his pleasured filled face.

“Don’t post it online.”

“I know, it’s one of your rules.”

Azul glanced back at Leona before leaving. He’s done it with a number of students, but none gave him such a fulfilled feeling like Leona did. Maybe he’d get Leona to make another appointment. He was interested to see how things would turn out.


	69. Kalim + Jamil: I hated it!

The two sat in silence in Kalim’s bedroom. Jamil was resting in the bed while Kalim tearfully watched over him.

“Stop it. I don’t want your pity.”

Kalim wiped his tears, causing more to fall. Jamil rolled his eyes, saying nothing.

“I’m sorry… If only I knew how you felt…” Kalim muttered, starting to blubber.

“As if you’d understand even if I did tell you. You’re an absolutely fucking blockhead! You couldn’t do anything without my fucking help!” Jamil grumbled, sitting up in bed. “Do you know how suffocating it was, stifling my absolute genius? Having to cater to your sorry bitch ass needs!? So many times I wished some random person would snatch you away when we were out on the streets.”

Kalim silently looked at Jamil, seeing he was going to vent. Years of built up stress, grudge, frustration finally coming to the surface.

“Every day your annoying ass voice calling for me, ‘Lets do this together!’, 'I wanna play mancala!’, 'Let’s practice magic together!’. E-fucking-nough. Every time I think 'I finally get to rest’… No! There you are again dragging me around like a rag doll! And every time I say I’m tired, I get fucking punished. I deserve to get eight hours of nice ass sleep too!”

“Always being forced to do what _**you**_ want, when _**you**_ wanted **AND** letting _**you**_ win when you were clearly incompetent… I _hated_ it! I wanted to beat you so bad that you’d cry so fucking hard. I wanted to see you admit you were stupid and praise me like the genius I am!”

Jamil had gotten up at this point, walking around the room as he spoke nonstop. Kalim kept his head low, listening.

“Do you know how fucking crushing it is to hear adults constantly tell me to act dumb as a gifted kid? Do you? I wanted to show off! I wanted to be star of the show! But no. Fucking no. I had to be born as a lowly servant to your god fucking annoying ass family! So many opportunities I had to hurt you, get rid of you without causing suspicion. So many!”

“Instead, I continued to play along with this stupid charade. And you only got worse from childhood. It was like you suddenly became jared, 19! Who gets worse at living when they get older? Oh wait, snot ass pampered rich kids. Having every little fucking thing done for them. Want water? Have a servant help you drink. Food? They feed you. Want new clothes? They carry your purchases for you. Ugh, I wanted to burn it all!”

“There’s just so much more I can say but it wouldn’t matter. It’s all already happened and I won’t ever like you or your stupid rich ass family. I still wish death upon you.” Jamil ended, getting back in bed. “I don’t want those disgusting victim tears. Get out of my sight.”

“You’re right… Gifted people like you shouldn’t have to cater to idiots…” Kalim muttered, his tears having been running nonstop. “I really thought you were just as bad as me. I’m so sorry for offending you all these years.”

“Are you deaf? I said get out.”

“I really want you to know I truly wanted the best for you. I didn’t see you as a servant. I didn’t want to…” Kalim weeped, his eyes becoming puffy.

Slap. Kalim held his cheek as Jamil glared at him.

“Stop. It.”

“Jamil-”

Kalim immediately shut up as Jamil had gotten up, holding his face by his chin as he was forced to look up at him. A brief smile flickered across his face before the scowl returned.

“I’m trying to rest and you’re being annoying. As usual. Get out before I do something I won’t regret.”

Kalim felt Jamil let him go before getting back in bed. Kalim sniffled, wiping his eyes as he slowly left the room.

“I’m sorry, Mimi…”

The door closed.


	70. Floyd x Azul x Jade: Our lovable octopus

Azul sighed, finally getting a chance to sit down and eat. He had been working nonstop since Mostro opened and his help was finally no longer needed. He opened up the container, taking out his phone to use. Azul put his phone away, remembering he still had a bit of work to do.

Silence. A bit too quiet for his liking. He had his phone play soft melodies as he worked. This was better. He felt more efficient too.

The door opened and in stepped Floyd, having gotten bored of helping out. He spotted Azul doing work, now not feeling so bored anymore. He walked over to his desk, poking his cheek.

“Lil’ ‘pus, give me kisses.”

Ignored. Floyd frowned. He kissed Azul’s cheeks, hoping for a reaction. None.

“Azul~ Kiss me…” Floyd whined, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Don’t ignore me…”

Ignored. Floyd continued to try and get his attention, knowing Azul could only stand so much before he cracked.

“Azul~ Look at me.”

“I’m busy, Floyd.”

“Hnn, but I’m more important.”

“Are you though?”

“Don’t be like that lil’ 'pus…” Floyd whined, placing kisses on his neck.

Azul flicked his forehead. Floyd pouted, rubbing his forehead. Azul was being unnecessarily mean today. Did they make him mad?

He nuzzled against Azul, hoping he’d accept it as a small apology.

Ignored. Floyd scowled, marching over to one of the couches and flopped onto it. He was bored again. Azul glanced up, discreetly smiling. He loved seeing Floyd getting fed up from being ignored. It made getting kisses afterwards that much more passionate. He took another bite of his snack, unknowingly gaining Floyd’s attention.

Floyd watched him with interest. He knew what those pretty lips of his could do. Floyd watched him a bit more before having an idea. Floyd got up from his spot on the couch, circling around so he was standing beside Azul.

“Hm, you’ve been eating a lot more while sitting…” Floyd muttered, squeezing Azul’s arms. “You should really start being mindful.”

Azul felt Floyd turn him before starting to run his hands over his sides. He trembled, his sides being ticklish.

“Oh? Are you gaining weight, lil’ 'pus? I’m feeling a bit of fat~”

“S- Stop that!” Azul squeaked, trying to hold in his laughter.

Floyd continued to run his hands over his sides, leaning closer to his face. Azul turned his head, avoiding Floyd’s advances. He finally gave in, allowing himself to start laughing. Floyd smiled bright, seeing an opportunity. Floyd seized his lips, feeling Azul shake from suppressing laughter. Azul blushed deeply as Floyd had gone in deeper than expected and he unexpectedly liked it.

“Hnn… maybe you should go on a diet… A Leech twin diet.” Floyd muttered, squeezing Azul’s hips. “You’ll definitely stay fit…”

The door opened and closed. Jade looked at the two of them who looked at him.

“Having fun without me? How cruel. I ought to punish you both.” said Jade, taking off his hat and jacket.

“I was telling Azul he should go on a Leech twin diet, haha~” said Floyd, backing up

“Hm, I like the sound of that.” said Jade, feeling Azul up and down. “We’ll keep you really fit and filled to the brim…”

“S- Stop touching my sides!” Azul wailed, wanting time stop laughing already.

Jade moved one of his hands to Azul’s stomach, giving it a few squeezes. Floyd went behind Azul, him and Jade lifting him to his feet. Azul visibly gave up, allowing the twins to touch him all over, saying he should consider their diet.

“I wonder if you got fatter back here…” Floyd muttered, gently squeezing Azul’s ass. “I wanna see…”

“N- No! Don’t do that!” Azul stammered, moving Floyd’s hands. “H- Hey!”

Azul’s face was extremely red as he kept Jade from pulling his pants down. He didn’t like that lewd look on Jade’s face, especially with red cheeks. Azul managed to squeeze his way out from between the two, breathing heavily as he fixed himself.

“You two… are a menace!” Azul shouted despite having enjoyed it.

“Ah, we were simply teasing our lovable octopus.” said Jade, his cheeks still red.

“I was just getting back at you for ignoring me.” Floyd said, leaning against Azul’s chair. “I’m still peeved.”

Azul glared at them, fearing he’d give in to them the moment one of their hands touched his body again.


	71. Kaja: Just wait for it

Kalim happily chatted with Azul and Jade, listening to their ideas for the rest of the week. Jamil entered the room, sending his heart into a frenzy.

“Jamil! Good morning!” he said cheerily, but not too cheerful.

His heart wouldn’t settle, but he loved the feelings Jamil gave him. Jamil looked at the scene.

“We decided to wake him up ourselves.” said Azul

“And pitch a few more ideas about how to go about the training camp.” Jade added on.

“They’re really great ideas! I think everyone will love them!”

“Also, since we’ll be here, don’t worry about trivial things like waking Kalim up or making breakfast. We’ll handle it since we’re intruding.”

“You really don’t-”

“But we insist. Kalim told us how hard you work for him and the others in Scarabia.” Azul said with a shake of his head.

“Let us give back.” Jade said with a smile.

“Please Jamil! You don’t have to work so hard anymore! Take time for yourself!” Kalim pleaded, secretly wanting to spend more time with him.

Jamil sighed, closing the door behind him.

“I guess that’s a sign of agreement.” said Azul, him and Jade exchanging looks.

•

Kalim helped the others practice, really having fun with Azul’s suggestion. Everyone seemed happier this way too. He looked around, wondering where Jamil had wandered off to. He didn’t get very far until one of the twins had stopped him, wanting to engage in battle with him.

 _“I hope Jamil is okay…”_ Kalim thought, finding it a bit hard to focus.

He couldn’t help but think back to earlier during breakfast. Jamil seemed shaken that breakfast had been already made. He probably just wasn’t used to getting help so willingly. The food was pretty good too.

“Hyah!”

Kalim was sent tumbling back, his focus having drifted too far.

“Oi, sea otter. Where are you looking?” Floyd complained.

“Sorry, I’m just worried about Jamil. He seemed jumpy this morning.”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s fine.”

Kalim wanted to believe that. He really did. Jamil silently brooded from the shadows, narrowing his eyes at Azul. Not today. Not after everything he’s been creating.

•

“I get to help make lunch? Awesome!” Kalim cheered.

“You don’t-”

“What’s the harm in letting him stir? You’ll be here watching us, watching him.” said Jade, handing Kalim a ladle.

“That’s true but…”

“Come on~ Take a break.” said Floyd, patting Jamil’s head.

Kalim happily stirred the contents in the pot, now seeing why Jamil loved cooking so much. It was so much fun. It was easier than he expected it to be.

“Look at me, I’m cooking!”

“You’re really just stirring…” Jade deadpanned.

“Even still it’s fun, especially cooking with others, haha!” Kalim said cheerily, looking to Jamil for approval.

He didn’t seem happy this time either. Was he that unhappy to see him enjoying helping out? His chest pained him. He was only trying to make Jamil’s burden lighter.

“Why don’t you go and relax? We can handle things here.” said Azul, smiling.

“I’m fine like this.”

Azul shrugged, putting in more seasoning.

They had brought the food back to Scarabia and the students excitedly digged in, loving the new training camp.

“I don’t mind staying if the rest of training camp will be like this!”

“It feels like a nightmare had lifted!”

Kalim looked around, glad to see everyone wasn’t on edge anymore. However, he didn’t see Jamil anywhere. Jade flitted around, whispering into people’s ears. He noticed Azul was starting to leave the room with Azul.

Jade had arrived by his side, wordlessly taking his phone and having him open Magicam.

“What’s-”

“Just wait for it.”

Kalim silently nodded going back to eating along with the other students.

•

_“Hahaha…! Perfect… This is perfect!!”_

_“I can still win!”_

_“You really are my genie in a lamp, Azul!”_

_“Do you wish to hear of the Headmaster’s secrets?”_

_“Of course. If I can exploit the Headmaster’s weaknesses, then… I can finally be free…!”_

_“I can chase Kalim out of the school and become Prefect myself!”_

Kalim silently listened with the other Scarabians. Jamil had been plotting against their dorm leader this entire time? Kalim was actually the good guy the entire time? Students got up, heading to where Jamil was. They couldn’t believe it.

Kalim continued to sit, Jamil’s words ringing in his ears. Jamil wanted him gone. Tears fell onto his phone. Jamil wanted him gone. That couldn’t be it. They were friends. He always saw him as someone dear to him. Kalim scrambled to his feet, needing answers. He stopped, noticing the area around him darkened and little strands of electricity ran through the air.

Where was this magical energy coming from? Why was it so strong? His mind immediately went to Jamil. Jamil could be in danger. He quickly left the lounge, hurrying to where he thought Jamil would be. He came to a stop, seeing the scene around the corner.

“Jamil…” he whispered, looking at the boys of Octavinelle fighting him. “No, Jamil…!”

Kalim ran over to them, looking up at Jamil teary eyed. Jamil couldn’t have overblotted.

“Jamil, you didn’t mean those things you said, right? You don’t actually-”

“Shut up! I’m tired of hearing your squeaky little voice!” Jamil shouted, knocking them back.

“I don’t understand… Aren’t we friends?” Kalim asked, getting to his feet. “We’ve been together since we were tots… we always had fun together…”

“You see… Ever since I can remember, that carefree, positive, and foolish attitude of yours… I’VE ALWAYS **HATED** IT!!!” Jamil said, sending his hypnotized slaves after them. “You keep doing what you want without thinking of what I have to do for you!! I’ve always hated seeing your smile. **I’M SO SICK OF IT!!** I won’t sugarcoat anything anymore. I’ve always, **ALWAYS** wished that you were gone.”

“But… Jamil, I-”

“I don’t care what you have to say.”

“I love you! I’m completely and utterly in love with you!” Kalim shouted, fending off the zombie students.

Jamil blinked before laughing. He kept laughing. Kalim started tearing up again, listening to his laughter. He was laughing at his declaration.

“As if I’d ever fall in love with a stupid, pampered asshole like you!” Jamil roared, wiping his eyes free of blotty tears.

“Wha… Jamil…” Kalim whispered, losing his will to fight back.

The Octavinelle boys covered for him as he looked at Jamil.

“A stupid asshole like you!”

He thought they were close. They always felt close. Kalim sank to his knees, his heart paining him. He couldn’t move. It hurt too much. Kalim loudly weeped, feeling himself being picked up by Floyd as they ran away.

“This is no time to be crying like a bitch!” Jade hissed, pulling on Kalim’s cheek.

“Focus your attention on the guy behind us!” Azul yelled, sending another attack towards Jamil.

They dropped off Kalim in a room, seeing he was completely useless at this moment. Kalim allowed himself to cry more before wiping his face. Jamil was in danger. He was going to help them save him, even if Jamil hated his guts. He was a person in love and would do anything for Jamil. Even willing to give his life.


	72. Kaja: Something like that

Scarabia was never the same. After hearing their vice was a massive genius who was forced to make their dorm leader look good, it made them question everything. Who truly was the better pick as dorm leader? They never voiced their thoughts, seeing their dorm leader was already having a tough time trying to adjust. Kalim had to do everything himself now. It was amusing watching their dorm leader struggle, but they also felt bad for him.

A few would often help out, understanding he’s always been waited on hand and foot whether he wanted it or not. They also knew how awful he was at studying but thanks to Azul’s tip, he’s been getting better. Not great, but better.

Kalim’s ruffled his hair, not really understanding the spell. When would he ever need to create a spatula? Why were spells difficult? He was stressed. He managed to get through the readings and practices before collapsing onto his bed. Life was hard. Living was hard. Was this what it was like not having people do things for you?

He rolled into his side before curling into a fetus position. He always appreciated everything Jamil did for him, but he really did take it for granted. Always believing he’d be by his side, taking care of him and being his friend.

_“Let’s be friends, Jamil.”_

_“An equal standpoint… Friends…? A very characteristic decision, huh, Kalim. Then, let me say this since we’re being open…”_

_“I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE!!!!”_

_“You’re so sketchy, stupidly clumsy, and a reaaaallllyyy carefree and materialistic rich kid!! As if I’ll be friends with someone like that! If we didn’t grow up together, I’d definitely not be friends with you!”_

His words still hurt. Every time he would try to approach him, Jamil would instantly move somewhere else. He wasn’t even trying to give him a chance. He figured if maybe he could properly do things on his own, maybe Jamil would give him a glance. Maybe talk to him like an acquaintance.

Kalim sat up, looking at his homework that he still needed to do. He picked up the book, starting to study again. He needed to do his best.

•

Kalim looked between ingredients, trying to figure out what should be used and what could be skipped. Kalim checked the recipe again before realizing he didn’t need either.

“Maybe I should’ve read through the entire thing…” Kalim muttered, quickly moving to get what was needed.

He moved the ingredients around in the pan, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. This was hard. How did Jamil do it on a daily basis? He really should’ve showed more appreciation. Kalim sighed, seeing he wasn’t even half way done making tomorrow’s lunch.

“Dorm leader, there’s a problem!” a student said.

“Oh, I’m coming!” he shouted back, turning the stove off before hurrying over to them.

A figure entered the kitchen not too long after Kalim had left. They looked around, spotting the meal he had been working hard on making. They pulled out a small vial, pouring it’s contents into everything he’s prepared.

They chuckled a bit before scurrying out. Kalim was going to be in for a surprise when he tasted his food.

Kalim waved to the others before heading back into the kitchen. He turned the stove back on, starting up cooking again. It was definitely tough for his first time not using magic, but he could see the fun in it. He found the rest of the steps easy to do.

He packed everything up for tomorrow, not seeing a need to taste it. His hard work was obvious so it had to taste at least decent. Kalim closed the refrigerator feeling good about everything.

Kalim left the kitchen in high spirits, feeling he could tackle more advanced spells.

A figure entered the kitchen, noticing nothing was cooking in the kitchen. They rummaged around, searching for something. They opened the refrigerator, spotting what they were looking for. Kalim’s meal. They pulled it out, opening it up. A small syringe appeared in their hands before injecting some of the food with the liquid.

“I told you, I don’t want to hear his name ever again.” a familiar voice said.

The figure quickly finished their task, putting everything away. Jamil stepped into the kitchen, wanting to make himself a light meal. The scent of something having been cooked still hung in the air.

“Oh, were you cooking?” Jamil asked, looking at the student.

“Yeah. Kalim was using it with me, haha.” they said before leaving.

Jamil raised an eyebrow before getting to work.

•

Kalim groaned, turning in his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, looking for the time. He sat up with a start. He was going to be late for his first class. He scrambled around, grabbing things he needed for his shower before ducking into his personal bathroom.

15 minutes. Kalim dried his hair, throwing on his clothes as fast as possible. 12 minutes. Kalim was running down the halls of Scarabia before heading back to grab his lunch. 9 minutes. Kalim ran down the halls of Night Raven, seeing he had very little time before Crewel closed the door in his face. 3 minutes.

Kalim wheezed heavily, just making it to class. Kalim crumpled into his seat, earning a worried look from Silver.

“You’re usually here fifteen minutes before class. Yet you’ve been showing up literally just a few minutes before Crewel closes the door.” Silver said lowly. “Is everything okay?”

“Yep! Just doing things. Alone.” said Kalim, readying himself to take notes.

“Oh, you have lunch with you? Jamil decided to give you lunch to eat by yourself?” Silver asked, knowing Jamil was usually the one who had Kalim’s meals.

“Yeah. Something like that.”

The bell ring, signaling the start of class. Kalim had been barely keeping up, having not gotten enough sleep. Next time he’d have to go to bed earlier. No more parties, at least, not on the weekdays. Silver leaned against Kalim, causing him to fall asleep as well.

They were startled out of their sleep by Crewel whacking them on the head with his pointer, easily chewing them out. They quietly apologized, doing their best to stay awake.

•

Kalim sighed, somehow surviving the morning. He had forgotten a few things, but thankfully they weren’t too important that he couldn’t participate in class.

“So, lets have lunch together?” Silver suggested, curious as to what Kalim made.

“Sounds like a plan.”

The duo took residence at a table in the cafeteria, Kalim waiting for Silver to come back before he ate. Silver sat down with his meal, noticing Kalim’s meal looked a bit… interesting. Silver briefly looked away before hearing someone coughing. He looked up and saw it was Kalim, banging heavily against his chest as he spit everything out.

“Does it taste bad?” Silver asked, unaware of what was really going on.

Kalim shook his head, scratching his throat frantically. Silver tilted his head before his eyes widened.

“Kalim! Oh god, what do I do…” Silver said frantically.

He racked his brain for spells before ultimately picking Kalim up and rushing him to the infirmary.

•

Kalim groaned, his eyes half open. He wasn’t in the cafeteria anymore. He closed his eyes again, finding it hard to keep them open.

“Idiot.”

He opened them slightly again, wondering who was speaking.

“Getting yourself poisoned. A fate you deserve.”

It was Jamil. There was no debate about it. He closed his eyes, simply opting to just listening to him.

“I’m glad it happened. Goes to show you can’t let your guard down. Everyone is out to get you.”

He knew. He knew that and yet he had faith that maybe things would be different.

“Look at me, talking to you while asleep. Guess that makes me an idiot too.”

Kalim felt something touch his head, giving it a soft rub. It moved to his face, as if touching something delicate.

“Don’t get yourself poisoned again. I won’t visit you next time. If there is a next time.”

The feeling left his face. He turned his head slightly, looking with his half open eyes. He just barely caught Jamil leaving through the door. He really came to see him. His heart beat in utter joy. He still had a small place in Jamil’s heart. Tears left his eyes as he snuggled further into the bedsheet. Jamil still cared about him, and that was enough to keep him going.


	73. 4th y Kaja: We can change it

Kalim had everyone set up, wanting his proposal to be grand. Jamil was definitely going to be surprised when he was brought over by a few classmates. Naturally it’s probably take a while since he didn’t really get along with them.

“No! Streamers in loops not swirls! He hates swirls!” Kalim shouted, going over to help the students.

Silver and Ruggie stepped into the lounge, looking at the vibrant decorations, flowers and various small animals that sat without causing a ruckus.

“Wow this is… bright.” Ruggie muttered, feeling a need to shield his eyes.

“So this is the final spot they’re supposed to bring Jamil huh…? Are you sure you want to do this? Especially after everything that happened?” Silver said, scratching underneath a bird’s head.

“He’s gonna love it! It’s all his favorite things and colors!” Kalim said happily, spotting a student hanging up a lantern. “No, not that lantern! He hates spots!”

Ruggie and Silver exchanged looks. Oddly specific lantern tastes. Kalim put them to work, the room almost completed.

“Hey, just got a text. They’re at the first stop.” said Ruggie, waving his phone.“

"Great timing! Let’s go bring in the sweets!” said Kalim, bringing a few students with him.

“He’s going to get rejected. Hard.” Ruggie said, watching Silver interact with the birds.

“But you have to admit, he’s pretty brave for doing it.”

“Or simply stupid.”

Silver didn’t say anything, knowing all too well. He did want this to work out for Kalim but everything was just pointing to no. Silver had the birds go back onto their perch, wanting them to be ready for when Jamil arrived.

Kalim came back in with the sweets, placing them on the center table. Everything was ready and perfect.

•

“What is this, a scavenger hunt?” Jamil fussed, looking at the nicely decorated card.

“There’s a difference between scavenger hunts and a follow the clue cards.” Riddle deadpanned. “You really have no idea what this means?”

“‘Round and round and round you go. Where you stopped…? Only we know!’. The hell does he mean…” Jamil muttered, racking his brain.

“Maybe something from your childhood?” Jade suggested.

A light bulb went off. Riddle and Floyd followed after him, wondering where he was going.

They found themselves in Scarabia. They were starting to panic. Jamil finally stopped at the fountain, looking around it. Jade reaches into the water, finding the next clue card.

“Wow, he managed to laminate it.” Jade said in awe.

Riddle nodded in agreement.

“'Go to the place I had told you my deepest secret!’. He’s told me a lot of secrets though… More than I wanted to hear.”

“There’s tiny writing on the bottom.” Riddle mentioned, noticing the tiny font.

“'Note: It was late at night in an unusual place’. Does he mean…” Jamil muttered before walking off again.

They followed him to the vault where he had the magic carpet come out. They were about to ask what he was doing before he took off into the air.

“There’s a card in the sky?” Riddle whispered, glancing at Jade.

“He may have some help up there. Somewhere.” Jade said squinting up at the sky.

Jamil had come back down, holding another card. There really was a card up in the sky. Riddle noticed a blue bird flying away and into the Scarabia building. Jamil was already walking off to the next destination without needing to deliberate a bit.

They found themselves in Jamil’s room, a card propped up against a pillow. Jamil picked it up before furrowing his brows.

“It just says Oasis maker…” Jamil said flatly.

“Are you supposed to shout it?” Jade questioned.

“Maybe recite his chant.”

“His chant… Oh.” Jamil said, coming to a realization. “I’m surprised at how thought these are. He had to have help.”

 _“We think so too…”_ Riddle and Jade thought in unison.

•

Everyone hid, Jamil and the others due to arrive soon. Kalim whispered to himself, calming his nerves. He’s practiced. And practiced. There was no room for a mistake. Everyone heard footsteps approaching. Kalim took a deep breath before waiting to give the signal.

Jamil stepped into the lounge with Riddle and Jade, holding a bouquet of tiger lilies. Party poppers went off before Kalim walked towards Jamil, taking his hand and leading him to the center of the room. So far, so good.

“Hi, Jamil. Ahem, um… We’ve been together since we could remember. Sometimes I feel like we were together as babies because of some memories I’d often have. We grew up together, learned things together, got in trouble together.” said Kalim, still holding Jamil’s hand. “You were always there for me, even if it was your duty.”

Jamil pursed his lips, wondering what in the name of the Great Seven was going on.

“I want to always be there for you too. I want us to depend on each other. There’s so much more I want to say and express how much I love you. But I’ll get right to the point.” said Kalim, finally getting on one knee. “Jamil Viper, will you marry me?”

Jamil looked down at Kalim who held the Asim wedding ring passed down from generation to generation.

“Are you stupid?”

Everyone looked, a bit surprised hearing those being his first words. Ruggie on the other hand, expected this outcome. Luckily he had snuck some of the sweets beforehand just in case things got ugly.

“After all this time, after all this grief you’ve put me through all my life, you really think this is appropriate? I’m never going to forget the pain and anguish you made me feel all these years.” Jamil said, tightly gripping the bouquet. “How I had to dumb myself down to make you look good, constantly getting in trouble for the smallest things. I still get in trouble for the smallest things!”

Everyone could see Jamil wasn’t done with his rant. Truly this was a brutal proposal rejection.

“Our parents are constantly barking in my ears, always reminding me I can’t be better than you, that I have to bend to your every whim! I can’t think for myself, I always have to think what benefits our families. I’m sick of it!” Jamil shouted, still not done ranting. “I just want to be free… Free of being a slave. I want to be myself and I can’t do that… not as long as you’re here.”

Kalim’s determined eyes never faltered. Jamil still hadn’t given him an answer.

“He’s going to reject him. It’s obvious.” Ruggie whispered, leaning against Silver.

“We can change it. Our futures aren’t set in stone.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no way I can rise up from what I was born into it. I hate it. I hate it and yet…” Jamil said, slowly trailing off. “This… this makes me happy…”

Everyone let out a collective “huh”.

“Jamil, will you?” Kalim asked again.

Jamil lifted Kalim to his feet, pulling him in for a kiss. Everyone looked around in confusion before sending off another round of party poppers and cheering. Silver looked at Ruggie, pushing his jaw up in amusement.

“You’ll catch flies.” Silver chuckled.

They pulled apart, giving Kalim a chance to skip the ring onto Jamil’s finger. They kissed again, the birds in the room happily chirping before bursting into a melodic song.

Jamil pulled away, looking into Kalim’s orange eyes.

“I’m honored to be your fiancé…” Jamil muttered, holding Kalim in his arms.

“I don’t care what our parents think. I love you with my entire being. I want you to be part of my family.” Kalim responded, resting his head on Jamil’s shoulder. “I’d love to have a family of our own.”

“You’re getting a bit ahead of yourself there…” Jamil commented, wanting to take things a step at a time.


	74. Kaja: We can change it (cont.)

**(1 year later…)**

Jamil brushed his hair out having been told the school would be doing something special for him and Kalim in light of the set date for their marriage. He couldn’t believe it. The person he had grown to hate so much that he would’ve danced on his grave is now his fiancé and soon to be husband. The world certainly had a way with things.

Jamil couldn’t imagine what the school had planned. It wasn’t the best place with that bird man as headmaster. Jamil started to braid his hair in its usual style before stopping. Maybe he could go a little wild today. He let sections of his hair hang in front of his face while the rest was put into a ponytail. Would anyone know the difference? He wasn’t exactly used to having both eyes full exposed, but it looked pretty nice actually.

Jamil closed the door to his room before hearing someone clear their throat. He turned around and quickly bowed.

“Please, no need to be so formal. We’re practically family.” a soft voice said, smiling happily.

“Even then, I have to respect my elders…” Jamil said, straightening up some.

“Always so serious… Kalim really does need someone like you to keep him in line.” said Mr. Asim. “He can be so air headed sometimes.”

“ _He’s just now noticing…?_ Yeah, he can be. And that adds to his charm. Always looking at the bright side of things.” Jamil said, truly wondering how Kalim would’ve gotten through life without him.

“To think my son would find love so soon and so close to home…” said Mr. Asim looking up at the ceiling. “And not to mention a genius like you. He really hit the jackpot.”

 _“More like I did. I’m marrying into money…”_ Jamil thought. “I’m just really happy to be by his side as more than a servant, Mr. Asim.”

Mr. Asim patted him on the shoulders, telling him to have fun at the event before walking away. Right, the event. Jamil hurried down the hall, needing to see how much more time Kalim needed before they left. The school wanted them there by 9 tonight and it was already going on to 7pm.

Jamil couldn’t find Kalim. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence, but for him to not be in his usual spots, it was slightly worrying. Jamil headed to Kalim’s room, once again not seeing him in there. Think. An event going on at school for them in two hours. If he was Kalim, where would he be?

Jamil flitted around, coming up with a plethora of ideas. He stopped by his room, seeing it was getting close to when they should be leaving. There on his bed sat Kalim with rose petals surrounding him.

“H-”

“I finally found you. Do you know what time it is? We’ve got less than an hour to get to the school _on time_. Come on.” Jamil fussed, completely ignoring the mood.

“But Mimi, can’t we spend just a little time together? Alone?” Kalim asked, keeping himself seated. “You’re always busy, running around and all…”

“Kalim, w-”

Kalim had pulled him down, capturing his lips with his. He pulled Jamil on top of him, needing him to know his wants.

“Kalim, you can’t possibly want to do this now.”

“But I do. I’m starving…”

Jamil sighed, unable to resist the needy look on Kalim’s face.

•

Kalim cheered happily as they arrived at Night Raven by the magic carpet.

“See, we aren’t late!” Kalim said, helping Jamil off the carpet. “I know I didn’t say anything before but, you changed your hairstyle!”

Jamil faintly blushed, Kalim being the first person to notice.

“I like it! Let your hair out more~” Kalim said before taking his hand. “I can’t wait to see what the event is!”

They found themselves being separated once they reached the doors. Jamil waved to Kalim who waved back excitedly. He was walked through curtains before a chorus of voices rang in his ears.

“A bachelor party…? And all of you…” Jamil muttered, scanning the room.

Azul, the twins, Riddle, Leona sat at a table as music played and hired dancers dancing. Others started to flood in, really making it a party. The twins pulled Jamil over to the table, giving him pats on the back and hearty congratulations.

“I can’t believe it. You’re getting married.” said Azul.

“You’re not wearing glasses anymore. The contacts look nice.” Jamil said, taking notice. “It really brings out more of your face.”

“They say flattery gets you nowhere. So watch it.” Azul warned despite being pleased with the compliment.

“Kalim huh? He’s rich and…” Jade said, nodding his head. “Yeah, he’s just rich.”

“He’s got some good qualities. You know that sunshine personality.”

“Others will quickly find it annoying.”

They collectively sighed, not entirely sure what else to say about Kalim.

•

Kalim happily danced, swinging his friends around in glee. Silver staggered back, feeling dizzy. Kalim really was the same as ever. To think he got someone like Jamil to marry him… he was still in awe.

“Jealous, Silver?” Ruggie chuckled, stuffing himself.

“Jealous that he’s getting married? Not at all. I’m more envious that he doesn’t have to wait for a proposal.” Silver said with a smile full of hatred.

Ruggie clammed up, avoiding eye contact.

“But I suppose this is fine. I won’t lose anything if something goes wrong between me and them.” said Silver, sitting beside Ruggie.

“Guys! I’m having a lot of fun, but I’m gonna go see Jamil. I wonder if he’s having fun too!” said Kalim cheerily.

Ruggie held Kalim by his collar.

“You can’t do that. This is a night that you’re supposed to spend apart.”

“But-”

Ruggie sent Kalim over to the others who had started up a few games.

“Look at him. It’s like watching a child playing a game for the first time.” Ruggie snickered.

“Hey! Did I miss anything? a voice asked, sitting beside them.

"Nope. Looking snazzy as always, Diamond.” said Ruggie, flicking his collar. “You look good.”

Ruggie let out a pained yelp, earning a look from Cater. Ruggie looked at Silver teary eyed while he simply smiled.

“So, I hear the wedding is going to be huge.” said Cater, uploading his selfie to Magicam.

“Yeah! There’s gonna be so much good food at the reception… Just thinking of it makes my mouth water…” Ruggie muttered, slightly drooling.

“I bet the ceremony is going to be flashy.”

“Would Jamil want that though? It’s not just about Kalim.”

“I think it’ll be on a lesser grand scale since Jamil is more open about his feelings.”

They nodded in agreement. Ruggie got up out of his seat, seeing Kalim trying to sneak out.

•

Jamil could barely hold his cup. They went into fits of laughter at Azul spilling his drink all over Floyd.

“Give him a good hit!” Leona roared, drunk off his ass.

They laughed loudly as the two ended up kissing while trying to attack each other. He wasn’t expecting to have fun, but here he was, watching his friends make out and confess secrets.

“Hey, hey. You wanna hear something?” Jamil said, finishing off his glass. “We totally fucked before coming. Kalim looked like a mini stuffed turkey.”

They all hollered, slapping Jamil on the back.

“What’s sex with Kalim like?”

“It’s like… feeling like you’re taking someone’s virginity. He always looks so innocent.” Jamil slurred, taking out his phone. “See, look.”

They looked, watching Jamil swipe through his private album.

“My god he does look like that!”

“How many times have you done it?”

Jamil shrugged, having lost count at some point. They all hollered again, venting their frustrations with not getting laid.

•

“Jamil!”

“My god how drunk is he…” Cater whispered, Kalim clinging to him.

Ruggie recorded in amusement, sending it to the others with Jamil.

“Was I better tonight? Tell me, Mimi.” Kalim whined, shaking Cater’s shoulders.

“Kalim, I’m Cater.”

Kalim squinted before backing off. Cater sighed in relief until Kalim crawled over him, trying to get to the door. Once again, he was stopped.

“I want Mimi!” Kalim whined, trying time push Ruggie out the way.

“You’ve still got an hour. Live it up before you get locked in for life.” said Ruggie, pulling him back.

“Jamil!!!” Kalim wailed, letting Ruggie drag him.

“He’s been wailing nonstop about Jamil. Should we just let him go?” Silver said, watching Ruggie hold Kalim in his arms.

“Nah. We can last an hour.”

Kalim started to bite him.

“Half an hour.”

•

Kalim ran over to Jalim, missing him entirely with the hug. Jamil caught him, keeping him from hitting the ground. The magic carpet appeared, seeing its owners a complete mess.

“We had a lot of fun.” Jamil said, trying to formulate words. “Thanks.”

“Whee~” Kalim squealed, twirling around.

“See you… At the wedding! Right, the wedding.”

Jamil helped Kalim onto the carpet before getting on himself. They waved to the couple before looking at each other.

“So, who didn’t get an invitation?” Leona asked.

“Me, actually.” said Azul, slowly sobering up.

“Really? Cold. Even I got one. Says a lot.”

“I could take you as a plus one.” Jade suggested.

“I’m not that desperate…”

Jade raised an eyebrow.

“That would be kinda nice actually…” Azul mumbled, scratching his cheek.

“So, who’s Jamil’s best man?”

Riddle raised his hand, the only person who didn’t drink himself drunk. Everyone was shocked. Riddle of all people?

“Silver is Kalim’s.” Riddle said.

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Riddle silently fumes as everyone agreed. How was him being picked weird? He let it go, more focused on getting the drunks home before they caused a ruckus.


	75. Kaja: We can change it (final)

He expected things to go wrong. Someone was late, someone canceled last minute, something went missing, something hasn’t arrived. Everything was going right. And that’s what worried him. All his life something always went wrong. Which meant things would be catastrophic when something bad did happen the longer things went perfectly.

“You’re so jittery… Don’t tell me you’re nervous? No, are you getting cold feet?” Riddle said, looking at Jamil in the mirror.

“Riddle, don’t things feel _too_ perfect?”

“Don’t you want things to be perfect on your wedding day? It is a very important day for the Asim family and you.”

Jamil couldn’t deny that but even then, something had to be going wrong.

**[Near the altar…]**

“Grab those birds!” Kalim shouted, watching them fly away. “Ah, not the- seats…”

A bird had pooped on a few of the seats. Everything was going wrong.

“Kalim, Riddle says Jamil is getting antsy. Things feel too perfect for him.” shouted Ruggie, catching a few birds.

“He absolutely cannot know about everything going wrong! He’s done enough problem solving. Today is my turn to make things right! Keep him in that room! Use whatever means necessary!” Kalim responded, quickly looking up how to remove bird poop from furniture.

Leona sidestepped, watching the chaos. To think everything could go wrong with just a simple sentence.

_“Where’s Kalim’s best man?”_

Kalim was handling things surprisingly well. How Jamil couldn’t hear the chaos going on outside his room was a mystery.

**[Back in the room…]**

Riddle played games with Jamil, glad to see he relaxed some. He checked the time. One hour. They had to fix everything within an hour. Would they make it? Riddle took his turn, seeing Jamil won again.

“You know, I feel better. Whatever happens, happens. We’ll deal with it all when it comes.” said Jamil, completely relaxed all over.

Riddle updated the others before nodding. Silver still hadn’t been found. Of all times for him to disappear, it had to be on wedding day. It was even more worrying since Ruggie didn’t know either.

“I can’t believe it. In an hour I’ll be walking down an aisle and getting married…” Jamil muttered, everything really starting to sink in. “I won’t be his servant anymore. Jamil Asim… Not too bad sounding, right?”

“Right. Though I would’ve liked to call you both the Vipers.” Riddle said with a chuckle.

“You still could since he’ll technically be a Viper too. Ah, I can’t wait…” Jamil whispered, his cheeks flushing.

An hour had passed. Riddle hadn’t heard from the others. Was everything back to normal? Would Jamil have a breakdown?

“So, I’ll get going.” said Riddle a bit nervously.

He left through the door, not hearing any noise. Maybe everything was fixed. He peeked into the room, seeing everything was nicely set up. All of the Night Raven gang had arrived, even Vil who was supposed to be overseas. The two must be happy to see everyone came for their wedding, even Azul who wasn’t invited. They somehow managed to find Silver too.

Kalim stood by the altar, awaiting Jamil’s arrival. The procession began, everyone walking in as practiced. Kalim felt his heart stop in his chest, seeing Jamil being walked in.

“Beautiful…” Kalim blurted out, watching his husband to be walk towards him.

He had his hair down, decorated with pretty flowers. Kalim nervously took Jamil’s hands, his shaking clearly visible. A few people in the audience started to snicker, seeing the poor guy shaking like a leaf.

Words were said, vows were exchanged.

“You may now kiss…?”

Jamil noticed Kalim was petrified where he stood. Jamil started tickling his sides, getting him to loosen up. Everyone exchanged looks, wondering if this was planned at all. Jamil pulled Kalim in for a kiss, sending everyone into cheers and hollers.

“You wore your hair down…” Kalim whispered, running his fingers through his hair.

“You liked it so much last time, I wanted to surprise you today…”

“I really am surprised, haha!” said Kalim, taking Jamil’s hand in his.

A flower or two fell out of Jamil’s hair as Kalim dashed down the aisle with him in tow.

“They’re really married huh…” said Vil, not having seen a lot of their faces in ages. “To think they were helping us at Pomefiore our with that overblot not too long ago…”

“Not to mention their own overblot situation.” said Azul, really amazed by the two of them.

“I hear there’s another wedding in the future though…” said Rook, his eyes resting on someone’s finger.

Everyone started chattering, wondering who it was. Riddle spotted it.

“You’re engaged Ruggie!?”

Everyone stared at Ruggie who hid his hands.

“O- Of course not. I’m not even in a r- relationship!” Ruggie stammered, trying to slip it off but Leona had snatched the ring.

“It doesn’t look cheap either. Someone really put thought into it.” said Leona, his royal birthright aiding him in spotting cheap things.

“We’re getting off what’s important here! Kalim and Jamil’s wedding!” said Ruggie before running out.

Silver laughed behind his hand as they followed after him.

•

Jamil watched Kalim bust a move on the dance floor. Jamil purposefully avoided eye contact, knowing Kalim would make him dance.

“This is your reception! You should be having fun!” said Ruggie, pulling Jamil out of his seat.

“Ruggie-”

Ruggie pushes him into the crowd of dancers, not too far from where Kalim was getting into a zone.

“Jamil! You’re gonna dance after all!” Kalim shouted cheerily, pulling Jamil closer to him. “Dance with me!”

“You know I-”

“Jamil, it’s our wedding day. You’ve already let your hair loose, why not the rest of you?”

Something inside him snapped. Kalim cheered happily, watching his husband laying down some sick moves. Everyone started to watch, amazed by the Asims.

The music slowed down, a voice in the microphone announcing it was time for the married couple’s first dance. Kalim happily threw his arms around Jamil, resting his head against his shoulder.

•

Kalim gently ran his fingers through Jamil’s hair, the magic carpet taking them to their honeymoon location. He was surprised to see Jamil worn out. Then again, he did tell him to let loose tonight. He even had videos to remember and tease him with.

“I’m really glad you said yes… I can’t imagine anyone else I’d want to spend my life with.” Kalim whispered, placing a kiss on Jamil’s head.


	76. Kalim + Jamil: Why so glum?

Excited chatter filled the air as students swam in the water while others enjoyed the meals prepared. Kalim constantly checked up on everyone, wanting them all to forget about the bad times and feel better. Jamil sat off to the side, taking in the sight. Kalim looked in his direction before looking away.

“Hey!”

Jamil fell out of his seat, completely startled by Kalim. Kalim held out a drink, waiting for him to take it. Jamil reluctantly took it, seeing no harm in doing so. Kalim sat beside him, enjoying his own drink. He expected him to say something, do something, yet he did nothing. Was it silent torture?

Kalim gave him a smile before looking back at everyone enjoying themselves. He really had no intentions of talking? It was weird. Kalim always ran at the mouth no matter what.

“You aren’t talking.” Jamil said, finally voicing his thoughts.

“I figured we didn’t need to.” Kalim said, looking at him with his big eyes. “Do you want to?”

“Aren’t we right now?”

“Ah, true.”

Silence. They looked out at the students having fun. He expected things to feel better, to be better. But it didn’t. Not being around Kalim 24/7 at first was amazing. He couldn’t have asked for more. He wasn’t completely free, but free enough. But it didn’t feel so amazing as time went on. It felt…

Kalim had gotten up, being waved over by the third years. He subconsciously reached out before drawing back. This was nice, no idiot Kalim to constantly worry over to please their parents. He could be himself, he could shine. His eyes traveled to Kalim who laughed happily with their upperclassmen.

It felt…

“Why so glum, Jamil?” a voice called out. “Surely this little party should be to your liking.”

“I’d rather talk to a wall than you.” Jamil spat, keeping Azul and the twins at a distance.

“Ooo, someone sounds grumpy.” Jade chuckled, amused by the sight.

“Is the sea snake upset he won’t get his empire~?” Floyd teased.

Jamil audibly sighed, annoyed with their presence. The trio laughed in delight before parting ways, Jade staying behind.

“What.”

“I was simply curious as to how you’re enjoying your slightly free life.” Jade asked with his usual smile. “It must feel divine. After years of suppression…”

“What are you getting at?”

“Nothing. I’m just very intrigued by how things have developed. It’s not like Kalim was the only true friend you’ve developed a relation with.” said Jade with a sigh. “But I must be bothering you. Later~”

Jamil got a refill of his drink. He looked around. He knew some names and faces. He joined in with a few groups before he was faded out. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Jade made a good point. He was too busy plotting to really sit down and develop meaningful friendships.

Jamil sat back in his corner, slowly starting to see why his freedom wasn’t all that great anymore. He didn’t really have anyone to bask in it with. Kalim was still with the upperclassmen. Jamil sighed, hating this realization.

“Hey.”

He wasn’t startled this time. He looked at Kalim who kicked his legs, looking at the relaxing scene.

“How’s learning to do things on your own?”

“It’s not easy, but it’s really fun! I feel like a changed man, haha~” Kalim said cheerily. “It’s even more fun having my friends there to cheer me on.”

Jamil nodded, thinking on it. He didn’t really need cheering on since he was better than most.

“Sounds great for a simpleton like you.”

“Uh, I don’t get it but sure!”

_“Idiot…”_

Kalim smiled all the same. As much as he hated that smile, it was also his lifeline.

“I know you don’t really want to be friends or even rivals, but I’ll always consider you both. I truly did want to start things between us from scratch. But I won’t force you.” said Kalim, getting up. “So, I’ll give you space.”

Kalim turned on his heel, only to feel something grab his arm. He tilted his head, not expecting Jamil to hold him back. Did he have something to say?

“Don’t do that…”

“Do what?”

“I don’t want you deciding things for me!”

“Ah, I did it again… Sorry!” Kalim apologized, bowing to him. “If that’s all-”

“Just shut up and listen.” Jamil hissed, forcing Kalim to sit down. “I don’t like you or your family. I’m forced to be an ass kisser.”

“I-”

“But I… like… you, despite that.” said Jamil, slowly saying his words. “We can be… frenemies.”

“That sounds cool! I’ll do it.” Kalim said cheerily. “You’ve been holding my wrist quite a whole though.”

Jamil pulled away, not having realized.

“Then frenemies.”

Kalim nodded enthusiastically, shaking Jamil’s hands. He ended up getting a suspiciously intimate hug from Kalim before he took off. He still couldn’t believe how easy it was to please Kalim.


	77. Deuce: Mama Bird

Deuce was the first one up early in the morning. The eggs he rescued were due to hatch soon. Riddle and Trey had been helping him properly care for them, making sure they kept warm. Deuce quickly showered and got dressed, heading to the room they were kept in.

Deuce quietly closed the door behind him before walking over to their makeshift incubator. They were still unhatched.

“I bet you’re all going to be adorable.” Deuce whispered, making sure no one was around. “We’ll take good care of you until it’s your time.”

Crack. Deuce gasped, seeing a crack in an egg. He left to grab Ace so he could see the miracle of life. A tiny beak appeared from the crack.

Ace let Deuce drag him, seeing he could go back to bed faster if he let him do his thing. Deuce squealed in delight as they started emerging. Ace didn’t see what was so great about it.

“They’re gonna be so fun to help take care of!” Deuce said, facing Ace.

The chicks started making noise, looking at Deuce’s back. Deuce turned around, opening the door so they could walk out. What he didn’t expect was for them to attempt to walk towards him. One by one they tried walking to him, almost falling and passing on. Deuce easily caught them, placing them on the ground. They stood by him.

“You’re all so cute…”

Ace had already snuck out and was running back to their room. Deuce patted their heads before stepping back some. They moved forward just as much. The door opened, revealing Trey and Riddle. Deuce hurried over to them, the chicks following.

“So you’re their mom huh?”

“Mom?”

Deuce looked back, seeing all the chicks standing behind him. Weren’t they just over there?

“Looks like you’re going to be their primary caregiver.” said Trey, picking one up.

“I am? That’s a lot of responsibility… I can’t handle that.”

“You don’t really have much if a choice. Unless you want these chicks to starve?” Riddle quipped.

Deuce groaned, watching the chicks surround him.

•

Deuce ended up having chicks following him around school as they refused to go back into their incubator.

Student clearly took notice, whispering to each other as he walked the halls. It was truly embarrassing.

Teachers raised eyebrows at the sight of the chicks surrounding him. He really couldn’t do anything about it. The chicks chirped happily, following him everywhere.

“Come on… You can’t keep following me.” Deuce hissed, bringing them back to Heartslabyul.

He arrived at Heartslabyul, enduring all sorts of teasing from other students. He opened the chick room, placing them on the table with the incubator.

“Go inside.”

They didn’t move. Deuce started putting them in but they would simply walk out. So he used magic to move them all at once and lock them in. A few of them chirped.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

A few more chirps. Deuce caved, letting them out. It wasn’t that bad having chicks following him. The chicks chirped, rubbing against Deuce.


	78. Kaja: Piggyback ride

Jamil had finally awakened from his slumber after overblot. He got up out of bed, checking his phone to see what was going on. He was out for an entire week. Students were set to come back in a week or so. He opened the door to his room, seeing Scarabia students carrying on as usual. Some even greeted him.

It was obvious some hadn’t forgotten him overblotting, shying away from him as he roamed the halls. His mind immediately thought of Kalim. They were no longer master and servant. He liked that. He could finally stretch his wings after keeping them bound for so long. He felt… great.

•

Students from other dorms had come back from break, wishing they could be on break again already. Scarabia didn’t seem any different. Everyone carried on as usual. At least, until…

“Dorm leader!” a student shouted, approaching Jamil.

Jamil rubbed his ear, trying to make sure he heard right. Dorm leader? Was he under a spell or something? Was he still hypnotized?

“I’m the vice, but what can I help with?”

The student explained the problem, having Jamil follow them. It was a simple fix. He still couldn’t ignore the fact he called him dorm leader and not vice leader. Where was Kalim anyway? Why wasn’t he doing his job as dorm leader?

•

Jamil sat in class, listening to Trein drone on about magic history. He couldn’t help but overhear students talking behind him.

“I haven’t seen my dorm leader in two weeks! So we figured we’d make Jamil the new leader.”

“Maybe he’s on a family emergency?”

“Then Jamil would’ve gone with him. It’s weird. But Kalim wasn’t a good leader to start with, so I’m not really complaining.”

Jamil pursed his lips, wondering why they were spreading such rumors. Kalim isn’t that smart. He can’t run away even if he wanted to. His family would send a search party to find him. He froze. No, he couldn’t let them find out Kalim could possibly be missing. He’d get such a backlash he might be locked away for years if they were in a bad mood. He quickly needed to dispel the rumor before it traveled too far for him to stop.

•

Jamil frantically searched Scarabia, checking in every single room, nook, and cranny for Kalim. The more he searched, the apparent it became that maybe the rumor was actually true. He stopped by Kalim’s room again, carefully looking around. None of his things seemed to have moved, meaning he didn’t take anything with him. He went through his drawers and closet, hoping to find a clue somewhere in the room as to where Kalim took off to. He wouldn’t survive out in the world by himself. People were wolves, vultures even. If he were Kalim, where would he go? He’s mentioned he’s always wanted to visit the other’s hometowns. He’d start there.

Jamil quickly gathered as many people as he could in the lounge, explaining what was going on and how things were going to be dealt with. He put someone he could trust in charge while he was away.

“Senpai, wouldn’t it just be better to leave things as is? You’d make a better dorm leader anyway.” one student said.

“Yeah, Kalim is nice and all, but he’s always disorganized.” another piped up.

“Dorm leader Jamil!”

Students started to chant, making Jamil waver slightly. He couldn’t. His life was more valuable than a cheap title of dorm leader.

“In any case, I will bring back our dorm leader who foolishly ran into a world he knows nothing of.” said Jamil, walking off.

“Can we petition for Jamil while he’s gone?”

“I like that idea.”

•

Jamil arrived in the Rose Kingdom, taking note of the slight wackiness of it. He wouldn’t believe someone like Riddle grew up in a place like this if he hadn’t already known about it.

Jamil started asking around, knowing he had a lot of ground to cover. He easily made his work more efficient, but there was no Kalim. It was slowly getting darker. He had to return to school grounds before midnight. He asked a few more people before deciding to stop. What was more important, not getting a strike at school and getting sleep or finding Kalim? Finding Kalim.

•

Jamil exhaled, having asked a shit ton of people. The sun was slowly starting to rise above the horizon. Kalim wouldn’t answer his calls or texts. He sighed before a thought came to mind. Why didn’t he think of this before? He hurried back to Night Raven, needing a piece of Kalim.

Jamil, snuck back onto campus, successfully going undetected as he stepped through into Scarabia’s mirror. He continued to sneak around, not wanting to wake anyone up.

He opened the door to Kalim’s room, digging into his closet and pulling out a small box. In it sat a tiny doll with it’s eye falling out. Jamil muttered a chant, the tiny doll glowing and floating in the air. It was enveloped in light before illuminating the floor, revealing white footprints on the floor.

He followed them, hoping Kalim wasn’t in a hard to reach place. He found himself standing in front of the mirror. Jamil cast a playback spell, setting the time for when he thought Kalim had probably disappeared. He found himself turning back time more before seeing it.

“Take me to Afterglow Savannah!”

He stepped through. Jamil wasted no time in doing the same. Afterglow Savannah. He wasn’t going to survive out there. It’s been two weeks since he supposedly left. He could’ve been eaten by now.

Jamil started asking around, hoping someone had noticed him. He knew he couldn’t just take anyone’s word for it, especially if they knew who Kalim was, but he really wasn’t given many options. The light had come back. He thanked the person before chasing after it. It finally illuminated white footprints. They led towards…

“He didn’t…”

Jamil followed the light as it continued to illuminate Kalim’s chosen path. The thought of Kalim possibly being dead had crossed his mind plenty of times and each time he felt he’d be happy about it. They couldn’t really punish him too bad since he was technically sick and unable to care for Kalim.

Yet thinking of him being dead now…

“Kalim!? Kalim!? If you can hear me, answer!” Jamil shouted, looking out to the wild.

No response. The light wasn’t picking up any footprints either. Did he no longer walk on land? A horrid idea came to mind. A lion had gotten to him. He frantically started searching for any blood spot on the ground.

“Help me, you little light!” Jamil hissed, his panic rising.

The light shook before finding a footprint. Jamil continued to encourage it, seeing more coming into view. What he didn’t expect was to see a few lions beating against a small shield. He easily sent them away with magic, rushing towards the shield.

“Ja-”

“You fucking idiot!”

Jamil angrily punched him in the face before grabbing him by his collar.

“Are you trying to have me killed!? People have started talking, saying you’ve gone missing!” Jamil shouted, needing him to hear his frustrations. “All you ever do is cause me unnecessary grief and strife! You really haven’t changed at all! Why in the fucking world did you just up and disappear from school!?”

“I… I know I’m the cause of all of your suffering, ever since we were young. I thought I was being friendly and helpful but I was only making things worse…” Kalim said hoarsely, tears streaming from his eyes. “You wanted me gone, so that’s what I was doing. Leaving your life…”

Jamil searched his face, trying to understand how he thought doing this would help. He was simply downright stupid. Jamil let him go, his anger slowly subsiding.

“You running off and disappearing like this put me in a more troublesome spot than ever. Had your family gotten word, I would’ve been locked up for sure for negligence.” Jamil muttered, crossing his arms. “Disappearing isn’t going to help.”

“Then tell me! What should I do!? What can I do to show you how sorry I am? How much you meant to me after all this time despite how oblivious I was to your feelings?” Kalim wailed, slowly starting to hyperventilate.

Jamil regulated his breathing, really not needing Kalim dying on him.

“Let’s just head back before some other beasts eat us for a snack.” Jamil mumbled, squatting down. “Get on my back.”

Kalim simply looked at him with blurry vision.

“Piggyback ride. Get on.”

Kalim was hesitant before climbing onto Jamil’s back. He held on as Jamil started to walk them back. It was heart warming to see Jamil had come after him, even if it wasn’t as a friend.


	79. Malleus: It makes me sick!

Malleus silently sat in his room, a video playing on repeat on his phone. Cheers, laughter and hollering rang from the phone as he continued to stare out his window. It started to drizzle. The sounds coming from his phone slowly started to be fade out as his eyes focused on the nothingness before him.

“Malleus?”

He jolted, visibly startled by the voice.

“It’s just me, Silver. What are you doing here?”

“Wondering how the rain feels, falling from up in a cloud and crashing to the ground. Did they want that? Maybe they wanted to stay raindrops.” said Malleus, the drizzle still going.

“Maybe so, but what can they do about it? It’s how their life cycle works. They’re created in the rain cloud just to be released and fall onto the ground.” said Silver, not exactly understanding what Malleus was trying to say. “But it’s not like all of them are wasted. Some land on plants and animals who need them. Plants especially, since they can’t grow without proper nourishment.”

Malleus was silent. Silver had picked up on sounds in the room, only now noticing it was coming from Malleus’ phone. He stepped closer, watching the same video repeat. It was posted an hour ago.

“Malleus sama… Did you perhaps…?”

Silence. Silver didn’t press further, not wanting to upset him. He sat down on his bed, deciding to keep him company.

“Why don’t we make something together? I’ve always wanted to make ice cream with you. It is your favorite is it not?” asked Silver, giving him a smile.

“It is.”

“I think the school kitchen has an ice cream maker. Why don’t we go check?”

He was used to Malleus being silent, but this time it felt different.

•

Silver slapped his cheeks, trying to keep himself awake. The mixture was finished. Silver scooped it out into a container before using magic to freeze it.

“One pint of ice cream for our favorite ruler!” said Silver, placing the cold concoction in Malleus’ hands.

He rummaged around, finding the clean silverware and giving a spoon to Malleus. He did seem a bit happier than before, which was a good sign.

“So, why don’t we check out the gargoyles in school grounds?” Silver suggested, leading him out the kitchen.

Malleus quietly enjoyed his ice cream as Silver led him around, often mistaking grotesques for gargoyles. So he’d correct him. Silver smiled, having done it on purpose to get him to talk and be passionate.

“Silver, I would like to have your opinion here.”

“Huh? About what?”

“Am I not a gargoyle?”

Silver blinked, not sure how to respond.

“No?”

“I see…”

Silver watched Malleus walk away with his ice cream. Did he give the right answer? He was starting to worry, so he ran to catch up with him.

“Mal-”

He found himself staring at nothing.

•

Diasomnia students flooded back in, having thoroughly enjoyed Scarabia’s banquet and the party at Mostro’s. No one thought twice about whether Malleus was present or not. Malleus watched from up top of the stairs as they came back in high spirits, fully fed and ready to sleep.

A few noticed him, waving before continuing on. Malleus walked off, saying absolutely nothing.

•

Malleus woke up before banging his head against the backboard. He didn’t know why there were pairs of eyes staring at him but he didn’t like it.

“Why are you three watching me sleep…”

“We aren’t! Anymore at least…” muttered Sebek, touching his chin.

“Silver told us all about yesterday. Surely you don’t think of yourself as useless?” Lilia said, moving Malleus’ hair.

“I didn’t know that’s what you meant… Of course you’re not useless! You’re amazing in every way!” said Silver, holding his hands.

“Thank you, but I would really like to get ready for classes today…” Malleus muttered, still a bit shaken.

“We’re going to throw you a party just to show you how much we appreciate and love you!” said Lilia, helping Malleus out of bed.

“That… that would be really nice…” Malleus whispered, a smile forming on his face.

The trio gave each other high fives, excitedly talking about the party. A party. Everyone liked parties, meaning everyone would be attending. He’d get to have fun with everyone.

Malleus spent the entire day in high spirits. It wasn’t everyday he attended a party, let alone had one thrown for him just for existing. A few people commented on his happy mood, making him even happier. He didn’t feel as invisible as before.

•

“We can’t have you back here until we’re done with the party!” said Silver, blocking Malleus’ path. “Go visit some other dorms or leave school grounds.”

Malleus nodded, seeing they didn’t want him to see what they were putting up. He liked the idea of a surprise.

•

Malleus hummed, having gone off campus for a nice walk. It wasn’t often he left campus, mostly because of all the homework they had. People whispered to each other, unable to not notice Malleus. He was 6'8 for pete’s sake.

Malleus checked the time, wondering if they were done yet? Would they call? Text? He kept walking around, taking in the area around Night Raven. He never knew how many different races were in the area. He should try and get out more.

Malleus checked the time again, seeing it was starting to get dark. Maybe he should head back. No one had called or texted him about anything. Maybe they were having trouble setting up. Maybe they were making it a huge party. He started making his way back, excitement overflowing within him.

•

He stood in the doorway. Everything was set up. People were already here. They were having fun, drinking, eating, chatting. There was even a banner saying, “We Love Malleus”. The excitement within him died down, being smothered by his rising anger. Malleus didn’t know what he wanted to do. He wanted to scream, shout, burn everything with his fire, use magic to punish all of them. This was supposed to be about him!

He took out his magipen, seeing it was ever so slowly blotting. A smile formed on his face. He could use this. No, he _was_ going to use this. Malleus used magic, sending two fire balls hurtling towards the hanging banner. Everyone looked and saw the angered fae.

“I knew we forgot something!” Silver groaned, knowing they were in trouble.

“Alas, I’m embarrassed to admit it as well…” Lilia muttered before moving out of the way of a water attack. “He… he tried hitting me…”

“Father, now isn’t the time for that! Malleus is attacking everyone and everything!” Silver mentioned, watching Malleus attack from the air.

“We have more trouble! Blot!” Sebek pointed out, watching it crawl up Malleus’ legs.

“You all having fun with each other… **IT MAKES ME SICK!** ” Malleus shouted, sending a few people into a void. “No one **EVER** wants to around **ME**!”

“Malleus, that isn’t true! W-”

“Shut up, you washed up has been!”

Silver and Sebek ran to Lilia’s side as Malleus had attacked him without hesitation.

“Malleus, you’re going to overblot!” Lilia shouted, getting to his feet.

“I know! I was planning on it!”

Malleus flew away, following the fleeing students.

“He… he what!?” Sebek squeaked.

Blot had completely covered Malleus, changing his form. A dark spirit appeared behind him, causing him to chuckle in delight. This was it. He could feel immense power flowing through him. Malleus pointed his magipen towards the sky, summoning a thunderstorm. A lightning bolt struck the pathway, separating students. The pathway was struck a few more times, causing it to fall apart.

Students held each other for dear life. They couldn’t escape. The Diasomnia students watched everything going on, silently making up their minds. They had pledged loyalty to him. If he felt wronged by others…

Students from the other dorms fought back as Diasomnia students started attacking them. Lilia, Silver and Sebek watched the scene before them. They knew what was going was wrong, but…

“For Malleus?”

Sebek and Silver placed their hands over Lilia’s. For Malleus. They knew they were in the wrong for allowing things to continue, but they were also part of the cause. But they swore to follow Malleus in whatever he decided to do because…

“For our future ruler!” Diasomnia shouted, sending some students falling off the edges.

Malleus looked around, a pleased feeling filling his chest. He created a pathway for Diasomnia to cross.

 _“I’ll make sure **no one** forgets me!”_ Malleus shouted, the first to go through the mirror and into Night Raven.

The rest of Diasomnia followed.

“We’ve gotta warn the others…” a student wheezed, barely surviving the onslaught.

Him and another student weakly typed out messages to their friends before passing out.

Students screamed in fright as Malleus practically destroyed buildings, leaving gaping holes. More students were sucked into voids as Malleus set things ablaze with his green fire. He laughed in utter delight, seeing all eyes were on him. Yes, just like that.

 _ **“Notice me!”**_ he screamed, black scales starting to cover his body along with more blot. _“This…”_

Diasomnia watched as Malleus shifted into a large dragon, roaring loudly and breathing fire. The dorm leaders and others had arrived on the scene, watching their school burn right before their eyes.

Riddle and Azul quickly had everyone take certain positions, forming an attack, defense, and healing group. Leona fine tuned their plan before they charged ahead. Malleus easily knocked them down to the ground, destroying more school property in the process. They watched as Malleus flew up in the sky before transforming back.

“Watch out!” Ruggie shouted, tackling Trey out the way of Malleus’ dark spirit. “Those things can move freely now!?”

“Or Malleus is just that strong…” Idia muttered, sending another Diasomnia student flying.

Jack and Sebek clashed, ending up using brute force more than magic.

“Sebek, can’t you see what’s going on!?”

“I can! I swore loyalty to Malleus the day I was born. If he wants to destroy an entire school, I’ll follow!”

“Even if you know it’s wrong?”

Jack found himself being forced back by a sudden burst of wood magic. His limbs were restrained as Sebek looked at him.

“Yes.”

Rook easily dodged as Silver relentlessly attempted to hit him with magic. Why was he targeting him specifically? They didn’t have any history. Unless…

“Are you trying to get back at me for harassing your master?” he asked with a smile, successfully hitting Silver with magic.

Silver didn’t say anything, simply charging forward and attacking. Rook could easily read his movements. He moved to land a finishing blow until Silver had suddenly jumped, locking his legs around his neck and bringing him down. Rook groaned in pain as Silver stepped on his chest.

“Don’t you all have a conscience? Morals?”

“That goes out the window when it comes to Malleus. We’re only doing what we’re supposed to.” said Silver, his magipen glowing bright. “Protecting him.”

Leona wiped his mouth, expecting this much from Lilia. They had butted heads in the past. Ruggie arrived, offering Leona assistance as he and Lilia started to clash again. Lilia easily dodged Ruggie’s surprise attacks, having a lot of experience fighting.

Leona and Ruggie were taken by surprise, Lilia hitting them both with a powerful spell. They were both tasting the ground beneath them. Lilia floated in the air, looking at the two non humans.

“A pity. One would think the two of you together would be a more dangerous combo.” Lilia said with a head shake.

Leona weakly pushed up off the ground, still having a bit of fight left in him. Lilia raised an eyebrow, impressed Leona could still move. Lilia gracefully landed on the ground, deciding to give him a fair chance. He noticed Ruggie still wasn’t moving.

“You aren’t going to wait for your lackey?”

Lilia sighed, easily sidestepping as Leona charged at him. He had enough decency to move Ruggie out of the crossfire before raising his magipen up in the air.

“Hell’s Fire!”

Lilia gasped as he felt his body move, his spell missing its target. He looked and saw Ruggie had managed to move himself. Lilia poked him before seeing he had probably used the last of his energy trying to stop him. It was noble, but only delayed their defeat.

He moved Ruggie off him just as Leona had pinned him down. Leona started to cast a spell before falling forward as his eyes closed. Lilia sighed, pushing the lion off him. As much as he didn’t like using that spell, it was the only thing that would stop Leona.

Everyone was at their limits, but Malleus still had energy to spare. It was hard to discern when he would transform into that huge dragon and when he would transform back.

“We’ve attacked all at once, combined attacks… Nothing works!” Ace complained, wiping blood off of Deuce.

“And it’s like these Diasomnia students are zombies! They keep coming!” Floyd grumbled, knocking yet another student down.

Vil tossed another student into an incoming group. Why weren’t their attacks working? He started to analyze before coming to a conclusion.

“We’ve got to use sneak attacks. He can see what attacks are coming but if he can’t…” Vil said, looking to the others.

“We need distractions! Kalim, Floyd, Ace, Deuce, can you be our distractions?” Riddle said, earning nods. “Whoever’s left, reform our three groups! More people in the attack group!”

“Healers stay close by! I can guarantee they’ll be more bloodshed.” said Azul, noticing they had lost a few of their team. “Other students, keep fighting off Diasomnia!”

Everyone dispersed. Malleus watched the group approach him. He smirked before they were all sent flying off to the side, slamming against the destroyed building and each other. They had completely forgotten about his free willed spirit. The spirit swung its staff before slamming it into the ground, splitting it open. It crawled towards them, giving them little time to move out the way.

They all made it, the building falling into the large crevice. They continued with their plan, now having to take into account the free willed spirit. Their plan was working. They couldn’t believe it. As if by something telepathic, Sebek, Silver and Lilia all felt a sensation go through their heads.

“Malleus!”

They deflected attacks and knocked out students as they ran to him. They eventually joined up, seeing the others attacking Malleus. Silver and Sebek readied their spell to combine while Lilia went high above.

“Sunken Spears!”

Silver and Sebek rode on top of one of the icicles appearing from underground, combining their spell to attack the others, knocking them back. Lilia flew to Malleus’ side, creating a barrier around him.

They watched their chances of beating him crumble before their eyes. Most of their group was render lame because of Lilia’s spell.

“It’s just us… isn’t it?” Idia mumbled, looking at Riddle and Vil.

“Unfortunately.”

“We can still win.”

“Do you hear yourself, Riddle!? We’re facing overblot Malleus and he now has his three important lackeys with him. Not to mention- Watch out!”

Riddle and Vil felt themselves being pushed just as a gust of wind went past them. Idia was missing. Riddle looked up, seeing the dark spirit looming over them. They were done for. Green and red fire danced in his eyes as their school burned, bodies of their friends and other students lying on the ground. Malleus landed on the ground with Lilia, approaching Vil and Riddle. Silver and Sebek did the same, now forming a protective barrier around Malleus.

 _“Do you see me now? I tried so hard to be friendly with you all, to show you my good sides.”_ said Malleus, picking up Vil by his throat. _“I wanted nothing more than to have fun and be friends with all of you.”_

Vil wiggled and wheezed, Malleus’ grip around his neck tightening.

 _“Why? Tell me why, Vil. Why is it okay for you all to forget me like I don’t exist yet I’m supposed to do everything for you!?”_ Malleus shouted, crushing Vil’s neck in the process. _“Oh, my bad.”_

Riddle watched Vil fall lifeless to the ground. A shiver went down his spine as Malleus looked at him, his dark spirit looming behind him menacingly. He was at a loss for words.

 _“Were you all purposefully not inviting me? Why do you keep forgetting me? Huh? Why?”_ Malleus asked, picking Riddle up. _“Was it some sick joke you were all in on? Do you think that’s funny? Do you!?”_

“Malleus, we weren’t purposefully leaving you out! We just didn’t know how to approach you. You’re so mysterious and strong! It’d scare anyone away…” Riddle weeped, thankful that Malleus wasn’t holding him by his neck. “We would’ve been more than happy to have you as our friend… but now…”

A section of the school building crashed to the ground, setting more things ablaze. The remaining Diasomnia students lined up, awaiting orders.

 _“Is that so? You all wanted to be friends?”_ Malleus asked, his grip on Riddle loosening.

“Yes!”

Malleus looked down, placing Riddle back down on the ground. Sebek and Silver looked away as Malleus’ spirit whacked Riddle, him falling over as a result.

 _“Then why aren’t we? I’ve been here for three whole years!”_ Malleus shouted, his spirit sending everything flying with a powerful gust of wind.

Lilia put a barrier over everyone, keeping them from flying away. Silver and Sebek hugged Malleus from either side as he silently cried blotty tears. Things continued to burn and fall apart around him in silence.

“What do you want to do next, our lord?” Lilia asked, kneeling in front of him.

The others were quick to do the same.

Malleus looked down at Lilia and the others. The trio opened their arms, watching Malleus fall into them.

“Is he…?”

“He’s sleeping…” Lilia whispered, holding Malleus close. “Take this chance to rest or say your goodbyes. He won’t be sane after this…”

Everyone did as Lilia suggested, resting their tired limbs or saying farewell to fallen comrades or classmates. Silver and Sebek quietly leaned against Malleus, wanting him to know they were there for him, even while he slept.


	80. Ruggie + Leona: Spoiled brat

Ruggie opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. He sat up before recognizing the room. When did he get in Leona’s room? He reached up to touch his head then froze. His ears got smaller. He rushed into the bathroom, looking in the mirror. He touched his face. He was Leona. Was a spell cast on him? He’s never used someone else’s magipen before, but it was now or never.

It wasn’t a spell someone cast. Something else had turned him into Leona. It was then he wondered what happened to his own body. He was startled by the sound of a door crashing against a wall.

“RUGGIE!!!!!”

Ruggie left the bathroom, seeing his small body with rage on its face. It didn’t take a genius to guess who it was.

“I swear I didn’t do anything. I tried dispelling tithe spell but it doesn’t seem like anyone casted it on us.” said Ruggie, not used to his tail being so thin and long. “It feels nice being tall.”

“Don’t you dare go out in my body you animal!”

“What an insult…”

Leona tried keeping Ruggie from leaving the room but failed. He quickly followed him, trying to get him to go back.

“At least freshen up for the day!”

“Did you do that for me?”

Silence. Ruggie raised an eyebrow.

“Fine. Let’s both go and freshen up and meet back in my room so we can further discuss this.” said Leona, stomping off.

“So cute.” Ruggie chuckled, heading back into Leona’s room.

•

Leona looked at Ruggie who failed at braiding his hair. Leona swatted his hands away, seeing he had to do it himself.

“So when you woke up, you were in my body?” Leona asked, just to be sure.

“Yep. If you look at the bright side, I was the one who was sucked into your body. Imagine it was Azul or Malleus even.” said Ruggie, looking at Leona’s handiwork.

“I hate to say it, but you have a point.” grumbled Leona before placing his hands in his hips. “However! Don’t go around acting like someone else. We have to act like each other.”

“Eh, that’s boring though.”

“So you’d be okay with me making you look stupid?”

“Fair point. So, I just have to skip classes. Nothing difficult there.”

“And I have to attend classes. Fuck.” Leona cursed, glaring at Ruggie. “Why do you have to be a good student?”

“You wouldn’t understand, coming from money.” Ruggie said before walking away. “Whatever, just don’t skip classes. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Eat vegetables!”

“The same goes for you. Nap in my usual places and don’t give anyone the time of day, especially that stupid blonde.” Leona said, wondering what Ruggie meant before.

Ruggie sat on the bed, hearing the door close. Leona wouldn’t understand. His grades were everything. It was a sure fire way to a good future. Leona was already set for life.

•

If he were to be honest, he had no idea how Ruggie normally acted. How did he speak to different people? He really should’ve asked. He took out Ruggie’s phone, looking for his name. He couldn’t find it. Did he have him saved under a nickname? He started checking the ones with nicknames for his number.

“Lazy Asshole!? Why-” Leona said loudly before noticing students looking at him. “I’m gonna beat his ass…”

Leona texted Ruggie, needing info before he continued on for the day. Surprisingly, he acted differently towards a lot of people. He didn’t understand why he bothered putting in so much effort. Just snap at them and call it a day. Leona kept everything Ruggie texted in mind, wanting to get things over and done with.

•

Ruggie camped out behind one of the buildings, lying on his back. He wasn’t tired. He let out a sigh, checking Magicam. He thought doing nothing all day would be a breeze. Unfortunately, he was terribly bored. He started looking through people Leona followed, not really having given it much of a glance before.

He never thought Leona would be following Azul. As expected, he wasn’t following Rook. Ruggie sat up, getting a suspicious feeling. Someone was watching him. That someone could only be Rook. He looked around, trying to spot where he was hiding. What would he do if he did find him? No, what would Leona do? Ignore him? Probably.

He thought about it. What if he gave Rook a little surprise? But what if Leona got on him about it when mentioned in the future? Ruggie made up his mind. Rook silently watched “Leona” taking in his movements. Nothing seemed strange. Wait, something was. He wasn’t leaving after noticing his presence. In fact, he was walking towards him.

Soon “Leona” was standing in front of him. Rook was at a loss for words. This was such a rare occurrence.

“Like what you see? Is that why you keep stalking me? Do you want a kiss or something?” Ruggie asked, leaning close to Rook.

“I… You’re sorely mistaken, king of beasts.” Rook said, regaining a bit of his composure. “I’m merely just observing.”

Ruggie knocked Rook’s hat off with his tail before using the tip to tickle his nose. Rook let out a cute sneeze.

“Later loser.” Ruggie snickered while walking away.

Rook put his hat back on, watching Leona. What in the name of Twisted Wonderland?

•

Ruggie groaned, throwing a pillow against the wall. He was tired of sitting around and doing nothing. How did Leona live like this? Doing this 24/7, 365 days a year? His ears perked up at the sound of the door opening.

“Leona senpai.”

It was Jack. It seemed like Leona didn’t inform him of their switch. Maybe he could use him.

“Yeah?”

“My mom’s friend said she had an opening so you’re in. Just letting you know.” said Jack, trying to think if there was anything else. “Oh, she also said don’t worry about manscaping.”

Ruggie’s eyes widened, now seriously wanting context.

“What is this for again? It seems to have slipped my mind.” Ruggie asked.

Leona came in, pushing Jack aside.

“Ruggie senpai, hello. I was just talking to Leona senpai about something private. I can come back.”

“Private…? AH! W- What all did you hear!?” Leona growled, pointing at Ruggie.

“Leona senpai tells you about this stuff…? Didn’t you tell me to keep quiet?” Jack asked in sheer confusion.

Leona sat Jack down, explaining they had switched bodies. A look of horror was now present on Jack’s face. He had spilled private beans to someone. Leona assured him it was fine despite glaring hard at Ruggie. Jack had eventually left, still mortified.

“I’m so fucking tired. I hate socializing even more now. Do you know how hard it was trying to be you? And those classes… UGH!” Leona complained, rolling onto his back. “And these ears are so big! They take so long to clean. At least the tail is shorter…”

“Hey, it’s not easy bring you either. I don’t get how someone can just sit around 24/7 doing nothing but sleep and eat! At first it sounds ideal but then bam! Reality hits.” Ruggie complained. “Having bigger ears is better than these small ones. I swear it’s so hard to hear through them! Though, I appreciate the extra height and length of a tail…”

They both sighed, looking at each other. Ruggie looked his own body up and down. He reached down, pulling on his ear. Leona gave him a look before he felt it.

“What are you doing?”

“There was something I always wanted to try…”

Ruggie started scratching under his body’s chin, watching his leg shake. That was new.

“Are you seriou-”

Leona was quieted down by the pleasing feeling of having his stomach rubbed. He felt Ruggie sit him up, his tail now wagging freely.

“Ruggie.”

“Yes?”

“You’re doing this on purpose aren’t you?”

“What? No. Just taking the opportunity to really explore my body.”

Leona hummed before scratching a certain spot on his body’s back, causing Ruggie to let out a mewl. He also rubbed a spot on his thigh, watching Ruggie squirm in pleasure.

“I’m just taking the opportunity too.” Leona parroted, crossing his arms.

They glared at each other before relentlessly attacking the sweet spots on their bodies. They quickly stopped, seeing they were just arousing each other unnecessarily.

“I can’t wait to get back into my own body. I don’t think I could stand another day sitting around doing nothing.” Ruggie whined, lying back.

Leona lied back with him.

“I never did notice how hard you really work. On top of doing things for me and odd jobs… it’s a wonder how you aren’t tired before the day is over.” said Leona, having gotten a glimpse into Ruggie’s life. “Especially hanging around people who you clearly don’t like but they benefit you.”

“Finally. I’m getting some recognition.” said Ruggie.

They sat in silence.

“You aren’t going to say anything about me?”

“Spoiled brat.”

“Ruggie.”

“Seriously, what else can I say? This how the privileged live. Sitting on their asses all day while people around them do everything for them. It’s no wonder when they’re on their own they don’t know how to do things for themselves.” Ruggie said, closing his eyes. “People like you will never understand how rewarding it feels to finally achieve after working so hard towards it.”

Ruggie noticed Leona hadn’t responded. He was aware he had said too much, but how could Leona just sit there and ask him to praise his lifestyle.

“When do you think we’ll turn back?” Leona asked after a long period of silence.

“Hopefully soon… We aren’t cut out to be each other.”

“True that…”


	81. Silver: We aren’t doing anything

Lilia watched Silver sleep, trying to dissect what was going on with his son. His hypersomnia wasn’t the same anymore. He didn’t eat lunch with them anymore and when he did, he was either sleeping in his food or spaced out. He stayed out later too, sometimes coming back just before school curfew.

Something was going on with his son and he intended to find out. Malleus entered the room, startling Lilia.

“Why are you watching him sleep…?”

Lilia pulled him off to the side, telling him to whisper. He told him everything before Malleus’ eyes widened. Now that Lilia was mentioning it, it really did seem suspicious. They both looked at Silver who peacefully slept. They put on imaginary detective hats, needing to find the source before they could take action.

•

Silver attended classes as usual, talking to classmates when they had free time. Lilia and Malleus watched him from afar in the form of mice. Lilia knew there was something, there had to be. Silver was such a diligent child. Now it was like…

“Hey, you dropped your pen!” a cheerful voice said.

“Oh, thank you…” Silver muttered, taking his magipen and sticking it back in its holster.

“Anytime, haha! Let’s finish this potion and wow Crewel sensei!”

“It can’t be this idiot.” Malleus said, searching the room for potential suspects.

Lilia kept his eyes on Kalim. He scurried closer, needing to get a good look at their movements. Body language said a lot and he intended to put his knowledge to use. He stared at Silver, seeing his chest rise and fall normally. He was relaxed.

He kept staring. Parts of their body would often brush against each other. He looked to Malleus who was inspecting other students. Lilia looked at Kalim. He couldn’t tell anything, this kid couldn’t sit still. The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Lilia motioned for Malleus to hurry up before they turned into ladybugs, riding on Silver’s back.

“So, you haven’t seen them at all today? I can see how that’s worrying…” said Kalim, patting his shoulder.

“For both of them to be missing… am I… a failure?” Silver muttered, looking down at the floor.

“Of course not! Maybe they’re just sneaking off together for a break! They are dorm leaders after all.”

Silver smiled softly, feeling consoled by Kalim’s words. Though, it didn’t mean he’d stop looking. Kalim gasped before tapping Silver.

“You’ve got ladybugs on your back! Double the luck!”

“Really? Double the luck…”

Malleus and Lilia has disembarked, seeing their next class was P.E. They flew over to the woods nearby before changing back into their normal forms.

“It’s Kalim! He’s poisoning my son!” Lilia angrily whispered.

“We don’t know if-”

They watched as Kalim and Silver partnered up. Kalim pushed Silver forward. They could see it. That happy look. Malleus was sold.

“It’s Kalim.”

“I told you! He’s going to ruin my perfectly sculpted child.” Lilia fake weeped.

“We can’t do much physically when they’re in class but…” Malleus said before using magic to have them switch partners.

They high fived, seeing the simpleton Kalim didn’t even question it. They looked to Silver who was constantly on the verge of falling asleep. That was… new.

The entire class period they kept them apart, Silver easily receding back to his ways. The bell rung, signaling it was time to go to their next class. They continued to mess around, doing whatever they could to keep them apart but not make it seem suspicious.

Lunch time had rolled around, now giving them a chance to be fully present. They scurried out of the classroom before transforming bsck, waiting outside for Silver.

“Oh… you’re back.”

“There they are! Now you don’t have to worry anymore!” said Kalim cheerfully.

“Hey, are you-”

“Silver, lets go have lunch.”

“Right, right. I’m starving.” said Malleus as they dragged Silver away.

Silver looked back at Kalim who walked in the opposite direction. He wanted to have lunch with him. They stopped guiding Silver, seeing they were far enough away.

“Silver, I feel like there’s something you’re hiding from me.” Lilia said, bringing up the topic.

“Why would I hide something from you?” Silver asked in confusion.

“Don’t try it. That little trick won’t work on me!” Lilia said despite not knowing exactly what he was trying to pull.

“What trick…? Father, is there something you want to know?”

“Silver, I’m worried about you. I don’t want you going down the wrong path. With that being said, I’m going to monitor you!”

Silver blinked in disbelief. He looked to Malleus who was nodding in agreement. What did or didn’t he do to warrant this?

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“No! We can’t trust that idiot in your class. He’ll ruin you. So we’ll protect you.” said Lilia giving him a smile.

They sat down in the cafeteria with their lunches. Silver had only eaten so much before his face met his food. Lilia used magic, lifting Silver’s head and separating the food from his face while Malleus moved his tray off to the side. They looked at Kalim who was the same as usual. To think of all people, it was Kalim.

“Couldn’t he choose someone smarter?” Lilia complained. “Then again, since it’s Kalim, it makes it easier to separate them.”

“How long do you think he’ll be out?”

“Rest of the school day probably. We should bring him back to Diasomnia after we’re done.” said Lilia, looking at the sleeping Silver. “My precious little animal whisperer.”

•

Silver stretched out before opening his eyes. He was in his room. He searched around for his phone. He missed the rest of his classes. Today it felt like his hypersomnia was worse than usual. Yet it seemed better as of late when he was around Kalim.

Kalim. He was probably wondering what happened to him. He started to text him.

  


Kalim knocked on Silver’s door, holding his books. Silver was quick to open the door, helping Kalim inside. Kalim set himself up on the floor, taking out the note he wrote to remember what the homework was. Silver got on the floor with him, taking a look. Kalim laughed in glee as Silver silently stared.

“Hm? Is something wrong?” Kalim asked, giving him an innocent look of confusion.

“No… It’s just…” Silver whispered, meeting Kalim’s eyes.

He scooted closer before slowly leaning in. His door swung open, Lilia and Malleus stepping in. Kalim waved, happily greeting them. Neither said a word as they sat and watched.

“Do you two need something…?” Silver asked.

“No, carry on.” said Lilia, gripping his magipen.

The two worked, Kalim humming in delight as he moved his legs back and forth.

“Hey, can we switch sides? I like that side better.”

Kalim switched with him. Lilia and Malleus moved as well. Silver scrunched his nose slightly, having Kalim switch with him again. Lilia and Malleus did the same.

“Will you two stop it? I’m trying to do homework.” Silver fussed.

“We aren’t doing anything though. Just sitting.” Malleus said, Lilia nodding in agreement.

They couldn’t be serious. Did they really have to watch them do homework? It was homework!

Kalim had taken a break, heading off to the communal bathrooms. Silver took that opportunity to get up.

“You’re suffocating me.”

“We’re just observing.”

“Observing? You keep inching us further and further apart!”

“Lilia and I are just worried. You’re 17 and your hormones are fluctuating.” said Malleus, holding Silver’s hands. “We don’t want you getting into trouble.”

“Stop. Watching. MY EVERY MOVE! Get out!” Silver yelled, pointing to the door.

“Oh no, he’s in his rebellious phase!” said Lilia. “He’s not going to listen anymore!”

“No, Silver! Don’t do this!”

Silver was boiling with anger. This was getting too out of hand. He left his room, going to find Kalim. They were being too protective. It was just Kalim. What could they possibly have to fear? Kalim came out, spotting Silver.

“You have such nice bathrooms! Always so tidy.” said Kalim with a smile.

“Are yours not?”

“Nah. The poor things. But Jamil gets everyone to clean up so it’s not too bad!”

Silver smiled before hearing a door open. He pushed Kalim back into the bathroom, locking themselves in a stall. Lilia checked around before leaving. Silver exhaled before realizing how close he was to Kalim’s face.

“Has anyone told you that you’ve got pretty eyes? It’s like looking at an aurora!” Kalim said happily.

“No… no one but Vil…” Silver muttered, avoiding eye contact.

“I should get up close more often. I really like them.”

Silver covered his face, hiding the blush. They separated, leaving the bathroom to go back and do homework.

Silver often stole glances, trying to pick the right time. Kalim finished his homework.

“I did it! I di-”

Kalim’s eyes widened as Silver held his chin. Silver pulled away, needing to hear Kalim’s thoughts.

“Thank you.”

Crushed. Silver nodded, closing everything up. Kalim kissed him back. Silver looked at him in surprise before blushing like crazy. Kalim simply laughed, his own face gaining color.


	82. Diasomnia: If You Prick…

Silver found himself traveling down stairs into the deep dark depths of Diasomnia. Was there always a basement here? A green light continued to guide him. Now he was going up stairs. And they spiraled. The stairs seemed never ending. He finally stopped at a door. He looked out the window. He was pretty high up.

The door opened, revealing a machine. He recognized it as the one mentioned in stories of the Thorn Witch. If he remembered correctly…

_“…come…”_

Silver’s thoughts were interrupted by a faint yet familiar voice.

_“…come…”_

“Come? Come where?” he asked.

He felt himself lose consciousness before going into a trance like state, the green light hovering right in front of his face. Silver slowly walked forward, a voice ringing in his ears.

_“…prick!”_

Silver touched the spindle, instantly collapsing to the floor.

..

…

….

Silver shot up in bed, drenched in sweat. He quickly got out of bed, running to Lilia’s room before noisily banging against it. Lilia opened the door, receiving a few hits on his head before stopping Silver’s hands.

“What in the name of the Thorn Witch are you doing? It’s two in the morning.” Lilia fussed, not used to Silver waking him up at night as a teen.

“I had a dream… I was… I was walking through hidden pathways in Diasomnia… and then I lost consciousness.” said Silver, breathing heavily.

“Silver, there are no hidden pathways in Diasomnia. Not anymore. They were either destroyed or completely blocked off.” said Lilia, using magic to fresh Silver up. “And what do you mean lost consciousness?”

Silver clung to Lilia as they lied in bed together.

“I was following a light and then once I reached a room, I suddenly had no control over my body. Then I… pricked my finger on a spindle…”

“Been staying up reading about the sleeping princess haven’t you? It’s just a dream, little one. You’re you, not her.” said Lilia, kissing Silver’s forehead. “You can sleep with me if you’d like.”

Silver was already fast asleep in his arms. Lilia smiled softly, running his fingers through Silver’s hair.

“Pricking your finger huh…”

•

Silver yawned before opening his eyes. Lilia had already gotten up. He searched for the time. He missed his morning classes. He figured he could at least attend the ones in the afternoon. As soon as he stood up, a sharp pain went through his head, forcing him down to the floor.

_“…come…”_

It was that voice from his dream. Another sharp pain went through his head before disappearing altogether. Silver shook his head before heading back to his room to get ready.

Silver went through classes normally, not thinking about the strange dream at all. Kalim was also a nice distraction from things. The school day ended, him and Kalim parting ways. He stopped, hurrying over to Kalim. He didn’t have to head back just yet.

He hung out with Kalim before feeling a full pain in his head. It soon went away. Kalim expressed concern for him, but he assured him everything was okay. Silver eventually parted from Kalim, heading back to Diasomnia to get rest as his head was splitting.

•

“What should we do?”

“I’m saying, it’s nothing to worry about. You know how vividly he dreams.”

Malleus hummed, seeing Lilia’s point.

“But what if it’s more than that? You of all people would know how things ended up. The entire kingdom-”

“I know. Then let’s do this just in case.”

The door opened, revealing a worn out Silver.

“Come child, what ails you?” Lilia asked, holding Silver.

“My head has been hurting all day… but it’d disappear just as fast as it came.”

“You’ve never fallen asleep when it happened?”

Silver shook his head. He and Malleus exchanged looks before looking at Silver.

“Why don’t we get you some nice herbal tea and into bed, hm?”

“Okay…”

“Malleus, start without me.”

Lilia brewed some tea, knowing this particular tea leaf helped Silver sleep when he had a hard time falling asleep, especially when he was little and had night terrors. Silver happily drank it all before feeling a bit drowsy.

“Let’s hurry and lay you down before you sleep.”

Silver let Lilia tuck him in, his eyes slowly starting to close. The last thing he saw was Lilia smiling down at him before he knocked out.

He found himself waking up in his room. It was dark out. He didn’t have that weird dream. It was a blessing. He sat in front of the mirror in his room before noticing a green light behind him. He looked back, not seeing it. He turned around, seeing it in the mirror but much closer. He turned around, not seeing it again.

Silver sighed, seeing his mind was just playing tricks on him. He turned back to the mirror before jumping in fright. A green light hovered right in front of him. It was the same one from his dream. He continued to look at it, slowly losing himself before falling into a trance. The light started to guide him.

A secret door lied behind a hanging banner, leading down into Diasomnia. Silver simply followed, unable to free himself of the trance. The green light circled around him, changing his clothes into a blue prince outfit, resembling that of the sleeping princess. Silver had reached the top of the stairs, reaching his hand out and opening the door.

The green light circled around the spinning wheel, waiting for him to come.

_“…come…”_

_“…finger…”_

Silver slowly approached, his outstretched hand getting closer to the spindle.

_“…prick…”_

_“ **Aurora!** ”_

Silver pricked his finger, collapsing to the floor once more.

..

…

….

Silver rolled out of bed, crashing into the floor in a panic. He couldn’t breathe and why was he sweating so much?

“Silver, calm down!” a voice said, helping him breathe. “You’re okay…”

“Father…” Silver whimpered, hugging him.

Lilia hugged him back, seeing it was a good call in staying by his side. Silver weeped loudly, the dream starting to scare him. What was that light? Why did he have to prick his finger? What happened to him when he did? Why did they…?

“What is?”

“It… it called me Aurora…” Silver whispered, looking up at Lilia.

Silver noticed Lilia didn’t seem the slightest bit phased. How was he not shocked by this.

“Okay, I’ll come back with more tea and your favorite food. Hopefully you won’t have that dream again with a belly full of it.” said Lilia, kissing his forehead before leaving.

He closed the door before frowning heavily.

“Aurora is it…”

Silver sniffled as he waited for Lilia to come back. Who in the hell was Aurora and why was he being called that by some mysterious voice? He didn’t know who he could talk to about this. It was driving him crazy.

Lilia had come back with food, assuring him that Malleus did all the cooking. Silver quietly ate and drank, stray tears falling into his food.

“I promise I’ll hold you tight when you fall back asleep, okay?”

“Thank you, father…”

For once in his life, he didn’t know what to do.

•

Silver was completely fine the following morning. No headaches, no strange voice, just him and his weird sleeping illness. He felt normal again, well, his usual normal.

Everyone could see how happy he was. It was slightly contagious. Kalim was glad to see his friend back in high spirits.

Lilia watched Silver with a pleased smile.

“We were worried over nothing.”

“Did you finish it?” Lilia asked.

Malleus revealed two bottles of potion.

“So we don’t need these?”

Lilia took one, uncorking it and downing every drop.

“Do it. I’m not feeling too certain here. I’m going to need you.”

Malleus drank his, retching from the awful taste. How Lilia enjoyed the taste was beyond him. If Lilia wasn’t certain about something, that meant there couldn’t be a celebration just yet. Was something about to go down?

“Keep an eye on Silver.”

“Right…”

•

Night had fallen and students were either heading back to their dorms or going to Mostro’s. Silver sat in Lilia’s room, wanting him to bask in his happiness too.

“Whatever you did last night really helped. Thank you!”

“A parent’s love can really go a long way huh…”

Silver got up, giving Lilia a hug.

“I love you.” Silver whispered, burying his face in Lilia’s hair.

“I love you too.” Lilia responded, patting Silver’s head.

Silver stayed a bit longer before heading off to his room to get ready for bed. Lilia put his game down, needing to see Malleus.

Silver stretched out, worn out from being so excited and happy. He got comfortable under his sheets, ready to start tomorrow just as great as he did today.

Night had completely fallen over Night Raven, most students asleep in their beds. A green light appeared in Silver’s shared room, hovering by his bed. Silver groaned, hearing voices in his head. They awakened him, making him unhappy. The green light sat before him. He looked away, knowing he’d go into a trance if he stared. He eventually covered his eyes, seeing it as his only means of escape.

Silver peeked through his fingers, not seeing anything. Before he could cover his face, his eyes met the green light. He was instantly put in a trance. Silver followed the light, which led him out of the Diasomnia dorm. He stepped through the mirror with it, now in the hall of mirrors.

_“… **come** …”_

_“… **fate** …”_

The light led him down the halls of Night Raven before stopping in front of a hanging banner. Silver pushed against the wall behind it before a secret door appeared. Down the stairs they went, the secret door closing behind them.

Lilia looked up from his game, wondering if Silver was okay. He got up out of bed, needing to check. He unlocked the door, peeking into the dark room. 1, 2, 3. That’s not right. 1, 2, 3, There should be four. Silver’s bed was empty. Where did he go? Lilia ran to Malleus’ room, needing to inform him.

Silver started to climb a set of spiraled stairs, having walked down a long corridor full of cobwebs and other objects. The green light circled him, giving him that blue prince outfit that resembled the sleeping princess’s.

_“… **come** … **come** …”_

_“… **finger** … **fate** …”_

Malleus and Lilia had checked all of Diasomnia and found no Silver. They quietly talked just as a student had come out.

“Malleus sama, Lilia sama.”

“Did we wake you, Sebek?” Lilia asked.

“Not at all. Just needed to use the restroom.” Sebek admitted. “It’s not often Malleus sama is up this late though…”

Lilia started to explain the situation.

Silver stopped in front of a door, now high up in one of Night Raven’s buildings.

_“… **come** …”_

Silver opened the door, a spinning wheel sitting on a table.

_“… **come** …”_

_“… **finger** …”_

_“… **fate** …”_

Silver stretched his arm out, taking steps closer towards the spindle.

_“… **prick** …”_

_“… **accept your fate** …”_

_“… **prick it, Aurora!** ”_

Silver collapsed onto the floor, a drip of blood present on his index finger.

Everything outside seemed normal. The wind and trees had come to a stop. Leaves stopped midair. People still awake and asleep now frozen in time. The entirety of Night Raven had fallen into slumber along with Silver.

“Sebek?”

“Malleus, we’ve got to find Silver, now.” said Lilia, hurrying down the hall.

Malleus tapped Sebek, seeing he’d wasn’t reacting. What in the world had just happened? They exited Diasomnia, seeing a distant lightning bolt frozen in time.

“Lilia, what’s going on?”

“Time has stopped. It’s no thanks to Silver.”

“He did all of this? He had that much magic capability!?”

Lilia simply jumped through the mirror, not having the patience to explain anything. He was thankful he trusted his gut, having them drink the potion. He ran out to the courtyard, needing an aerial view. Malleus soon joined him.

“We need to find the highest point in Night Raven.”

Malleus pointed before they flew over. A large wall of thorns shot up, preventing them from getting closer. Malleus attacked the thorns as Lilia saw thorns crawling around on the ground, starting to cover things.

“No good! Magic won’t get through.” said Malleus, watching the thorns regrow almost instantly.

“Well, at least we know where he is.”

“If this is following along with the story… true love’s kiss.” said Malleus, realizing the situation.

“I… I didn’t think that far. Surely Silver has expressed interest in someone.”

They thought about it as they searched for a route up to the highest point. No one came to mind.

“What should we do…?”

“Let’s bring him down from up there for starters. If only we could track his footsteps…”

“Ah! Jamil!”

“Malleus, he-”

“No, I meant he taught me an incantation the other day. As long as you have a piece of the person you’re looking for, you can track them. The stronger the feelings towards it the better.” said Malleus.

Lilia created scissors before cutting off a good portion of his hair.

“This should be enough. I’m something he deeply cares for.”

“We can try…”

Malleus started the incantation, watching the cut hair form into a ball of light. It flitted around before illuminating the ground, revealing white footprints. They followed them up to the banner. They felt around the wall until the secret door opened. They quickly rushed in, seeing the thorns were getting thicker.

Thorns slowly started to wrap around students, their tips inches away from puncturing skin and causing ailments.

They spotted stairs leading up, but a bunch of thorns blocked the path. Lilia didn’t have patience to think anything through.

“Lilia, are you mad!?”

“My son is up there in god knows what state!” Lilia shouted, climbing through the thorns and getting cut.

Malleus followed, putting a protective shield over the both of them. The thorns wrapped around them, trying to stop them.

Lilia could see the door up ahead. He sprint the rest of the way, swinging the door open. There on the floor lied Silver, his body wrapped in thorns. Lilia knelt by his side, dispelling Malleus’ spell and trying to pull the thorns off of Silver. They wouldn’t let go.

“Give him to me!” Lilia shouted, now resorting to biting.

“Lilia, you-”

“I don’t want to hear it! I’m going to save my child if it’s the last thing I do!”

Malleus’ heart broke at the sight. It was impossible not to feel a certain way about the scene. Lilia weeped, holding his thorn cocooned son in his arms. Malleus sat beside Lilia, holding the both of them. Lilia tearily kissed Silver’s forehead, knowing he loved those the most. The thorns slowly started to recede, freeing Silver from their prickly prison.

“Hey, what did you do…?”

“I… I don’t know…”

They looked out the window, seeing the thorns withering away.

“Father…”

Lilia quickly looked at Silver whose eyes were barely open. More tears streamed from Lilia’s eyes as he held Silver tightly. Silver closed his eyes, relishing in Lilia’s warmth.


	83. Vick + Reok: Should we take them back?

“Lea!”

“I said no!”

Rook wrestled Leona to the ground, eventually pinning his arms to the ground.

“Ha! Now you have to.”

“Or do I?”

Rook found himself underneath Leona in an instant. Rook pouted, Leona having an unfair advantage. Leona helped him off the floor, purring lovingly as Rook scratched under his chin.

“I guess I’ll tell Vil it won’t be happening then.”

“Wait… If I agree, will it make you happy?”

“Oui!”

Leona mulled it over before agreeing. Rook cheered, throwing his arms around Leona’s neck. He squealed in delight, feeling Leona nuzzling him.

“I better get belly rubs too.”

“Of course my lovely beast.” Rook responded, kissing his cheek. “Ah, I must text him the news!”

“So, a double date with Vick…”

“Vick? Oh, their couple name. Ah, it’s so cute… I’m a little envious.” said Rook, seeing Vil sent him a thumbs up. “I want a couple name.”

“Hm, what about RookLeo?”

“Too long.”

Leona shrugged, taking Rook’s phone and sending weird texts to the others. Rook rolled his eyes, tickling Leona’s sides and getting his phone back.

“Wait, there’s a picture I want to see.” Leona said, going back to Rook’s chat with Trey.

“Ah, this one. I never sent it to you?” Rook asked, putting the picture on full screen.

Leona’s tail waved happily, looking at Rook’s pretty face. He sent the photo to himself, wanting to use it for his lock screen.

•

“Jack, you don’t have to carry everything yourself. Let me help you.” said Vil, taking things from Jack’s arms.

“I don’t want you to hurt your skin accidentally.” said Jack, looking at him with worry.

“I’ll be fine. I’m not a damsel in distress.” Vil huffed, placing the items on the grass. “I want this double date to be enjoyable.”

“I didn’t think Leona senpai would agree. Not even for Rook.” said Jack, his tail wagging happily as he helped Vil set up.

“Hello~!” a cheery voice said from behind them.

“Oh, Rook. You’re not supposed to be here yet.” said Vil, running over to him.

“I know but I’m just excited. Leona doesn’t usually do things like this. I want to take a lot of pictures and have a whole album!” said Rook happily. “What do you have planned?”

“You’ll find out later. Get lost.” Vil fussed, sending Rook away.

Vil and Jack got back to work, Rook watching from afar.

“Why am I doing this with you? You heard the bitch, we’ll find out later.” said Leona, dragging Rook away.

•

Jack sighed seeing they had the umbrella and table properly set up along with little activities. Vil dabbed at his forehead, standing next to Jack.

“Now all that’s left is to get that weird couple here.” said Vil, sitting down and texting Rook.

“Vil, do you really think Leona is willingly coming?” Jack asked softly.

“I doubt it. Rook must’ve bribed him with something.”

“Hello~!” Rook shouted, running over.

Leona walked over, looking nicer than usual. Vil raised an eyebrow. Leona getting dressed nicely? The Great Seven were going to rise from the dead.

“Ah, everything looks so beautiful just like you, Vil.” said Rook, holding his hands. “I can’t wait to make happy memories!”

“Your boyfriend is dressed rather nicely. What did you threaten him with.”

“Nothing. I was waiting by the mirror and he came like this. It’s touching isn’t it?” Rook said, his eyes lovingly resting on Leona.

“So, what all you got planned? Don’t let it be boring.” Leona spat, giving up his sleep for Rook.

“Why don’t we start off fierce with a game of…” said Vil, revealing the table hidden underneath a cloth.

“Table tennis. Certainly we’ll win, right?” said Rook, nudging Leona.

“Of course. I’m sure Vil will be running from the ball most of the time.”

“You. Me. Right now you overgrown kitten.” Vil said, pulling Leona over to the table.

Rook and Jack stood off the the side, playing both scorekeeper and referee. Jack and Rook were in awe, seeing Vil wasn’t running from the ball. Things were pretty heated between the two dorm leaders.

“Get him, Lea! Send him packing!” Rook cheered.

“Show him your strength Vil! Even someone as beautiful and careful as you can destroy a lion!” Jack cheered, his tail wagging feverishly.

Vil hit the ball, passing Leona’s reach. Vil flipped his hair, giving Leona a look.

“Who’s running now?”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. Rook!”

Rook joined Leona by his side, causing Jack to join Vil. Both couples whispered before showing they were ready to play.

Vil and Jack were surprised by how coordinated Leona and Rook were, as if they had been practicing beforehand. Vick took a small time out, needing to gather themselves.

“You’ve got a mean back hand, Rook.”

“Eh, I’m only hitting it~” Rook responded, relishing in Leona’s praise. “Praise me more.”

Vil cleared his throat just as they were about to kiss.

“We’re down by five but we’ll come out on top. Just watch and see.” said Vil, pointing the paddle at them.

Their game continued, Vick slowly gaining points from Reok. Soon they were tied.

“Next point wins the match.” said Jack, it being his turn to serve.

“You can do it Jack. Just relax.” said Vil, giving his arm a squeeze.

Jack exhaled before serving the ball. The two couple went back and forth fiercely before Rook hit a good shot. Jack barely made it, sending the ball flying back over to them. Leona hit it towards the empty area. Vil made it just in time while Jack moved to cover. Rook watched the ball fly in the air. He took a swing, missing the ball entirely.

“We… We won?”

“No. Your ball was out, Vil.” said Leona, pulling Rook close by his waist.

Rook giggled behind his hand, loving the false hope he had given them. Leona and Rook gave each other a high five before sharing a brief kiss. Jack fanned Vil, telling him he played hard. Vil pursed his lips, his competitive side screaming in rage.

“We’ll take a break before starting the next activity. I’ll be back.” Vil said before walking off.

Jack followed him, feeling worried.

“Vil, a-”

“I’m fine, Jack. I realized we forgot the snacks in the kitchen.”

“Now that you mention it. I’ll come and help.”

Jack whined happily, loving the head rubs Vil gave him. They entered the kitchen, picking up the snacks they had left.

“Jack, we’ve got to win the next game.”

“Which one is it?”

“Clue.”

“Oh! But we have to be careful, Rook is pretty good at discerning. Leona is a tactical guy, not a detective kind of guy. So maybe we have a bit of an advantage.” said Jack, seeing they might have a chance.

“Right. And make sure you talk to me before making a decision. Let’s make up signals while we’re at it.” said Vil, having Jack memorize them.

Reok noticed Vick walking over with food and a pitcher full of clear liquid. Was it water or flavored? Rook happily took a sandwich half, offering some of it to Leona who took a bite. Rook hummed in delight, finishing the rest of it. Jack looked at Vil who ate in silence. He wanted to feed Vil too. He touched Vil’s arm, giving him a hopeful look. Vil raised an eyebrow before glancing at Reok.

Vil opened his mouth, waiting for Jack. Jack hummed before giving Vil a kiss instead. Jack licked his lips, getting a faint taste of Vil’s sandwich. The couples looked each other before glaring. They were trying to out do each other in kissing. So, a kissing contest commenced.

Vick won this spontaneous kissing contest. They had moved the food and drinks off to the side, pulling out the game of Clue. Rook and Leona looked at each other before helping set up the game. After going over rules, they started up the game. As Vick predicted, Leona wasn’t any good, often making mistakes. They easily won.

“I told you don’t touch the knife!” Rook fussed, crossing his arms.

“And I said, how is picking it up going to fuck us up?” Leona shot back. “You didn’t answer me!”

Vil and Jack secretly high fived, watching them argue. They got them to settle down, starting up the other activity they had.

•

The two couples situated themselves in Vil’s room, him having planned a movie marathon as the last part of the double date. The half animals curled up on their respective partners as a movie played on the screen.

“They killed another one? They might as well kill everyone.” Jack complained, cuddling Vil.

“Maybe we should let Vil pick the movies from now on. He is in that movie club after all.” said Leona, seconds away from falling asleep.

Vil was already stopping the movie, long since having been fed up with it a minute into it. He did a bit of searching before selecting a movie. They all looked at him in surprise.

“What? I enjoy a good romcom.” said Vil, petting his boyfriend.

Jack whined in bliss, his tail wagging. Rook looked at Leona who looked away. Clearly he wasn’t in the mood, so he wasn’t going to bother trying.

They couldn’t deny. The romcom was pretty good. They had made bets on whether the two main characters would end up together or not. Rook and Vil were on the no said while Leona and Jack were on the opposite side.

_“So this is it, huh…” the character on the screen said._

_“Yeah. It was fun, wasn’t it?” the other character said._

They waited with bated breath. Who would win the bet? They all groaned, not expecting a third option. The second guy gets the girl. Luckily, no one lost money. Vil and Rook sighed before looking at their partners. Both had fallen asleep.

Vil stopped the movie, changing their position so Jack could sleep better. Rook did the same.

“Should we take them back?”

“Hm, I think we can let them stay here in Pomefiore. Ah, they’re so cute when they’re quiet.” said Vil, watching Rook lift Leona off the bed. “Does nothing wake him up?”

“It’s got to be really loud.” said Rook, having flashbacks. “We had fun today and I’d love to do it again.”

“Me too, actually. It was especially fun watching the two of them fight for our honor.” Vil chuckled, remembering how cute Jack was. “Ah, make sure you properly care for your skin before going to bed.”

Vil watched Rook leave with Leona before sighing. He tucked Jack in before starting his nightly routine.

Rook opened his door, dropping Leona onto his bed before going back to close and lock his door.

“God you’re heavy… I should put you on a diet.” Rook complained, his arms feeling a bit sore. “Or maybe I’m not working out enough…”

He heard shifting behind him before seeing Leona cuddling one of his pillows. His smiled softly, rushing his routine a bit so Leona wouldn’t have to cuddle his pillow.


	84. NSFW Idia x ???: Donut

Idia surfed the web as he chatted with someone on Twitter.

  
  
  


Idia squealed in utter delight. Best friends. He’s been dying to become best friends with them. Who knew tonight would be the night he became best friends with his second closest online friend? Idia quickly typed his reply, still squirming around like an idiot.

  


His beloved donut was also a student at Night Raven? He couldn’t believe it. His precious donut could be in the room down the hall. He had to share his joy.

Idia grabbed a few things before hurrying off to the gymnasium. He could finally tell them the feelings he’s been harboring deep inside him that he could never voice.

“Donut, I’m coming!” Idia whispered, stepping through the mirror.

Idia slowed to a stop, seeing the gymnasium. The only thing left to do was find his mysterious love.

“Idia…?”

Idia turned, taking in the shorter creature.

“Ruggie?”

“Are you… Donut?” “Are you… Blue Diamond?” they asked in unison.

They gave each other a nod. Who would’ve thought he and Ruggie would hit it off. Ruggie rubbed his neck before looking at Idia.

“I wanted to talk about my crush…”

“I’m listening.”

Ruggie pressed a kiss onto Idia’s lips. He pulled away, watching Idia’s face go red.

“You’re my crush.”

Idia blinked a few times before regaining some of his composure.

“I like you too…”

They quietly started at each other until Idia had initiated the kiss. Ruggie ran his hands down Idia’s body, trying to feel as much as he could of Idia. They pulled apart, a strand of saliva appearing briefly. Their needs continued to rise.

“Idia, I’ve always had this fantasy of pleasuring you…” Ruggie muttered. “May I?”

Ruggie got on his knees, pulling Idia’s sweats down with his boxers. Idia’s breath hitched, feeling Ruggie’s mouth taking him in. His face burned bright. They were doing this out near the open. People could pass by any moment and see them. Idia softly moaned despite his concerns.

Ruggie looked up at Idia, licking around the head before kitten licking his tip. He felt Idia place his hands on his head as he sucked. Idia couldn’t take it anymore, tightly gripping Ruggie’s hair and fucking his mouth. Ruggie held onto Idia, surprised by the sudden change in pace.

“Ruggie… you feel so good…” Idia whispered, the warm feeling in his gut getting stronger.

Ruggie felt Idia thrusting deeper before he felt warm liquid pouring into his mouth. He could feel Idia quivering as he swallowed. He popped off Idia’s shaft, feeling him crumple into his arms. He wasn’t entirely satisfied, but he had made a dream come true.

“Thank you… Thank you for letting me do this with you.”

“I only hope that we start a relationship after this…” Idia whispered, weakly pulling his boxers and sweats back on.

“Okay then, boyfriend.”

They both giggled before walking back together to their dorms. They easily melted into conversation, reminiscing on their past conversations.


	85. Kalim: New Beginnings

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

They exchanged looks before sighing.

“It’s not another whim, right? You’re positively sure this is something you truly want to do?”

“Yes.”

They exchanged looks again before giving him agreeing nods. Kalim hugged them tight, extremely grateful.

•

Kalim stood outside the gates, waiting to be picked up. He was a bit surprised to learn they had dorm sorting too. Kalim jumped back in surprise, not expecting someone to magically appear in front of him.

“Kalim Al-Asim, right?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes sir. Um… you are…?”

“Your new headmaster, Fluroa Merryweather.” he said, extending his hand. “Let us go see what beautiful soul you have.”

“Do you use a mirror?”

“A mirror? How crude. We do things differently here.”

Kalim found himself in a room full of animals sleeping up on a raised floor. Main animals rested in their own beds.

“The animals will search your soul before one of those on the beds will approach you. Don’t be shy.” said Fluroa, pushing him forward.

Kalim walked over before stopping in his tracks. a few animals came over to him, sniffing and licking him. It was cute. They soon dispersed. He looked up at the animals on the beds who hadn’t budged. One had finally opened its eyes, making its way to Kalim.

“Sir, have I been sorted?”

“Indeed. Come with me, I’ll show you the way.”

Kalim placed the animal down, waving to it before leaving with Fluroa. Kalim looked around, taking in the campus. It reminded him of Pomefiore, beautiful. Animals scurried around whether in the air or on the ground. Students were being kind to one another and being helpful. Night Raven didn’t really have that. He was going to like it here.

Kalim noticed they were in a hall of mirrors, each leading to another place. He looked at Fluroa who walked over to one of them.

“This is your new dorm, Maodeng. But, before I let you go, we’ve got to pick out your room and a few other things.” he said with a giggle.

“Yes sir!”

•

Kalim stepped into Maodeng, surprised by how similar yet different it was from Scarabia. He tightly gripped his things as he walked into the building. All sorts of students bustled about, chatting happily or playing games.

“I need to find 205…” Kalim muttered, trying to find stairs.

Kalim walked forward before feeling himself trip. He expected to fall and drop everything but none of that happened.

“You okay?”

“You aren’t hurt right?”

He looked at the other Maodeng students with watery eyes. So kind.

“I’m okay, thanks! I’m Kalim and I just transferred!” he said cheerily.

“Jamie.”

“Eosin.”

Kalim shook their hands, taking his things from them. He accepted their help in locating his room. He looked at Eosin a bit more. He reminded him of Vil.

“You’re really beautiful, Eosin!”

Eosin’s eyes widened before he hid behind his hair.

“He gets really shy when people compliment his looks.” said Jamie, feeling Eosin hiding his face in his side. “Ah, 205.”

Kalim openeded the door, taking it all in. It’s been a while since he had roommates. He looked at the two before noticing Jamie was plugging his ears.

“Why are-”

Eosin burst into song all of a sudden. Jamie rolled his eyes as Eosin spun him around. Kalim clapped along, truly enjoying the vibe. Royal Sword really were his kind of people. Eosin had finished his piece, smiling wide.

“Are you two in this dorm?”

“Just Jamie. If you have questions about Maodeng, ask him.” said Eosin happily.

“May I also ask what year you two are in?”

“2nd” said Jamie.

“3rd.” said Eosin.

“Oh, I’m a second year too! High five!”

Jamie gave him a high five. He couldn’t believe it. RSA students were really his people. He was extremely glad he made this choice.

“I thought I heard a familiar voice~” a voice said from behind him.

“Che'nya.” Eosin said, watching the cat slowly appear.

“Che'nya!” Kalim said happily, giving Che'nya a hug.

“You two know each other…?”

“We’ve had a few meetups at parties. You wouldn’t know, Sin. Since parties are the death of you.”

“There’s just so much… ugh, untidiness!” Eosin huffed, turning up his nose. “I’ll go crazy.”

“You’re all such great people… I wish I came here sooner!” said Kalim, giving Jamie and Eosin hugs.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you a proud student of-” Che'nya said only for Kalim to cover his mouth.

“I never truly felt I belonged there. And after an incident happened… it was obvious I couldn’t stay anymore. And I’m really having more fun here than there!” said Kalim, giving them smiles.

Che'nya simply smiled, seeing no need to put him if he felt that strongly.

•

Kalim walked the halls of Royal Sword, trying to locate the library. He finally found it, amazed. It was just as big as Night Raven’s.

“Hello. You’re a new face.” a voice said from the side.

“Hi! I just transferred here and Ms. Merryweather told me I should stop by here to get my card.” said Kalim, looking at the brunette.

“I’m going out on a limb here and say you’re Kalim Al-Asim?” they asked. Kalim nodded. “Here you go. Enjoy the library to the fullest extent.”

“Thank you, Mr….?”

“Belden.”

“Thanks Mr. Belden!”

Kalim started perusing the shelves, looking for the information about Hot Sands. He found some books before sitting down.

“Excuse me.”

He looked up, now staring at a child.

“Hey, did you get lost? This is a high school.”

“I’m a student.”

“Oh! I’m sorry. You just looked so youthful and small…”

“Hnn… I’ll forgive you since you called me youthful.” he said before leaning forward. “Two things. One, you’re in my friend’s seat. Two, who are you?”

Kalim moved seats just as a blonde had sat in the seat he was previously sitting in.

“Mei, I think I found it. See, look-” they said before noticing someone staring. “Oh. Is there something wrong?”

“No. I was just talking to your friend Mei here! I was about to introduce myself. My name is Kalim and I just transferred here!”

“Ah! Jamie told us about him. I knew you looked familiar.” said Mei.

“We’re friends with Jamie if that wasn’t clear. I’m Rielle, a second year like you.”

“I’m a first year, but I’m the same age as you both.” said Mei.

“I wonder if I’ll make a nice group of friends.”

“Of course you will. You just started so it’ll take some time, especially since you transferred later in the school year.” said Rielle, smiling.

Kalim’s lip trembled before he cried. Everyone at RSA was so nice.

•

Kalim laughed happily, finally having found his group of friends.

“Hey, the basketball team is going to Night Raven for a match. Anyone going?” Yvmin asked.

Everyone agreed. Even Kalim.

“You’re coming, Kars? Usually you like doing your own thing.” Yvmin asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Can’t I change things up? I like hanging with my pals too.” said Kars, giving Yvmin a look.

“Well, if we’re gonna go, we should head to the school gates.” said Yvmin, ushering everyone ahead.

Kalim was excited to be going on a little trip with his friends. It didn’t last long as he remembered where they were going. He had left Night Raven without having said anything to anyone. He doubted anyone knew he was missing, especially since a month had passed.

The team and the other students disembarked, walking through Night Raven’s gates. They quickly started commenting how sad and dull everything looked. A few people jumped at the sound of a crow.

They entered the gymnasium where the Night Raven team was warming up. Kalim sat with Kars and Yvmin as their team started to warm up as well.

 _“To think nothing really changed… Guess they are better off without me.”_ Kalim thought, watching them interact.

“You still haven’t heard from him? Have you asked his parents?” Ace asked, taking a shot.

“Of course, but they won’t tell me anything. I’m just a servant to them at that.” said Jamil, taking a shot. “Where did that idiot go?”

The game finally started. Kalim and the other RSA students cheered hard for their team. NRC gave them looks before cheering just as hard.

“Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Ace asked.

Jamil looked around before he saw it. Blindingly white outfit, hairband wrapped around his head, bangles on his wrists.

“Kalim!?” Jamil shouted, interrupting the game.

Ace and Floyd looked, spotting him as well.

Yvmin and Kars looked at Kalim who seemed flustered and panicky.

The trio left the court, running up to him. Jamil grabbed him by his collar while Floyd and Ace gave him harmless punches.

“Why are you sitting with the enemy!? And wearing their clothes!?” Jamil demanded.

“I’m a student now.”

“Why did you leave without saying anything? Do you know how worried everyone was!?”

“You wanted freedom and you couldn’t unless I was gone. So I changed schools and decided to learn things for myself while I did that. You seem happy n-”

“Shut up.”

Kalim felt Jamil hug him. He hugged him back, wondering if that was the right thing to do.


	86. NSFW Vick: My V Card!

Vil tossed his head back as he moved Jack’s head. It felt good, too good. Why was it so fucking good?

“Fuck, I won’t last…” Vil groaned, thrusting into Jack’s mouth. “Mmm…”

Jack’s tail wagged, displaying his emotions for Vil. Jack could feel Vil twitching and throbbing inside his mouth. Vil’s movements became faster and harder before he released into Jack’s mouth, moaning loudly. Vil’s body shook as he rode it out before pulling Jack off his shaft.

“Swallow.” Vil said, moving his hair out of his face. Jack did as he was told. “Come here.”

Jack moved closer before having his lips seized by Vil’s, his tongue forcing entry into his mouth. Jack groaned in pleasure, feeling Vil stroking his tail. He desperately wanted to be touched more. Vil pulled away, moving his hand to scratch behind Jack’s ears.

“It was your first time giving oral, wasn’t it?” Vil asked, feeling Jack moving closer. “How was it?”

“I liked it… I liked it a lot…” Jack whispered, moving Vil’s hands to his tail. “I like it more when you touch me and praise me…”

“Hm… You did a good job for your first time.” Vil whispered, stroking his tail.

Jack whined, gently biting at Vil’s neck. His erection was pushing against his pants hard. Vil ran his fingers through his hair, hearing his lover panting. Just a bit more…

“You’re such a good boy, Jack. You perfectly listened to everything I told you.” Vil said, stroking his tail more. “I love a good boy.”

Jack whined loudly, his face being hidden in Vil’s neck. Just a bit more…

“You’re doing such a good job. Do you want more tail strokes? Ear scratches? More praise for being such an excellent partner?” Vil asked, before hearing Jack moan faintly, his tail sticking up.

Vil kissed his cheek, watching his ears bend and his tail trying to hide between his legs.

“Jack, look at me.”

“No…”

“Please?”

Jack backed up, looking into Vil’s eyes. Vil looked down, seeing a dark spot on Jack’s crotch. Jack tried keeping Vil at a distance, but he was too quick. Vil pulled his boxers down, seeing what had happened.

“That’s so cute…” Vil chuckled, looking up at Jack. “Getting you to come just from praising and tail strokes…”

Jack was thoroughly embarrassed. Vil had him strip down, finally getting him out of his soaked boxers. He followed behind Vil, him having suggested they shower since it was getting late and he needed his beauty sleep.

•

Vil woke up, registering weight that didn’t belong to him. He then remembered Jack had spent the night. He used magic, having one of Jack’s spare uniforms appear and fresh under garments. He squeezed himself out of Jack’s arms, needing to get ready for the day.

Jack eventually woke up as well, seeing Vil wasn’t in his arms. He frantically looked around before watching Vil enter the room. Vil was taken by surprise by Jack’s nude hug.

“Jack, why aren’t you dressed, no why are you still here? Your class started five minutes ago.” Vil asked, prying Jack off him. “Hurry and freshen up.”

Vil watched Jack do as he was told. It was a bit unnerving. Jack was now fully dressed and clinging to him once more.

“Jack. Go to class.”

“Walk with me?”

Vil sighed heavily, following him nonetheless. Jack held his arm, nuzzling his cheek against his. He was being really affectionate. Vil didn’t hate it, but it was very unusual. Jack knew he liked his space. They arrived at the classroom. Jack was very reluctant to leave him but did so after a bit of threatening.

“What’s gotten into that child…”

•

Vil found himself falling forward and being pressed into someone’s chest.

“Jack!”

Passerby watched as Jack lovingly nuzzled Vil while lying on his back. Some posted it to Magicam. Vil groaned, pulling away from Jack, scolding him. Jack opted for holding his arm again.

“Jack, I have a class to get to. You can’t follow me in.”

Jack started to whine in displeasure. Vil scratched behind his ears, seeing it made him feel better. He parted from him, heading into the classroom.

The bell rang, signaling class had ended. Vil yelped, feeling something cling to him.

“Don’t tell you waited out here the whole time…?”

“I did! Let’s get lunch together!”

Vil went along with him, wondering why Jack was being so clingy.

•

Vil watched Jack return with an amazing spread. How did he know which foods were healthy? Jack happily ate, often purposefully brushing up against Vil.

“Jack, not that I’m complaining, but what’s with the sudden clinginess?”

“I love you!” Jack responded, kissing his cheek.

Vil’s cheeks flushed. He what? Vil silently ate his food, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

_“I love you!”_

His heart wouldn’t stop racing. He clutched his heart, starting to feel unwell. Jack loved him. He…

“Vil?”

Vil looked up at him, his face red and body shaking. He… he…!

“I love you too.” Vil said, feeling his body calm down. “I love you…”

Jack squealed in delight, holding him close. Love. It was something he always thought he had, until Jack showed him the truth. What they had was what he always lacked. He snuggled up against his big, softy wolf, relishing in those three words.


	87. HeartsxOcta: I Like You! I think…

Riddle hummed, trying time focus on work. His mind wouldn’t stop thinking about them.

_“Riddle!”_

_“Goldfish~”_

Riddle shook his head, trying to focus. They didn’t matter. He was finally able to focus. It didn’t last long as a knock was heard on his door.

“T- Trey…” Riddle stammered, looking up at his childhood friend.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything…?”

“Not at all! I mean, can I help with something?”

“I really just wanted to talk is all. Unless you’re-”

“No I’m not! I mean, um… please, come in.”

Riddle hit himself in secret as Trey day on his bed. He was getting too excited. They sat next to each other in silence.

“How are you…?” Riddle asked.

“I’m okay…? Jade was being weird around me again…” Trey muttered, sneaking his hand closer to Riddle’s.

“Floyd’s been acting weird around me too. Well, more than usual…” Riddle confessed.

They both laughed before their hands touched. Neither pulled away.

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately… Do I know what I want…?”

“I’ve been thinking that too!” said Riddle, looking at Trey.

“We really are two peas in a pod.” Trey chuckled, both blushing.

Riddle moved closer to Trey, feeling bold. They leaned closer before pulling back, both seeing the faces of their respective eels.

“I just remembered I had things to bake for um, friends.”

“And I have research to do!”

They quickly separated, Trey leaving the room. Riddle sighed. What did he want? Who did he want?

•

Trey flipped through a book before someone sat beside him.

“J- Jade…”

“Hey, I need that book.”

Trey easily handed it over. Now he had to get a different one. He left his seat, searching for a new one. Jade frowned. That wasn’t how it was supposed to go. They were supposed to share it. Did he word it wrong?

Trey came back with another book. Jade hid the previous one.

“I need that too.”

“Okay…?”

“Where are you going?”

“To get another book?”

“Stay. We can… share it.”

Trey sat back down. Jade scooted his seat closer, wanting to be as close as he possibly could. Trey was aware of how close Jade was. He could smell his body wash. It also happened to be one of his favorite scents.

“Trey, I-” Jade said, turning and seeing how close he was to his face.

Their hearts beat wildly in their chests. They moved apart, looking away from the book. Why were they so attractive to each other? Jade cleared his throat.

“Um, should we continue…?”

Trey wordlessly nodded, scooting closer to Jade but not too much. They often looked at each other, unable to hide their growing feelings. It started to become unbearable, both wanting nothing more than to roughly make out with each other.

“I just got a text from Azul… I’m needed at Mostro’s…” Jade lied, getting up from his seat.

“Oh, take care…”

Trey covered his cheeks, feeling them burning hot. Any longer and he probably would’ve kissed him.

•

Riddle struggled to grab something out of a tree. He didn’t know how to climb and he had left his magipen back in the classroom. He would go back to get it but he was afraid the wind would blow it away and he’d lose track of it.

“Goldfish~!”

Riddle tensed before relaxing. Floyd. Floyd could help him out.

“Floyd, could you make yourself useful and help me get that piece of paper up in the tree?” Riddle asked.

What Riddle wasn’t expecting for for Floyd to pick him up. Riddle flailed around, not used to be so close to Floyd’s face. Floyd also panicked, dropping Riddle in the process.

“Ah! Goldfishie…” Floyd whined, picking him up.

“I’m okay… wasn’t that bad.” Riddle responded, rubbing his tush.

Riddle watched as Floyd easily scaled the tree before bringing down the paper. Riddle smiled widely, running over and giving him a hug. He quickly pulled away, realizing his actions.

“Um, thanks…” Riddle muttered.

“No thank you kiss?”

“W- Why would I kiss y- you!?” Riddle stammered, hiding behind his paper.

Floyd frowned, feeling a bit hurt. Why did his goldfish not want to reward him? Did he do it wrong? He started walking away. Riddle caught up to him, not wanting him to leave just yet.

“Um, I think I lost my pin! Could you help me find it?” Riddle asked, having taken it off.

“Sure.”

Floyd looked through the grass while Riddle stole glances, pretending to look. He hated that he liked Floyd’s disheveled look. He hated that he liked seeing his exposed collarbone. Floyd looked back, catching him staring. His heart swelled. His goldfish was looking at him.

Riddle turned away, his cheeks gaining color. He wasn’t supposed to catch him staring! Riddle faked finding his pin, needing to get away. What would Trey think, him getting all flustered around Floyd? Wait, why did it matter what Trey thought? He was at his wits end. Floyd watched Riddle run off in a panic.

•

Trey sat in his room, swiping between a picture of Riddle and one of Jade. He liked him. He liked him as well. But he liked him more. No, him more. Or was it him?

“Gah! I hate this.” Trey whined, letting his head hit the desk.

Couldn’t he just have both? But would they want that? This was unnecessarily stressful. He swiped to Jade’s photo. Maybe it didn’t have to be so hard.

•

Riddle found himself standing in front of him, holding a letter. He knew he couldn’t express himself with words, so he wrote it all down.

Riddle watched him read it before receiving a loving hug. He had made up his mind. He felt a lot for both of them, but he knew he felt strongly for a certain someone more.

“I really like you too, Goldfishie!”

Riddle squeezed his eyes shut, wondering if he made the right decision.

•

“Don’t make me say it again.”

“Please?”

“I… I- I really like you and I want to date you.” Trey mumbled, his cheeks flushing.

Jade cooed, holding Trey’s hands. Trey liked him. That was more than he could ever ask for.

“I can’t wait to do unspeakable things to you…”

 _“Did I make the right choice…?”_ Trey thought, clearly worried.


	88. Octavinelle: Stop being nice

The trio had decided to head back to the museum as a small bonding trip. Floyd happily ran around with Jade trying to calm him down. Azul looked over their schedule, not wanting to be under water any longer than he had to.

"Jade, get your brother under control before I get feisty." Azul hissed, tired of Floyd's voice.

Jade subdued his brother as Azul asked the mirror to guide them. Jade quickly tossed Floyd through the mirror before following, Azul heading in last.

The twins immediately changed forms, thankful to back in a body they knew how to operate. Azul still refused to change.

"Come on, I thought we were over this." Jade said, pulling on Azul's sleeve.

"Show us your juicy legs~" Floyd clapped before tugging on his other sleeve.

"Fine! I'll do it if it gets you both to stop being annoying." Azul groaned, changing his form.

The twins cheered, circled around him in glee. He swore he'd never take this form again under water no matter the circumstance. They swam to the museum, being granted entrance. Floyd swam around, never tiring from visiting the museum. Azul looked at Jade as if telling him to control his brother.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was having fun himself. It was always fun, comparing what was written in books on land compared to the sea. Jade and Floyd had swam over to him, circling him in delight.

"It's always fun coming back here together like this. Can we make this a monthly thing?" Jade asked, wrapping his tail around one of Azul's legs.

"Can we, can we!?" Floyd pleaded.

The twins pulled Azul back and forth before a giggle could be heard. They looked, seeing a guy who looked their age. Why was he giggling and looking at them.

"My apologies. You three just seemed to be having a lot of fun. It reminded me of my childhood a bit." he said, swimming closer.

"Oh? Where did you go to school where it was so fun?" Floyd asked flatly.

"Sharktooth Elementary."

They blinked. They went there too. Should they tell him that? Wouldn't they recognize him? Azul decided to take the step forward.

"We went there too."

"Really? It's strange... I don't really remember you..." he said, crossing his arms.

"Does the 'It's the Leech twins!' ring a bell?" Jade asked, seeing it being the only thing that could possibly link them together.

"Oh! You two...! Jade and Floyd!?" he said, clearly surprised. "Oh wow... Puberty is definitely treating you both right!"

As expected, Azul was ignored. He expected it, seeing he was the outcast. Azul swam away, letting them have their little reunion.

"That octopus who was with you all..." he muttered. "Oh, I almost forgot. It's me. Rielle. The prince."

"Oh..." they said in unison.

"You do give off a princely vibe." said Jade, flicking Rielle's hair.

"Everyone's favorite little fishy." Floyd grumbled.

"I'm getting a feeling that you aren't that happy to see me..." he muttered, backing away slightly.

"Oh, we are happy to see you."

"We just aren't happy that you didn't recognize us."

"Well, it's been a few years... You didn't recognize me either!" said Rielle with a huff.

"We should probably catch up with Azul... I doubt he's happy with this development." Jade whispered before they swam away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Rielle asked, following after them.

Azul stared at the object, wondering how much fun the twins were having with that person.

"Aw, is our little octopus sad?" Jade teased.

"Are you gonna cry like a baby?" Floyd teased as well.

"Knock it off. What happened to that person anyway." Azul hissed, keeping his back to them.

"Do you mean me? Then I followed them. You look really familiar." said Rielle, swimming in front of Azul. He started touching Azul's face, getting up close. "What if I..."

Azul lost his sight. Rielle gasped, putting his glasses back on.

"Azul the octopus!" he whispered, looking him up and down. "You're so slim!"

Azul scowled. Rielle cleared his throat, seeing he used the wrong words.

"What I was saying is that you look good. I was worried about your health..." Rielle said, unable to stop himself from looking Azul up and down.

"Stop being nice. You bullied me too!" Azul shouted.

"Hey, calm down. We don't want another incident like that." said Jade, remembering how troubling it was.

"Bully? I didn't... I was telling them to stop..." Rielle muttered, wondering if he's held a grudge all this time. He didn't blame him if he did. "Really, I tried to help..."

"Well it didn't! If anything you probably made things worse since you're a prince and all important!" Azul complained. "You wouldn't know the pain of being different than others and being hated for it! I can't help what I am!"

"Azul-" Jade said but Azul had swam off. "Today was supposed to be a fun day too..."

"Did I say something wrong...?" Rielle muttered, trying to dissect the conversation.

"No, he's just a bit sore..." Jade responded.

"He finds it unfair that we have happy memories while he suffers with bad ones." Floyd said flatly.

Rielle furrowed his brows before heading after Azul. The twins followed, worried he'd only make things worse. They easily caught up with Azul, him not being the fastest swimmer.

"Azul, the twins here said you came to have a good time and I don't want to keep you from having a good time." said Rielle, holding Azul's arms to keep him still. "I don't want to remind you of a painful childhood, so I'll leave."

The twins watched Rielle swim away. It would've been fun to have him around just a little longer. They looked at Azul, wondering if they'd continue on or head back to Night Raven.

"Let's finish up here and head back."

They hummed in agreement, following Azul. The spat between Azul and Rielle left a bitter taste in their mouths.

"I wanna go back." Floyd grumbled, feeling bored.

"Floyd-"

"Then let's go back." said Azul, already ahead of them.

Jade held Floyd back. He whispered a few things to him before they went separate ways. Azul looked around, seeing the twins weren't with him. They couldn't have gotten lost. He headed out, seeing it'd be smarter to wait by the entrance in case they were still looking around.

Time passed and the twins still hadn't come out. He was getting impatient. He felt something collide into him, sending him forward a bit.

"What the-"

They looked at each other. Azul angrily glared before they found themselves wrapped together by two tails.

"Get along~" Floyd said, resting his chin in his hands.

"We won't let go until you do." Jade chuckled, amused by their looks.

"I've wanted to get along from the start though..." Rielle said, giving Jade a look.

"I'm not going to be friends with a pampered prince."

"Azul!" the twins shouted in unison.

Azul frowned before looking at Rielle. Stupid blonde prince doesn't know what being disliked is like.

"So, what things do you like? Maybe we have things in common." Rielle asked.

"I like games... and fried food... and practicing magic..." Azul muttered, avoiding eye contact.

"I like those things too! Especially when they fry the meats just right... Delicious!" Rielle said, his eyes practically sparkling. "I love deep fried veggies! Oh, don't get me started with fried ice cream!"

_"He surprisingly lives an unhealthy life..."_ the twins thought in unison.

Azul slowly opened up to Rielle, seeing he wasn't as bad as he was making him out to be. The twins had eventually let them go, glad to see there wasn't anymore distaste. Their little plan had worked.


	89. Leovil: Vil Schoenheit doesn't cry

Leona found himself waking up in the dead of night. He had been having trouble sleeping these days and it was driving him crazy. He tried going back to sleep. Nothing. He sat up again, ruffling his hair. He searched up online for ways to fall asleep.

None of them worked. Leona got up out of bed, deciding to just walk and tire himself out. It was strange not hearing the loud voices of those in Savanaclaw. He didn't know they all were early sleepers like him.

He stepped into the hall of mirrors, the school campus just as quiet. He could say for certain he didn't like the school in the dead night where you could hear a pin drop. He walked around, doing things he'd never do during the daytime.

Leona found himself entering the courtyard, wondering if he could sneak a few apples off the trees. What did they even taste like? He plucked a few off the tree, taking a bite from one. They were... tart. His ears picked up on the faint sound of sniffling.

He followed the sound before spotting someone curled up by one of the trees. He squinted a bit and got closer before recognizing who.

"I thought beauty sleep was everything..." Leona whispered, wondering what was going on.

He walked over to Vil, wondering how he should greet him. He opted for tapping him and calling out his name.

"Why are you awake?"

"I can ask the same thing pretty boy." Leona scoffed.

"It's none of your business. Leave me alone." Vil snapped, trying and failing to hide evidence of him having cried.

"You're crying. Vil Schoenheit doesn't cry. So clearly something is wrong. And I'm going to make it my business whether you like it or not."

Vil rolled his eyes turning away from him. Of all people that had to see him cry, it had to be the shitty lion. Leona sat in front of him, offering him one of the apples he swiped. Vil knocked it out of his hand, turning his back to him.

Vil soon found himself being pulled back, an arm now around his neck. He looked up at Leona who wore a look of displeasure.

"I said, I'm making it my business."

Vil sighed, pursing his lips. He wasn't going to let him go until he spoke. So he'd just say anything and hopefully get him off his back.

"I failed a test. I never fail tests and this... this is really stressful. I'm supposed to be perfect." Vil said with a sigh.

"Bullshit."

Vil frowned. The one time he needed him to not care he decided to care. He thought about it. Did he want him to know? Leona could use it against him.

"You're thinking too hard about this. Just tell me. Or I'll scratch up your face." Leona threatened.

"Am I just a pretty face?"

Leona blinked, wondering where this was coming from. He didn't look like he was lying this time either.

"Are you?"

"Piss off..."

"I'm teasing. Sure, you've got a pretty face, but there's more to you than that you know."

Vil met his eyes, searching for a hint of a lie. There was none. Was the shitty lion actually being truthful?

"I don't believe you. I don't mind being complimented on my looks but that's all I ever get. No one tells me 'amazing grades' or something like that..." Vil muttered, looking away from him.

"Vil, you don't have to believe me, but you really are more than just a pretty face. I've seen the way you easily make potions and not to mention the hardwork you put into magic pharmaceuticals. You really love taking care of your skin and not everyone is as diligent as you." Leona said, running his fingers over Vil's cheek. "And your hardwork really shows."

"Leona..."

"Vil, don't think so little of yourself. Many may see your face only, but there are people like me who see you. The you that puts effort into everything he does to maintain who he is."

Vil met his gaze, completely lost for words.

"Baby you light up my world like nobody else..."

Vil raised an eyebrow, wondering what Leona was saying.

"The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed..."

"Leona...?"

"But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell you don't know, you don't know you're beautiful."

Vil pursed his lips, wondering if Leona was messing with him. He didn't voice his thoughts, assuming he was as usual.

"I guess you have a point..." Vil muttered, feeling comfortable in his arms.

They sat in silence until had spoken up, but not above a whisper.

"That's what makes me beautiful... huh..."


	90. Lilia: Hi Hungry, I'm Dad

Lilia hummed to himself as he walked to Silver's room. Lucky for him, Silver was just exiting his room.

"Hey Silver, you wanna hear something interesting?" said Lilia, following Silver down the hall.

"Uh, okay...?"

"The first french fries weren't cooked in France, but in Greece."

Silver didn't respond then froze in place. Lilia chuckled behind his hand, watching Silver groan with his entire body.

"So you're done with misusing slang and are resorting to dad jokes?"

"Yep and you can't stop me." said Lilia, taking his phone so he couldn't warn others.

"Hey! I need that!"

•

Lilia spotted Riddle sitting in the library. He had the perfect joke for him. He picked a random book off the shelf before sitting next to him.

"Oh, hello Lilia senpai." said Riddle, noticing the book he took out. "Ancient frogs?"

"Yes. It's been awhile and I feel I may have encountered one." said Lilia, ready to say his joke. "I was actually reading a book not too long ago about anti-gravity. It was impossible to put down."

Riddle nodded before it settled in. Lilia lightly cackled as Riddle groaned.

"Go away. Dad jokes are not cool."

"Hm. Before I go, I just want to lay some wisdom on you. The three unwritten rules of life." said Lilia, taking a piece of paper and writing on it.

Lilia walked away, his shoulders shaking. Riddle looked before groaning loudly. On the paper it said three unwritten rules of life along with just the three numbers.

•

Lilia found Vil and Azul working in one of the labs together. He had the perfect joke for the situation.

"Oh, Lilia senpai."

"Afternoon, Lilia."

"Hello my fellow schoolmates. Oh my, what's that I see?"

The duo looked around, wondering what he was seeing.

"Don't trust atoms. They make everything up!"

They simultaneously groaned, running a hand over their faces. Vil glared at Lilia who simply laughed in delight.

"You try killing us with misusing slang and now you're finishing us off with terrible dad jokes?"

"Very perceptive Vil. Speaking of which, what has two butts and kills people? An assassin." said Lilia before walking out.

They were visibly over it.

•

Lilia hung out in the courtyard tree, seeing another victim heading his way. He swung down, landing perfectly.

"Oh, Lila senpai."

"Jamil, my favorite person." said Lilia, walking beside him. "Whatcha got there?"

"I'm helping out Trey with his little garden."

"I heard a scarecrow had won an award."

"Huh...?"

"For being outstanding in his field of course." Lilia said, his little fangs showing.

Jamil nodded before stopping in his tracks.

"Lilia!"

Lilia simply laughed in delight, watching Jamil wall away from him in a huff.

"Wait, I have a serious question." said Lilia, catching up with Jamil.

"It better be."

"What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman? A frostbite!"

Jamil rolled his eyes, picking up his pace. Why did he have to suffer through this?

Lilia said a few more jokes before deciding to spare Jamil. Jamil was eternally grateful, rushing off to the botanical gardens.

•

Lilia spotted Ruggie cleaning up around Leona's room. He walked in, taking a seat on Leona's bed.

"Oh, Lilia."

"You seem to be having fun."

"As much fun as a mouse being eaten by a lion."

"You know, I've been wondering about something." said Lilia, kicking his legs.

"And what about it?"

"If prisoners could take their own mugshots, what would they be called?"

Ruggie raised an eyebrow, not really having thought about it.

"Cellphies."

Ruggie let out a heavy sigh, clearly unhappy with the development.

"Hey, why do you think a can crusher quit his job?"

"Lilia-"

"It was soda pressing!"

Ruggie was completely over it. He tossed Leona's clothes into the basket before walking off with it. He was seriously getting a kick out of this.

•

"Silver."

"No!"

"Come on!"

"No! No more dad jokes!"

"I had a joke about paper but it was tearable."

Silver screamed in sheer horror.

"Stop!"

"You know, I've always wondered why skeletons never go trick or treating. Then I realized they had no body to go with."

Lilia laughed, watching Silver die even more inside. He plopped down next to him, promising he wouldn't make anymore dad jokes.

"Ah, but I feel there's something I should say."

"What?" Silver whined.

"The shovel was a ground breaking invention."

"Kill me now..."


	91. Azelle: Angelfish

Azul talked with the students of Octavinelle, trying to pump them up for the competition. They couldn’t fall behind the other dorms. The students were more or less on board with things. Their only thing was that they wouldn’t be going up against their own school’s dorms. Royal Sword Academy was coming.

“We can’t let them win! We’ve lost for nearly a hundred years! A hundred!” Azul barked, finding it utterly embarrassing. “We managed to place last in terms of which dorms would get to compete, so we can’t afford to bring failure to our school’s name!”

“Right!” Octavinelle students said, agreeing with him.

Diasomnia, Savanaclaw, Heartslabyul and Octavinelle lined up while RSA’s four selected dorms, Maodeng, Nimbus, Atlantica and Prideland lined up as well. Crowley and Fluroa stood together, saying their pieces and introducing their dorms.

The competition soon started. The matchups were Nimbus vs. Heartslabyul, Octavinelle vs. Atlantica, Prideland vs. Diasomnia and Maodeng vs. Savanaclaw. Azul shook his leg watching Heartslabyul go at it with Nimbus. They were good. Each year it felt like the dorms of RSA got stronger. What were they doing right that they were doing wrong?

Heartslabyul lost. They were up next. They had to get a win. The dorm leaders walked up to each other, shaking hands. Azul noticed the blonde didn’t let go of his hand.

“So you made it, Azul…”

“Rielle, the angelfish.”

They looked at each other, Rielle doing more ogling than Azul.

“You look good.” Rielle said, finally letting Azul’s hand go.

“I know I do. Why bring it up?”

The headmasters ordered them to back away.

 _“‘Cause I always found you… good looking.”_ Rielle thought, glancing back at Azul as they went back to their teams.

The match started.

•

Azul sighed, looking at the scores. They lost to RSA again. A hundred years. For a hundred years they’ve lost to RSA. NRC students collectively sighed. What were they doing wrong? The eight dorms were allowed to mingle before RSA was set to leave. Azul was tired, wanting to head back to his room and rest.

“Azul!”

Azul sighed, seeing the blonde prince standing before him. What he wanted couldn’t be anything good. Maybe he came to gloat.

“We get it. You guys won for a hundred years. A hundred!” Azul said in annoyance.

“I just wanted to talk…” Rielle responded, feeling a bit hurt.

“Then talk.”

“Can we talk in private…?”

A few NRC students “ooohed”, giving him nudges.

Azul rolled his eyes, following Rielle. He looked around, seeing they weren’t in some super secluded place where no one would hear him scream. They were just walking down the path with all the booths.

“A lil’ treat never hurt anyone~” a voice said, spooking them. “If it isn’t our little merprince.”

“Oh, Vin. I thought you were too busy to come.” said Rielle, taking the personalized macaroon. “You brought them! Azul, try one!”

Azul wasn’t given a chance to protest as Rielle was sticking a pale blue macaroon in his mouth. It was… interestingly flavored. Not something he’d have again, but maybe occasionally.

“Oh, right. This is Vin! He runs a snack shop on our campus! He recently came up with personalized macaroons for everyone and they’re all different colors!” said Rielle, having Vin show the nicely wrapped macaroons.

“We have something like that. It’s a lollipop.” Azul mentioned.

“I’d love to see yours! Take me, take me!” Rielle begged, wanting to know all he could about Azul. _“I want to get closer…”_

Azul opened the door to Sam’s shop. Rielle looked around, looking at the various items he had available. To think a shop like this could carry just about anything you need. Azul looked around. Sam wasn’t here. It wasn’t unusual, but he never said he’d be doing anything today.

“Sam?”

No response. After some time, Sam had come out of the back room discreetly wiping his mouth.

“Our little business tycoon… What can I do for you?”

“Personalized candies. Two.”

Sam took his payment before getting to work. Rielle watched with Azul as Sam practically did magic before two octopus lollipops appeared. Azul handed one to Rielle. Rielle unwrapped it and started to suck. It was… interestingly flavored. Not something he’d have again, but maybe occasionally.

“Isn’t it about time you royal fools headed back to your blindingly flashy school?” Azul asked, walking him back to the stadium.

“Ah, I suppose you’re right…” Rielle muttered. “May I have your number? I’d like to stay in touch.”

Rielle handed his phone over, watching Azul input a number. He called it, hearing Azul’s phone ring not too long after. Thank god it wasn’t a fake number.

•

“I mean, I thought he was cute before but now…” Rielle mumbled, holding a pillow to his chest. “He’s so fucking sexy!”

Everyone gasped, not used to hearing Rielle curse.

“You can’t be crushing on someone from our rival school!”

“Yeah, it’s like… why? There’s so many guys here.”

“All of you, hush! We’re supposed to support him as his closest friends.” said Eosin, wrapping his arms protectively around Rielle.

“But wasn’t Azul that bullied kid? Do you really think he’d want something to do with someone who sat on the sidelines while he was bullied?” Jamie said, giving reasonable input.

“Not to mention we destroyed their school last week in Magift. Well, not Drellator per se but as part of Royal Sword.” Mei added on.

Rielle sighed heavily. Eosin glared at the two.

“If he didn’t want anything to do with you, he wouldn’t have agreed to go with you or share his personalized lolli.” Eosin reasoned.

“True. He didn’t complain either, right?”

“All relationships start somewhere, and I think you’ve got a few toes through that door.” said Mei.

“You guys… I want this to work between us… I want to know him. I want to consume his thoughts and be close and get intimate…” Rielle said, slowly getting quieter towards the end.

“Intimate in what way?” Jamie asked.

Rielle’s face instantly turned red. Eosin gasped loudly, playfully slapping his arm while the other two “ooohed”.

“How can we help?” Mei asked, wanting nothing but for Rielle to be happy.

•

They watched from behind as Rielle attempted to text Azul the next day in the afternoon. They had long since stopped hoping Rielle would type something and send it after seeing how many times he’s deleted the entire message.

“Give it to me.” said Jamie, quickly typing something Rielle would say before handing it back. “You can thank me in cash and making me your best man at your wedding.”

“I haven’t thought that far… Would it be weird if I started now?”

“Yeah, might wanna slow your roll and actually get Azul to date you first.” said Mei, patting Rielle’s head.

Rielle anxiously waited for Azul to text back. And waited.

“Give it some time. He might be in class.” said Eosin, squeezing Rielle’s shoulders.

“Hey guys, Mr. Kingscholar is coming in later today!” said Mei, checking the student run website.

“Mr. Kingscholar gives great advice. Why don’t you talk to him?” Jamie suggested.

“I will! He would know how to court someone. He’s married after all.” said Rielle cheerfully.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Eosin and his kids.” said a voice.

They turned around, seeing a floppy eared rabbit with three others flanking behind him.

“Lepus.” Eosin growled, glaring at the small rabbit.

“Don’t look so angry~ I haven’t done anything wrong. We just wanted to see how our favorite people were doing.” said Lepus, the three nodding behind him.

“You and your lackeys did nothing but cause trouble for the rest of us! I had glitter suck in my hair for an entire week!” Mei fussed, slamming his palms on the table.

Lepus’ lip trembled as his eyes started to water. The three behind him glared at Mei who shrunk back.

“Lepus, what do you want? You don’t talk to anyone, especially us, unless you want something.” said Jamie, clearing the air.

“I don’t really want anything, well, other than your friendship.” said Lepus, sitting at Rielle’s table.

The three behind him sat as well.

“Do they ever talk…?” Mei whispered to Eosin who shrugged.

“Yes, we do talk.” said the blonde with his bangs tied up. “We choose not to.”

“How rude.” the lilac haired male said, showing his sharp teeth.

“And to think Lepus was going out of his way to befriend you five…” said the two toned haired male, pushing up his glasses.

The two friend groups stared at each other before Rielle finally spoke up.

“Lepus senpai, you’ve had experience with crushing on someone, right?” Rielle asked, wanting any and all advice he could get.

“Of course. There’s so many scrumptious boys at our school~ Why do you ask, hm?”

“Hey, are you sure you want him to know? We could wait for Mr. Kingscholar.” Eosin said, still not approving of the sly rabbit sitting before them. “He’s a tricky fellow like Che'nya… Wondersmoore! I repeat, Wondersmoore!”

“So what if Lepus is from Wondersmoore? Be respectful to your senior.” the blonde snapped, looking at Eosin.

 _“My god what amazing hearing he has!”_ Eosin thought, hiding behind Jamie.

The blonde smiled, having heard Eosin once more.

“Thank you, Eosin.” he winked, causing Eosin to hide further.

“I’m asking because… I have a crush on someone from another school. I want to try and get him to like me back. We went to school together as kids and he was bullied and I didn’t really do much so I’m just as guilty… but I always found him very cute and I wanted to be friends but the other kids wouldn’t let me…” Rielle rambled, truly wanting to date Azul. “I don’t know what to do…”

“Hm… that sounds tough. How was your initial meeting, seeing as you went to the school.” Lepus asked, his ears flopping a bit.

“Neutral but more on the dislike since we beat them…” Rielle muttered, looking at his text message that still said delivered. “But we shared personalized sweets!”

“How cute~” Lepus cooed, his ears moving in glee. “And you texted him just now? Then there’s not much else I can help with. I’m sure Mr. Kingscholar might have more helpful advice. Oh, how rude of me, I haven’t properly introduced myself.”

“I’m sure everyone knows you, Lepus Aeg. You’re infamous for having multiple partners at once.” Mei said, one of his roommates having fallen victim.

“You all misunderstand. He saw me hanging out with someone else and assumed I was cheating. He was terribly insecure and spread such a nasty rumor. Honestly, I’d never do something so disgusting.” said Lepus, his eyes watering.

“There he goes again…” Jamie said under his breath.

“Respect your senior, Jamie.” the blonde said, giving him a knowing look.

Jamie looked at Eosin who simply nodded in understanding.

“Lae, stop reading minds.” Lepus scolded. “You’re scaring them.”

“But it’s so fun~” Lae said, smiling bright. “I’m Lae by the way. Lae Kinnigin.”

“Ah! Now I know why you seemed familiar!” said Mei, pointing at him. “You’re the guy who thwarted some student’s plan to sell us out to NRC.”

“Hihi~”

“Don’t do that, you sound like that annoying Magicammer from NRC.” the two toned haired male said.

“Aren’t we getting off topic here? We’re supposed to introduce ourselves! I’m Haema! I’m from the Atlantica dorm like Rielle!” said the lilac haired male excitedly. “I’m a third year like Eosin.”

“You’re small like Mei…” Jamie commented.

“And I like it like that!” Haema said, puffing his chest out. “Your turn, Zaza.”

“Don’t call me Zaza. How many times do i have to tell you? Anyway, I’m Zayden Voithó. I’m from the Prideland dorm.” said the two toned haired male, cleaning his glasses. “Surprised are we? That people like me exist in the jock filled dorm?”

“Oh, Haema! I knew you looked familiar! You helped that first year figure out how to navigate Atlantica.” said Rielle, unbelieving of how he forgot. “I look up to you!”

“How flattering, hehe~”

The bell rung, signaling they had five minutes to get to class. Lepus skipped away with his posse, leaving them behind.

“We just got involved with a troublesome group haven’t we…” Eosin whispered, shivering as Lae had looked back at him.

•

Rielle paced around, waiting for Farena’s class to leave the room. Azul hadn’t replied yet and the end of the school day was nearing. Maybe it didn’t go through. Maybe he hasn’t seen it. The students filed out, leaving Farena alone in the classroom. Rielle entered, closing the door behind him.

“Oh, Rielle! My favorite underwater prince.” said Farena, ruffling his hair a bit. “Eosin mentioned you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yes. See…” said Rielle, going into detail about his crush situation. Farena nodded along, absorbing everything. “I don’t want to force him to like me, but I’m worried it’ll be one sided. I don’t want it to be!”

“I hear you. It’s not easy crushing on someone, especially when you don’t know where you stand with them. Take it slow, don’t ever try to rush anything. Let him open up to you first before making any moves. Judging from what you told me, it seems he still harbors ill will towards everyone in his class.” said Farena.

Rielle nodded, seeing it made a lot of sense. He just had to show Azul that he’s always been on his side and that he genuinely wants to be his friend.

“Thank you, Mr. Kingscholar!” said Rielle before taking off in glee.

“Ah, to be young again…”

•

Rielle was busy talking to animals for homework when his phone received a notification. Rielle squealed, startling the small creatures.

“Wait, come back! I’m sorry…” Rielle whispered, watching them scurry back over.

It was a start. Azul has finally messaged him back.

  
  
  


“'We’ll see.’ Does this mean… he’s giving me a chance!?” Rielle gasped, scaring the animals once more. “Oh dear, I’m sorry…”


	92. Silver + Idia: To Player

Ortho held Idia’s hand as they walked the school halls. He could feel him shaking like a leaf. Was being around people really that scary? He loved people.

“Come on big brother! We’re just going to the board game club.” said Ortho, giving him an tired look.

“B- B- B- B- But there a- a- are people….” Idia whispered, hiding further in his jacket.

Ortho was relieved to see the club room. He opened the door, pushing Idia in.

•

They were in the middle of a game when they heard groaning from nearby. A head popped up, ruffling it’s hair.

“Silver?”

Silver looked, seeing Idia, Ortho and Azul staring at him.

“What?”

“How long have you been here?” Azul asked, taking his turn.

“I don’t know… but seeing as your club is meeting, must have been hours.” Silver yawned, getting up from the floor.

“I’m surprised you haven’t hit your head yet.” Idia muttered, finishing his turn.

“This looks like fun.” said Silver, pulling up a seat.

“Ah, we were just about to finish and end club activities for the day.” said Azul, looking at the other students.

“Hm. You’ve got games, right Idia?”

“I- I- I suppose…” he whispered, taking out his board. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m in the mood to play some.”

“You? I doubt don’t know anything about games.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Idia and Silver narrowed their eyes, invisible sparks forming between them. Azul cleared his throat, having Idia take his turn.

“My brother has a lot of fun video games in his room! Why don’t you come over and play?” Ortho suggested, helping Azul pack up.

“Ortho, he’s just going to embarrass himself-”

“Okay. I accept.” said Silver.

They glared at each other again. Ortho was simply happy that Idia had a new gaming partner.

•

Ortho was surprised to see a few more people had joined in. Idia was too in his zone to even realize. Azul, Malleus, and Lilia sat as the game booted up. Ortho sat with them, feeling extremely happy.

“What game is this…?” Malleus whispered to Lilia.

“Street Fighter. A classic!” Lilia said. “I’ve trained that boy so hard almost all the characters moves are drilled into his headed kufufu…”

They watched as the match started and Idia was the first to make a move, getting hits on Silver. Idia glanced at Silver, surprised by how effortlessly his fingers moved on the controller. He couldn’t lose. Their characters constantly moved around, Idia finally taking Silver down.

“Two more matches and I win this round.” said Idia, chuckling to himself.

“I may or may not win this round, but there’s two more rounds of two different games left.” said Silver, selecting a new character.

Lilia and Ortho excitedly shouted out moved while Malleus and Azul sat in pure confusion. Silver beat Idia.

“Atta boy, Silver!” Lilia shouted, making mini fireworks appear.

“It’s just one round. I’ll beat you in Mario Party.” said Idia, glaring at him. “It’s nothing but luck.”

“I love Mario Party! Let me join!” Azul pleaded.

“Actually, this is perfect. Here.” said Idia, giving Azul a controller. “Now we have extra external factors.

"Don’t care. I’m gonna beat you.” said Silver before blinking. “Wait, what if Azul comes in first or the computer?”

“Then whichever one of us is higher wins. Like I’m second and your fourth.” Idia said, starting the game.

Malleus and Lilia watched as they played. There were definitely a lot of twists and turns. Azul was in the lead. Silver and Idia were clearly struggling.

“Looks like Silver might win.” Malleus whispered, seeing Idia was now in second.

“There’s still five turns. Things can change.” Lilia whispered back.

Things in fact did not change. Azul won the game, but Idia won the round. Idia cheered happily. It now came down to their last game. What were they going to play now? Lilia’s eyes lit up.

“Let me join!!!!” he squealed, taking Azul’s controller. “Lets boogie you youngins!”

“I was told to pick one for their last game. I like dancing so, I chose this one!” said Ortho cheerily.

“I’d like to join too…” Malleus said, picking up the spare controller.

Idia was in a zone, uncaring who joined in what. He had to win. He couldn’t let this normie show him up. Lilia excitedly chose the song while Malleus magically moved things to give them dancing space.

Ortho kept watch, making sure the competitors didn’t purposefully try to mess each other up.

“He’s a serious gamer alright…” Lilia whispered, never having thought he’d see Idia busting a move.

“It’s amazing what you can do when you’re trying not to lose.” Malleus added, recording Idia a bit.

Ortho clapped as the song had finished. They had two more songs to do before the grades were averaged out. It was nice seeing his brother have fun, even if it was a competition. He truly loved seeing him happy.

“Alright, time to have our scores evaluated.” Silver wheezed, his limbs feeling a bit numb.

They looked to Ortho who silently calculated.

“Silver wins!” Ortho said cheerily.

Idia was in utter shock. How? Something wasn’t right. He asked Ortho to check again. Same result. Lilia three his arms around Silver, seeing their late nights paid off well.

“I refuse to believe it. I’m a hardcore gamer! I can’t lose to a normie!” Idia shrieked, pulling on his hair.

“But cha did.” Silver teased, poking fun at him.

Everyone backed away as Idia’s hair briefly turned red before turning back to blue. Maybe they shouldn’t tease him too much.

“I demand a rematch! I can’t lose!”

“I’ll play any game you want. I’ll still beat you~”

Idia kicked everyone else out, locking him and Silver in the room. They looked to Ortho who shrugged. Idia’s only ever played with him and he always won.

“Looks like we’ll have to wait.” said Malleus, the three of them sitting outside Idia’s door.

Ortho pulled something out of him, sending it under the door.

“Oh, we can see now!” said Lilia, watching them duke it out in another fighting game.

They blinked, not expecting to see it. They exchanged looks before looking back.

“Who wants to tease Idia?”

They all raised their hands.

“This’ll be fun~” Lilia chuckled, making sure he had the photo ready.


	93. 1st y Kaja: Oh what he would give

Jamil watched with disgust as Kalim bounced around like an idiot. How nice it must be to be so carefree. Idiotic pampered rich kids. They don’t know what it’s like having to work hard to keep up an image, having to work for your money.

“Jamil!” Kalim happily called out, running over to him.

Jamil plastered on a smile, feeling Kalim hug him. Oh what he would give to have this annoyance obliterated from his life so he could be free.

“Yes, Kalim?”

“What are you doing tonight? Are you busy?” Kalim asked, finally pulling away.

“If you need something, just ask. I can never be too busy for you.” said Jamil, in reality just wanting a night all to himself.

“Oh, I just want to spend some time with you tonight. That’s all.” said Kalim, smiling softly.

“If that’s what you want, then I’ll make sure not to make plans.”

Kalim cheered before scurrying off. One day, just one day he’d find a way to get rid of him without leaving a trace.

•

“You’re watching me again.”

“Am not.”

“You’re literally facing me, Azul. What do you want?”

“If I must reveal my devious plans… Nothing. I’m just wondering when your true colors will show.” said Azul, watching Jamil do the bare minimum.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jamil responded, reading over notes to see what he could fumble with.

“I didn’t expect you to come right out with it. One day, you’ll show them. I wonder how your dear master will react.” Azul said with a smirk.

Dear master. Man oh man he had that so called “dear master”. What an idiot. Can’t even do a thing for himself. His mother should’ve swallowed him.

“Azul, why can’t you focus on your work? It’s not that hard.”

Azul simply hummed, finishing up his own classwork.

•

Jamil wiped his forehead, their coach giving them a break. Floyd walked over, tapping him.

“Azul wanted me to give you this.” said Floyd, handing him aspirin.

“Tell him I said thank you.” Jamil said. _“The hell are these for…”_

“You’re kinda cool, sea snake. I wouldn’t want to serve someone as airhead as Kalim.” said Floyd, sitting down.

“He’s not airhead, just… a daydreamer.” said Jamil despite very much agreeing with Floyd.

“Hnn… He’s fun though. I like his parties.”

“Yes, his outrageous parties… _that I have to fucking cook for. God, does he know how much work it is to cook for dozens upon dozens of people!?_ They’re fun. I’m glad you enjoy them.” said Jamil, suppressing his emotions.

“Your food is great! We appreciate your efforts~” said Floyd, giving him a little hug.

Jamil discreetly rolled his eyes. He knew his efforts were appreciated, he’d just prefer never having to do them in the first place. But no, Kalim didn’t care. As long as _his_ wishes were fulfilled, it didn’t matter how _he_ felt. It was always about him. He hated it.

•

Jamil sighed before knocking on Kalim’s room, having brought a water and snack for him. He didn’t ask for it, but he didn’t want to go back out in the event that he did. Unlike the other first years like them, Kalim had a room all to himself. Must be nice, waving money around like it’s nothing.

“You’re here! And with food.” said Kalim, taking it and placing it on a nearby table.

Jamil closed the door, wondering what he was needed for. Kalim flopped onto his bed, patting the spot next to him. Jamil sat.

“I just wanna hang is all. I miss having you close by. I’m sure you’re a bit sad too, right?”

“Yes, of course. _No, absofuckinglutely not!_ ” Jamil said, his inner voice screaming. “But, we’re high schoolers now. We have to study hard so one, you can properly be a worthy heir and two, so I can be of great use to you.”

“Right!” Kalim said, popping up. “You’re so smart and cool, Jamil. I wish I could be like you.”

 _“Of course you do, you imbecile.”_ Jamil thought before actually responding. “I’m really not. I’m simply here to help you with whatever you need. I need some competency if I’m to do so.”

“Aw, Jamil. You’re so humble! I’m so happy to have you.” Kalim said, giving him a hug.

 _“You wouldn’t survive without me. You’d be a fish out of water.”_ Jamil thought, hugging Kalim back. “I’m happy to serve you.”

“Hey, Jamil…”

“Yes?”

Jamil could feel Kalim kissing at his shoulder.

“Spend the night with me…”

“If that’s what you want.”

Kalim pulled away, looking into Jamil’s eyes. He knew that look. It was going to be another one of those nights. Jamil got up to lock the door before turning and seeing Kalim undressing himself.

“Do you want help?”

“No, just watch me…”

Jamil did as he was told. If there was anything he hated the most, it was this. It was true, he loved getting to stick it somewhere rather than jerking himself off, but he was forced to do this. Kalim never asked if he wanted to. It was always “I’m horny so fuck me”. He approached Kalim, undressing as well.

He lied Kalim back on the bed, letting his head rest on the pillows. He pressed soft kisses onto Kalim’s body, often going to his lips as his hands explored and teased his sweet spots. Kalim wrapped his arms around Jamil, biting at his neck. Jamil stuck a few fingers in Kalim’s ass, prepping him. Kalim squirmed around, soft moans escaping his lips.

He was so vulnerable, so innocent looking. He desperately wanted to call him out for power harassment, making him do things he clearly didn’t want to do. Yet he couldn’t. No matter what he could think of doing, he would be the one punished and Kalim would go unscathed. Would it be so bad to choke him right here, right now? Pretending as if he was into it but subtly trying to kill him?

He thoughts halted, seeing Kalim’s half open eyes looking at him with need. Jamil stopped fingering him, preparing himself to enter him. He wished Kalim wouldn’t look at him with those big, round eyes that gazed upon him so fondly and dearly. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, telling him how much he hated him. Kalim let out a moan, feeling Jamil’s shaft pushing inside him.

It was a bit harder to focus on his thoughts, the pleasure feeling overriding just about anything else. Kalim pulled him in for a kiss, wanting to taste him again. He moaned into the kiss, further wrapping himself around Jamil. He felt Jamil leave his lips, leaving bite marks and small hickeys all over his body. Kalim reached down, stroking his shaft as Jamil continued to thrust into him.

Kalim sweetly moaned Jamil’s name, feeling himself about to come. Jamil couldn’t deny, it felt a bit nice hearing Kalim moan his name. But it didn’t change the fact that this was sex out of duty, not love. Though, it would never come to that. He would never love a pampered kid like Kalim. Kalim scratched at Jamil’s back, feeling himself come onto his stomach as his back arched slightly.

Jamil internally frowned, seeing Kalim looking up at him with those half open eyes, a woozy kind of smile on his face. How badly he wanted to wipe it off his face. If only. If only. Jamil wrapped his arms around Kalim, moaning into his shoulder as he quickened his pace. Jamil has momentarily stopped, pulling out. Jamil hovered over him, pumping himself before coming all over Kalim’s chest and some of his face.

Jamil crawled out of bed, bringing over tissues to wipe Kalim’s face with. Jamil felt his wrist being seized not too long after he finished cleaning Kalim’s face.

“You’re so good at this…” Kalim whispered, still breathing heavily a bit.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Mmm… I love doing it with you, Jamil.” Kalim said, sitting himself up. “I want to do it more.”

“ _I don’t_. Then, let me know. I’m your servant and I’m here to help you with anything you need.” said Jamil, stroking Kalim’s hair.

“I don’t mean it as an order… I want us to make love, passionate love…” Kalim muttered, interlacing their fingers. “I want to become one with you.”

“I want to become one as well… _Ha! As if. I’d rather be locked away for a few years than be your lover._ ” Jamil said, holding Kalim close.

Kalim sighed in bliss, snuggling closer. Oh what he would give to see Kalim disappear from his life. Permanently.


	94. Kaja: So you can learn things

Kalim tied his hairband, ready to tackle the day. He exited his room, seeing students already walking around. He was hungry and hoping Jamil was awake to feed him. He knocked on his door, being given entrance.

“Woah! I rarely see you with your hair down!” said Kalim, admiring Jamil’s hair. “It’s so pretty.”

“I’m assuming you’re hungry. Just give me a moment.” said Jamil, combing out a section.

“Wait, let me!” said Kalim, hurrying over and taking the comb.

“Kalim-”

Kalim wasn’t listening. He started running the comb through Jamil’s hair, admiring how silky and smooth it was. Jamil gave up trying to get him to stop.

“You take such good care of your hair on top of caring for me. You’re a real hard worker, Jamil.” Kalim said, starting to brush it. “Maybe I should give back more and do this every morning.”

“Please, you-”

“I’ve made up my mind! I will do this every morning for you!” Kalim declared, accidentally pulling on Jamil’s hair. “Oh, so sorry.”

Jamil sighed, relishing in Kalim’s fingers running through his hair. Is this what bliss felt like? Then he didn’t want it to end. Despite how quiet it was, it was extremely peaceful and relaxing.

“Are you actually going to do this every morning or are you just saying that?” Jamil asked, feeling Kalim starting to braid.

“I mean it! It’s the least I can do as your boyfriend!” said Kalim, making sure the braid was tight. “You give so much and me? So little! If there’s anything I can do for you, please tell me!”

“Then… I would like you to do this for me every morning, help make our meals, and really understand my feelings more.” said Jamil, seeing Kalim moving onto the next braid. “Oh? Not too bad. When did you learn?”

“My little sister! The third youngest. She wanted me to play dolls with her and we learned together.” Kalim explained, feeling proud.

“So you can learn things if you set your mind to it.”

“Huh?”

“Keep braiding.”

Kalim started the final braid. Jamil couldn’t help but notice the serene look on Kalim’s face. Was he… enjoying himself?

“Done!”

Jamil looked in the mirror, seeing his handiwork. It was good. He really liked it. Kalim grinned widely, puffing his chest out.

“You know, I think this calls for a little celebration.”

“Hm?”

Kalim watched Jamil lean in, pressing their lips together. Kalim easily melted into it, feeling Jamil pull him closer.

“What was that for…?”

“For a job well done.”

“Hehe.”

Jamil gave him another kiss, simply for existing.


	95. Sam + Azul: I got friends on the other side

Azul peeked into Sam’s shop. How did he run such a successful business with such an array of items that no one has even heard of? Why did people come to him rather than Mostro’s? Was it some kind of spell? Charm? He quickly hid, seeing Sam looking in his general direction. He’d have to come back when the shop was closed. He’d have gone home by then.

Azul snuck away, starting to formulate his attack plan. Sam stepped outside his shop, looking in the direction Azul had taken off in.

“Was our little tycoon looking in?” Sam asked, no one standing around him. “Hnn, isn’t he interesting…”

•

Azul came back later in the day, strolling in as if he were a customer.

“Hello little demon. Hope you find what you’re looking for~” said Sam, watching him ever so carefully.

“I hope so too. You do proclaim to carry everything.”

“In stock~!”

Azul lifted up snacks and objects, searching for something like a secret button.

“Sam, do you have pollen smackers?” Azul asked, trying to seem like a customer.

“Right behind you my friend.” Sam said, very amused.

“Sam, I admire you a lot.” said Azul, picking up the snack bag. “You have such a thriving business.”

“Such flattery from a budding businessman.”

“I was very surprised to hear there was a shop like this when I first came to Night Raven. I often wonder how you operate.” Azul said, walking over to the counter.

“Like any business does. Providing the products to fill a person’s need.” Sam replied, tilting his head slightly. “Isn’t that why you started Mostro? Filling the need students have?”

Of course not. He couldn’t care less about the students. He’s only as generous and kind as he is so they’d come back as regulars. He was in it for the money.

“Yes. Who wouldn’t want a place to sit down at alone or with friends and have a nice meal made for you?” said Azul, opening the bag. “Wouldn’t you?”

“Certainly. I ought to visit Mostro’s sometime huh?”

“I would be honored.”

They gave each other smiles, different intents hidden behind them. Azul waved as he left.

“I know. We should prepare a warm welcome for him.”

•

Azul looked at Sam’s shop from afar. The lights were out. Breaking in wouldn’t be easy, especially since he had to make it seem as if it wasn’t broken into. He double checked his things, making sure he had everything he needed.

Azul approached the door, watching it open slightly. He stepped back, wary of what was there. A small rodent crawled out, relaxing him slightly. He walked towards the door before opening it as quietly as he could. It was completely dark in the shop. He didn’t want to risk others finding out so he opted to creating a small fire to help him.

“And what do we have here…?” a chilling voice said.

Azul looked around, not seeing anyone. Was he hearing things? The moment he took another step forward, he felt a hand on his waist and a hand holding his chin. The door closed behind him.

“You’re in my world now, not your world. And I got friends on the other side.” a familiar voice said, having him walk forward.

_“He’s got friends on the other side.”_

Azul looked around, wondering what those chanting voices were and where they were coming from. Purple lights flooded the room, revealing not the shop he knew but an assortment of masks, charms, bottles full of suspicious liquid and a peculiarly placed table with two chairs.

“Sit down at my table, put your mind at ease. If you relax it will enable me to do anything I please.” said the voice, revealing itself to be Sam.

Sam walked away from Azul, dancing over to the table. Azul felt his body moving but no one was around him. Panic was really starting to settle in. This was nuts and he could’ve swore he saw some of the masks moving as if they were talking.

“I can read your future, I can change it ‘round some too. I look deep into your heart and soul. You do have have a soul, don’t you, Azul?” Sam said, revealing a stack of cards.

Azul found himself being pushed forward and having his seat pulled out for him.

“What’s going on?”

“Simple magic tricks my dear tycoon.” Sam said with a wide grin.

“Magic tricks!?”

“Make your wildest dreams come true… I got voodoo, I got voodoo. I got things I didn’t even try. And I got friends on the other side.”

_“He’s got friends on the other side.”_

There went those voices again. Azul looked around, not seeing anything. Sam sat down. spreading out cards.

“The cards, the cards, the cards will tell. The past, the present and the future as well. The cards, the cards, just take three. Take a little trip into your future with me.” Sam said lowly, waiting for Azul to pick.

Azul shakily picked three cards, watching Sam run his hands over the others, them magically disappearing. Now that he could chalk up to magic. The cards reappeared in Sam’s hands before he held them up. Azul’s eyes widened, watching the cards moving in the air before disappearing.

“Eyes on me, my little tycoon. Don’t you want to know what I see?”

“Not really…”

“Then why did you come here? Do tell. Or maybe you don’t have to.” said Sam before flipping over the first card.

Azul was taken aback, seeing a chubby little octopus cowering, surrounded by other merchildren.

“What a horrid childhood you had, yes indeed. Full of ridicule, pain, and devoid of the love you need.” said Sam, giving him a pitiful look. “The lone little child, oh how those bullies went wild!”

“Stop it! Stop looking!” Azul shouted, swatting the card off the table.

“Ah, the present you, now slim and just look at how you grew! A genius with high skilled magic, but how you got here is just so tragic.” Sam said, getting quieter towards the end.

Azul watched as Sam grabbed the card, a slideshow of his present self showing. Was this magic? He couldn’t tell. He’s never heard of a spell being able to do that. Sam had let it go, moving onto the last card.

“You desire freedom from your past. But freedom takes green. It’s the green, it’s the green, it’s the green you need. And when I look into your future it’s the green that I see.” said Sam, revealing Azul surrounded by cash.

“I need…”

“In desperate need of that green, you’ve come to my shop to steal what you need.”

“No, I-”

“Tell us Azul, what’s the truth? Or should I have my friends tell me why?” Sam asked, pulling out a fourth card.

Azul looked at the card Sam held, one of his eyes being covered by it. He couldn’t just outright tell him. He was slowly starting to go into full on panic.

“Are you ready, my friends? Let us punish our little tycoon.” said Sam, slowly placing the card on the table. “What you need is my shop’s little creed~ Oh how we’ll punish this little misdeed.”

Azul found himself being restrained to his seat, but nothing was there. He squeaked in fright as the purple lights danced around and the masks chanted. Azul passed out. Sam scooped up the cards, handing them back into thin air.

“Perhaps we unloaded too much onto our little tycoon.” said Sam, having them let Azul go. “Let us take him back to his underwater home where he belongs.”

Sam walked on ahead, Azul’s body being lifted into the air by nothing.


	96. Floyd + Ace: Not helping…

Ace entered the gymnasium, a few minutes late for club activities. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. He started to warm up, thankful yet sad no one was coming to talk to him. Maybe he was giving off a don’t talk to me vibe.

“Crabby, play with me.” an annoying voice asked.

“No.”

“‘Kay.”

That was it? He always pestered him until he gave in.

“What? That’s it?”

“You said no.”

“But you’re Floyd.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…” Floyd grumbled, narrowing his eyes.

“Never mind.” Ace muttered, tying his shoes before getting on the court.

Ace had barely gotten into position to shoot when a ball hit him from behind. He looked, seeing Floyd glaring at him. So he hit him with a ball back. Floyd angrily marched over to him, towering over him.

“I’m not in the mood right now!” Ace fussed.

“Why not.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

He felt Floyd pick him up and sit him down on the floor. He soon sat as well.

“Talk.”

“Huh?”

“I said talk.” Floyd demanded.

Ace looked at Floyd before sighing. Of all people he was going to confide in, it had to be Floyd. Why did Jamil have to be out today?

“I had a fight with Deuce…”

Floyd laughed.

“I knew it! It was mistake to-”

“What did you fight about?” Floyd asked.

“He insulted Jade! He knows I like him!” Ace complained, putting his head in his hands. “And then we started insulting each other…”

“I didn’t know you liked Jade. Why? I’m so much cooler.” Floyd teased, poking Ace’s hands.

“Not helping…”

“Well, Deuce is a big fool. He doesn’t understand being in love.” said Floyd, moving his hands. “Jade is a good guy to like.”

“But didn’t you just-”

“What all did you call each other…?”

Ace told him, Floyd laughing in delight. They called each other funny names. Some were kind of harsh.

“Well, give each other space then try to make up. You weren’t wrong for defending Jade.”

“You aren’t completely useless…” Ace whispered, not used to this side of Floyd.

“But you were wrong for calling him names you know.”

“I- I know! Heat of the moment…”

“Don’t be sad, crabby. You’re best friends. Even best friends fight.” Floyd said, ruffling Ace’s hair. “You’ll make up in no time~”

“I suppose…”

“Now play with me!” Floyd said, helping him off the floor. “It’ll make you feel better!”

Ace wasn’t given a chance to respond as Floyd was already pulling him into the court. Floyd was weird. A good and bad weird, depending on his mood.


	97. Silver: Fresh Start

Lilia wailed loudly, watching his son being carried away by a white horse drawn buggie. Malleus held onto him tightly, knowing if he loosened even just a little, Lilia would go chasing after it.

“Lilia, this is for his own good. Maybe there he’ll learn of his origins.” said Malleus, dragging Lilia back with him.

“But, but… I…” Lilia weeped, not thinking they’d part this way. “I won’t get to watch him grow…”

“You make it seem like we can’t visit him at Royal Sword.” Malleus commented.

“We can? Can we visit everyday? Classes mean nothing to us.” said Lilia, no longer seeing the buggie.

“Lilia.”

Lilia quieted down, allowing Malleus to take him back to Diasomnia.

•

“Thank you, Mr. Merryweather…” Silver said before leaving out the door.

To think he was no longer a student in NRC. He was separated from everyone he knew, especially his father, his family. He tightly held his things, looking down at his white uniform. This was going to be his new school.

Silver exited the building, making his way to his dorm. Lilia and Malleus were supposed to bring his things over later. He looked around, seeing students doing all sorts of things to better their school. Night Raven didn’t do that. Even little animals were frolicking about. A small squirrel climbed up onto his shoulder, enticed by the violet eyed male.

“Hello. Aren’t you cute…” Silver whispered, scratching underneath its chin. It chattered happily. “Huh? What do- Ah!”

Silver found himself falling forward and landing on something that wasn’t ground. He pushed up, seeing he landed on a non human.

“I’m so sorry… I wasn’t watching where I was going…” Silver apologized, looking at them.

“Oh. You’re cute~” they said, poking his cheeks. “I’ll forgive you.”

Silver blinked in confusion. He sat back, watching them sit up.

“I’ve never seen you before. Who are you?”

“Uh, Silver… I transferred due to… reasons. And you are…?” Silver responded.

“Lepus! Lepus Aeg, hehe~”

His ears flopped as he grinned. He was tiny like his father.

“I see. I apologize again for falling on you…”

“It’s fine! What year are you in?”

“Um, I’m a second year.” he said.

“That makes me your senior, hehe. I’m a fourth year.” said Lepus, getting to his feet. He helped Silver to his feet. “So, where are you headed?”

“My dorm. I have to get there before my family comes to deliver my things.”

“Judging from the colors you’ve got, you’re in Violette! I love that dorm, but not as much as my own.” said Lepus, leading the way.

•

They stepped into Violette, brimming with grace and light. It reminded him of Diasomnia, but more inviting, loving, and bright. It was full of life. Lepus pushed open the double doors, revealing the inside.

Lepus waved to a few students before looking at him.

“So, what room?”

“109.”

Lepus had him follow, knowing his way around. They stopped in front of a door, Lepus knocking on it. A student opened it, happily welcoming them in. Silver introduced himself as the new roommate they were having.

“Ah, so you’re Silver! You’re really pretty.” he said with a smile. “You remind me of the sleeping princess that our dorm is founded on.”

“Ah, well…” Silver mumbled, having flashbacks. “I might be more like her than I realize…”

Lepus and the student looked at him, wondering what he meant. Lepus’ ears flopped around before he headed over to the door.

“Lae!!!” Lepus squealed, hugging the blonde.

“Hm, you’re a new face.” said Lae, looking at Silver. “I see. So that’s how it is.”

“Huh…?”

“Nothing. I’m Lae, Lae Kinnigin. I’m a Violette student just like you. I heard we were getting a new member in our lovely dorm. You’re really pretty you know.” said Lae, looking Silver up and down.

“Um, thanks I guess…”

Silver watched the three students interact. It didn’t feel much different from Night Raven. The only noticeable difference was the color schemes. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad. He looked around, seeing a card sitting on one of beds. It had his name on it. He picked it up and started to read. It was so touching.

“Ah, everyone in Violette signed it! Welcome to Violette!” his roommate said, patting his back.

A few tears fell onto the card. Everything was so warm and loving.

•

Silver looked around, trying to find his class.

“Home economics… Night Raven didn’t have this class.” Silver muttered, trying to find the classroom.

He finally found it, but was unfortunately five minutes late. He pushed open the door, all eyes on him.

“I apologize for being late. I just transferred and I don’t quite know my way around yet. I’ll do better.” Silver apologized.

“Don’t worry, I understand.” the teacher said, motioning for him to come over. “This is Silver and he’ll be in our class from now on. Treat him nice.”

“Yes Mr. Allan.” the class responded.

“Zayden, I’m putting him in your care.” said Mr. Allan, sending Silver off.

Silver sat next to Zayden, taking note of the creations around him. They were cooking. In class.

“So-”

“Silver, no identifiable last name, a second year transfer. Currently residing in Violette as a student and has no background.” said Zayden looking at him. “All you need to do is follow what’s written. Don’t ask for help.”

Silver silently watched Zayden go back to working on his stew. He looked down, seeing there were instructions he could use. Though, he didn’t have to be so mean about it. Not everyone was as kind as his roommates and Lepus he guessed.

Silver interacted with the rest of his class, finding them more pleasant than Zayden.

“Sorry to hear you got paired up with Zayden.”

“Yeah, he’s a real jerk. Thinks he knows everything.”

“Is that really what it is though…?” Silver questioned.

The others whispered their complaints about him, how he always had something smart to say, keeping them at a distance when they offered help or when they needed it.

“He’s not a good fit for Royal Sword. He’s going to ruin our image!”

“Yeah, we’ve told Mr. Allan but he always says Zayden belongs here…”

Silver looked at Zayden who silently taste tested his stew. He wouldn’t lie, his initial impression wasn’t good either, but maybe there was a reason why.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to try and befriend him!?”

“You’re wasting your time. Not even the sweetest student Rielle could get through.”

“And maybe that’s where you’re all going wrong…” Silver muttered, having the nastiness of Night Raven on his side.

Zayden looked up, seeing Silver standing next to him.

“W-”

“Listen, I don’t know what your deal is. Your classmates just want to be friends with you and help each other out. Stop feeling so threatened by other’s kindness and accept it.” said Silver, slamming his palm against the surface. “Stop being so stuck up and thinking you’re better than everyone because there’s always someone better than you.”

Everyone looked, causing Mr. Allan to move and see what was going on.

“Boys?”

“Sir, I was just verbally attacked by our new student.” Zayden said, feigning sadness.

“I admit it. I did say harsh things, but he needed to hear them. The other students have talked nonstop about how unkind you are to them for no reason at all. Stop being such an ass and be upfront with them.” said Silver before walking away. “I’ll walk myself to the headmaster, Mr. Allan. I know I’m in trouble.”

“No need, Silver.”

Everyone looked at Mr. Allan wide eyed, even Zayden. He walked over to Silver.

“That what you did there is a good quality to have. The words you used I admit weren’t the best, but not backing down when things seem rough is admirable. You truly do belong here, Silver.” said Mr. Allan, walking Silver back.

Zayden frowned heavily. Everyone had gone back to work, still having Silver’s outburst on their minds. Silver started his stew, quietly working beside Zayden.

The bell rung, signaling class was over. Mr. Allan waved to his students, wishing them well. Silver found himself being pulled off to the side before being pushed into an empty room. Silver readied his magipen before seeing it was Zayden.

“What a-”

Zayden had run into him, weeping. This was unexpected. He didn’t know what to do.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” Zayden weeped repeatedly.

“You don’t have to cry… I just wanted you to be nicer to our class.”

“I can’t… help it… I don’t mean to be mean…” Zayden whispered, his grip on Silver tightening.

“Just slowly open up to them. No one said you had to do it all at once. Show them you’re interested.” said Silver, prying him off.

To think he had such a nasty look on his face minutes ago. Now he was as soft as felt.

•

Silver waited by the gates, keeping an eye out for Lilia and Malleus.

“Silver~!” a cheery voice called out from behind.

“Oh, Lepus senpai.”

“Waiting for someone?”

“Yes. My family actually. They’re running late though…”

Silver watched as a wall of green lights appeared before revealing Malleus and Lilia. He ran over, tackling them while giving them a hug.

“Looks like-”

“I missed you both… Everything is so different here and I… it’s not the same without you.” Silver whispered, his eyes starting to well up.

Lilia pulled Silver into a hug, him and Malleus having been watching him all day. He had somehow convinced Malleus to see how Silver was fairing at Royal sword. Much to his surprise, he was doing well. He didn’t feel needed anymore. Yet hearing Silver day he missed him…

“I truly want you back at Night Raven so I can better watch you…” Lilia muttered, feeling Silver nuzzle against him. “But Malleus and I know you really belong here. I promise we’ll visit as much as we can. I don’t want to miss a minute of you growing up.”

“Father…”

Malleus joined in with the hug, missing Silver’s little antics here and there. Lepus watched the touching scene with watery eyes. He never could’ve guessed Silver came from such a family, which made it even more touching.

“Hm? Who’s the rabbit?” Lilia asked, seeing Lepus blowing his nose.

“Oh, he’s Lepus, a fourth year here. Our first meeting wasn’t ideal but we’re friends.” said Silver.

Lilia walked up to Lepus, looking him up and down. He didn’t seem shady. He looked to Malleus who also inspected him. Lepus was okay in their books.

“We approve of your friend.” said Malleus, looking down at Lepus.

“Huh…?”

“Ah, I almost forgot. I brought you something.” said Lilia, handing Silver a brooch. “Wear it at all times. To remember us when you feel sad and we can’t visit.”

Silver put it on, admiring its beauty. Lilia and Malleus shared a look, knowing they could successfully watch over Silver while they weren’t around. After that encounter Silver had with Zayden, how could they be sure something worse wouldn’t happen?

“Oh right, what happened to my things?”

“Oh, we already delivered them. Everything is nicely put away.” said Malleus, smiling bright. “Properly organized by color and season.”

“Okay… not necessary you know.”

Lilia looked at Silver, seeing him in his Royal Sword uniform. It fit him perfectly. This was where he truly belonged. It hurt, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

“Silver, if you ever feel alone or just miss me, don’t hesitate to call…” Lilia said, giving Silver another hug. “I’ll… I’ll…”

Silver listened to Lilia weep. He was taking this pretty badly. Though, he couldn’t truly understand the parting with your child without experiencing it.

“I promise to call even if I don’t feel either of those. And you too, Malleus. You’re both the most important people in my life…”

Malleus was now in tears. They pulled each other into a group hug, Silver being in the middle. Silver relished in their warmth, not wanting them to go.

“The school day at Night Raven is over right? Why don’t you stay longer and explore with me?” Silver suggested.

“I like that. Let’s do it, Malleus.”

“I wouldn’t mind giving a tour.” said Lepus, his ears flopping about.

They had forgotten Lepus was there. He took Silver’s hand eagerly leading him to their first stop.

••

Silver put on his uniform, ready to start the day. He had started getting used to things around Royal Sword. Everyone was really welcoming and he surprisingly made a few friends. It turned out they were a group and were willing to let him be in it.

Silver stepped out, seeing Lae waiting for him. Lae was definitely the strangest out of all of them. He learned not long ago he could read minds, making him wonder if he’s heard everything he’s ever thought of. He was probably listening to his thoughts right now.

“Hey, Lae. I’ve got a question.”

“What?”

“When you say you like Lepus, do-”

“Yes I want to hold him in my arms and give him all of my love that I’m feeling. And yes I also do want to get pegged by him.” Lae said, being straight up honest.

“But isn’t it your first year here…? The school year didn’t start that long ago.” Silver said, seeing they were close to the main building.

“It’s that love at first sight crap. Saw him standing next to the Wondersmoore dorm leader. Couldn’t stop. Turned out he was filling in for the vice who was extremely sick and Lepus was actually next pick for vice.”

“Wow… I never took you as the romantic type.”

“Yeah? Me either.” Lae replied. “Later.”

Silver waved, watching Lae head upstairs. He wondered if Lepus knew about Lae’s crush.

Silver entered the classroom, noticing a few students had abruptly stopped talking once they saw him. Were they gossiping about him? He didn’t do anything that warranted attention. Silver took his seat, the teacher coming in.

A few students kept looking at him. Was there something on his face? He didn’t see anything. The bell rang before two students cane over to him.

“Hey Silver.”

“Hi.”

“We uh, we’re just wondering where you’re from! You know, maybe we might be from the same place.”

“Um, I uh…”

“Silver!”

Silver looked, so glad to see Haema. He quickly apologized to them, rushing off to join him.

“You just saved me.”

“You’re welcome? Anyway, are you ready for P.E? I hear we might be playing a really fun game!” Haema said, smiling bright. “Though, what were they doing by your seat?”

“Ah, nothing… just asking about sharing notes.” Silver chuckled.

“Hm. Well, I’m glad to see you’re okay!” Haema said, lightly bumping Silver. “You need to do your best, you know? Especially since you transferred almost half way into the year.”

“I’m aware… You seem to care a lot you know?”

“Hm, I don’t really think so. I’m just trying to be a good person.” said Haema with a shrug.

Silver followed, not entirely sure what to say to that. Haema was already a good person, so why did he bring it up?

•

Silver drank water, seeing students looking at him. Why were people looking at him so much today? He knew he was a bit good looking but it was becoming a little unnerving. A few had walked over to him.

“Is it okay if we ask a question?” one asked.

“I mean, yeah. As long as it’s not illegal.”

“What school did you transfer from? We can’t think of any possible schools.”

“Yeah, especially with a guy as good looking as you.”

“And what’s your last name? Is there a reason you keep it secret?”

“Uh… well… Does it really matter what school I came from? We’re all friends here.”

“Well no, but-”

Vargas had shouted that break was over. Silver quickly ran. He was clearly aware of the rivalry between RSA and NRC. He didn’t want to imagine how they’d react to that. He’s already seen how NRC students acted towards RSA students.

The rest of the period went by with ease. Silver stuck close to Haema, hoping students wouldn’t ask anymore about his personal things.

“You’re hugging me awful tight. You cold? I’m not the best person to hug. You know, cold blooded.” Haema chuckled despite hugging Silver back.

“People have been talking about me… I don’t know why and it’s making me very uneasy.”

“Maybe they’re realizing how pretty you are.”

Haema laughed, helping him to his feet. Silver quickly walked away, not liking that he was being talked about. A few students had walked up to Haema.

“Hey, do you know anything about Silver’s background…?”

“No. Why don’t you ask him?”

“We tried but he ran…”

Haema shrugged, saying he really couldn’t help.

•

Silver was making his way to Vin’s to meet Lae and Zayden when students had stopped him. They were curious about his background as well. He ran, lying he had to see the headmaster.

Silver quickly entered Vin’s seeing a few students eating and chatting.

“Welcome little love. Meeting your friends?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

Vin simply chuckled gesturing towards a table off to the side. There sat Lae and Zayden.

“People curious about your background?”

“Stop reading my mind!” Silver hissed.

Lae chuckled, leaning back in his chair.

“I don’t exactly blame them. You’re absolutely stunning and mysterious. Everyone wants to solve a mystery.” Zayden said, thanking Vin for the dish. “We’re a little curious too, as your friends.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell anyone… it’s just… there are things that I feel won’t sit well with people…” Silver mumbled, eating from Zayden’s dish with Lae.

Lae already knew Silver’s “secrets” and he wouldn’t lie, he was pretty surprised. But it made a bit of sense at the same time. He kept quiet, seeing Silver wanted to tell people himself.

“We’re your friends. We won’t judge you.”

“Aw, are my little underclassmen getting chummy?”

“Lepus!”

Zayden and Silver could see the invisible tail wagging behind Lae as Lepus skipped over, taking a bite from Zayden’s dish.

“Don’t you have work today?” Zayden muttered, seeing the others were going to eat the entire thing.

“I do, but people were suddenly asking me about Silver, so I came to check on him.” Lepus said, his ears flopping. “How are ya?”

“I’m okay, I guess. You guys are my friends, right?” Silver asked, earning nods. “Then… I’ll tell you.”

Lepus slid next to Silver, much to Lae’s dismay. Silver quietly told them everything. Lae wasn’t surprised, already knowing. Much to Silver’s surprise, they were pretty chill with it.

“So, when are you gonna be open with the student body?”

“I don’t know…” Silver muttered.

He didn’t want to imagine the entire student body or even some of it hating him. Would they even result to bullying? Lepus could see Silver was troubled, so he gave him his Lepus special: Rabbicuddles.

Lae was clearly upset and Zayden was a bit afraid he’d do something when he and Silver were alone. Silver finally smiled, loving how soft Lepus’ hair was.

“Great, you’re smiling. If anything’s troubling you, come talk to your senpai.” Lepus giggled, winking while sticking his tongue out. “See you little ones later~”

Just as Lepus left, two students had walked over to the table.

“Silver-”

“I don’t want to answer questions!” Silver said, quickly leaving his seat.

“Don’t ask us. We don’t know.” Zayden lied, Lae nodding in agreement.

The students sighed, wondering if there was anyone else they could ask.

•

Silver found himself being stopped by just about every student these past weeks. Why were they so curious about him? Why now all of a sudden? What about the freshies? Silver jumped, nearly falling down the stairs as more students approached him.

Silver ran out the building, trying to escape. He soon found his paths being blocked off. He was trapped.

“Fine! You all want to know? Then I’ll tell you!” Silver shouted, startling everyone. “You wanna know where I’m from? Where I transferred from? Then I’ll shout it in your faces so you’ll stop asking!”

“Well, I think speaking normally would be fine…” a student said, not really wanting him to strain his voice.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“I… I transferred from Night Raven College after a certain big incident. Yeah, I’m from our rival school. And I’m from the Valley of Thorns. Yeah, that place you all know that the Thorn Witch originated from. And speaking of that, I’m also a royal guard for her descendent, Malleus Draconia. The guy you hear about being one of the five greatest.” Silver confessed, wrapping his arms around himself. He could already see they were talking. “And I was an orphan child. My father… he’s a fae who long served the Thorn Witch’s family and raised me, a human… He’s the best father ever and I couldn’t ask for a better father to have!”

Silver sighed, standing tall. Even if the entire school disliked him, he wasn’t going to show that he was ashamed of his upbringing.

“I’m Silver Vanrouge! The proud son of Lilia Vanrouge, a brave warrior from olden wars and a devoted follower and guard of Malleus Draconia!”

Everyone turned at the sound of clapping. The crowd parted, revealing two people they didn’t recognize. Silver looked, seeing the person stop clapping.

“Silver…”

Silver instantly ran to him, feeling tears pouring out of his eyes.

“Father, you…”

“Shh. Don’t ruin this.” Lilia chuckled, holding Silver tight. “I’m really happy, you know…”

Malleus rubbed Silver’s back, joining in the hug soon after. Silver held them close, missing this familiar warmth. He felt Lilia wipe his cheeks free of tears despite his own being coated in tears.

“Are they giving you any trouble? Should we step in?” Lilia asked, already knowing he was doing fine.

Silver shook his head, smiling with his eyes.

“We’re glad to hear you’re doing well. Guess we were worried over nothing huh, Lilia?” Malleus said, knowing Lilia was the most worried.

“I suppose, but it’s good to see Silver again. Going so long without seeing him… I didn’t think it’d hurt this much. For years, I never thought I’d feel things like this.”

The students quietly watched them interact. He was dead serious. That was definitely Malleus Draconia and that little guy definitely looked familiar. They were thoroughly satisfied, letting Silver have alone time with his father and Malleus.


	98. Silver: Fresh Start (cont.)

Silver put on his uniform, ready to start the day. He had started getting used to things around Royal Sword. Everyone was really welcoming and he surprisingly made a few friends. It turned out they were a group and were willing to let him be in it.

Silver stepped out, seeing Lae waiting for him. Lae was definitely the strangest out of all of them. He learned not long ago he could read minds, making him wonder if he’s heard everything he’s ever thought of. He was probably listening to his thoughts right now.

“Hey, Lae. I’ve got a question.”

“What?”

“When you say you like Lepus, do-”

“Yes I want to hold him in my arms and give him all of my love that I’m feeling. And yes I also do want to get pegged by him.” Lae said, being straight up honest.

“But isn’t it your first year here…? The school year didn’t start that long ago.” Silver said, seeing they were close to the main building.

“It’s that love at first sight crap. Saw him standing next to the Wondersmoore dorm leader. Couldn’t stop. Turned out he was filling in for the vice who was extremely sick and Lepus was actually next pick for vice.”

“Wow… I never took you as the romantic type.”

“Yeah? Me either.” Lae replied. “Later.”

Silver waved, watching Lae head upstairs. He wondered if Lepus knew about Lae’s crush.

Silver entered the classroom, noticing a few students had abruptly stopped talking once they saw him. Were they gossiping about him? He didn’t do anything that warranted attention. Silver took his seat, the teacher coming in.

A few students kept looking at him. Was there something on his face? He didn’t see anything. The bell rang before two students cane over to him.

“Hey Silver.”

“Hi.”

“We uh, we’re just wondering where you’re from! You know, maybe we might be from the same place.”

“Um, I uh…”

“Silver!”

Silver looked, so glad to see Haema. He quickly apologized to them, rushing off to join him.

“You just saved me.”

“You’re welcome? Anyway, are you ready for P.E? I hear we might be playing a really fun game!” Haema said, smiling bright. “Though, what were they doing by your seat?”

“Ah, nothing… just asking about sharing notes.” Silver chuckled.

“Hm. Well, I’m glad to see you’re okay!” Haema said, lightly bumping Silver. “You need to do your best, you know? Especially since you transferred almost half way into the year.”

“I’m aware… You seem to care a lot you know?”

“Hm, I don’t really think so. I’m just trying to be a good person.” said Haema with a shrug.

Silver followed, not entirely sure what to say to that. Haema was already a good person, so why did he bring it up?

•

Silver drank water, seeing students looking at him. Why were people looking at him so much today? He knew he was a bit good looking but it was becoming a little unnerving. A few had walked over to him.

“Is it okay if we ask a question?” one asked.

“I mean, yeah. As long as it’s not illegal.”

“What school did you transfer from? We can’t think of any possible schools.”

“Yeah, especially with a guy as good looking as you.”

“And what’s your last name? Is there a reason you keep it secret?”

“Uh… well… Does it really matter what school I came from? We’re all friends here.”

“Well no, but-”

Vargas had shouted that break was over. Silver quickly ran. He was clearly aware of the rivalry between RSA and NRC. He didn’t want to imagine how they’d react to that. He’s already seen how NRC students acted towards RSA students.

The rest of the period went by with ease. Silver stuck close to Haema, hoping students wouldn’t ask anymore about his personal things.

“You’re hugging me awful tight. You cold? I’m not the best person to hug. You know, cold blooded.” Haema chuckled despite hugging Silver back.

“People have been talking about me… I don’t know why and it’s making me very uneasy.”

“Maybe they’re realizing how pretty you are.”

Haema laughed, helping him to his feet. Silver quickly walked away, not liking that he was being talked about. A few students had walked up to Haema.

“Hey, do you know anything about Silver’s background…?”

“No. Why don’t you ask him?”

“We tried but he ran…”

Haema shrugged, saying he really couldn’t help.

•

Silver was making his way to Vin’s to meet Lae and Zayden when students had stopped him. They were curious about his background as well. He ran, lying he had to see the headmaster.

Silver quickly entered Vin’s seeing a few students eating and chatting.

“Welcome little love. Meeting your friends?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

Vin simply chuckled gesturing towards a table off to the side. There sat Lae and Zayden.

“People curious about your background?”

“Stop reading my mind!” Silver hissed.

Lae chuckled, leaning back in his chair.

“I don’t exactly blame them. You’re absolutely stunning and mysterious. Everyone wants to solve a mystery.” Zayden said, thanking Vin for the dish. “We’re a little curious too, as your friends.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell anyone… it’s just… there are things that I feel won’t sit well with people…” Silver mumbled, eating from Zayden’s dish with Lae.

Lae already knew Silver’s “secrets” and he wouldn’t lie, he was pretty surprised. But it made a bit of sense at the same time. He kept quiet, seeing Silver wanted to tell people himself.

“We’re your friends. We won’t judge you.”

“Aw, are my little underclassmen getting chummy?”

“Lepus!”

Zayden and Silver could see the invisible tail wagging behind Lae as Lepus skipped over, taking a bite from Zayden’s dish.

“Don’t you have work today?” Zayden muttered, seeing the others were going to eat the entire thing.

“I do, but people were suddenly asking me about Silver, so I came to check on him.” Lepus said, his ears flopping. “How are ya?”

“I’m okay, I guess. You guys are my friends, right?” Silver asked, earning nods. “Then… I’ll tell you.”

Lepus slid next to Silver, much to Lae’s dismay. Silver quietly told them everything. Lae wasn’t surprised, already knowing. Much to Silver’s surprise, they were pretty chill with it.

“So, when are you gonna be open with the student body?”

“I don’t know…” Silver muttered.

He didn’t want to imagine the entire student body or even some of it hating him. Would they even result to bullying? Lepus could see Silver was troubled, so he gave him his Lepus special: Rabbicuddles.

Lae was clearly upset and Zayden was a bit afraid he’d do something when he and Silver were alone. Silver finally smiled, loving how soft Lepus’ hair was.

“Great, you’re smiling. If anything’s troubling you, come talk to your senpai.” Lepus giggled, winking while sticking his tongue out. “See you little ones later~”

Just as Lepus left, two students had walked over to the table.

“Silver-”

“I don’t want to answer questions!” Silver said, quickly leaving his seat.

“Don’t ask us. We don’t know.” Zayden lied, Lae nodding in agreement.

The students sighed, wondering if there was anyone else they could ask.

•

Silver found himself being stopped by just about every student these past weeks. Why were they so curious about him? Why now all of a sudden? What about the freshies? Silver jumped, nearly falling down the stairs as more students approached him.

Silver ran out the building, trying to escape. He soon found his paths being blocked off. He was trapped.

“Fine! You all want to know? Then I’ll tell you!” Silver shouted, startling everyone. “You wanna know where I’m from? Where I transferred from? Then I’ll shout it in your faces so you’ll stop asking!”

“Well, I think speaking normally would be fine…” a student said, not really wanting him to strain his voice.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“I… I transferred from Night Raven College after a certain big incident. Yeah, I’m from our rival school. And I’m from the Valley of Thorns. Yeah, that place you all know that the Thorn Witch originated from. And speaking of that, I’m also a royal guard for her descendent, Malleus Draconia. The guy you hear about being one of the five greatest.” Silver confessed, wrapping his arms around himself. He could already see they were talking. “And I was an orphan child. My father… he’s a fae who long served the Thorn Witch’s family and raised me, a human… He’s the best father ever and I couldn’t ask for a better father to have!”

Silver sighed, standing tall. Even if the entire school disliked him, he wasn’t going to show that he was ashamed of his upbringing.

“I’m Silver Vanrouge! The proud son of Lilia Vanrouge, a brave warrior from olden wars and a devoted follower and guard of Malleus Draconia!”

Everyone turned at the sound of clapping. The crowd parted, revealing two people they didn’t recognize. Silver looked, seeing the person stop clapping.

“Silver…”

Silver instantly ran to him, feeling tears pouring out of his eyes.

“Father, you…”

“Shh. Don’t ruin this.” Lilia chuckled, holding Silver tight. “I’m really happy, you know…”

Malleus rubbed Silver’s back, joining in the hug soon after. Silver held them close, missing this familiar warmth. He felt Lilia wipe his cheeks free of tears despite his own being coated in tears.

“Are they giving you any trouble? Should we step in?” Lilia asked, already knowing he was doing fine.

Silver shook his head, smiling with his eyes.

“We’re glad to hear you’re doing well. Guess we were worried over nothing huh, Lilia?” Malleus said, knowing Lilia was the most worried.

“I suppose, but it’s good to see Silver again. Going so long without seeing him… I didn’t think it’d hurt this much. For years, I never thought I’d feel things like this.”

The students quietly watched them interact. He was dead serious. That was definitely Malleus Draconia and that little guy definitely looked familiar. They were thoroughly satisfied, letting Silver have alone time with his father and Malleus.


	99. LeoRu: What I’m supposed to do?

“You’re back rather late.” Leona quipped, watching Ruggie immediately start cleaning.

“Had things to do.” Ruggie replied, tossing clothes into the basket.

“Like?”

No response. He watched Ruggie throw out trash. Why was he being silent all of a sudden? He was always going off at the mouth.

“Ruggie, why are you being so quiet?”

“I’ll be back.”

Ruggie left with the basket of clothes. Leona frowned heavily. Was he mad at him? He couldn’t remember harassing him today. Maybe something happened in class. He decided to follow Ruggie, wanting to figure out what it was.

Ruggie separated Leona’s clothes into different washers before feeling arms wrap around him. He didn’t say anything, finishing putting the clothes in before starting the machines.

“Ruggie, you know you can talk to me.”

“I know, but I don’t want to.”

“Did I do something?”

Ruggie pushed the compartment in after pouring in the detergent. He wasn’t going to respond was he?

“No, Leona. I’m just tired.” Ruggie said, finally looking at him. “Excuse me.”

Ruggie left his arms, heading back. Leona followed.

“Then why don’t you rest and I finish laundry?”

“Please, you can’t even separate lights from whites. I doubt you’ll know what can and can’t be dried using a dryer.” Ruggie sneered.

“You can tell me. It’s not rocket science.”

“Just let me do it. I’ve done it all this time so why should things change?”

“Because you’re my boyfriend and don’t have to shoulder my burdens anymore.”

Ruggie stopped, looking at Leona. Boyfriend. He says that yet nothing felt different. How was he to respond to this?

“So, I’ll-”

“Leona, I’m aware we’re in a relationship and I’m happy. But it doesn’t _feel_ like one. We haven’t even-”

Ruggie stared wide eyed as Leona had kissed him. He closed his eyes, giving in to him. What possessed him to kiss him, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t mad. He finally got what he wanted. Leona pulled away, kissing his cheeks while slipping the basket out of his hands.

“Go rest.”

“But-”

“Rest.” Leona growled.

Ruggie pursed his lips, walking away. Could he really trust that Leona wouldn’t put everything in the dryers? He sighed heavily, hoping nothing would go wrong.

•

Ruggie stretched out, his eyes opening. It was morning. He couldn’t believe it. He slept through the rest of yesterday. Was he really that tired? He looked and saw Leona curled up next to him. The clothes. He scrambled out of bed, searching his closet and drawers. Everything seemed fine. He managed to figure it out. That or he asked for help. The former seemed more plausible.

He walked back over, shaking Leona awake.

“Get up. We’ve got practice.”

He wouldn’t wake up. Ruggie sighed. He backed up some before jumping on top of him. Leona wheezed, now glaring at the hyena on top of him.

“I warned you last time. If you don’t wake up from shaking, I’ll jump on you.” Ruggie said before finding himself lying on his back.

“I should get you back and render you unable to walk…” Leona growled, his side hurting.

“Will you?”

They stared at each other before Leona pulled away. No dice. Ruggie sat up, watching Leona head off. At least he was awake.

•

Ruggie sat with Kalim and Silver, their class having been cancelled.

“You seriously jumped on him? That’s real brave…” Kalim said in awe.

“Did you hurt him?” Silver asked.

“Dunno, don’t really care. Even if I asked he’d act like he was okay.” said Ruggie with a shrug.

Kalim checked his phone, seeing Jamil wanted him to head somewhere near his next class so he wouldn’t forget and be late. He waved to them, happily taking off.

“Sometimes I wonder who’s the real master in their relationship…” Silver muttered before looking at Ruggie. “Speaking of relationships, you promised to tell me how you and Leona got together.”

“Well, it’s nothing grand or anything.” Ruggie started off, rubbing his neck. “We were lying in the infirmary together after his little overblot session. And we were talking like we normally would. I accidentally mentioned crushing on someone and suddenly he was interested. He confessed to me and the rest is history.”

“Wow… people really are vulnerable when hurt huh.” said Silver, starting to feel drowsy.

“I suppose. I mean, I was really surprised. He never showed interest in me at all. Like, there were-”

Silver had fallen asleep and was tipping forward. Ruggie moved him, only to now have Silver lying on him. Looked like he would be stuck out here until Silver woke up. That meant he’d miss his last two classes. Could he afford that? Nah, his education was important here. He’d have to carry Silver to his next class as well. Of all times for him to fall asleep, it had to be now.

Ruggie sighed, lying back in the grass. Since he was stuck here, might as well rest himself. He closed his eyes, feeling Silver making himself more comfortable.

Leona happened to be passing by, avoiding class as usual. He spotted Ruggie before seeing something lying on him. He moved a bit closer before seeing it was a person. Why was he getting all comfortable on his boyfriend? Did he have a death wish?

Leona marched over to them, not going to permit it any longer.

Ruggie felt Silver’s weight disappear from his body. He opened his eyes before freaking out.

“What are you doing!?” Ruggie yelled, wondering how Silver was still asleep despite being held up by his hair.

“What I’m supposed to do?” Leona snarled, tossing Silver to the side. “He was too comfortable. Never mess with a lion’s treasure.”

“Touching, but you didn’t have to pull him by his hair!”

“How else was I supposed to handle this? Actually talk and come to an understanding? That’s stupid.” Leona spat, seeing Silver was still asleep. “Look, he’s not even waking up.”

“That doesn’t make it right. God, you couldn’t possibly be jealous of him using me as a pillow.” Ruggie deadpanned.

“No, I just didn’t like the fact he was using my personal pillow.”

“That’s-”

“No it’s not.”

“Yes it is.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

The couple bickered back and forth while Silver simply rolled over, rubbing his cheek against the leaves in the ground.


	100. Kaja: You’ve got boobs!

Jamil opened his eyes, noticing something felt a bit off. He sat up before he felt it. Something was on his chest. He touched his chest, not feeling it’s flatness. There was in fact something there. He quickly got out of bed, heading over to his mirror. It was then he felt something else. Air. Between. His. Legs. He felt himself all over. This couldn’t be real.

He got up close to the mirror, starting to see how feminine his face looked. His lashes were longer at that. Jamil found himself screaming briefly before calming down. He could just reverse this little prank. He used a spell. Nothing happened. Why was nothing happening? He used it again. Still nothing. Was he stuck as a woman? He didn’t want this.

Would his clothes fit him? He started to get undressed just as his door opened. Jamil and them had a staring contest before he finally covered up.

“Woah, you’ve got boobs!” they said.

“Stop looking!” Jamil hissed, his ears turning red.

“Hm? Why though? You’re really pretty!”

“Kalim!”

Kalim clearly wasn’t listening. Jamil shied away from him as he got up close to him.

“You’re more beautiful than you were as a man!” said Kalim, wrapping his arms around him. “I kind of don’t want others to see you, haha!”

“Kalim, please let me go shower and get dressed…”

“No! Men are wolves. Use my bathroom.” said Kalim, wrapping Jamil up in blankets. “Let’s hurry.”

Jamil watched Kalim grab his uniform before ushering him out the room. For once he was thankful Kalim had a private bathroom.

•

Kalim hummed, wondering how they could hide his boobage. There was no way he was going to let anyone touch his boyfriend, er, girlfriend? Boyfriend? Lover. He wasn’t going to let anyone touch his lover’s chest.

“What if we made your sweatshirt bigger?”

“Kalim.”

“No, what if we banded them?”

“Kalim.”

“Wait, maybe-”

“Kalim!”

Kalim blinked, wondering why he was getting fussy.

“I can take care of myself.” Jamil said, finding crossing his arms weird now. “God these are in the way…”

“Are you sure? I trust our friends since you were a guy but now… They’ll go wild!” Kalim gasped, his mind starting to overthink.

“Kalim! Stop it. If you keep worrying, you won’t focus in your classes and I need you to focus. I will be okay. I can defend myself.” said Jamil, caressing Kalim’s cheek. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes, always. It’s just the others…” Kalim muttered, squeezing Jamil’s chest. Jamil slapped his hands. “Sorry.”

“We wasted so much time on this that we don’t have a lot of time to eat before we have to head to class. I’ll make something quick that we can eat on the way.”

Kalim cheered happily, moving to bury his face in Jamil’s chest only to get a face full of boob. They were comfy. Jamil’s ears turned red, feeling Kalim rubbing his face against them. He really hated this. He hated that he was enjoying Kalim’s touches.

•

“Did you hear? Jamil’s a woman…” a student whispered.

Kalim looked back, noticing the students looking at a phone.

“Hey, where did you hear that?”

“Cater posted it on Magicam.”

Kalim quickly went on Magicam, ignoring Trein. Sure enough, Cater had taken a selfie with Jamil, discreetly poking his boob. A small amount of anger bubbled out. Now Jamil couldn’t lie low. He was going to give Cater a good punch if he ever saw him.

The bell rung, class having ended. Kalim quickly grabbed his things, hurrying to Jamil’s class. Was he okay? Were people trying to touch him? He slowed to a stop, seeing a face. He angrily ran over to him, glaring.

“Hey Ka-”

Kalim hit him in the face before hurrying off. Cater and a few other students watched the retreating Kalim, wondering what that was about.

Kalim arrived at Jamil’s classroom, peering in. Azul. He grip tightened as he could see him being suspiciously close. He desperately wanted to burst in. Maybe he could text Jamil. No. He’d get in trouble. What could he do to save him from those wolves? An idea came to mind. He quickly texted Jamil before waiting.

Jamil exited the classroom before feeling something hug him.

“Are you okay? Are they giving you trouble?”

“I’m fine. I promise. It’s touching to hear you this worried about me…”

“Of course I am! Someone could get the balls to take you somewhere secluded and try to rape you!” Kalim wailed, holding him tighter.

“As scary as that sounds, I’m not a clueless idiot like you.” said Jamil, stroking Kalim’s hair. “I’ll stay safe. Okay?”

“Promise me.”

Jamil linked his pinky with Kalim’s, solidifying their promise. Kalim hugged him tightly before letting him go.

“Can-”

“Yes.”

Kalim buried his face in Jamil’s chest, loving how soft and comfy they were. Jamil looked away, his face burning.

•

“I heard Jamil’s a woman now.” said Silver, walking with him to his club.

“Yeah. Don’t really know how it happened, but his breasts are really comfy haha.” Kalim said happily.

“So you’re a boobs guy.”

“I don’t really get it, but sure!”

Silver shook his head, glad to see Kalim was back to himself.

“Should you really be missing your club activities?” Silver asked, seeing Riddle and Sebek arriving as well.

“We don’t really do much. Plus I’m interested to see what you guys do.” said Kalim, watching a horse trot over to them. “Oh, hello!”

The horse whinnied, wanting pets from them.

“Ah, Lily, hello to you too.”

“Lily? Is she the one you ride?”

“Yep. She approached me first when I started in the club. We’re really close.” said Silver, stroking her coat. “Aren’t you a good girl.”

Lily moved around, showing her happiness. Kalim gave her a few pets, only making her happier.

“I’ve never seen her this happy. I might not be able to ride her until she calms down.” Silver chuckled, trying to get her to settle.

Kalim helped, watching the black horse settle. Kalim watched Silver mount her before having her trot around. It never ceased to amaze him seeing how good Silver was with animals. It was like they were magically drawn to him. Though, he was one to talk. Silver had come back, giving Lily praise.

“I wish Jamil could see this. But he’s got club today.” Kalim said with a pout.

“Missing Jamil are we? Since you’re skipping, why don’t you go see him?” Silver suggested.

“You’re right! You’re a genius?”

Silver watched Kalim run off.

“Wrong way!”

“Ahaha…”

•

Kalim sat off to the side, watching the basketball club practice. Even with his new body, Jamil was playing like the pro he was. Jamil was simply amazing. He couldn’t help but cheer.

The club looked, seeing Kalim watching. Jamil frowned. Why wasn’t he in club? Was he worried again?

“Kalim, what are you doing here?”

“I didn’t want to go to club today, so I went with Silver to his! But then I missed you so I came here.”

“One of those days your whims are going to get you in serious trouble…” Jamil sighed, truly wishing he’d focus on one thing at a time.

“And you’ll be there to help me, right?”

“Who knows…”

Kalim pouted.

“Really, I can’t say whether I will or not. I could be dead.”

“Ah, don’t say that!”

Jamil chuckled, loving the panicked look on his face. He was easy to mess with.

“I need to get back, stay out of trouble.” Jamil said, giving his cheek a kiss.

“Roger!”

Jamil shook his head, a blissful smile on his face. God, was he head over heels for that fool.


	101. B-Ball Buds: It’s always worked before

The trio warmed up with the rest of the basketball club. Ace looked between Jamil and Floyd before purposefully putting his leg over Jamil’s and Floyd’s.

“Ace.”

“Trappola.”

He looked at his seniors who turned the tables, now placing their weight on him. Ace tried lifting his legs but they kept them pinned down.

They moved onto a new stretch. Floyd looked at Ace before pushing him further down. Jamil looked before looking away. That was none of his business. He soon felt himself being pushed as well. The trio glared at each other before trying to force each other down.

The rest of warm up continued with the three of them terrorizing each other. They were finally put on the court, them a bit more tired than the others.

“Crabby, catch~”

“Hey! You threw it at my face!”

“And hit me!” Jamil said loudly.

“Oops~”

Ace and Jamil worked together, chasing after Floyd to pelt him with balls. The other members sighed, seeing they were up to no good again. They were still in awe of how they were the top three players despite doing the least amount of work and goofing around.

They finally got Floyd, now making him angry. They watched Jamil and Ace run for their lives.

“Should we do nothing as usual…?” one asked.

“It’s always worked before.” another responded.

“Gah!”

Ace was tackled to the ground by Floyd before having his ass beat. Literally. Jamil watched on, laughing. Ace was rendered useless. Jamil started to run, seeing Floyd pursuing him. Jamil was eventually pounced on, Floyd stretching his limbs.

“That looks like it hurts…” a student mumbled, watching Floyd bend and twist Jamil’s limbs.

“Ace hasn’t moved in a while…” another said, looking at Ace. “Was the ass beating that brutal…?”

They watched Floyd get off of Jamil, now back to his normal self. They quickly turned around, acting as if they didn’t just watch Floyd take down two of their team members.


	102. Leona + Ruggie: Hakuna Matata

Leona and Ruggie were walking together as usual before Leona stopped. Ruggie looked at him, wondering what was up.

“Do you smell that?”

“The meat? Yeah. Smells good.”

“It’s not coming from the cafeteria, making it more suspicious.”

Ruggie nodded in agreement. But they couldn’t help but salivate. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to at least check it out. They seemed to have read each other’s mind, heading off to see what it was.

They spotted a pile of meat just sitting out in the open. Definitely suspicious. Leona used magic, making a clone of himself appear. They kept their ears and eyes peeled for anything that appeared. Nothing. The clone of Leona walked off with the meat. Either there really was nothing suspicious or the person was smart.

“You stay here so you can bail me out if it’s a trap.” said Leona before going ahead.

Ruggie watched as Leona approached the meat. Leona picked up a piece, keeping an eye out for someone. He looked around before spotting something on the ground.

“Hm…”

He stared at it.

“Hnn…”

He continued to stare at it.

“Hnnnnn….”

Leona finished his piece of meet before walking over. Ruggie facepalmed, watching Leona crawl into the box. He really gave in. He needed to bail him out. Ruggie jumped into action, trying to pull Leona out of the box. The smell of meat was distracting.

“No…” Leona whined. “I don’t wanna…”

“Leona, come on. It’s clearly a trap!” Ruggie said, practically drooling.

Leona mewed, turning around happily in the box. Ruggie couldn’t stand it. He grabbed a piece of meat, holding it close before backing away. He wouldn’t fall victim like Leona. He wouldn’t. He…

Ruggie happily ate, loving the taste and texture. He saw a box out of the corner of his eye. Box. He felt his body inching closer to it. No box. You can’t get in the box he told himself. Ruggie was in the box, rolling around in glee.

“Haha! Success!” said a voice from afar.

The two Savanaclaw members enjoyed their boxes as someone came out of the shadows.

“Aren’t you two just the cutest things?” they said before taking a picture. “Maybe you’ll respond to… this!”

Ruggie and Leona sat up in their boxes, trying to swat at the toy. This was way too cute. Rook had a camera start recording the scene. Leona mewed in delight, successfully grabbing the toy and yanking it from Rook. Rook gave a toy to Ruggie as well, watching them play in their boxes. Such simply creatures when given their earthly desires.

Leona stopped playing around, seeing a red dot. He captured it. He saw it on the ground. He jumped out, pouncing on it. Ruggie pokes his head out, seeing a red dot on Leona. Rook laughed in delight, watching the two of them fight. They immediately stopped, seeing the red dot. They chased after it, watching it move around.

He was going to have such blackmail material that they couldn’t refuse any request he asked. They climbed back into their boxes, tired from chasing. Rook smiled in delight, watching them curl up and rest.

“Such precious little creatures. I’ve had my fun.” said Rook, leaving with everything but the boxes they rested in.


	103. Kingscholars: It's not my job

"No, you've got to be quieter!" Farena said, watching Cheka scare the small animal.

"But I am being quiet..."

"I can hear you purring from all the way over here." Farena said with a shake of his head. "Leona, say something."

"Something."

Farena kept himself from choking his younger brother. Leona watched Cheka fail at catching a bird. Why was his nephew awful at this? It wasn't rocket science.

"Stop being impatient." Leona barked, feeling Cheka's loving eyes on him.

Cheka finally caught a rodent. Farena looked at Leona who yawned.

"Cheka seems to understand you."

"Don't ask me to do it. He's your kid."

"And he's your nephew. Let's properly train him together."

Leona muttered under his breath, not really wanting to be bothered. Cheka happily ran back over with his catch.

"Your dad's right. Being quiet is key but you can't be impatient. You'll know the time is right to pounce when you see it." said Leona, making a gazelle appear. "Watch and learn."

Cheka stood with his father, watching Leona approach the gazelle. The gazelle looked before returning back to its eating.

"He's not moving..." Cheka mumbled, looking at Farena.

"That's exactly what you want. The less movement the better."

Cheka's eyes widened in awe as Leona had easily subdued the fake gazelle before it disappeared.

"It's as simple as that."

"I wanna take down a gazelle!" Cheka cheered, waving his hands.

"Ambitious, but no. Stick to animals your size kid." said Leona, sitting back down.

Cheka pouted, watching Farena create small animals for him to prey upon. It wasn't fair. He easily caught the small animals, having carefully and almost perfectly imitated Leona.

"Wow, maybe you do better by seeing rather than hearing." said Farena. "We'll pick up hunting at a later date."

"What are we gonna do now?"

"Fight."

Cheka blinked, wondering who or what he was going to fight. Leona watched the two of them start fighting, Farena purposefully letting Cheka land hits. This was corny.

"Did I miss anything?" a voice asked, sitting next to Leona.

"Yeah. The furball managed to learn how to catch rodents."

"Was it thanks to daddy or his favorite uncle?"

Leona didn't respond, watching Cheka bite Farena's hand.

"I like watching Farena get beat up." Leona snickered, the tiny lion pulling on Farena's ears.

"Of course you would. Why aren't you helping out though? He did ask you to help Cheka hunt and fight."

"That's too much work. Plus it's not my job. Why don't you help him?"

Ruggie got up, heading over to aid Farena. He couldn't believe it. Ruggie just left him. Just like that.

Leona watched as the three of them laughed in delight. How was purposefully letting yourself get beat up on fun?

•

They took a break from fighting, Farena's wife having called them in for lunch. Naturally, Ruggie was on board. He and Cheka ate, stuffing themselves full.

"Ruggie, you're really cool! I didn't know you could fight!" said Cheka, letting out a little burp. "Excuse me."

"I didn't really have a choice if I wanted my family and I to live. We don't come from a nice home like yours." said Ruggie, discreetly sneaking food.

"Really? What kind of home do you come from?"

Ruggie looked to Farena, wondering if he had to sugarcoat his response. Farena gave him the go ahead.

"Well, to put it bluntly, we're poor. We have to work hard which just barely gets us by. We don't really have the liberty to splurge on material things like you." said Ruggie, folding his hands. "Even then, I'm able to go to school and get an education, so I'm doing better than others. Not everyone can afford an education and there are definitely families worse off than me."

Cheka poked his food, taking in Ruggie's words. He didn't mean to make the kid sad, but he asked.

"Dad, can I give away my things?"

"Cheka...?"

"I want others to have nice things too. Isn't that more fair?"

Leona was a bit surprised by this. Here he thought Cheka would just be a carbon copy of his father. Maybe there was something to like about him. Ruggie on the other hand was hoping with all his heart Farena wouldn't ban him from coming to their home ever again. The food here was to die for.

•

"Uncle, I want to fight you."

"But I don't."

"Why?"

Farena and Ruggie gave him looks.

"Okay, fine." Leona groaned, curious as to how he'll take him down.

Leona yawned, watching Cheka trying to bring him down with his noodle arms and tiny fists. He had to admit, he had heart and determination. He would've expected him to give up by now. Leona decided to play along, amused by his nephew. Cheka smiled widely, seeing his hard work paid off.

Leona felt Cheka jump on him, continuing to beat up on him. Leona groaned, feeling Cheka biting his arm.

"They look like they're having fun." Farena said, wanting nothing more than for them all to be a happy family.

"Why does Cheka love him so much?"

"I'm afraid I don't know either... sometimes I dream one day he'll start calling Leona dad..."

"That's... really not going to happen..." Ruggie muttered, watching Cheka pull on Leona's tail.


	104. Kingscholars: It’s not my job (cont.)

Ruggie stopped by the Kingscholar household, Leona having requested his presence. He wouldn’t tell him why. He just said through text, “Get your poor ass over here before I tear you a new one”. It didn’t sound good so he made sure to step on it.

He knocked on Leona’s door, waiting for him to answer. A high pitched squeal rang throughout the area, causing him to follow it. He spotted Leona running away from Cheka. Typical. Was it really that hard to love his nephew?

“Leona!”

Quick footsteps were heard before he was being tackled to the floor.

“Big brother Ruggie!” Cheka squealed, nuzzling him.

“Uh…?”

“He was asking for you.” said Leona, his braids falling apart.

“Huh? Why?”

“He was inspired by you.”

Oh. His little speech way back during the time he was learning to hunt and fight. To think he was inspired by such a thing.

“Can you take me outside? I want to see things from your eyes.” Cheka whispered, sitting on Ruggie’s stomach.

“Uh, I don’t really…” Ruggie muttered, sliding Cheka off him and getting up.

Cheka grabbed his wrist, running down the hall with him. He wasn’t planning on escaping with him. Right? Right??

“Cheka-”

“We’re going out together!”

He was afraid of that.

•

Cheka held his hand, making sure his face wasn’t noticeable. His uncle had taught him this. He looked at the people, wondering what their lives were like.

“Can we go talk to that man?”

“Sure.”

Cheka looked at the fruit available before at the man.

“Excuse me sir, how has your day been?”

“Hm, it’s not often kids show interest in older folk. I’d say my day’s been normal.”

Cheka asked questions, wanting to know what exactly was normal for him. Ruggie was surprised by the questions Cheka asked. He genuinely seemed interested in other’s lives. He felt… proud.

“I see. I hope you have a good day mister!” said Cheka happily, taking an apple and giving more than the actual price.

“Little one, you overpaid.”

“I know!”

Ruggie felt himself being dragged by Cheka, now wanting to talk to all sorts of people. Ruggie noticed Cheka eyeing a man lying off to the side in tattered clothing.

“We should-”

Cheka let go of his hand, squatting by him.

“Are you tired, mister?

"You talkin’ to me?” he grumbled, his ear peeking out from in his arm. “Pretty bold.”

“Are you too tired to move? Too hungry?” Cheka asked, seeing he was part cheetah. “Maybe I can help.”

“What can you do kid? Shouldn’t you be off being young?”

“But I want to know more about the world I live in. Everything doesn’t revolve around me.”

Ruggie tried pulling Cheka away, but he sat down instead. He knew letting Cheka out was a bad idea, but he couldn’t help but admire him too, wanting to learn more about different lifestyles. It wasn’t everyday you saw a child caring about things other than what pleases them.

The cheetah man seemed less hostile, feeling a bit touched that someone was giving him attention. Cheka learned he was homeless, having been casted out by family for reasons he didn’t want to practically name, but one could file it under addiction. His name was Tomanse.

“You’re an interesting kid. I don’t know any kid who’d sit here listening to someone like me and be genuinely interested.” said Tomanse.

“Can I talk to you again? I’d like to hear more about you.” Cheka asked.

“Of course. I don’t have anywhere to go you know.”

Cheka smiled brightly, getting up and dusting himself off.

“Big brother, lets go see more people!”

“You’re going to drag me whether I agree or not.”

Cheka gave him a cheeky smile.

“Hey, I wanna say something to you.”

Cheka looked up at him with his big round eyes.

“I honestly thought you to be crazy, just going up to people and just asking them things. But I felt a bit proud. I inspired a little prince to care about those beneath him. You’re really something, Cheka.”

“I wanted to understand things from your perspective. Plus I like learning, hehe~”

“I have an idea. Why don’t we take a break? My younger siblings have been bugging me to get them to your place to play.”

“You have siblings!? I wanna meet them! Can I?”

“Calm down. Follow me.”

•

Cheka ran around with Ruggie’s siblings, finding them just as fun as Ruggie. Ruggie watched them, making sure they didn’t get into trouble.

He wondered if the guards were searching for Cheka right now. Would Leona get mad at him? Maybe not, seeing he’d do almost anything to get Cheka off his back.

“Hey! Remember who you’re playing with!” Ruggie fussed, seeing one of them tried biting Cheka. “If they see he’s hurt anywhere they’ll have our heads.”

“Don’t be mean, big brother.” Cheka pouted, placing his hands on his hips.

“Still calling me that huh…” Ruggie muttered. “Hey! What did I say!?”

They stuck their tongues out at him before running away with Cheka in tow. Ruggie chased after them, threatening to spank them if they were caught.


	105. LeoRu: Do it as much as you want

Ruggie lied in Leona’s bed, silently listening to the muffled sound of running water. His tail weakly moved around as he cuddled a pillow. His ass hurt like hell. But he didn’t mind it. He’d willingly let it be destroyed again if it meant he could have sex with Leona. Ruggie nuzzled the pillow, Leona’s scent still present on it.

The sound of water had disappeared. His eyes watched Leona carefully, drinking in every detail. The way his hair moved when he touched it, the way his muscles contracted and relaxed when he moved, how his nose scrunched while he thought. Every little inch of him he loved.

His eyes rested on his v line, poking out from his towel. He knew what lied underneath. What he would give to see it, to feel it again.

“You’re still here?”

Ah, he had forgotten. Though, at the time he said it, he couldn’t exactly move.

“I’m sorry. I’ll get going.”

Nothing else was said between them as Ruggie collected his clothes, trying his best to move normally so he wouldn’t arouse suspicion from their dorm. Leona had specifically instructed him if he wanted things to continue, no one could find out. He had no problem with it. He’d do anything.

Ruggie had managed to get himself back to his room, picking up things he needed for his shower before heading to the communal showers.

•

Ruggie found himself in Leona’s room the next morning, needing to wake him up. Leona finally woke up, giving him a dry greeting. He was used to it.

He cleaned up a bit, waiting for Leona so they could head to practice together. He stole a few glances at Leona as he got dressed. Leona’s body was simply exquisite. What he would do just to have another taste, another feel.

“Why are you daydreaming? Let’s go.” Leona snapped, putting his hair into a ponytail.

“R- Right.”

Practice went on as normal. Ruggie was often distracted, too busy watching Leona instead of the game. Naturally, he was ragged on by the team. He found himself liking being told off by Leona. So he did it more, just to have him in his face, saying belittling things to him.

Practice ended early simply because Ruggie’s head wasn’t in the game, and they weren’t wrong. Ruggie moved to follow Leona but was immediately stopped.

“Don’t follow me.”

“But I-”

“Don’t.”

Ruggie backed down immediately. He always tagged along by his side. Was he that upset about practice? He couldn’t help it. He wanted his attention, whether it was good or bad. He was starving, craving. Ruggie needed his touch. Just one touch.

•

Ruggie couldn’t focus at all. His thoughts were consumed by one person. Memories of countless afternoons, nights and mornings ran through his mind of them having sex. When did it all start? When did he suddenly start watching him more? Noticing little details?

_“A friends with benefits kind of thing. We both win.”_

Yet it felt like he was slowly starting to lose. Why wouldn’t he look at him? Why did he speak to him harshly? Why was he speaking to him like a…

_“A friends with benefits kind of thing. We both win.”_

They were friends. He forgot that part. **_Friends_** with benefits. Yet he…

The bell rung, signaling class was over. He didn’t write any notes in today’s class.

•

Ruggie checked his phone. Everything was the same. Leona demanding he do things and him doing them. Ruggie hurried to the gardens, carrying their lunches. He stepped inside, taking in the silence.

Ruggie spotted Leona lying on the floor.

“Leona. I’ve got your lunch.”

Leona sat up, vaguely thanked him before eating. Ruggie unwrapped his, eating as well.

“You better save room.”

Ruggie looked at Leona who ate as if he didn’t just say something. Ruggie wrapped up his lunch, starting to undo Leona’s belt. He pulled them down along with his boxers, letting Leona’s dick free. Finally, he was getting what he wanted. He would be able to taste it. He’s been craving it.

“What are you waiting for.”

“Sorry…”

•

Ruggie wiped his face, licking Leona clean. Leona seemed pleased and that’s all he needed to see. He did a good job.

“You missed spots. Clean it off.”

Ruggie wiped his face again, missing them. Leona grabbed his face by his chin, roughly licking them away. Ruggie’s face burned, his heart beating faster than before. He was extremely horny for him now. His erection was pressing hard against his pants, making any position he switched to very uncomfortable.

“I want to watch you.”

“Watch me…? Like, masturbate…?”

“Wow, you’re a genius.”

Ruggie started to strip, not needing to hear anything else. He was going to please him. He was going to relish in this attention while he had it. He didn’t know when he’d get it again.

•

Leona groaned, having come again all over Ruggie. Ruggie sat up, licking him clean again. He licked his lips, tasting what little cum he could before having to wipe his face.

“God it’s so nice having you around…” Leona said, putting his clothes back on.

“I can say the same.” Ruggie replied, getting dressed.

Ruggie picked up his pace, seeing Leona was leaving him.

•

“What happened to you during lunch? Weren’t we going to eat together?” Silver asked.

“Oh, Leona kept me busy.”

“Ah, as usual. Your dedication to him is interesting. How can you stand him?”

“It’s a matter of compatibility.”

Silver hummed, understanding the logic.

“You look a bit tired. Have you been getting enough rest?”

“Yeah, definitely.” lied Ruggie, thinking of more lies. “Guess my new routine isn’t working.”

“You have a routine?”

Ruggie didn’t respond, trying to at least focus in one class. He failed horribly. All he could think of was Leona and their afternoon romp. He wanted to feel it again, but in his ass this time. He wanted to feel him going in deep, hitting his…

“Ruggie!”

Ruggie jolted, wondering why Silver was nudging him.

“You… you kinda…”

“Oh…”

They exchanged looks. Silver looked away, letting Ruggie do his thing.

•

Ruggie found himself in Leona’s room again, the lion lying on his bed with closed eyes.

“I’m here.” he called out.

Shirtless. Leona was shirtless. He couldn’t stop staring. He started to salivate.

“Get over here.”

Ruggie walked over, feeling Leona touch his body.

“I need your ass.”

“You can have it…”

Ruggie started to strip, making sure Leona was watching. That’s right, watch him. Look at him. Wasn’t he a sight to behold? Don’t you want him? Don’t you want more from him? Leona pulled Ruggie onto his lap, giving him a deep kiss.

•

Ruggie slumped in Leona’s arms, his ass completely destroyed. He wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow, he could feel it. That and he think he might’ve pulled something.

“Your ass never ceases to amaze me. It’s like… it was made for me.” said Leona, massaging his ass. “Just feeling it makes me want to ram you again.”

“Do it. Do it as much as you want. I’m all yours…” Ruggie said quietly despite his body aching. “You can have my everything…”

“Ruggie…?”

“Leona, I’m in love with you. I don’t want this friends with benefits thing anymore. I want this to be lovers making love…” Ruggie confessed, looking into Leona’s eyes. “I love you…”

Leona sat Ruggie on his bed, getting up and walking around.

“Thanks.”

“Thanks…?”

“Yeah. Thanks, but no thanks. It looks like I’ll have to find another fuck buddy.” said Leona, looking through his contacts. “I asked you because I knew you wouldn’t catch feelings. Guess I was wrong.”

“Leona-”

“Ruggie, I can’t with you anymore. It’d literally be toying with your feelings. You’re going to keep asking more of me than I’m willing to give.” said Leona. “So like, leave.”

Ruggie’s heart was crushed then shattered into pieces. He was throwing him away. He didn’t want that. He couldn’t have that. Leona couldn’t fuck anyone else. It had to be him. Leona took notice of his hesitance.

“Ruggie, either get out or I’ll cut all ties with you.”

“Anything but that!”

“Then leave!” Leona roared.

Ruggie’s ears and tail drooped. He silently got dressed before leaving. Leona ruffled his hair, wondering who’d be a good choice. Ruggie hung out by his door, weakly pawing at it. He couldn’t be replaced. No one could pleasure him better than he can. Leona was his… right?


	106. Riddle + Floyd: Snacks and fun

"Give me back my magipen you stupid beanstalk!" Riddle screamed, chasing after Floyd.

"No."

Riddle was fed up with him. He stopped chasing him, walking away. He couldn't understand how someone like Jade could have that as a brother. How did he live with that for years without getting urges to just suffocate him?

"Goldfish."

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no! Don't goldfish me! Just get out of my sight!" Riddle screamed, his face red.

"Don't y-"

"No!"

Floyd watched Riddle angrily walk away, leaving his magipen behind. Floyd grumbled, no longer wanting to carry it around. He spotted Jade not too far from where he was.

"Ja-"

And he wasn't alone. That glasses guy from Heartslabyul. Since when were they close? He pushed the thoughts aside, seeing he could give the magipen to him.

"Floyd. Didn't know you'd be out here."

"I didn't either. Hey you, take this." said Floyd, handing Trey the magipen. "Your wife got mad and left without it."

"He's not my wife. And stop harassing him." Trey fussed.

"Don't wanna."

"There must be some other reason you approached us." Jade said, knowing how the conversation would've ended up.

"Yeah! I miss you." Floyd said, clinging to Jade. "Now I'm happy~"

"I think I'll get going."

Jade waved to Trey before glaring at Floyd.

"Sometimes you make me wish I was an only child."

"Jaaaaaaade, don't say that." Floyd whined, feeling hurt.

Jade didn't respond, further hurting his feelings.

•

Riddle sighed, wondering how he'd get his magipen back. A knock was heard on his door.

"Special delivery~"

Riddle's cheeks gained color as Trey presented his magipen to him. He got it back for him? His heart thumped wildly in his chest.

"Floyd gave it to me."

Oh. Even still, he brought it to him. That was enough.

"Thank you. He keeps harassing me! One of these days I'm going to snap." Riddle hissed, tightly holding his magipen.

"Now, now. Let's not get worked up. We don't want another overblot." said Trey, patting his head.

Riddle was on cloud nine. He had Trey pat him more.

"Oh, wish I could stay longer. Forgot I'm supposed to make snacks."

"Huh? What for?"

"Jade and I are hanging out tonight."

"Can I-"

Closed. The door was closed in his face. He didn't even say bye.

•

Riddle hid in a bush, silently watching Trey. For three days straight Trey has denied to hang out with him. Jade this, Jade that. Jade, Jade, Jade. What about Jade was so fascinating? Jade has nothing on him. They have years of friendship. They had what? A few months?

He heard a sound beside him. He angrily glared.

"Fl-"

Floyd clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Hush. You'll blow my cover." Floyd muttered, moving his hand.

"What are you doing?" Riddle whispered.

"Stalking Jade. He's been with glasses too long."

"Oh. I'm watching Trey. He's been with Jade a lot..."

They shared a look. Maybe this could work out in their favor.

"Look, I don't like you, you don't like me but right now we have a common goal. Figuring out why those two are practically glued to each other." said Riddle. "Truce?"

Floyd shook his hand.

"Tell me what you know and I'll tell you what I know." said Floyd, looking at Jade touching Trey's arm. "They're touching!"

Riddle pulled Floyd down, Jade and Trey looking back. They turned around, assuming it was other students horsing around. Riddle glared at him, not surprised he'd be the one to give them away.

"So, what we know is that they always hang out after school hours and meet up every other night for snacks and fun. We need to know what kind of fun they're having." said Riddle, his mind immediately thinking of the naughty stuff.

"And that they eat lunch together when they can and have started using nicknames!" Floyd added on, putting his head in his hands. "It's awful!"

The two started to formulate a plan. They'd strike and crash their little "snacks and fun" night if all else failed.

•

Riddle and Floyd kept an eye on their respective people. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They were still suspicious that something more was going on. They constantly exchanged information, trying to dissect every word and movement the two made. Riddle was not going to lose Trey to that two faced eel.

They often intercepted them when they could, trying to keep them from getting anymore closer. Their plan was working slightly. Maybe they wouldn't need to storm their "snacks and fun" night.

"Trey!"

Trey visibly rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed. He just wanted to spend time with Jade. Riddle never seemed to bother him around anyone else. It was starting to become suspicious.

"Yes Riddle? What can I do now?" Trey asked, glancing at Jade who sat at the table, reading and waiting.

"I just wanted to go over things with you." said Riddle, moving him far away.

Ah, he was touching Trey! He kept his feelings in check, waiting for Floyd to get Jade to leave.

"Jade~"

"Floyd, you always seem to know when I'm waiting for someone, specifically Trey." said Jade, also getting suspicious.

"You're thinking too much. Come play with me!"

"Floyd, I can't."

"Why not?

"Because I'm waiting for Trey."

"I saw him leave though. Who was it with...? Cater I think..."

"That little...!" Jade fussed, quickly getting out of his seat and running out the library.

Floyd texted Riddle, giving him the okay.

"Ah, now I see. I think that's everything." said Riddle, letting Trey go.

Trey thanked the heavens before heading back to the table. Jade wasn't there. He couldn't have left. Riddle and Floyd high fived, seeing their relations starting to crumble. Trey was his for the taking and Floyd could have his precious brother back.

But to make absolute sure it was crushed, they had to crash their "snacks and fun" night. Tonight was the night.

•

"Going out?" Riddle asked, following Trey.

"Yes. Are you?"

"I'm going with you." said Riddle cheerfully.

"But-"

"You always talk about it and you never said others couldn't join. So, I'm inviting myself." said Riddle, smiling happily.

Trey couldn't refute that. So he let Riddle tag along.

Riddle watched as Trey walked down a few halls, heading towards rooms people rarely used. Trey stopped at a door that was cleaner than the rest of the hall. Trey opened it, revealing a clean, nearly empty room.

Trey pulled out a blanket and a few games. This was it? Just them eating snacks and playing board games? He was slightly disappointed. He thought maybe it was something a little more spicy. The door opened, revealing the twins.

"Oh how lovely. More company." said Jade, hiding the malice in his tone.

"The more the merrier right?" Trey said, picking out a game to set up.

Floyd and Riddle shared a look. They weren't expecting this. Though, if it was any consolation, they weren't dating behind their backs. They played a few games with them and had some snacks before leaving.

Trey and Jade double checked to make sure they were really alone. They shared a look.

"Do you?"

"Do _you_?"

They looked at one of the snacks before smiling.


	107. 2nd Years: Movie Go Vroom

“Everyone shut up or else I’m cancelling movie night!” Riddle shouted.

“You can’t do that!” Kalim argued.

“You’re not the boss of us!” Floyd spat.

“Can we just start? Silver is falling asleep.” Ruggie muttered, slapping Silver’s cheek.

Riddle rolled his eyes, cutting off everyone’s heads. Azul had enough. He snatched the movie from Riddle, popping in it to get everyone to focus. They sat huddled together, listening to the theme song of the movie producer.

“Look, it’s the Dalt Wisney castle!” Floyd said cheerily.

“Hush.” Jade hissed.

Kalim leaned against Jamil, watching the movie start. He immediately got excited, seeing there was action. Jamil discreetly slipped out of Kalim’s hold, only to end up in it again.

Ruggie sighed, slapping Silver’s cheeks again. Silver woke up, focusing on the movie.

They all gasped, watching the bear die.

“Humans are evil!” Kalim shouted.

“You’re getting too worked up.” Jamil complained, sitting him down.

“Oh, he’s turning into a bear. How fascinating.” said Azul, truly intrigued.

“Stop with the commentary and watch the movie!” Riddle fussed.

“But it’s good commentary.” Jade countered. “Look at that confusion. It feels so relatable.”

“How!?” Riddle asked, clearly confused.

“Shut up I’m trying to watch!” Kalim shouted, surprising everyone.

Everyone was quiet again. The movie played, showing the transformed human meeting a bear cub. They all cooed.

“Aw, they’re traveling together!” said Silver.

“Along with the moose.” Ruggie added.

“I don’t like them.” Floyd complained.

“Floyd, don’t start.” Azul warned.

“But-”

“No!” Jade and Azul said in unison.

Silence again. They all held hands, watching a suspenseful scene. They collectively sighed, seeing they made it.

“He’s finally coming to terms with things huh.” Jamil muttered.

“He’s grown so much!” Kalim wailed.

“No… that’s not it…” Silver whispered, truly worried for Kalim.

The movie reached its end, a few of them clapping. Riddle took out the movie, putting in a new one.

“Haha, I can do that too!” Floyd and Kalim said before imitating the lamp.

“Kalim!” “Floyd!” Jamil and Jade shouted in unison.

“What?”

“You jumped on my hand fool!” Jamil seethed.

“Mine too!”

“This is why you two should’ve been excluded. We can’t even enjoy this movie about emotions!” Riddle fussed, the others agreeing.

Floyd and Kalim sat down, feeling thoroughly scolded. The movie started, all of them watching in silence.

“The green girl reminds me of Jamil.” Ruggie piped up.

Everyone agreed. Jamil didn’t see it, but he didn’t feel like arguing.

“If we’re doing that then the red guy is definitely Riddle.” said Jamil.

“Holy shit you’re right.” said Silver, everyone now laughing.

“The purple guy reminds me of Idia. He’s so afraid of the world.” Azul piped up.

“The yellow girl is definitely Kalim. Practically bouncing off the walls.” said Riddle.

They all looked at the blue girl. Was there anyone like her?

“Malleus.” Jade said suddenly.

Everyone looked at him. Malleus? No one spoke up. The movie viewing continued in silence. The blue girl started to turn a memory blue, but the yellow girl was adamant that nothing changed.

“She’s a bitch.” Kalim said, surprising everyone.

Jamil shrugged, not having taught him anything. Silver agreed, watching as the movie progressed.

“No, not the imaginary friend!” Azul weeped.

“Azul…?”

Riddle wordlessly patted his back, understanding his feelings. Imaginary friends were irreplaceable parts of their childhoods.

“Do you still think she’s a bitch, Kalim?” Jamil asked.

“Yes.”

The movie ended happily. Everyone started shouting suggestions, wanting to watch completely different genres. Riddle felt overwhelmed, wondering which one to pick.

“Okay! We’ll watch all of them if we have time.” said Riddle, picking Jamil’s suggestion. “But, why don’t we take a break? Get more food, restroom break.”

Everyone was up and out of their seats. Riddle exhaled, making a list of what movies would be watched in what order.


	108. Vica: You'll get wrinkles, princess

"Pose!" said Cater, taking a picture with his underclassman.

He immediately posted it Magicam, waving to them before walking away. He had his face buried in his phone before bumping into someone. He quickly gave an apology before walking around.

"Is that any way to talk to me?"

Cater looked up from his phone.

"Oh, Vil. I'm sorry for bumping into you."

Vil raised an eyebrow.

"I'm so sorry that I bumped into you. I could've caused damages to your face that I couldn't possibly afford to fix."

"Are you stupid?"

"Vil, I don't-"

"Thank me. I just saved you from running into that wall." Vil scoffed.

Cater looked to the wall Vil was gesturing to. He definitely would've run into that.

"Thank you oh great and wise Vil Schoenheit."

"Don't patronize me." Vil snapped

"Now that I think about it, why are you on this side of the building? Aren't all your classes today on the other side?" Cater asked curiously.

"I came to see you, but it seems like there's something else more important."

Cater nervously laughed, putting his phone away. He often forgot he was obsessed with Magicam.

"Sorry, I was just checking my latest post. I'm getting tons of likes and comments."

"Really? I'll have a look then." said Vil, taking out his phone and opening the app.

There wasn't anything special about the post. It was just Cater and another student yet it was getting so many likes and comments.

"It's just your faces yet everyone is liking it. Why? I don't get it."

"Don't get so worked up. You'll get wrinkles, princess."

"I suppose you're right..."

He checked the comments, wanting to know why. Some of them started to make him feel uneasy. Could it be they were liking it solely because Cater is in it? He looked at Cater then back down at his phone. It didn't matter, Cater was his and his alone... right?"

"Vil!"

Vil was snapped out of his thoughts.

"What."

"I said you're going to be late for class if you don't leave now." said Cater, holding his hand.

"Ah, right. I'll see you."

Cater waved to his boyfriend, watching him walk down the hall. It wasn't like Vil to space out. Was something on his mind?

•

Cater posted multiple photos on Magicam, watching them get likes not too long after. Vil had liked the post as well. Vil was thinking of him. He smiled softly, deciding to send him a DM. Surprisingly, Vil was pretty flirty in private than in person. Though, he understood, he had an image to keep up.

Cater decided to push a little further and sent a suggestive text along with a photo. Cater nearly fell out of his seat from shock. Vil had sent a suggestive text back. Cater reread it, making sure he wasn't seeing things. If Vil was this flirty in DMs, he couldn't imagine what he'd be like in private in person.

"Diamond!"

Cater could feel an evil presence near him. He wordlessly put his phone away and buried his face in his notes.

"Don't let me catch you again."

"Yes, Crewel sensei..."

•

Vil looked over their chat. Was he doing enough? Not enough? He was only flirting back this much so Cater wouldn't leave him. Vil sighed, half paying attention in class. A light bulb went off.

They could take a picture together. Cater's always wanted to take a picture with him in the past. He could use it as a disguise to have him post a picture of the two of them. Then he'd suggest letting him add the caption and tags. It was brilliant. Cater would definitely want more followers too.

•

Vil hurried down the hall, spotting Cater not too far away. Cater felt Vil hug him, nuzzling against him. Vil was showing affection. Something had to be wrong.

"Hey, Cater, why don't we take a picture together and post it to Magicam?" said Vil. "You've always wanted to."

"No."

No? Did he just say, no?

"I'm sorry, what?"

"No."

"But why?"

"I'm not in the mood to post right now."

"You're lying to me."

"No I'm not."

"You touch your hair when you lie."

Cater sighed, seeing it'd be better if he just came clean.

"I'm scared that if I post a picture of us your followers will know and come hunt me down and start saying harsh things and say I'm not good enough for you and I seriously don't want to be chewed out. Your fan base is relentless." said Cater, avoiding eye contact.

"Don't be scared... I promise I'll protect you, my knight. I won't let them hurt you. Now let's take that photo!"

Vil and Cater got into frame, making peace signs before Cater took the photo. Vil took his phone, offering to do the caption and tags. He quickly typed them in before uploading. It was done. His plan worked. Now everyone knew who he belonged to solely.

Cater took his phone, everything seeming fine. Then he saw it. The comments were starting to pour in. He knew it

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, the hate comments..." Cater muttered.

"You know what you can do?"

Cater watched as Vil deleted a comment. Vil gave him a smile, encouraging him. Cater also deleted a comment. They both started deleting mean comments before Vil posted on his Magicam his favorite photo of Cater. Cater had come to one of his shoots and was wearing the sexiest outfit he's ever seen him wear. The hate comments started to die down.

"Easily dealt with."

"Yeah." Cater whispered, giving Vil a quick peck on the lips.


	109. Leomil: Skip class

Leona slept in the temperate zone, skipping class as usual. He let out a startled meow before hissing.

"To think you'd react like that, I should do it more often." a voice said with an obvious smirk.

"Don't you have a kid to watch over?"

"Silver and I take turns. It's his turn right now." said Jamil, taking a seat on Leona's lap. "That gives us plenty of time to do whatever we wish."

Jamil gave him a brief kiss, looking into his eyes.

"I won't be enticed."

"What makes you think that's what I wanted?" Jamil challenged, discreetly smirking.

"I know you, idiot." Leona responded, pushing against his forehead with his index finger.

"Let me guess, you've been sleeping here and avoiding classes." Jamil said, getting comfortable.

"Wow, you get a gold star."

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated." Jamil said flatly.

Leona simply chuckled before rubbing his head against him. Jamil stroked his hair, knowing what he really wanted.

"Ah, I just remembered. Kalim insisted on having a banquet tonight, everyone's invited."

"I'm not going."

Figures. This was Leona they were talking about. As if he'd come even if to see his boyfriend. Jamil didn't say anything, scratching behind Leona's ears.

"Did you eat lunch?"

"Did you eat?" Leona asked.

"I asked first."

"I asked second."

They looked at each other.

"I haven't." they said in unison.

"Are you going to come to the cafeteria with me or will I be going solo?"

"I'm coming."

Jamil felt Leona lift him to his feet. He took Leona's hand, happy to see he didn't pull away this time.

•

Jamil sighed, wanting class to be over already. He knew all of this stuff. Though, it was good to review from time to time. Was Leona skipping again? Probably. Maybe he could entertain him. Jamil started to text him.

He made sure to act like he was paying attention while texting Leona. Leona indirectly scolded him for not paying attention in class to which he easily responded with him skipping class was worse. Direct hit.

"Viper."

"Yes sir?" Jamil said.

"Answer this question."

Jamil answered with ease. It was child's play. He complained to Leona about being too far ahead to be in the class. Leona suggested he skip.

_"Skip class huh..."_ Jamil thought, looking at his notes.

He couldn't. He might miss something. He couldn't let Leona influence him, no matter how enticing it was.

•

Leona woke up from his nap, seeing someone curled up next to him. So he was skipping class. Did he finally snap? Did it finally become unbearable having to learn alongside idiots? He gently licked Jamil's cheek, waking him up.

"You're a bad boy. I knew it."

"Hush. I don't know what you're talking about." Jamil muttered, wrapping his arm around Leona.

"Hm, so you don't?" Leona replied, grabbing Jamil's ass, giving it a squeeze.

"No."

Leona gave it another squeeze. Was he going to do that every time he thought he was lying?

"It's true, admit it."

"There's nothing to-"

Leona had bit his neck this time. Maybe it was in his best interest to come clean.

"Yeah, I'm a bad boy. So what." Jamil snapped, giving him a look.

Leona simply kissed him, lovingly rubbing his back.

"I like my boys bad."

"Hnn... So you're saying you're gonna replace me someday?"

"I might if you act up."

"I'll act up whether you like it or not." Jamil said lowly, capturing Leona's lips.

The couple kissed passionately, trying to get the other to back down. In the end neither won, but they didn't necessarily lose either. They panted heavily, lovingly staring at each other.

"Are you seriously going to start skipping classes?"

"No. I'd rather be bored out of my mind and have something to do than not."

"You could do me." Leona suggested, earning a flick to his forehead. "I'm not wrong though."

Jamil rolled his eyes, feeling Leona hold him close. Leona kissed his cheeks, snuggling close.

"You should consider going to classes."

"I'm fine like this. Thanks for the concern though."

•

Jamil ran around in the kitchen, trying to prepare everything Kalim requested. One of these days he won't have to bend to his whims. He frequently checked on the food in the oven and on the stove, making sure nothing was burning.

"Aren't you a busy bee?"

"Leona, I don't have the time or patience."

Leona sauntered over, checking the list of foods.

"I could help."

"I don't- Wait, you want to help?"

"Yeah."

Jamil brought him over to the sweets, telling him to properly wash his hands before touching anything. The cinnamon buns still needed frosting, the cake needing frosting and the fruits had to be put on as well. Leona listened to Jamil as he listed the rest before giving measurements. Jamil had rushed off, making sure nothing burned while he talked.

Jamil turned off the stove and oven, seeing the food was done. He was worried that Leona didn't do a good job. He walked over before his jaw dropped. Everything was perfect. Leona smirked, pushing his jaw up. This was child's play. He's had to figure out puzzles harder than this.

"Wow, this is amazing! Let's quickly get everything to the room. Guests should be arriving by now." said Jamil, forgetting oven mitts.

Leona pulled him back, placing the mitts on his hands.

"Don't burn yourself."

"Oh, thank you..."

Jamil smiled happily, loving the moments Leona showed softness.

They had gotten everything set up just in time, Jamil having Scarabia students serve those waiting in line.

"So, are you heading back?" Jamil asked, walking with Leona.

"Nah. I'm already here so might as well have fun with you here."

"Why don't we go somewhere more secluded? I don't want interruptions."

Leona let Jamil lead the way, wondering what he wouldn't want interrupted. Could it be what he was thinking of?


	110. NSFW Azmil: Sexual Feeling

Azul’s leg shook as he stared at his phone. To think the events in Scarabia happened over a month ago. Yet he still found himself thinking of him. Why? They had no business with each other. Jamil wouldn’t give him the time of day anymore. He clearly stated he didn’t want anything to do with him, yet they were still lab partners and P.E partners.

He felt more irritable these days. Azul sucked his teeth, placing his phone down. Stop thinking of him. Stop. Azul heard his door open, seeing Jade walk in and sit down.

“Working hard?”

“Unlike you.”

Azul let it roll off his back, needing a distraction.

“Is it packed? Do you need extra hands?”

“Yes. We could use a lot of hands.” Jade muttered, hearing the door open. “Floyd, why aren’t you working?”

“I’m tired too! The customers are annoying.” Floyd groaned, collapsing onto the other couch.

“Things are only going to get more hectic the longer you stay in here.” Azul said, earning groans. “I’ll be helping. I need to busy my mind.”

The three of them walked out. Azul quickly got to work, helping everyone out. Azul had a few more Octavinelle students come and help, further quelling the restless customers. Azul moves over to a table before he saw it. They locked eyes.

“I didn’t think someone like you would dine here.” Azul muttered, finishing giving their drinks.

“I figured I’d come see what kind of business you run once. Now that I have I won’t come back.”

“Great.” Azul said, starting to walk away.

“Hey, Azul, can we get new cutlery? These seem a little dirty.” Jamil said, waving them.

“Dirty!?” Azul gasped, rushing over.

Jamil watched Azul gather their utensils. Why did he have such pretty eyes? Why did he want those eyes undressing him, those lips whispering naughty things to him? Before he knew it, Azul was walking away. Damn. He didn’t get a chance to look at his body.

Azul complained to the washers, telling them to triple clean everything. Azul was unknowingly tricked by Jamil. He purposefully dirtied his just to bring Azul back. The washers reluctantly agreed before watching Azul storm off.

“He’s so irritable these days…”

“I know… Though, I feel a little more efficient…”

The first nodded, washing the cutlery again.

Jamil watched Azul flit around, bending as he served others. He really had a nice ass. What he would give to touch it, grasp it as Azul fucked him. Jamil shook his head. What was he saying? How could he want that to fuck him? That pretty eyed, octopus male with nice hair and amazing lips. Imagine Azul in his octopus form, fucking him with all those tentacles…

No. But yes. No! But why? Why? Why…

“Jamil.”

“Huh?”

“He’s asking if you need anything.”

“Oh, uh… Azul? Can you bring Azul here? I have a complaint.” Jamil said, his face visibly red.

They looked at him, wondering what kind of complaint he could possibly have. Was his order not right? Then wouldn’t he just tell the waiter? Jamil watched the waiter get Azul. Yeah, just like that. Look at him just like that. Jamil squirmed in his seat, his thoughts running wild.

“You said you have a complaint. Is it more dirty cutlery?” Azul asked, keeping the tray in front of him, hiding his boner.

God why did Jamil have to look so damn attractive? He was dying to touch him, to make him feel good. He desperately wanted him. Azul pushes the thoughts aside. Jamil wouldn’t let him get close. Not anymore.

“Um, my order! This fish isn’t fresh, is it?” Jamil said, making something up.

“We always make sure our fish is fresh though… I’ll have to have a talk with Jade.” Azul said, taking his plate. Jamil has grabbed his wrist, making everyone look. Jamil was touching him, his grip was so strong. “Y- Yes…?”

“I want a different order since the fish might not be fresh. I’ll settle with a chicken wrap…” Jamil said, not wanting to let Azul go. They looked into each other’s eyes, their needs growing. Stop looking at me like that! “Please…”

“Okay…” Azul replied, feeling Jamil slowly let him go.

Jamil sighed, keeping his head low. He was extremely uncomfortable. He wanted Azul, no, he needed Azul. He couldn’t stand being teased by him. He knew what he was doing to him. He had to know what he was doing. Jamil was fed up. He was going to attack him back.

Azul sighed heavily before being joined by Jade.

“Ah, perfect timing. Did we replace the fish this week?”

“Yes. I always make sure we have fresh fish.” Jade said. “Why?”

“I’ve been had.” Azul groaned, letting his head hit the wall. “I’m going to make him pay for wasting food!”

“Azul?”

Jade watched Azul storm off. He didn’t know what was going on but it didn’t sound good. He was in need of a little chaos, so he followed.

Azul slammed his palms against the table, startling them.

“Get up, Jamil. Get up right now!” Azul yelled.

The others scooted out, allowing Jamil to get up. Azul tightly grabbed his wrist, making sure he couldn’t run.

“How dare you lie about our fish not being fresh! Jade, show him!”

Jade showed Jamil that they did in fact order fresh fish this week. Jamil could feel many pairs of eyes on him. Perhaps he royally fucked up. He was loving this defeat look on Jamil’s face. What would it look like if he was giving it to him? No, he had to focus on the current problem. Despite saying that he couldn’t help but continue to look at Jamil’s face, his eyes traversing his body and taking him in all.

“I… I…” Jamil whispered, trying to think of anything that wouldn’t out him.

It was hard enough trying to hide his reddening ears and going erection. Azul pulled Jamil along, tossing him into the VIP Lounge. Everyone whispered to each other, wondering what would happen to Jamil.

“Now that everyone isn’t looking at you, tell me!”

“Because I wanted to fuck with you!”

Azul couldn’t think straight. He wanted to fuck with him. No, not that way!

“Why? What have I done to you? Are you still sore we stopped you from dying!?” Azul yelled.

“Yes! Wait, no! I could’ve had everything but you and you’re little lackeys had to ruin it!” Jamil yelled back, getting closer to him.

Those eyes. Keep looking at him with with those eyes. He wanted them to tear through him. He wanted him to tear through his ass. So badly.

“Well sorry for caring a little! Maybe we should’ve butted out!”

“Yeah, you should’ve! And I wouldn’t be so fucking horny because of you!”

“I wouldn’t be so horny for you either, giving me such bedroom eyes while denying me your friendship!”

They looked at each other before Jamil took the first step, pulling Azul in for a kiss. It was desperate, needy, greedy. Azul returned the same intensity, needing Jamil just as much he needed him. Jamil felt Azul back him up, his body hitting the desk. Soft sighs left Jamil’s mouth as Azul kissed at his neck.

They started to strip each other, unable to stand their skin not touching. They went back to kissing, Azul’s hand exploring Jamil’s body. Jamil moaned into the kiss, feeling Azul teasing his nipples before grazing fingers over his shaft.

“Stop teasing me. Fucking put it in me, you octopus.” Jamil whispered, sitting on his desk before leaning back.

Azul instructed him to open a drawer, pulling out his hidden lube. Jamil teased himself, impatiently waiting for Azul to put it in. Without much warning, Azul had pulled Jamil onto him, sending shivers up his body and causing his body to twist slightly.

“Fuck yes…” Jamil moaned, feeling Azul thrust into him. “Harder…”

“Don’t tell me what to do, you failure.” Azul snapped despite giving him what he wanted.

Azul dug his nails into Jamil’s thighs, watching him make lewd faces and moan his name. God he had such a nice body. He wanted to leave his marks everywhere. So he did. Jamil groaned, feeling Azul biting him and leaving hickeys. This was what he’s been dreaming of night after night. Azul dominating him and making him his.

Azul had Jamil stroke himself, making him thrust deeper into him. Jamil moaned loudly, feeling himself about to come.

“You aren’t saying my name. Say it.” Azul demanded, feeling satisfied as Jamil came moaning his name. “You listen well…”

Jamil felt Azul stroking him again, sending pleasure and tiny bits of pain through his body. He wasn’t done with him. He let Azul have his way, putting himself at his mercy. Azul’s movements became erratic, letting Jamil know he was close.

“Jamil, beg me for it.” Azul demanded, watching Jamil’s breathing heavily.

“Come in me… please… fill me up, Azul…” Jamil whispered, trying to properly formulate words.

“More.”

“Please… I need you… I want you…” Jamil responded. “Stuff me full…”

Jamil felt Azul start moving again before Azul came inside him. Azul pulled out, watching Jamil’s chest. Both were tired and fully pleasured. Azul gave Jamil a few short, deep kisses then lifted him up.

“I like this look on you. Completely vulnerable and ready to get fucked again.” Azul muttered, holding Jamil’s face by his chin.

Jamil looked at Azul, keeping silent. He let himself tip forward, landing against Azul. What he wasn’t expecting was Azul to hold him and give him comforting kisses.

“Rest…”

Jamil closed his eyes, eventually falling asleep in Azul’s arms.


	111. Azelle: Overblot! Azul

Rielle was going about his day, learning in class, chatting with friends and just having a good time. Today was a very good day. However, one thing kept bothering him. Azul wasn’t responding to his texts. They had finally gotten to the friend stage and he could finally start flirting. God it was hard not to.

“Rielle!” Mei shouted before a hand kept him from approaching Rielle. “Eosin.”

They glared at each other before turning away. Rielle sighed, seeing they still weren’t getting along.

“Are they still fighting?” a voice said from behind Rielle.

“Oh, Jamie! Yeah, they are…” Rielle muttered, watching them walk off. “I don’t get why. They were fine a week ago.”

“Rielle, I love you but sometimes you need look outside your bubble.” said Jamie, ruffling Rielle’s hair.

“Outside my bubble…” he whispered, now starting to think.

Maybe there was something going on with Azul. Should he call? Maybe he should visit. He could probably use a fresh face.

“Thank you, Jamie!”

“You’re welcome…?”

•

Rielle looked out the window, watching the bus take him to his destination. He was a bit surprised Azul had agreed to hang out with him, usually he’d say he was too busy. He had learned that Azul owned a business on school grounds named Mostro, so he could understand.

Rielle disembarked the bus, looking around. Was he too early? Just a few minutes early. He waited off to the side, watching people pass by. He couldn’t help but feel envious of couples that happened to come by. He wanted to be like that with Azul. He just had to wait. Good things come to those who wait his mother often told him.

Rielle checked the time. Azul was running late. That wasn’t like him. He was always on time for things. He kept waiting. He texted him, making sure he was still coming. Delivered. He decided to get something to drink, feeling a bit parched.

Rielle checked his phone. No response yet. It’s been an hour since they were supposed to meet. He texted the group chat to pass the time.

  
  
  


Rielle sighed, deciding to head back. He was sure Azul would have a good reason for not showing up.

Despite making up his mind, Rielle stayed for another hour before leaving.

•

Eosin patted his back as Rielle cried into his pillow. Mei and Jamie watched on with heavy hearts. What could they say in this situation?

“I’m sure he has a reason.” said Mei, doing a little fire trick to cheer him up. It didn’t. “Rie…”

“He hates me…” Rielle weeped.

“That’s taking it a bit far…” Jamie whispered. He crawled into bed with Rielle, offering his warmth. The other two did the same. “Copycats.”

“Hush, this isn’t about you.” Eosin scolded.

Rielle stopped crying out of sadness, mostly because of their crushing weight. He wheezed, needing them to get off him.

“Thanks guys… I guess I got too emotional…” Rielle muttered, wiping his eyes with a tissue.

Eosin used his magipen, having Rielle’s favorite food appear. Rielle’s eyes widened before he pushed it away. They exchanged looks. Rielle rejected fried food. He never rejected fried food.

“Azul liked fried food too…”

They glared at Eosin who whispered it was a mistake. How was he to know merpeople collectively liked fried food? Mei transformed the food into something else Rielle liked.

“It’s your favorite drink.”

They quietly sighed in relief, watching him drink. Jamie checked his phone, seeing diamondsplit had posted on Magicam. His eyes widened before he hid his phone. He tapped them, having them meet him outside the room.

Mei kept watched on Rielle who quietly drank his milk tea.

“What did you find?” Eosin asked.

“Well…”

Jamie showed them the photo diamondsplit had taken. They gasped, hoping Rielle didn’t hear.

“He overblotted!?” Eosin hissed, snatching Jamie’s phone. “No wonder he stood him up. That stupid fool!”

“Hey, you make it sound like he wanted to…” Mei grumbled, taking a better look. “He looks kinda cool.”

They looked at him.

“I mean, I know overblot is bad and whatnot but, you can’t deny his form is amazing.” Mei said, placing his hands on his hips.

“Anyway, how are we going to tell Rielle? He’s going start blaming himself and get all sad again. It took hours to get him to this state.” Eosin said, peeking into the room.

“We’re his friends and we want the best for him. But we shouldn’t hide the truth from him either…” said Jamie, looking at the photo again.

They walked back in, gaining Rielle’s attention.

“What happened?” he asked innocently.

“Well, we have some news. It’s about Azul.” said Eosin, nudging Mei.

“We learned the reason why Azul couldn’t meet you today but it’s not exactly… good.” Mei said, nudging Jamie.

“He overblotted. It’s on Magicam.” he said, handing Rielle his phone.

The cup in Rielle’s hand fell to the floor and shattered. This kind of reaction was expected. What they didn’t expect was for Rielle to jump out of bed and run out the room.

“Should we stop him?”

“No, but we should go to make sure he’s okay…” Eosin said, them following after Rielle.

Rielle searched through the stocks before finding his broom. He didn’t have the patience to wait for public transportation. The trio watched Rielle take off. They hurriedly got on their brooms, Jamie hopping on with Mei as he was still unable to properly fly.

Why couldn’t this thing move faster? Rielle rubbed the side of his broom, hoping it would coax it to move faster. Thankfully it did. Azul overblotted. Anger, sorrow, terror, confusion, loneliness, all sorts of negative emotions. Azul was always susceptible to it wasn’t he? All because of the bullying, because he as a prince couldn’t do anything to help the problem. Tears pricked his eyes as the broom moved even faster.

“How is he moving so fast!? He’s never been good at flying before!” Mei said, trying to keep up.

“They say love makes you do crazy things. Guess he got over his fear when his darling was in trouble…” said Eosin, having Mei hold on as he had his broom move faster.

Rielle found himself landing rather badly onto Night Raven’s campus. He apologized to the broom, promising to take extra care of it when they went back. The trio arrived, seeing Rielle’s abandoned broom.

“Should we split up to find him?” Mei asked before transforming to get an aerial view

Jamie sniffed the ground, trying to pick up Rielle’s scent. Jamie finally found it, pointing them in the direction he went in.

How did he get to the dorms? Rielle continues to get lost on Night Raven’s campus. His tears finally fell.

 _“Azul… I’m so sorry…”_ Rielle weeped, Night Raven students taking notice of his uniform.

“Royal Sword!”

“Wait, he’s crying…”

“So what?”

The person knelt in front of Rielle, tapping him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have to get to Octavinelle! Please, help me!” Rielle pleaded.

“I’ll help.” they said, lifting him to his feet.

“Thank you, thank you so much…” Rielle cried. “You’re so kind…”

“Of course! I like to help people in need. I’m Kalim. Who are you?” he said cheerfully.

“Rielle… I know we’re rivals but-”

“I don’t really care about that stuff. Let’s get you to Octavinelle.”

“Rielle! God, where did he go…” Jamie groaned, having lost his scent again.

“Ah, I see him!” said Mei, leading the way.

Rielle turned around, hearing voices.

“You guys…”

“There’s more of them…”

“Don’t be such a grumpy pants Jamil! Hi!” said Kalim, waving to the three who arrived.

“Rielle! You can’t just take off like that! What if you had run into not so nice Night Raven students?” Eosin fussed, glaring at Jamil.

“What matters is that we found him and made it to Octavinelle.” said Mei, having Kalim lead them in.

Rielle looked around, seeing it was different from Atlantica. The only thing similar was that it was underwater. Rielle had gone on ahead, remembering why he was even here.

He pushed open the doors, gaining the attention of Octavinelle students.

“Royal Sword!”

“I wouldn’t attack him if I were you.” said a voice, appearing from the shadows. “I don’t think your families would take kindly to knowing you assaulted the prince.”

“P- Prince…?”

“Now I know why he looks familiar. It’s Prince Rielle!”

Everyone had parted.

“Jade…”

“What brings you to Night Raven? Surely it can’t be to spy on us for next year.”

“Where’s Azul? Tell me!” Rielle demanded.

“Well he’s resting in his ro-”

“Take me!”

They watched as Rielle forced Jade to show him to Azul’s room.

“Is he…?”

“He gets very fixated on things he cares about.” Eosin said, dispelling Kalim’s bad thoughts.

•

Rielle touched Azul’s arm, drawing back quickly. Should he touch him? Was he allowed?

“He’s asleep. Don’t worry.” said Jade, watching Rielle carefully.

“Jade, tell me how… how did this happen…” Rielle whispered, pushing Azul’s hair out of his face. “Is it what I’m thinking of…?”

“Most likely.”

“I’m at fault then… I didn’t do enough… I could’ve gave him the childhood he deserved…” Rielle whispered, his voice cracking.

“Rielle, I do think you could’ve done more, but you were also just a child.” said Jade. “You could only do so much.”

“Even still! I… I just wanted him to be happy and to like me… I wanted to be close with him…”

Jade didn’t say anything, mostly because he didn’t know what to say.

“I’m so sorry…” Rielle mumbled, his tears falling again. “I’m a failure of a prince…”


	112. NSFW Kaja: Just fuck me

Jamil finished making their lunch for tomorrow before feeling someone hug him from behind.

“Kalim, why aren’t you in bed?” Jamil asked, gently rubbing his hand.

“Well, I was thinking of ways to thank you for everything that you’ve done for me. And I’ve come up with one.” said Kalim, snuggling close.

“Oh? And what is that?” Jamil asked, waddling back to Kalim’s room with Kalim clinging to him.

“I’ll tell you when we get to my room.”

Jamil opened the door to Kalim’s room before before he felt Kalim lead him over to his bed. He watched Kalim close and lock his door.

“So…?”

Kalim wordlessly started to undress. Jamil really had no idea what was going on. He soon had a naked Kalim sitting on his lap. Kalim gave him short kisses, making sure Jamil could feel him.

“Kalim, are you…?”

“I’ll pleasure you all night… ask and I’ll give it to you.” Kalim whispered, kissing along his neck and nipping at his skin. “I’ll be your genie tonight.”

Jamil felt shivers go up his spine at the sultry voice Kalim was using. Kalim was gazing up at him with such eyes. He felt himself giving in completely. Jamil let Kalim undress him before letting him touch him all over. Kalim lied him back on the bed before opening his legs, leaving soft kisses on his inner thighs.

“What is your wish, Jamil…?” Kalim asked, teasing Jamil’s rim and shaft. “Blowjob? Assfucking? Edging? All three?”

“The first two…” Jamil whispered, watching Kalim near his shaft.

Kalim gently held his shaft, slowly licking up while teasing his sacks. Kalim chuckled softly, hearing Jamil moan. He wasn’t even trying to be quiet about it.

“Ah… right there…” Jamil whispered, feeling Kalim licking and kissing a sweet spot.

Jamil threw his head back as Kalim had started teasing his tip with his tongue. Kalim shouldn’t be this good at this sort of thing. He was innocent! Jamil groaned, needing to feel him more. Kalim swatted Jamil’s hands away, him being the one in charge of pacing. Kalim was moving painfully slow and it was driving him mad.

“Please Kalim, faster… I need more…” Jamil whined, seeing Kalim’s orange eyes looking into his gray ones. “Please…”

Kalim complied, seeing Jamil was reaching again and promptly swatting his hands away. Jamil whined as he moaned, feeling himself getting closer to coming. Kalim had finally started moving at the pace he wanted. He easily came, bucking his hips. Kalim popped off with a little pop, seductively licking his lips.

Kalim started to finger Jamil, getting him ready for his throbbing erection. He wanted to put it in some badly. Kalim floated a small bottle of lube over, having purchased it beforehand for this exact moment. Jamil moves his hips along with Kalim’s fingers, wanting him to hit the right spots. Jamil whined in need, feeling Kalim’s fingers leave his ass.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fill you soon.” Kalim said, pushing into Jamil.

Jamil cried out in pain and pleasure, gripping Kalim’s arms tightly.

“Did I not prep you enough…? That’s no good.”

“I don’t care. Keep going.” Jamil pleaded, feeling stuffed. “Just fuck me…”

Kalim moved slow, not wanting to hurt him too bad. He felt Jamil reach behind him, locking his arms. He continued to move slow, waiting for a sign that it wasn’t painful anymore. He finally got the sign, picking up his pace.

Kalim leaned down, kissing Jamil and feeling his moans in his mouth. He loved the pleased looks on Jamil’s face as he hit his prostate. He reached down, stroking Jamil’s shaft. It didn’t take long for Jamil to come again, coating some of Kalim’s hand. He lifted his hand to Jamil’s mouth, having him lick his hand clean. They locked eyes, turning each other on even more.

Jamil had trouble trying to focus on Kalim’s hand as his mind was constantly switching to the dick being rammed into his ass at such a fast rate. Kalim gripped the sheets, thrusting harder. It was coming. Jamil grabbed his ass, trying to push Kalim deeper into him. Kalim moaned, shooting his cum into Jamil’s ass. He pulled out, giving Jamil’s shaft a few more licks before he suddenly came again, getting some on his face.

“I’m sorry…” Jamil whispered, his dick starting to feel a bit of pain.

“It’s fine. You can lick it off.” said Kalim, leaning close to him. Jamil licked his cheek, getting rid of the cum. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Of course…”

“Then we can do it again tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow!?”

“You thought this was a one time thing? I haven’t even made a dent in repaying you for everything!” Kalim said, sitting on Jamil.

“You can do many other things. I wouldn’t want this everyday… maybe every other week.”

“Done! I’ll find more things.”

Jamil hummed, teasing Kalim’s shaft. Kalim softly moaned, looking at him with half lidded eyes.

“But I think I wouldn’t mind another round tomorrow…”

Kalim moaned in response, using Jamil’s hand to pleasure himself.

“Another round tonight…?” Jamil whispered.

White liquid spilled onto his hand, Kalim leaning back in bliss.

“Guess not.”


	113. Fuce: I know I’m good looking

Ace watched Deuce pace around, he had wore a hole into the floor from it all.

“Yo, at this rate Floyd is gonna think you aren’t interested. Just tell him!” Ace said, tired of watching him worry over nothing.

“THIS IS FLOYD ACE! THERE’S NO TELLING WHAT’LL HAPPEN!” Deuce shouted, climbing out of the hole. “What if I miss up delivery? What if he’s already lost interest? What if he’s secretly recording and posts it on Magicam? What-”

Ace slapped a hand over his mouth. God he hoped he didn’t get this crazy when he started crushing on someone.

“Deuce, listen. I’ll be nearby, okay? Just be yourself. Floyd likes you back, I know he does.” said Ace.

“Hnm dup new owe?” Deuce said. Ace moved his hand. “How do you know?”

“The way he treats you now is vastly different from the past. Remember when he sent you flying face first into the floor for no reason? He’s literally diving to catch you when you trip now.” said Ace. “And when he used to put bugs in your lunch. Now you eat in peace. Now that I’m thinking about it, maybe even then he had feelings for you…”

“Huh? How do those equate to liking me? He was harassing me!”

“He wanted your attention.”

Oh. If you thought about it that way, it made sense. But this was Floyd. His existence didn’t make sense.

“Okay. I can do this.” said Deuce, slapping his cheeks.“

"Good because you have ten minutes to get to the courtyard.” said Ace.

Deuce was practically flying out the door. Ace laughed, having tricked him. He had a good twenty minutes.

•

Deuce sat on a bench, waiting for Floyd. Did it get hotter? Why was he sweating so much? Did he smell? He couldn’t do this. He was too nervous. He felt nauseous. He looked over to Ace who gave him a thumbs up. No, he was going to puke.

Deuce slowly got up, wobbling over to a nearby trash can. Floyd had arrived just as Deuce puked. Ace face palmed. He wouldn’t be surprised if Floyd walked away, having changed his mind. Ace felt something bump him.

“Jade!?”

“I’m here to cheer on my brother. He’s no good when it comes to things like this. So it’s a bit of entertainment too.”

“Right…”

Deuce wiped his mouth before he saw him. His heart dropped into his stomach. Did Floyd see him puke? Oh god what if he did? What would he do? Floyd was approaching him. Deuce ran. Ace face palmed again.

“How sad… I thought today would be the day.”

To their surprise, Floyd gave chase. They quickly got up, needing to see how things ended.

He was on the track and field team yet Floyd was slowly closing in on him. He picked up his pace, heading for the hall of mirrors. If he could just get to Heartslabyul, he could hide in his room and never come out again. How could he face Floyd after that? He was going to post it all over social media. His life was over.

Deuce entered the hall of mirrors, practically diving through the mirror. Floyd looked around, not having seen what mirror he went through. Ace and Jade stopped, peeking into the room. If Floyd was here, it meant Deuce had gotten away from him.

“Maybe next time.”

“Yeah…”

Jade came out of hiding, leading Floyd back to Octavinelle. Ace headed for Heartslabyul, wondering where Deuce had run off to. He opened the door to their room and saw a lump on Deuce’s bed.

“You should’ve talked to Floyd.”

“No. He saw me puke. Everything is ruined.” Deuce weeped, curling further into his sheets.

“He looked upset you know. Probably because he lost you.”

“Stop making things up.”

It was the honest truth. He could’ve swore he heard him curse too.

“If that’s what you want to believe.” said Ace before getting a DM from Jade. His eyes widened before he smiled. “Don’t make plans tonight. There’s some place I want to take you.”

“I don’t want to go out.”

“I’ll burn your magic wheel magazines.”

“When do we leave?” Deuce asked, coming out of his cocoon.

•

Deuce found himself out in the sports field with Ace at night. What they’d do here was beyond him.

“Let’s race.”

“You know, I-”

Two brooms appeared. Oh. Now he wasn’t confident. Ace took one, leaving Deuce with the other. They had tampered with Deuce’s. They mounted the brooms. Ace told him where the finish line was before counting off.

They took off. Everything was going smoothly until Deuce’s broom started to go rouge. Deuce tightly held on, feeling it veer off course. Ace purposefully left him behind, waiting for Jade to do his part.

Jade just arrived with Floyd just in time to see Deuce being dragged around by the rouge broom.

“Oh my. We should probably-”

Jade said before watching Floyd race off towards him. Deuce was losing his grip. The broom bucked, sending Deuce falling to the ground. Deuce silently prayed, hoping he’d live. He felt himself land, but not on the hard ground. He opened one eye, seeing he landed on a person. He quickly looked, seeing he was being held by Floyd.

Oh god. They were so close. He couldn’t think straight. What were words? How did he move his body?

“Are you okay…?”

Deuce just nodded. He found himself staring at Floyd’s face.

“You can’t speak…?”

A squeak escaped Deuce’s throat before he hid his face. Why couldn’t he talk?

 _“Say something, stupid!”_ Deuce yelled internally, feeling Floyd’s arms loosening. “I like you! _Not that you idiot!_ ”

Floyd tilted his head, not entirely sure what he meant by that. As a friend? Romantically? Brotherly?

“I… I confess… you… feelings.” Deuce said, slowly getting his mind to work again. “Romance.”

“Um…”

Deuce visibly gave up, wiggling out of his arms. He wasn’t going to be able to tell him like he wanted to.

“Mackerel, I like you. I wanna date.” said Floyd, pulling Deuce back.

“Me?”

“You’re mackerel aren’t you?”

“Ah…”

Deuce nodded quickly, wanting him to know he wanted that too. Floyd smiled happily, hugging Deuce tight. Deuce hugged him back, resting his head against his shoulder.

Ace and Jade gave each other a high five.

•

Ace watched Deuce make yet another hole in the floor. Riddle was going to yell at them again.

“Deuce, you’re thinking way too hard about what to wear. We know Floyd’s style. He’s going to look a mess.” Ace said, not seeing how getting dressed was a problem.

“But I need to look nice at least! I don’t have nice things! Look at this, holes! What was I thinking!?” Deuce complained, pulling clothes out. “I don’t even own dress shirts!”

“You act like you’re going to a fancy restaurant. You don’t even know where you’re going.” said Ace, picking up after Deuce. “Just go casual. I’m sure Floyd is.”

“Ace, this is our first date. I can’t look like I’m homeless!”

Ace ran a hand over his face. He was taking this too seriously. To think he was this crazy weeks ago about confessing.

“You know what, sit your ass down. I’m going to blindly pick an outfit for you.” said Ace, starting to pick. “Here, wear this. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

Deuce mumbled, getting dressed. Ace picked a decent outfit. He only hoped this would fly over with Floyd.

•

Deuce looked at Floyd, his cheeks red and his eyes wide. He looked so cute. He couldn’t stop looking.

“I know I’m good looking.” laughed Floyd, snapping Deuce out of his trance.

“Here he expected Floyd to show up in his school uniform or sloppily dressed, but he wasn’t.

Sure his shirt was poking out underneath the sweater he wore but he made it look good. Floyd had Deuce drink a beverage before pulling him into the mirror.

His eyes widened, seeing they were underwater. And he could breathe. So that’s what that beverage was. He expected a lunch date, maybe a movie, but nope. They were going to do something underwater. How very Floyd. He looked to Floyd, seeing he had transformed.

"So, where are we going?”

“My favorite place. Hold on.” said Floyd, gesturing to his back.

Deuce wrapped himself around Floyd before feeling water hitting his face. How fast was he moving? He felt Floyd slow down, allowing him to open his eyes. It was pretty dark, but nonetheless it was kind of pretty. It was nice getting to see where Floyd grew up.

Deuce noticed they had stopped in front of what he assumed to be a place of dining. Was he going to have to eat raw food? Hopefully he knew enough magic to make it edible.

•

It wasn’t all that bad. Granted, he nearly choked on a fish bone. Floyd had saved him. Again. Deuce watched from the sidelines as Floyd played games. He couldn’t play a lot of them since he wasn’t exactly a merperson. He didn’t mind. Seeing Floyd happy was enough for him.

“Mackerel, are you bored?”

“Huh? No. I’m having fun watching you. You’re really cute when you’re happy.”

Floyd sat beside him. He wasn’t going to play anymore? He felt Floyd lean him against him. Deuce didn’t say anything, scooting a bit closer.

“You’re supposed to have fun too.”

“I said I was.”

“No you’re not. Let’s head back to Night Raven.” said Floyd, lifting him up.

“Floyd-”

Floyd wasn’t listening to him. He sighed heavily, pulling away from him.

“I said I’m having fun. I’m learning so much about where you were born and what you do for fun. I’m really happy.” said Deuce. “Stop thinking for me.”

Floyd moved closer, getting a good look at his face. Was he checking for lies? Floyd’s tail had circled him before Floyd kissed him. He kissed him back, wrapping his arms around his neck. He loved every moment of this date, no matter how unconventional it was.


	114. NRC Staff: Cats v Dogs

Divus scowled, watching Lucius rub up against the seats in the lab. How nasty.

“Trein, please get your cat. He’s going to infest my room.” Divus said, glaring at the cat.

“He’s not doing any harm.” Trein said, no longer focused on the work they were doing.

“No harm? He sheds, Trein! Imagine how uncomfortable my students will be!” Divus seethed, hitting Lucius with magic which trapped him in a cage.

“Release my cat right now!”

“Invest in a dog. They’re much more lively than a boring cat. Plus you can train them.”

“You can train cats. Lucius!” Trein said, Lucius spinning around.

“Wow. I was so impressed I forgot to clap.”

The two teachers glared at each other.

“Cats aren’t needy like those smelly dogs!”

“How many dogs are in homes than cats? People love dogs!”

“They chew on things!”

“Those creatures scratch things!”

“Cats are intelligent!”

“Dogs are too!”

They growled at each other while Lucious made himself comfortable in the cage. They continued to bicker back and forth until an idea came to light.

“We can settle this easily. Ask the other staff here at Night Raven.” said Divus.

“They’ll pick Lucius.”

“Please, everyone adored Daisy!”

“She’s a fleabag.”

“And so is Lucius.”

They huffed before Trein released his cat. Lucius walked over to him, being picked up in his arms.

•

Divus and Trein took score of how many people picked dogs over cats. They saw Ashton hanging around in the sports field. They hurried over to him.

“Cats or dogs. Which do you prefer?” they asked in unison.

“I don’t like either. Too much of a hassle.” said Ashton. “They’ll get in the way of strengthening my muscles.”

“Okay, think of it this way. Which one would you like to strengthen your muscles with?”

“Hm…”

They anxiously waited.

“Dogs. They love exercising!” said Ashton, laughing happily.

“Ha! Cats suck!”

“We aren’t done! There’s still other staff.” said Trein, glaring at Divus.

They asked more staff, the tie never breaking for a moment. They refused to accept the fact both animals were great and everyone had preferences.

They swung Crowley’s door open, startling him. He quickly hid everything, pretending he was working.

“Cats or dogs!?” they shouted in unison.

“What’s the context…?”

“I’m trying to prove cats are more loved than those disgusting dogs.”

“Same, but dogs are better than shedding cats.”

“Dogs shed too!”

“Not as much as cats!”

“Well, I don’t really like either… if I had to honestly pick. Dog. If I’m ever drowning, a dog is more likely to save me than a cat.”

“Ha! Cats still suck!”

“We haven’t asked Sam. He’s the tie breaker.”

“Of course he’ll take my side.” said Divus, puffing out his chest.

“Please, no one cares that you’re dating.” Trein spat, walking out.

Crowley watched them leave just as fast as they came. He seriously hired strange people. Then again, he was one to talk.

•

Sam was startled out of his serenity, seeing two people staring down at him.

“Divus~” said Sam, giving him a peck. “And Trein.”

“You’re our tie breaker. I’m trying to prove dogs are better than cats.”

“Cats are better.”

Sam hummed, thinking long and hard about it. He remembered his run ins with Lucius and the times he’s entertained Daisy and Divus’ other dogs.

“Having to choose one is very cruel. Both are wonderful creatures. Can’t you just accept the fact different people have different preferences?” said Sam, scratching under Lucius’ chin. “This wonderful pets don’t care about being the best. They just want our love and affection.”

“But, you’re not giving an answer.”

“Because there is no right answer. You can keep going back and forth but you’ll never be satisfied.” said Sam, giving them a frown.

Trein and Divus exchanged looks before pursing their lips.

“Fine. I suppose we can leave it at this for now.” said Divus. “Just don’t let that cat into my rooms ever again or else he’s going to the shelter.”

“And when you bring Daisy around, keep her away from us.” Trein hissed, walking away with Lucius.

Sam sighed, watching them leave his shop.

“In all honesty, I prefer birds.” Sam muttered, thankful they had left.


	115. NSFW Reok: Just like that

Rook laughed in delight, easily dodging Leona’s attacks. What a cute kitten he was.

“I’m not asking for much. Just let me study you…” Rook said. “Plus I’d love to have you do things for me.”

“I won’t.”

“Then I’ll just post this online where-”

“What do you want me to do?”

Rook clapped in amusement. This was going to be fun.

“Massage! I dare you to try and give me a bad one.” Rook warned.

Leona grumbled, starting to massage his shoulders. Where did he keep the video? Knowing Rook, he’s definitely made copies. It’d be hard tracking them all. Murder was an option that he was definitely okay with.

Rook hummed in delight, having Leona massage his back. Leona was constantly thinking of ways to end Rook’s life in one swift movement.

“Hey, Leona. Tell me some secrets.” said Rook sitting up. “Ah, before you do, get me some juice.”

Rook patiently waited as Leona had gone to get him juice. To think he had this adorable kitten wrapped around his finger. He loved it. He could finally have his way with Leona. He couldn’t wait to get him to give him kisses.

Leona came back, handing him his juice. Rook pet him, giving him praise.

“So, spill. I wanna hear secrets. Like a beauty mark in a surprising place or something you saw someone do or… if you have feelings for someone in our school?” Rook said before taking a sip.

“I’ve got a mole on my ass.”

“Really? Let me see.”

“No.”

“Do you really think you’re in any position to deny me things?”

Leona rolled his eyes. Rook watched as the pants came down. He couldn’t see it. Rook forced Leona down, giving his ass a thorough check.

“Ah! So it’s true. Right here under the right cheek.” Rook chuckled, poking it.

Leona’s face was turning red. Rook gave him the okay, watching him put his pants back on.

“More secrets!”

“I stole from the cafeteria once. Returned it though.”

“What did you steal…?”

“…Spatula.”

Rook couldn’t understand what he’d need a spatula for. Truly nothing came to mind.

“Another!”

“I like the feeling of cucumbers.”

“Oh? Tell me more.”

“…They feel good in my ass.”

Rook gasped, making a detailed notation of the confession. Leona trusted him this much that he wouldn’t go out and tell the world. Well, he wouldn’t. He’s not that kind of guy.

“Is it only cucumbers? Have you never had the actual thing in you?” Rook asked curiously.

He watched Leona pull a small box from thin air before showing him the contents. Oh. My. God. Rook pulled out a mouse toy that was pretty battered and worn. A buttplug. Surprising. Handcuffs. Pretty standard. And a interestingly shaped vibrator. He never expected him to invest in toys.

“Showing me your hidden treasures, how lucky am I~” Rook said, closing up the small box. “Tell me, what are you planning?”

“Nothing.”

Rook didn’t believe him.

“Well, for my next request, I want you to attend classes. You can manage that, right?”

“I guess.”

“Ah, don’t think I forgot. You’ve got secrets to spill. Did you see anything?”

“Sebek has a hidden photo frame with Malleus in it.” Leona said, lying on his side. “He professes his undying love to it.”

“Oh my. More juicy gossip~”

“Vil’s hair isn’t naturally blonde.”

Rook felt betrayed. All this time Vil swore he was a blonde.

“What is he?”

“Brunette.”

“I’m hurt. How could he lie like this?”

“Kalim pissed himself once. I won’t go into details about that, I regret having to witness it.” Leona said, having flashbacks.

“I see… so last question. Any crushes you’ve got?”

“Not yet.”

Not yet? What did that even mean? How could you not yet have a crush? Is he planning to have a crush? That’s not really how things worked.

“Then, what would make you start crushing on them…?” Rook asked, very curious.

Leona simply smirked, looking at him with those beastly green eyes.

“I’ve got a crush on you.”

“Eh!?”

Leona slipped out of bed, heading off to class. That made absolutely no sense. That’s not how crushes work! Rook bit his finger, giggling in delight. So that’s how Leona wanted to play. Then he’d play along with him.

•

As ordered, Leona attended his classes, surprising teachers. P.E had rolled around. Rook was tying his hair when a certain lion appeared in front of him.

“You don’t have to ask~” Rook chuckled, having Leona go first.

The hairs on Leona’s neck rose, sensing something was too close to him. Rook was practically right by his neck.

“Is it too rough? Should I slow my movements…?” Rook asked lowly, his words suggestive.

“No. This is fine.”

It was not fine. Rook needed to back up before he did something he’d regret. Rook only got closer, sensually touching him.

“You know, I’m rather curious… Of all boys, why me…” Rook asked, making sure Leona could feel his words on his skin.

“You’ve always showed interest, following me everywhere, having detailed notes.” said Leona, running his hands over Rook’s. “It’s definitely creepy, but interesting.”

They switched. Rook could feel Leona pressing against him. It was hard to ignore his kitten’s bulge hitting him.

“Do you really have a crush or are you playing around?”

“Since I have no choice but to say the truth, I do. It’s not recent.”

He wasn’t lying. Rook smiled happily, leaning back into Leona. He pulled him in for a brief kiss.

“I have a crush on you too…”

They were startled out of their moment by Vargas’ booming voice. They quickly finished their warm up, joining the others in the air. Leona slowly drifted over to Rook, wanting to continue their conversation.

“You seriously have a crush on me? Can’t say I’m surprised. I’m just that attractive.” said Leona, flipping his hair.

“Inflating your own overgrown ego. How tasteless.” Rook commented, watching Leona sit sideways. “It’s fitting of you to say the least.”

“So… what now?”

“We ask each other out.”

“That’s unnecessary. Rook, you’re mine now.”

Well, he had no complaints, now he could tease his adorable kitten even more. He gazed upon Leona, watching him look ahead while riding sideways. He was truly breathtaking. He wanted to run his fingers through his hair.

“You’re staring.”

“Because my kitten is just that breathtaking. You know, I haven’t given you a lot of orders. Go act like a fool in front of everyone.” said Rook, watching him go on ahead.

He was actually doing it. Rook laughed to himself, keeping an eye on the lion. He couldn’t wait to have some fun with him after school hours.

•

Rook discreetly locked Leona’s door before flopping onto his bed.

“Leona, I want you to do something.”

“Now what? You’ve been running me ragged.”

“Take out that secret box of yours.”

Leona got up, digging around before pulling it out. Rook took out everything, leaving the toy mouse. Rook walked Leona over to the railing, clamping one end of the cuffs to Leona’s wrist and the other to the rope.

“What are you planning…”

“Hush. Let me have some fun…”

Leona watched as Rook removed his clothing before gazing upon his naked body. He wondered how many times he’s undressed him with his eyes. He watched Rook head back over to the bed before coming back with the butt plug and vibrator. Rook was getting undressed as well.

“Leona, are you ready? We’re gonna play with toys~” said Rook before pursing his lips. Another pair of cuffs appeared in his hands. “There. Now you can’t use your hands, fufu…”

“What are you going to do to me!? Stop it! Don’t!” Leona shouted, not liking the look in Rook’s eyes.

“Leona, you forget what’s hanging over your head. Do you really want to refuse?” Rook said, reminding him.

Leona felt Rook spread his legs open. Rook placed the butt plug up his own ass before moving closer to him. He soon felt the vibrator going up his ass and promptly vibrating. Leona looked, seeing Rook was wearing it as well.

Rook planted kisses along his neck before settling at his lips. One of Rook’s hands slid down his chest, gingerly touching his shaft before teasing it. Rook left his lips, leaving his marks on Leona. Soft moans escaped his lips, his body starting to feel pleasure. Rook flipped his hair, slowing his hand movements and keeping steady eye contact with him.

“You’re giving me such a needy look, kitten.” Rook whispered, starting to moan as well. “You should stroke me too… Oh wait.”

Rook giggled, watching Leona trying to move his arms. He loved the defeated look on his face. Leona let out a loud moan, feeling Rook moving the vibrator deeper inside. It was hitting so many good spots. He lightly panted, seeing how close Rook was to him. Kiss me he thought, just kiss me. Rook gave him that knowing smile. He wasn’t going to.

“Kiss me…” Leona whispered, his need growing.

“No. I make the rules here. Kiss my neck.” said Rook, leaning close for him to leave kisses.

Leona did as he was told, listening to Rook’s soft moans. He wanted to hear them louder. How could he get Rook to moan louder? Rook sighed in bliss, feeling Leona tease his nipples with his tongue.

“Oh… just like that, kitten…” Rook whispered, reaching back down to play with Leona’s shaft.

Rook smiled, feeling Leona moan as he sucked on his nipples. Rook’s hand slipped, setting the vibrations to high, causing them to groan and arch their backs. Leona moving around in pleasure was only giving Rook more pleasure in turn.

“D- Don’t change it…” Leona pleaded despite knowing he would.

“I had no intention of- Ah!” Rook said before feeling a strong ripple of pleasure course through his body, causing Leona to moan from his movement.

The duo could barely keep themselves together, let alone trying to please the other. They had managed to get a kiss in before Leona frantically squirmed, coming all over them. Leona’s movements slowly edged Rook before he came as well, their cum starting to mix together. Rook couldn’t reach the remote for the vibrator and the current setting was making it harder to move.

“Ha… you’re… mmm… mmmmm… stuck…” Leona said in between moans.

“Shut… up!” Rook said, his up much higher pitched from pleasure.

“I’m… I’m gonna come again… stop moving…” Leona said breathily. “Rook…!”

“Don’t moan…!” Rook fussed, Leona’s moans adding more to his pleasure and distracting him.

Leona moved around again, coming a second time. Rook was edging closer and still a bit far from the remote. They were moaning messes at this point. Rook came a second time, still desperately trying to reach the remote. The moment he had a good grip, he turned it off. They breathed heavily, afraid they would’ve came a third time.

Rook pulled the vibrator off himself before pulling it out of Leona. They locked eyes before Rook had moved closer, sitting on Leona’s lap.

“This isn’t the end. There’s so much more I can have you do~” Rook whispered, resting his head against Leona. “But for now…”

“Rest.”

Rook freed Leona from his restraints before feeling him wrap his arms around him, lying on the floor. Needless to say, they both knocked out within seconds.


	116. Vanrouges: No scary dreams

Silver turned in his sleep, seemingly having good dreams. He started to turn more. Silver woke up, looking around the dark room. Silver made little sounds before crying loudly.

Lilia burst into his room, scooping him into his arms and giving him comfort.

“Shh… calm down. Daddy’s here.” Lilia whispered, rubbing Silver’s back. “It’s okay…”

Malleus entered, having heard the crying child too. Silver had calmed down, feeling both males giving him comfort.

“What happened, Silver? Did you see a mean monster…?” Lilia asked, drying Silver’s face after he sat him on the bed.

Silver shook his head.

“Was it us leaving you again?”

Silver shook his head.

“Then what is it?” Lilia questioned, wanting to know what was spooking his child.

“I was eaten by a dragon…” he mumbled, the waterworks close to starting again.

“A dragon huh? What did it look like?”

“It was big and black. It had a purple belly…” Silver responded, reaching out to Lilia. “I’m scared…”

Lilia pulled Silver into his arms, feeling him relax.

“Are you afraid of Malleus? He’s part dragon.” Lilia asked, turning Silver towards Malleus.

Silver made grabby hands, now sitting in Malleus’ arms. Guess that meant no. Lilia couldn’t help but feel the dragon Silver described as familiar. He made a note to search about it later.

Lilia watched Malleus play with Silver, taking his mind off the scary dragon. He remembered Malleus being that little once. Soon he’ll look up and Silver will be fully grown and want nothing to do with him.

“Daddy…?” Silver called out, seeing he was crying. “Did you have a nightmare too?”

Malleus let Silver go, letting him walk over to Lilia.

“I’m okay Silver. Daddy promises. No scary dreams.”

Silver gave him a hug anyway. He climbed back into bed, hesitant about sleeping. They immediately noticed, grabbing things to help him sleep better. Silver made grabby hands, wanting Lilia to sleep with him. Malleus took over reading while Lilia lied down with Silver.

“And the rabbit said-”

“Shh…”

Malleus looked, seeing Silver had fallen asleep.

“Are you going to stay?”

“Yeah. The dragon he mentioned has me a bit worried, so I want to stay by his side.” Lilia responded, running his fingers through Silver’s hair.

Malleus put everything away before crawling into bed with them. They gave Silver their warmth, wanting him to know he wasn’t alone. Silver snuggled into them, a peaceful smile on his face.


	117. Pomefiore: What good are you!?

A figure quietly ran through the silent halls of Pomefiore. It quickly hid at the sound of a door opening. Vil had stepped out, admiring his face. Vil looked down the hall, sensing something wasn’t right. The figure hid in a nearby room just as Vil rounded the corner. He was imagining it he guessed. The figure started sneaking around again.

They hid, hearing voices of other students. They sat in between their path to freedom. Something to distract them. The students looked, having heard a noise come from someplace. They went to check it out. The figure darted down the hall, making its grand escape. A middle finger had been put up in the process towards the building.

•

Vil knocked on the door the following morning, needing everyone to get up for their beauty lessons.

“There’s four of you but I only see three. Why.” Vil demanded.

They exchanged looks, practically saying they didn’t know. They had gone to bed at the time Vil specified. Vil rubbed his temples, losing his cool as he insulted them. The one person he didn’t want to lose was on the loose.

He stormed out of the room, clearly angry. Students parted off to the sides, not wanting to be the unlucky student he unloads on. Vil practically kicked the door down, revealing Rook unphased as he applied his makeup.

“That child ran off again. Find him, you self proclaimed hunter.” Vil seethed, needing time assault something.

Rook watched as Vil tore his pillow, feathers flying up in the air. Ah, he wasn’t mad, this was rage mode. Rook created more pillows, afraid of what he’d break if he didn’t have pillows.

•

Rook thought on it, wondering where the little apple could’ve gone. It wasn’t hard to guess, but was he really there? He knew Leona. He wouldn’t let him in, not without proving his strength. And he knew well how weak their little apple was.

Then where did he go? He had to think like their little apple. Someplace where they can’t find him. Or someplace he can prove his worth. He didn’t know. There were so many places he could’ve escaped to, he could’ve gone home. He decided to check Savanaclaw after all, needing to know if Epel came by.

“That runt? Nah. We would’ve noticed if he had.” said Ruggie. “And stop touching my tail! Creep…”

Rooo simply chuckled before continuing on his way. Their little apple didn’t even stop by. How peculiar. Was he trying to outsmart them?

“How wonderful. I love a good chase…” Rook whispered, smiling in delight.

•

Epel sighed, trying to turn the fruit he swiped into a meal. Why didn’t he study more? His stomach growled at him.

“I know…” Epel groaned, opting to just eating the fruit.

The place was homey. He didn’t know where the mirror was going to send him after telling it to send him someplace he could hide. And if things got messy there was a forest he could hide in.

He wasn’t going back to that demon dorm with its demon overlord. He hated it. This wasn’t what he wanted. Why did the mirror put him there? Why? He can’t even tell lip liner from eyeliner. If this was how things were going to end up, he should’ve went to Royal Sword instead.

After everything blew over, he was going to go home and explain to his parents. He refused to stay in this school if he was going to be in this dorm. He wasn’t going to be happy here. He knew he wasn’t. His only problem now was surviving long enough in this place until it blew over.

If he was going to be honest, he didn’t know where he was. He wouldn’t mind going to explore, but he knew what happened in horror movies. Venturing into a forest you know nothing about all alone is a sure fire way to die. He knew that and yet he had to. Maybe there were plants and mushrooms he could feast on. He had options. Stay inside and die of starvation and thirst, go outside into the forest and die of some fatal error, go back to that god awful dorm or go home now.

Epel went into the forest.

•

“What do you mean ‘no dice’? I’m gonna no dice you into your next life!” Vil shouted, slamming his palm on the table. “Aren’t you a hunter? You can’t find one measly child!? What good are you!?”

“He’s not anywhere that I know of. That’s all I’m saying.” said Rook.

“'That’s all I’m saying’ shut the hell up. What kind of vice leader can’t even properly find lost property!? I knew you being chosen was the mistake of a lifetime!” Vil shouted before walking away, slamming the door.

“He doesn’t pull his punches… ha…”

Rook sighed, going over his list again. Just where could that little apple be?

•

Epel started cooking, throwing in things he found in the forest. It may not have meat, but it’d taste good regardless. He stirred the contents, thankful he took time to study a few spells that didn’t seem necessary at the time.

Silence. He was eating all alone in an unfamiliar place. This was sad. He couldn’t text the others. They’d pester him nonstop about where he disappeared to. One of them would definitely rat him out. Or someone would force the truth out of them. Deuce would be the first to cave. Epel used magic, water squirting into his mouth. So this was his life for now.

He wasn’t a fan.

•

Rook knocked on Vil’s door, having news. For days he was searching for possible places Epel was in and narrowed it down. Vil looked before shutting the door. So he knocked again.

“I know where Epel is.”

“Then why didn’t you just say so? Stop standing around and bring him back.” Vil complained.

“Just wanted you to know before I disappeared.”

Vil watched Rook turn the corner, leaving his sight. Epel was finally being brought home after a long week. He really thought he could escape them. He doesn’t rest until he felt satisfied.

•

Vil smiled in delight as he could see Rook dragging their precious apple. He’d have to reprimand him for handling their lovely apple so poorly.

Epel found himself on the floor at Vil’s feet. He looked up, seeing Vil holding a nice, shiny apple.

“Epel, I know being in Pomefiore is harsh and I’m sorry for the way Rook had brought you back. How barbaric.” Vil tsked before handing Epel the apple. “Please accept this as my apology. I’ll be more understanding of who you are and what you can and can’t do.”

Epel took it, looking it over. He broke it open, seeing it was just an ordinary apple. He took a bite before collapsing. Vil picked Epel up by his hair, an angry look on his face.

“Now you can never escape again. Youll be kept in this room, and everyone would get to view such a beauty as you.” said Vil, laying Epel down.

Rook watched Vil use spells before ultimately keeping Epel in the sheer barrier and rendering others from breaking it.

“Simply marvelous, our beautiful queen of poison.” said Rook, gazing upon Epel’s sleeping face. “He does remind you a bit of the fairest princess, no?”

Vil walked away. Rook gave Epel one last look before following after Vil.


	118. Sesi: Alchemy class was a nightmare…

Silver saw Malleus and Lilia. Malleus. Lilia. A dotted line silhouette appeared where Sebek usually was. Where was he? They would always meet up around this time. Was Sebek skipping? Now he felt hurt. As if by magic, Sebek had entered Diasomnia. He looked stiff. Too stiff.

“Sebek?”

“Yes?”

“You’re so stiff. Stiffer than usual.” said Silver, observing his boyfriend more.

“My pants are giving me a wedgie.” Sebek lied, making movements.

“I’ll pull it out for you if that’s all.”

“Silver, wait-”

Silver was already behind him, searching for the wedgie. He couldn’t find it. Did Sebek lie? He looked at Sebek who avoided eye contact.

“You lied to me. Why?”

“No reason. Just wanted to see if you’d do it.” lied Sebek, still feeling Silver’s hand on his ass. “You’re still touching.”

“I should give you a wedgie for lying… but whatever. Why were you late?”

“Was held back by a teacher.” lied Sebek.

“What for? Was it bad?” Silver asked, now standing in front of him.

“No, it was just some kind of opportunity. Nothing important.”

Silver looked at his face. He looked at his body.

“Sebek, I don’t doubt you’re telling me the truth, but if something is bothering you, you can talk to me.” said Silver, holding his hands. “We’re boyfriends, lovers, partners, whatever you want to call it. Everything about you matters to me.”

“Then, can we go to your room? It’s closer.”

They walked to Silver’s shared room, seeing none of the others had come back yet. Sebek sat down on Silver’s bed, picking his words carefully.

“Alchemy class was a nightmare…”

“Why? You like that class.” Silver asked.

“Yeah but… something happened. It wasn’t pleasant… Silver, I don’t know what to do.” said Sebek, putting his head in his hands.

“What is it, what did you do?”

“I… accidentally let our rat get into the unfinished mix of our potion and… it turned in a rampaging monster.” Sebek confessed, having flashbacks.

“So that’s what commotion was from afar. Tell me more.”

Silver listened to Sebek go into detail. Silver nodded, rubbing his back as he listened. Wow. It sounded awful. It was worse than what he initially stated. One little rat caused that much destruction.

“I can’t go to class… Everyone is going to hate me…” Sebek muttered, his head in his hands again.

“Sebek, they may be a little upset, but it’s not like you purposefully put the rat in the mix. You already explained what happened, so I’m sure they understand.”

“But… they’ll talk behind my back… call me mean things.”

“Sebek, I’m positive they’re intimidated by you. For starters you’re in Diasomnia. Everyone is afraid of us.” said Silver, trying to make him feel better.

“Yeah. You’re right. I’m a Diasomnia student. I should be proud. I get to serve under an amazing guy!” said Sebek, getting pumped.

“See, you-”

“I’m a proud Diasomnian!” Sebek shouted, pumping his fists.

“I’ve lost him…” Silver muttered, listening to Sebek go on about his love for Malleus and Diasomnia. “But, he’s not sad anymore.”


	119. Kingscholars: Make a Wave

Cheka excitedly ran off, his mother chasing after him so he wouldn’t get into trouble.

“Did I really have to come along?” Leona grumbled.

“Stop acting like it’s the end of the world. It’s a beach.” Farena scolded.

Leona didn’t say anything more, looking at the local people who were looking at them. Sometimes he didn’t like being royalty solely because of this unnecessary staring. They made it seem like they were beings that were above a nice day at the beach.

Cheka ran away from the water, clinging to his mother. Leona watched as she tried getting him to at least get his ankles wet.

“Your kid’s struggling.”

“She’s got it.”

She looked back at them.

“She don’t got it.”

Leona snickered, watching Farena head over to help out. Leona lied on his stomach, enjoying the warm sun. This was the ideal. Resting and doing nothing all day. Like usual. He soon felt something touching his side. It was the furball.

“Hey, why aren’t you learning to swim?”

“It’s scary… The water’s going to eat me…” Cheka whimpered, moving closer against Leona.

“I can’t believe you’re afraid of a little water. And you call yourself a Kingscholar. I was swimming at the age of three.”

“Really?”

“Yes really.”

“That’s a lie and you know it.” said Farena. “He didn’t start swimming until he was ten.”

Leona’s face went red as he glared at Farena who laughed alongside his wife and child.

“E- Either way! You need to learn. Stop being a pussy.” Leona stammered, lying back down.

“Oi, don’t call him that.” Farena hissed, giving Leona a good kick.

“Mom, Dad, I want to try.” said Cheka, getting to his feet.

Leona seemed to have a way with getting Cheka to do things. Farena didn’t know what it was, but he was thankful for it. He was just hoping his son didn’t end up like Leona, lazy.

Leona purred in bliss, smiling in his sleep. He felt something wet touch him, startling him out of sleep. It was the furball again. He was wet and shaking.

“Now what.”

“I’m scared.”

Didn’t they just go over this? What happened to his guts?

“Uncle, can you come in with me? I feel safe with you…”

“You should feel safe with your parents you know…”

“I do but, it doesn’t seem as scary with you…”

Leona ruffled his hair, getting up. Cheka held his arm as they approached the water. He could feel Cheka’s grip tightening.

“If you keep thinking how scary it is, you’ll never learn.” said Leona, stepping in further. “If you think of the vastness that you have yet to see, it sounds more enticing doesn’t it?”

Cheka nodded before realizing he was farther in the water than before. How did he do that? He quietly listened as Leona taught him how to kick before adding in the use of his arms.

“Seems you two are having fun.”

“Seems you two can’t teach your kid anything without help.”

The brothers glared at each other while Cheka practiced. He liked the water. It was big and cool and full of life. Cheka splashed around, having the time of his life.

“Rather than engage in a pointless fight, why don’t we focus on the reason we’re here. Having family time with Cheka.” said the empress, tired of hearing them bicker.

They had almost forgotten Cheka. Who they could no longer see. They frantically looked around, hoping he wasn’t drowning. They called out his name. Cheka looked up, waving from their spot on the sand. They collectively sighed, thankful nothing bad had happened.


	120. LeoVil: I need help…

The joint class collectively groaned as Vargas announced the game they’d be playing. Vil was clearly disgruntled with the selection.

“Don’t look so upset. You’ll get wrinkles.”

“How could you possibly want to play soccer? The last thing I need is to sweat like a beast.”

“I feel insulted.” a low voice said. “I’ll sue you for damages.”

“As if I give two shits about what hurts you.” Vil spat. “Go on, sue me!”

Rook watched on, loving the banter. Oh how wonderful it must be to be in love. Vargas chose team captains. Everyone had been sorted and placed on the field.

“How lucky that I get to watch my favorite beast.” Rook whispered, him and Leona on the same team.

The students fiercely played, stealing balls and just barely missing a goal. Leona was practically the MVP. Vil was trying his best. He would’ve preferred being on goalie, defense even. He and Leona often crossed paths, either coincidentally or purposefully just to get on each other’s nerves.

Leona and Rook’s team were leading by two points. Everyone was starting to get tired, meaning their actions would get sloppier. Rook blocked another ball, sending it towards another open teammate. Everything seemed to be going fine until they heard the whistle.

“Schoenheit, everything alright?” Vargas asked, seeing he was on the ground for awhile.

“Clearly not if I haven’t been playing for two straight minutes.” Vil groaned, struggling to get to his feet.

Vargas had come over, checking the leg Vil wasn’t using.

“Alright, we’ll take a break so we can get Schoenheit to the infirmary. Hunt?”

“I would love to but I fear my legs have reached their limit.” lied Rook. “Leona is full of energy.”

“What? Wait-”

“Kingscholar, I’m entrusting you to take him safely to the infirmary.”

Vil and Leona shared a look. They really didn’t want this. Leona picked Vil up in his arms, deciding to just get it over with.

“Hold on or else you’ll get dropped.”

“Drop me. I can go myself.”

Leona dropped him. Vil cried out in pain, his leg hurting even more.

“Hey, is it that bad…?”

Vil didn’t respond, weakly getting to his feet. Vil limped over to the wall, using it as support. As if he’d let himself be taken to the infirmary by that insufferable lion. And in such a position at that. How embarrassing.

He felt something grab him, preventing him from moving. He looked and saw Leona holding his shirt. Now what did he want?

“Let me help you.”

“Why? So you can endlessly bring up the fact you carried me bridal style to the infirmary and how pitiful I looked? No!” Vil fussed, his leg really paining him.

“You seriously look like you’re in pain…”

“I am in pain god damn it!” Vil yelled, sliding down the wall. “…I need help…”

Vil allowed Leona to pick him up again. Vil wrapped his arms around his neck, a faint blush on his cheeks. He felt Leona’s grip tighten on him, making him feel more secure.

“You look like a damsel in distress.” Leona commented.

“You just had to ruin things.”

“Heh, you’re blushing though.”

“You’re seeing things.” Vil huffed, glad you see the hall the infirmary was in within sight. “You’re holding me rather tightly. More than necessary. Afraid of dropping me?”

“As if.” Leona spat, that actually being the truth.


	121. Night Raven College: Halloween Nightmare

“It’s Halloween!” Ortho cheered, hastily hitting Idia.

“That’s nice.”

“You aren’t going to dress up…?”

“No.”

Ortho frowned, all ready to help Idia into his costume.

“You can enjoy the day without me. I heard the others had fun things planned. Tell me all about it when you come back.”

“Okay…” Ortho mumbled, leaving in his costume dispirited.

•

Ortho sat, sighing heavily. This would’ve been a great day to spend time with Idia. He wouldn’t be looking at people. He could even wear a mask.

“Hey, why the frown, Ortho?” a voice asked.

“Oh, hello Kalim!” said Ortho, taking in his costume. “What are you?”

“The legendary Mickey Mouse. Jamil! Come and show him your outfit!” Kalim shouted cheerily.

“Must I? It’s bad enough I’m out in public like this.”

“Come on!”

Jamil stepped out, pulling on his clothes as he walked over.

“He’s Minnie, the other famous mouse!”

“I like that his hair looked like ears! So creative!” said Ortho in awe.

“I came up with that. I knew it’d be a hit.” said Kalim before noticing. “Idia isn’t with you?”

Ortho shook his head.

“Well, your costume is great. Pluto right?”

“Yeah!”

“It’s like we were destined to be together, haha! We were heading to Heartslabyul actually. We heard they’ve got a spooky maze.”

“I really don’t want to run into anymore people.” said Jamil, the dress constantly rising back up every time he pulled it down. “I’m going to burn this once everyone is asleep…”

Ortho tagged along with them, taking in the decorations on the trees and buildings. He wondered if there’d be trick or treating.

They stepped into Heartslabyul, seeing the whacky and elaborate halloween decorations. Riddle really went all out. Most students had dressed up as the Queen of Hearts’ card soldiers. A safe choice. Ortho spotted a sign pointing to the maze.

“Hey you!” a voice shouted.

“Ace?”

“Name’s not Ace. It’s Tony.” said Ace, sucking on a lollipop.

“Are you supposed to be a gang member?” Jamil asked, looking him over.

“Close but no. Mafia. How is it?”

“Uh…”

They exchanged looks. He tried, wasn’t quite there yet.

“Maybe next year.” said Jamil, taking one for the team.

Ace sucked his teeth, seeing he needed to step up. A person wrapped up approached them looking the least bit threatening.

“Deuce, no one is gonna be scared of a guy wrapped in toilet paper. I told you this.”

“Yeah? You weren’t threatening either.” Deuce snapped.

“So… maze?” Kalim asked, walking away from the squabbling first years.

They arrived at the entrance before being given admission. The moment they stepped in, a voice rang out.

“Off with their heads!”

Nothing seemed to happened. Suddenly the entrance was shut off and card soldiers were jumping out at them. They ran, Kalim and Ortho screaming.

They came to a stop in a open area, seeing a chef standing near a table. They instantly recognized them.

“Trey!” they said in unison.

They ran over, taking notice of him covering something with a food dome. He lifted the cover, startling Jamil and sending the other two into screaming mode. They ran again. More card soldiers chased them as they ran about the maze. They came to a dead end.

“Off with their heads!”

They held each other, saying their goodbyes. The card soldiers laughed, causing them to look.

“Don’t worry, we’ll escort you out.” they said, having them follow.

“So the experience is over if we’re caught…?” Ortho asked.

“Yep. Ah, here we go.” they said, opening a secret passage. “This way we won’t run into others.”

“Wow, that was scary and amazing! I wanna do it again!”

“No, Kalim.” Jamil fussed. Kalim’s lip trembled as he looked at Jamil with pleading eyes. “Okay, maybe later. But we have to visit every dorm first.”

Kalim cheered as they exited the maze.

“Did you enjoy yourselves?” a voice asked.

“Wow, you really look like the Queen of Hearts!” said Ortho, looking Riddle over. “How nice!”

“Were you the one shouting ‘Off with their heads!’?” Kalim asked.

“Yes. The students at the entrance notify me of how many are entering and I plan accordingly.” said Riddle, wearing a proud look.

“It was scary but fun! We’ll be coming later.”

“We MIGHT be coming later.” Jamil corrected.

They waved to Riddle who went back to his spot in the maze. Ortho started to wish Idia was with them. He’d have so much fun.

“Thinking of Idia?”

“How did you know?”

“You always have that kind of look when thinking about him.” Kalim chuckled.

“I just want my big brother to have happy memories at Night Raven. He’ll be graduating soon…” said Ortho, his heart heavy.

“He’ll come out of his shell one day.” said Kalim, patting Ortho’s back. “I heard Savanaclaw had set up near the sports field. Let’s go look!”

Jamil and Ortho found themselves being whisked away by Kalim.

•

Kalim spotted it. He excitedly pointed to where dressed up Savavanclaw students sat. He and Ortho hurried over, Jamil still trying to get the dress to stop rising.

“You here for werewolf?” a student asked.

“Yep! All three of us. Jamil, come on! Stop messing with your dress, it looks nice!”

Jamil visibly rolled his eyes. It could’ve been worse. Kalim could’ve had him wear the heel he bought with the dress. The Savanaclaw students wrapped bands on their biceps before another student led them into the woods. Ortho noticed it was dark and had a light shine.

“No lights, please.”

“Oh, sorry.”

The met up with a group, seeing Ruggie and Jack were a part of it.

“Was wondering when you two would show up.” said Ruggie, fixing his outfit.

“Enjoy the game!” Jack said, his tail wagging slightly.

“Where’s Leona…?” Jamil muttered.

“He’s… sleep.” Ruggie said, seeing no reason to lie. “You could’ve seen him in action if you came earlier.”

A student was picked as werewolf and everyone else had scurried to hide. Kalim peeked out, seeing the student searching. The tension and suspense were killing him. You couldn’t guess when they would strike. He heard a lot of movement coming from the other side, so he quickly changed hiding spots.

Silence. What just happened? He felt a bit scared. Why did he have to split from Jamil? Movement could be heard again. Kalim stayed put, now hearing groans and grunts. This is how he died.

“Werewolf!”

He knew what that meant. Kalim darted out of his hiding spot, trying to make it back to base. He was unfortunately caught.

“Gotcha!” said Ortho cheerfully.

“Oh, thank god it’s just you… Man that was scary…” Kalim fake weeped.

Ortho helped him up before they headed back to base. A new werewolf was selected before they started a new round. After the third round, they found themselves being escorted back. The bands were removed.

“I’ll admit. I was a little scared.” said Jamil, walking away with Kalim and Ortho. “Those animals jumping out at you…”

They all shuddered. The game was very fitting of Savanaclaw. They made their way to Pomefiore, hearing they had a crafts thing going on.

“We aren’t going to Octavinelle or Scarabia?” Ortho asked.

“Octavinelle is having a Halloween themed event at Mostro’s so it’s not really an activity.” said Jamil, pulling on the dress again. “We were planning to go check it out after Pomefiore.”

“And we helped set up at Scarabia so we already know everything that happens.” Kalim chuckled.

“Ah…”

“We can still go if you want to.” said Kalim.

“Yay!

"If that’s the case, then we can go now, head to Mostro’s then to Pomefiore and lastly Diasomnia. I highly doubt Ignihyde is doing anything, right Ortho?” Jamil said, changing up their schedule.

“Right!”

Kalim and Ortho high fived.

•

Jamil and Kalim sat off to the side as Ortho enjoyed the Halloween themed scavenger hunt.

“Everyone’s having fun!”

“And I get a break… Kalim, must I continue to wear this?” Jamil asked.

“Yes. You can’t take it off until Halloween is over.” said Kalim, really digging Jamil’s costume. “I’m still in love with these ears!”

“Kalim, please…” Jamil whined, wanting Kalim to stop playing with hair.

“Hey, I finished! And I get treats!” Ortho said happily, showing them the bag of goodies.

“Yay! Congrats!” Kalim said, cheering with Ortho.

“Such simpletons…” Jamil thought, shaking his head.

They wrapped up at Scarabia, heading to Mostro’s in Octavinelle. Ortho happily twirled around going on ahead of the Scarabians. Kalim and Jamil finally caught up, waiting in the short line.

“What do you think it’s like? Super scary? Super cutesy?” Ortho asked, his costume moving around.

“I dunno, but i’m excited! I wonder what the specials are.”

“You’re both too excited. It’s just food and drinks.” Jamil complained, wanting them to settle down.

They were finally seated and given menus. Even the menus were Halloween themed. Ortho looked around, seeing the working students in various costumes. He saw Floyd come out in a strange costume. He looked back, seeing Jade wearing the same thing but with a different number.

“Jade, what are you?” Ortho asked, tilting his head.

“I’m a thing and my brother is also a thing. We are things.” Jade replied before asking for their orders.

They ordered the Halloween special, Kalim telling them to order anything since he’d pay for it, momentarily forgetting Ortho was a robot.

“It’s okay! I’m just really happy to be out and having fun!” said Ortho, wiggling in his seat.

“What do you eat?” Kalim asked.

“Um… I don’t know? Big brother usually does things for me.” said Ortho.

Their Halloween themed drinks were brought over, Kalim having ordered a bat themed drink and Jamil a bunny themed one.

“Wow, they look like real rabbit ears!”

“I think they might be…” Jamil thought, poking it with his finger.

Luckily, they weren’t. Kalim enjoyed his drink, a black mustache on his upper lip. Jamil cleaned it off, scolding him for not drinking properly.

“Is everything okay?” a voice asked.

“Wow! You look really cute, Azul!” Kalim exclaimed.

“Alice huh? You should pay Riddle a visit.” Jamil snickered. “He’d have your head.”

“Everything’s fine! I love the theme!” Ortho said, the only one responding to Azul.

They talked to Azul for a bit before he had to visit other tables. Their specials finally came, completely freaking them out.

“These eyeballs and other body parts aren’t real… right?” Kalim asked, terribly frightened by the realism.

“Well, my rabbit ears weren’t real, so I’m sure these aren’t either.” Jamil responded, feeling a bit scared.

They picked up an eyeball, it being squishy. They both ate one before their faces lit up.

“It’s so sweet!” they said in unison, an assortment of flavors melting into their mouths.

“I wonder what the others taste like.”

Ortho happily moved in his seat, wanting to taste as well.

•

They arrived at Pomefiore, seeing there were two signs pointing in the direction of the two different crafts.

“Pumpkin or lantern?” Jamil asked.

“Pumpkin then lantern.” said Ortho before hurrying off, Kalim following close behind.

“One of these days…” Jamil grumbled, following after them.

“Oh, welcome! You can choose a pumpkin here.” said Epel, gesturing to the pumpkins sitting on the table.

“You look buff.” Ortho commented. “Oh, it’s an inflatable. But, who are you supposed to be?”

“The strong Beast!” said Epel, smiling in delight.

“Is Vil here?” Ortho asked, sitting down to paint his pumpkin.

“He was, but we haven’t seen him for an hour now. He’s the Beautiful Queen. His costume is amazing!”

Epel helped out Ortho, making small carved marks in his pumpkin since he didn’t want the entire thing carved out.

“Jamil, look! It’s a flower.”

“Pretty.”

“That looks really nice.”

They looked up, hearing an unfamiliar voice. The blonde waved at them along with a dark haired male.

“Who are you…?” Jamil asked, pulling Kalim towards him.

“I’m Rielle and this is my closest friend, Eosin. Azul invited me and I brought my friends along.” said Rielle, letting out a sigh. “Though, he put us to work for hours and we’re just now getting a well deserved break.”

“Your costumes look cool!”

“We’re dressed as the princes from our respective dorms. I’m Eric and he’s Florian.” said Rielle.

“I came up with the idea. Our friends actually joined in with idea.” said Eosin, smiling happily.

“Eosin, you’re really pretty! It rivals Vil’s beauty.” said Ortho, watching Eosin duck behind Rielle.

“I suggest you all plug your ears unless you want to hear singing.” said Rielle, going back to his pumpkin.

Not too long after a melodic voice could be heard in the room. It was coming from Eosin. They found themselves entranced by his voice.

“You’re such a good singer too! Do you take lessons?” Kalim asked.

“Not really. I was a natural born singer… though I do take music as an elective.”

“What school are you from?” Jamil asked, needing to know.

They kept silent, making Jamil more wary of them. The door opened, revealing Vil. Everyone looked. Vil’s eyes met Eosin’s. Time seemed to stand still for a moment before anger could clearly be seen on Vil’s face.

“Who is this and why is he just as beautiful as me!?” Vil shouted, his magipen shooting off magic sparks.

Rielle covered Eosin while the others managed to get Vil out of the room.

“We should get Mei and Jamie.” said Rielle, pulling Eosin down the hall towards the lantern making.

“Let me go! There can’t be anyone on my level!” Vil fussed, struggling in their collective hold.

“How much longer?”

“I see them leaving. And… now.”

Vil was a ball of rage. There was someone who rivaled him in beauty. That jet black hair, that pale skin and beautiful brown eyes.

“Do any of you know him?”

They shook their heads, knowing Vil would search to the ends of Twisted Wonderland for him.

“Do you mind letting Rook know we’re shutting things down? Just tell him 'Vil’ and he’ll understand.” said Epel, taking Vil up to his room.

Ortho had gone on ahead, delivering the news.

“Looks like we’re heading to Diasomnia a bit early huh…”

•

Was it just them or did Diasomnia look spookier than usual? They approached the door, watching it slowly open by itself and green lights appearing on wall torches on their own.

“Wow… I know I should be scared but the work they put in is amazing.” said Kalim, walking in with them.

The doors closed behind them. No one was there. They didn’t know which way to go.

“Maybe we just… find our way?”

The moment they started making their own way, the terrors started. Kalim and Ortho were screaming at everything while Jamil was trying his best not to. And failing. They were all screaming messes. The three of them did the shaggy and scooby before running.

They came to a stop, seeing Sebek in a butler costume. He presented them with a key. Nothing scary about that.

“Enjoy…”

They weren’t given a chance to question it as they were suddenly being pushed into a dark room. Thump. The sound of a hammer rang in their ears. Thump, thump. It was getting closer. Green fire lit the nearby torches, revealing a short woman in half and half colors, holding a rather large hammer.

“Teehee~”

They ran, now being pursued by the short woman swinging a hammer at them. They saw a door up ahead after turning a corner. The key. That’s what they needed it for.

“Someone run faster and open that door!” Jamil shouted.

Ortho took the key, him being able to surpass human limitations. Ortho struggles with the key, the door refusing to open. Was it the wrong key? The wrong door? The short woman was getting closer.

“Come on, open!” Kalim fussed, helping Ortho.

The woman moved closer. They were in hysterics at this point.

“Teehee~”

•

The trio collapsed to the floor, having been to hell and back. The sound of heels on the floor could be heard. Now what was going to happen?

“Did you enjoy yourselves?” a familiar voice asked.

“Malleus! Woah… that really looks good on you.” Kalim said, sitting up.

“It was scary… especially that woman with the hammer!” Ortho wailed.

“Woman? Oh, you must mean Lilia.” said Malleus, offering them refreshments.

They gladly accepted them.

“That was Lilia? I couldn’t tell…” Jamil muttered.

“He tends to go all out on Halloween.” said Malleus, watching them regain life. “Thanks for stopping by though.”

“What are you supposed to be?” Kalim asked, his mind drawing a blank.

“Queen of the vampires. Lilia suggested it.”

“Ah… that explains the… black and red.”

They jumped at the sound of screams. Poor souls. They thanked Malleus for the refreshments before being led out by a Diasomnia student.

“I don’t want to do that again.”

“Same.”

They sighed before stepping into the hall of mirrors.

“I had a lot of fun thanks to you both!” said Ortho, giving them hugs. “I’d love to do it again next year!”

“Me too!” Kalim exclaimed, sharing his sentiment.

“Will you head back to Ignihyde or trick or treat, visiting the staff?” Jamil asked, having been at peace with the dress since long ago.

“I think I’ll head back. Big brother probably misses me!”

“See ya! Tell Idia we say hi!” said Kalim, them watching Ortho off. “I wish Idia would spend more time with his own brother…”

“We don’t know the family situation, so we should keep our noses out.” said Jamil, leading Jalim to go trick or treat.


	122. Silver: My paternal instincts just won’t settle

“Father, I’ve been feeling sleepy more lately…” Silver muttered, rubbing his eyes.

“Really? I’ve always seen it as the same amount.” said Lilia, having Silver bend so he could check him better.

Silver yawned, no longer feeling sleepy. That was weird. Lilia raised an eyebrow, wondering why he wasn’t bending anymore.

“I don’t feel sleepy… I feel weird. I’m not used to this.” said Silver, feeling a bit panicky.

“Calm down. Maybe the illness has lifted.” said Lilia, a bit hopeful.

“Maybe.”

•

It was really strange, not falling asleep in the most random places at the weirdest times. Was this what it was like being normal? He liked it. He could have nice conversations without falling asleep on someone.

Lilia on the other hand was a bit concerned. Suddenly not getting the urge to fall asleep anymore. Was it really his strange illness disappearing? After how many years? He truly wanted to believe his child was getting better, but…

“Father!” Silver called out, hugging him tight. “I feel so normal.”

“I’m happy to hear that. Have you not felt sleepy at all? Not even once?”

“Yeah, during lectures.”

That didn’t really count, but at least he was still able to feel sleepy. He didn’t want to imagine him now having insomnia.

“I feel like I have all the time in the world to do things! Now that I’m not being forced to sleep, I can do more things!”

Silver had ran out the room before he could say anything. Maybe he was worrying over nothing. Maybe it was finally his time to live normally.

•

Everyone was practically talking about Silver and his energetic self. What had happened to the sleepy boy they had come to know? Was this the real Silver?

“I hear Silver is cured of his hypersomnia.” said Malleus to Lilia who was reading.

“Yes. He suddenly didn’t feel tired anymore. I know I’m supposed to be happy but I just can’t.” said Lilia, looking at Malleus. “My paternal instincts just won’t settle…”

“You’re just adjusting to the new change. It’ll take time.”

Lilia closed the book. Yeah. He was probably just trying to adjust. Everyone adjusted differently. He thanked Malleus, finally understanding his feelings. He didn’t want things to change but they were. Silver wasn’t going to be constantly falling asleep. He could get used to this new reality. He won’t have to worry about him falling asleep in dangerous places. He hoped nothing would change.

•

Happy morning. Lilia went to check on Silver, wondering if he slept in again. Wait, he only slept in because of his hypersomnia. He should be awake now. Lilia happily entered the room, seeing Silver was still in bed. He decided to let him sleep. He was old enough to get up by himself.

The school day had ended. He hadn’t seen Silver around, but he figured he was living it up finally being normal. He texted him, just to be sure things were okay. Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes into hours. Silver always responded to him.

Lilia had gone to check Silver’s room, wondering if he was busy doing something. He peeked in, seeing Silver was asleep. Seemed he tired himself out from being normal. He closed the door. His body probably wasn’t used to this new change yet.

•

Lilia woke up the next morning feel refreshed. He started his day as he normally did, excluding waking Silver up.

The school day had ended. He didn’t see Silver at all today either. He was about to ask Kalim about it when Divus had stopped him.

“Lilia, you are close with Silver, yes?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“He hasn’t been in class for days now. I suggest talking sense into him that learning is important.” said Divus before walking away.

A few other teachers had approached him about the same thing. Silver not attending class? That wasn’t unusual but it seemed like most of his teachers had come to talk to him. He decided to check with Silver, wherever he was.

Lilia found Silver lying in bed. Now that he noticed, Silver didn’t look like he had moved at all.

“Silver?”

No response. Lilia gently shook his body. He sung screamo, knowing it usually woke him up. Nothing. His paternal instincts were slowly going haywire. Something was wrong with his child and he didn’t know what. He checked him all over. He didn’t see anything external. He was breathing just fine, a bit slow, but fine.

Lilia thought of Malleus before he was magically transported into the library where Malleus was. Malleus was naturally startled.

“Malleus, there’s something wrong with Silver!” Lilia whispered.

“Is he falling sleep again?”

“Worse! He’s not waking up!”

They started searching the shelves before Lilia had a thought.

“You keep searching, I’ll go talk to Crowley about it.”

“Good luck.”

Crowley was startled out of his private business, quickly putting it away.

“Yes, Vanrouge?”

“My- Silver has been asleep for days and won’t wake up. We need your help.”

“My help? Enlighten me as to how I can help. Aren’t you the old and wise one here?” Crowley said.

“That’s… You’re missing the point! I need contacts!”

“Ah, I’d love to help but I’m much too busy contacting alumni and getting school events in order.” lied Crowley, simply not wanting to lift a finger.

“You were drawing anime girls.”

“Yes because a certain alumni likes them. Please, I’m much too busy. I have enough on my plate.” said Crowley, dismissing him.

Lilia was upset. How could the headmaster not care about his student? He didn’t say anything, simply heading back to the library with Malleus.

•

They sat by Silver’s side. Coma. How did he not notice it? Coma. Silver wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon was he? Coma.

“Lilia. Lilia. You’re going to hurt him.” Malleus said, prying Lilia’s hand off of Silver’s arm. “He’s not dead, that’s one good thing. I’m sure he’ll wake up. Just give it time.”

“How much time!? He could wither way and I’d be fine! I’ve lived this long and I’ll continue to live a long life. Silver… I know he’s human but raising him from such a young and helpless age…” Lilia said, steadily getting quieter.

Malleus patted Lilia’s back, not really knowing what to say. How he felt about Silver was different from how he felt about him. Silver felt like his own flesh and blood. Lilia started to cry, upset with everything in the world. Why did it have to take the most important thing to him? When would he get to see that smile again? When would he get those eye rolls from him trying to fit in with the kids these days? When would he get to watch him get older and maybe one day learn who he truly was? When?


	123. Kalim + Jamil: It doesn’t seem like you heard me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: I don’t condone this. don’t use violence. use love and understanding words. it goes a long way

Jamil knelt before the Asims, his parents and sister by his side as well.

“We’re extremely sorry for our son’s incompetence.” Mrs. Viper said, discreetly glaring at Jamil. “We didn’t think this would happen.”

“Please punish him in any way you see fit. He’ll accept full responsibility for his actions.” Mr. Viper said, looking at his son. “Isn’t that right, Jamil?”

“Yes.” Jamil mumbled.

“Louder.” his father warned.

“Yes.”

“You can go. Jamil, stay.”

Jamil watched his family easily leave him behind. Whoever said blood was thicker than water was a liar.

“Jamil, we had complete and utter trust in you. You’re smarter than this. Your intelligence is the exact reason why we chose you to serve Kalim.” Mr. Asim spoke, walking around.

Jamil kept silent, knowing talking without being given permission would make things worse.

“We provided for you and your family for generations, Jamil. Generations. To go behind our backs, plotting the downfall of your master and having the nerve to yeet him across the desert? You’ve terribly dishonored your ancestors.” said Mr. Asim, looking at Jamil with many negative emotions. “Guards.”

Jamil was being dragged away while Mr. Asim followed behind. Kalim was walking down the hall, noticing the guards walking away with Jamil and his father following behind. He figured they were done talking, not thinking much about it.

•

Jamil’s face was being pushed into the ground by someone’s foot, his back screaming in pain as another round of blows could be felt on it. He could’ve swore he heard someone say he was bleeding. They were back to kicking, punching and stepping all over him with amused looks.

“You really got ahead of yourself bud.”

“Yeah. They should’ve just let you die of overblot.”

The guards high fived before dealing him another round of painful blows. Jamil could feel his consciousness wavering.

“Hey, we should wrap this up. There’s a sale I can’t miss today.”

“Yeah, I’m getting rather bored.”

Jamil squinted looking at his attackers before being hit dead on. Jamil groaned in pain before passing out.

•

Kalim wandered around, wondering what happened to Jamil. He wasn’t at breakfast and lunch time was closing in. Did Jamil leave? Kalim sighed, deciding to ask his father since he saw him last.

Kalim knocked on his door, being given entrance.

“Ah, my precious son. What can this old man do for you?” Mr. Asim asked.

“I was wondering where Jamil was.”

“I have no idea where that child is.” his father lied.

Kalim left without questioning further. Was he trying to escape again? Maybe he was avoiding him. Kalim wandered around outside, needing to clear his thoughts. He came to a stop seeing something poking out of a trash can.

Kalim was hesitant, worried it could be a rabid animal. The last thing he wanted to do was anger it. It wasn’t moving, giving him a bit of reassurance. Kalim finally approached, his curiosity getting the best of him.

His eyes widened as he stared. He couldn’t formulate words. Why did Jamil look so battered? Why was he bloody? Why was he in a trash can out in the streets? Kalim pulled him out, checking for a pulse. Thank god he was alive. Who did this?

Kalim put Jamil on his back, carrying him back home. He was going to figure this out and make them pay. Jamil may not be the nice guy he always thought him to be, but Jamil was still someone close to him.

•

Kalim tended to Jamil’s wounds, seeing his back was in the worst shape. Did he run into thieves? Some not so nice guys? But Jamil could fight, leaving him in more confusion. To be hurt this badly meant he couldn’t fight.

“Hey, Jamil…” he whispered, shaking him. “Wake up…”

Nothing. Kalim continued to disinfect areas, each time making him sick. Why would someone be so heartless? Leaving him in such a place at that. Kalim sat Jamil up, undoing the falling apart braids. He borrowed and comb and brush before starting to comb through it.

“Hopefully you’ll wake soon and tell me who did this…” Kalim muttered, ready to send people after the perpetrator.

He decided to leave Jamil’s hair out before lying him on his side so his back wounds wouldn’t pain him. Kalim left his room, searching for this father. He was the last one with Jamil. He had to see something.

Kalim walked into the room, seeing his father hanging with one of his wives.

“Father, I found Jamil but in a terrible state! Someone assaulted him! You and the guards were with him last. If you know anything… say it. I want those evil doers brought to justice! Jamil may not be a good guy, but all these years he’s had chance to do away with me and hasn’t! Not once has he tried to kill me!” Kalim shouted, not bothering to control his volume. “He cares about me if only a little…”

Mr. Asim looked at his dejected son. Despite all Jamil had done to him, he still cared? How idiotic was this child? He let out a sigh while leaning forward, pressing his fingertips together.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll look into it.” said Mr. Asim calmly, more so not to arouse suspicion.

The last thing he wanted was for Kalim to stick his nose somewhere it shouldn’t be. People were still after his life after all.

“Dad… I won’t.” Kalim decided, wanting to open his eyes more to things. “I don’t want to keep having the wool pulled over my eyes anymore. It’s time I started doing things myself and learn. I can’t rely on everyone forever.”

“That makes me happy to hear. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about what happened to Jamil nor do the guards.” assured Mr. Asim, still lying to Kalim.

“If you remember anything, tell me.”

Mr. Asim watched as Kalim left. His son was cute for wanting to play detective. The truth would come to light when Jamil woke up, that is, if he had a death wish.

•

Kalim fretfully watcher Jamil come to, his wounds looking better than they did earlier as they had gotten proper care. Jamil knew this room. The question was, why was he in it?

“Oh thank god.” Kalim mewled, carefully wrapping his arms around Jamil. “You’re okay…”

“Don’t touch me.” Jamil seethed, pushing Kalim off him. “I’m not your servant anymore.”

“That doesn’t mean you aren’t my friend.”

“I don’t want to be your friend.”

“And I won’t give up on making you my friend.”

This was what he hated. He never listened. It was always about what he wanted. Yet hearing this made him…

“Do what you want. You always do anyway.” Jamil grumbled, getting out of bed.

“No! You aren’t better!” Kalim voiced, tackling Jamil to the bed.

Jamil groaned in pain, causing Kalim to profusely apologize. Kalim held him, listening to his heartbeat. He was alive and well. He thanked the heavens again.

“Jamil, who did this to you? Why were you all beat up and tossed like trash?” Kalim asked, wanting to get to the bottom of things.

Telling Kalim would do nothing for him. He could try all he wanted, but he would still be on the losing end. He soon felt something cold being locked against his wrist.

“What the-”

“Tell me. Whatever happens to you happens to me too. I can’t sit idle and let injustice like this go.” demanded Kalim, getting in Jamil’s face.

“Your beloved father had some guards beat me.” Jamil said, seeing he could use this.

“He lied you me…” Kalim muttered, unbelieving. “This whole time I’ve been asking… he…”

Kalim screamed in rage, dragging Jamil with him. He wasn’t going to let this go. Jamil wasn’t sure whether to be proud or scared at this point.

Kalim harshly swung the doors open, said doors crashing against the wall.

“Ka-”

“How could you lie to me!?” Kalim shouted, now standing in front of his father. “I know what Jamil did was bad, but you didn’t have to go and beat him!”

“So he told you…”

“Yes! Hearing you did it makes me sick! Why would you do something so cruel!?” Kalim snarled, seconds away from wanting to strangle everyone in the room. “Why not put him in temporary isolation or something?”

“Because we can. That’s all there is to it.” Mr. Asim replied, giving Kalim a half shrug.

“Then whatever you do to Jamil, I’ll have it done to myself.”

“Now you’re spouting nonsense, child.”

“Am I!? I’m supposed to take over this place in the future and I want to be a nice and understanding guy! If my friends hurt, I hurt!” Kalim barked before turning on his heel. “Come on, Jamil. I need you to do everything they did to you to me.”

“Kalim, if you leave out that door I can guarantee that Jamil will suffer worse.”

“It doesn’t seem like you heard me. Whatever you do to him, he’ll do to me.” told Kalim, narrowing his eyes.

Silence filled the room. Jamil certainly didn’t expect this, but he wasn’t going to pass up a chance to hurt Kalim.

“Kalim, what would get you to stop this madness?”

“Apologize to Jamil, give him a non violent, reasonable punishment and compensation.” said Kalim, turning to face his father. “And don’t try to do it in secret. Do it right here, right now. And I don’t want any more incidents like this no matter who it is.”

“I’m sorry for the actions we took against you, Jamil. We will deliberate a proper punishment later. As for compensation, we’ll send it into your family’s bank account.” said Mr. Asim, looking at the two of them. “Is this to your liking?”

“Swear on our ancestors this won’t happen again to anyone.” Kalim demanded.

“I swear on the graves of our ancestors that such actions will not be used to punish anyone ever again.” said Mr. Asim, holding his head.

Kalim ended the recording, making sure to have copies ready in case his father slipped up and wanted to destroy the original.

“Isn’t this great, Jamil? You won’t have to fear for your life!”

Jamil was truly at a loss for words. Kalim did all of this for him despite everything he did to him. Kalim tilted his head, feeling Jamil grip his shoulders. His eyes widened at the feeling of Jamil’s lips on his cheek.

“Thank you.”

He meant it. As much as he disliked Kalim with his entire being, to no longer have to fear of being beaten and left to die was… extremely relieving. Kalim smiled happily, giving Jamil a careful hug, not wanting to agitate his wounds.


	124. Vil > Leona < Rook: I’ll make a note of that

Not here, not there, not anywhere. Leona wasn’t showing up in his usual resting spots. Why? He did nothing but rest. It was time to investigate.

Rook asked around about Leona, most of their answers including Vil in it. Vil. His leg hadn’t fully healed yet so he often had to take breaks from walking and couldn’t participate in P.E and flying lessons.

“Leona? I saw him following Vil.”

“Leona’s been hanging around Vil.”

“Leona… Oh! We saw him with Vil.”

Rook sat, looking at each and every answer. It was Vil. Vil was taking his prey away. Leona wasn’t around to stalk because someone else filled his mind. His hand crushed the note in his hand. Vil was taking too much of Leona’s attention.

•

3A and 3C had another joint P.E class a week later. Rook boded his time, waiting for the right moment.

“Hello~” he said, sauntering over to Leona.

“I do not want to be partners with you.”

“You don’t even know if that’s what I was going to say or ask.”

“Then, what is it?”

“You’re my partner now.”

Leona wasn’t given a chance to respond as Rook had placed himself behind him. Vil watched them from afar, wondering what in the world Rook was doing. He was used to seeing him harass Leona, but this was on a whole other level. He would help out but his injury was keeping him grounded.

Vargas announced they were playing football. Two students were made captains and picked their teams. The game started. Vil was grateful for this injury, not having to play such sweat inducing games and get dirty. It was always fun watching Leona and Rook butt heads. A hunter and his targeted prey.

Vil’s eyes widened. Rook was getting too close for comfort, even if football was a physical game. Curse his injured leg.

They had started the second half when someone cried out. Everyone stopped and looked at who.

“Hunt? Is there a problem?” Vargas asked.

“My side really hurts…” Rook hissed, clutching his side.

Vargas checked, seeing he was in pain.

“Kingscholar. Walk him to the infirmary.”

“Why me!?”

“Because I said so. Now get moving.”

Leona grumbled, waiting for Rook. He wasn’t getting up.

“Why aren’t you getting up…?”

“Carry me… it hurts so much…” Rook whined.

Leona rolled his eyes, picking Rook up and throwing him over his shoulder. Rook whined and complained that he was making his pain worse. Leona groaned, putting Rook down.

“What? What do you want?”

“Carry me. Like you did Vil.”

Leona narrowed his eyes before picking Rook up. Rook gleefully wrapped his arms around his neck. This was the attention he was missing. He snuggled against Leona, earning to disgruntled grunt from the lion.

Vil was watching this go on from afar. He couldn’t believe it. Leona was carrying him the same way he carried him. That conniving Rook.

Once they were far from the sports field, Rook started wiggling in his arms.

“Stop moving.”

“You can put me down.”

“Huh?”

Rook escaped from his arms, giving him a wide grin.

“To think you easily bend to the will of those injured. I’ll make a note of that.”

“Wait, are you saying…”

“Oui! I was not injured at all. I simply desired your attention. And while I still have it…” Rook muttered, surprising him with a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks for being there for me, fufu…”

Rook started to run as Leona chased him, threatening to strangle him if he caught him.


	125. Vil + Silver: I’ll just have to prep you then

Silver was minding his business when he felt his body suddenly being pulled to the side.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I need you.”

“V- Vil…?”

“Can I use you?”

“Use me!?”

“Did I stutter? I need you or else I’ll go insane.”

Silver was panicking. What could Vil possibly need him for? It couldn’t be that right? Right??

“Wait, I’m not ready!”

“What do you mean? Ah, I see… I’ll just have to prep you then.” Vil said, giving him a smirk.

Silver felt his soul leave his body.

•

Silver sat quietly as Vil touched his face. He felt like a complete idiot, assuming Vil wanted to do something naughty with him. He should’ve expected this. This was Vil Schoenheit.

“Your face is pretty. It’s depressing to see that it’s being wasted in a dark ass Diasomnia. If only you were destined for Pomefiore.” Vil told, wiping his face with a damp cloth. “I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m doing.”

“Not exactly, but I don’t mind knowing.”

“You’re the next prettiest person on campus after me. So it’s only fitting that I try new styles on you.”

“Uh, thanks…?”

Vil had finished wiping his face, now moving on to foundation.

“Now sit still unless you want foundation to get into places that’ll irritate you.” Vil warned, starting to apply.

Silver closed his eyes, letting Vil do his thing. Vil has finished with foundation, now putting on eyeliner. Vil was surprisingly gentle with each stroke he made onto his face.

“This won’t take long, right? I’ve got a class…” Silver piped up, not really wanting to miss it.

“Oh, hm. You’re going to have to miss it.” Vil muttered, finishing the cat eyes before moving onto eyeshadow.

“What!? Ow!” Silver said, his reaction causing Vil to poke his eye.

“I told you to sit still. What a fool.” Vil grimaced, watching Silver hold his eye.

“Look, I can’t miss class. It’s bad enough I do because of this stupid sleeping illness.” Silver complained, the pain slowly disappearing.

“And I need to do these styles now. They’re important.”

“How is makeup more important than classes? You’re wildin’.” Silver responded, making a break for the door.

“Silver, if you leave out that door, I’m positive you’ll miss more than just one class.” Vil threatened, his words laced with malice.

Silver groaned, walking back over to the seat. Silence hung over them.

“I’ll move quicker.”

Silver looked at Vil who looked between palettes with an intense look. He finally decided, causing Silver to close his eyes again.

“Hey, Silver.”

“Hm?”

He opened the eye that wasn’t being worked on. It wasn’t like Vil to hold back.

“I would like it if you could be my test dummy from now on.” Vil subtly asked, moving into his other eye.

“If it helps then sure… I don’t see a problem.” Silver agreed, hoping he wouldn’t call on him at all the wrong times.

Vil smiled softly, blending colors together. Silver was allowed to open both eyes. Vil has him look in the mirror.

“Wow. I didn’t know I could look this… you.” Silver muttered, glancing at Vil.

“I hate it.” Vil grumbled, placing his hands on his hips.

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna start over.”

“No. I hate it because it looks good on you.” Vil sneered.

Silver rolled his eyes.

“I want you to walk around with it on for the rest of the day and tell me what people said about it. Force them to talk about it if they don’t mention it.” said Vil, ushering Silver our the door.

“O-” Silver started before the door was shut in his face. “…kay.”


	126. Silver: The One With Violet Eyes

Silver sat in the woods behind campus, stroking the heads of birds and squirrels. The bird chirped, earning a smile from Silver. Silver started singing, causing the animals to sit and listen in silence. Silver stood up, feeling the need to dance a bit. The animals followed, watching this entrancing human make noise and move all strangely.

They eventually joined in, wanting Silver to know they were extremely pleased. Silver happily twirled around before stopping, his eyes meeting another’s. The animals quieted down, wondering why he stopped. A few ran away while the rest stayed to protect this wonderful human they had come to trust.

The eyes watching him quickly fled, causing him to look in confusion and fear. The eyes weren’t exactly friendly. He looked around, trying to relax the on alert animals. Silver was still a bit worried about what was watching him.

•

Silver bought a few things from Sam’s before the door opened. He found himself being towered over by three boys from Savanaclaw. Two held out letters, placing them in his hand before running off. One remained.

“Hey.” he said, rubbing his ear.

“Hi…?” Silver responded, putting the letters in with his purchases.

“Um, I’m just going to be straight forward. I love you!” he said, his tail moving around.

“Eh?”

Sam raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going on.

“There’s something about you… I’m absolutely captivated by you!” he said loudly, holding Silver’s hands. “Please date me!”

“I don’t even know you…” Silver muttered, quickly walking away.

“Wait! Don’t go!”

Silver started to run. Thankfully the student didn’t give chase. He slowed down, remembering the letters. He opened one, reading it. He blinked rapidly. All it said was ‘will your marry me?’. He left his name and his dorm room number. He opened the other, it being much longer. Most of it was the student complimenting his appearance, his dancing and singing voice.

He also asked him to date him. Left his name and dorm room number too. Silver put them away, needing someone to talk to.

•

Silver opened the door, startling Lilia. And someone else.

“Ah, I’m sorry… Should I come back later?” Silver asked, leaving the bag full of snacks but taking the letters.

“No, it’s okay. Come.” said Lilia, patting the bed.

Silver sat down, glancing at the person now using their phone.

“Speak child. So what if Jamil hears? He could probably help too if needed.” said Lilia, waiting for Silver to speak.

“So… three people from Savanaclaw confessed to me. One bluntly asked for my hand in marriage.”

Lilia blinked before laughing. Silver’s said a lot of things, but this took the cake. Silver scowled, wanting to be taken seriously.

“Look, I have proof!” Silver huffed, shoving the two letters into his hands.

“Wow, you even went as far as to create letters. Silver, no one in their right mind would approach us Diasomnia students, especially those close to Malleus.” Lilia laughed, leaning against Jamil. “Can you believe this?”

“Maybe he might be telling the truth. Isn’t he your kid?” Jamil commented, looking down at the laughing bat.

Silver was already up and leaving. To think his own father wouldn’t believe him. What kind of parent doesn’t believe their child could get love confessions?

•

Silver sat in the woods again later that week. The three Savanaclaw students still pursued him yet never seemed to be around when he needed to prove his point to Lilia and the others. He started to sing, needing to relax and reset. More animals gathered around him as he pet the animals lovingly.

This was what he needed. Just him, animals and singing his favorite songs. It was always cute listening to the animals sing along with him in their language. He was slowly reaching them a new song that they could sing together. Numerous eyes were watching him, yet he remained oblivious. Silver stood up from his spot, getting an urge to dance a little.

Birds flew in the air, chirping and circling around him as he moved. The grounded animals that could clapped while the others hopped around. He truly felt like himself at this very moment, singing, dancing and being surrounded by furry and feathered friends. Silver ended his song with a pose before receiving a chorus of chirps and chitters.

An animal chattered, informing him they felt a strange presence. Silver looked in the direction before he met a pair of eyes. They quickly disappeared. It was like that day all over again. He quickly said his goodbyes to the animals, telling them to stay safe.

Silver entered Sam’s shop, in the mood for a personalized lollipop. Sam warmly greeted him before looking to the side. He looked back at Silver with an amused look.

“My, aren’t you a popular demon~” Sam chuckled, leaning against the counter. “I nearly ran out of items. Imagine that, my shop having things out of stock.”

“I don’t get what you’re saying… I’d like a persapop.” Silver asked, handing over madol.

Silver glanced towards the window, swearing he could’ve saw animal ears. He looked back at Sam just as the familiar neon green sword came into sight.

“Thank you. I might be stopping by later.”

“Are you sure you want to go out now?” Sam questioned, seemingly knowing something.

“Yeah? I’ve got things to do.”

“Hm. Good luck, little sleeper.”

Silver opened the door his sight blocked by tall beefy zoomorphed humans. They were looking at him as if he were their next meal. Frankly, he was scared. And he could’ve swore one of them was salivating.

“Um, you’re kinda in my way… And I’m probably in yours.” Silver commented, unable to see past them.

“Hey, stop hogging him!”

“What do you mean 'hogging’? I’m just looking!”

“I want to see him up close too!”

Silver took their fighting as an opportunity to flee. They followed him, shouting out their confessions and marriage proposals. They followed him back to the main building and through the halls. Silver skidded to a stop, seeing two of the first three Savanaclaw students who had confessed to him. They spotted him. Silver jumped the wall, having no other way of escaping.

Lilia laughed in delight before hearing shouting not too far away. He and Malleus looked.

“Isn’t that Silver?” Malleus pointed out.

“And he’s being chased by Savanaclaw boys…” Lilia muttered, watching Silver trip before starting to run again. “Oh my god… he wasn’t lying!”

“But, what caused this…? Did he make a potion? Sending off pheromones and whatnot?” Malleus guessed.

“He hasn’t had lab this week yet. Maybe it was a spell…”

“We should probably go help him. We can figure out why later.” Malleus suggested, hurrying with Lilia in the direction Silver went in.

•

Silver whimpered in fright, the numerous boys surrounding him. This was how he died. He wouldn’t get a chance to say goodbye to people.

“Stop!” a voice shouted, a figure blocking their view of him.

Another figure appeared, doing the same.

“Hey, get in line!”

“I’m going to be Silver’s boyfriend! I’ll protect him from wolves like you!”

“I’m a monkey!”

“I’m marrying Silver!”

The boys started to argue, giving Lilia and Malleus a chance to teleport back to Diasomnia. The boys looked around, seeing they disappeared with Silver.

Silver wailed, grateful that he got to live another day.

“Why were all those boys chasing you and professing their love?” Lilia demanded, looking Silver over. “You aren’t hurt right?”

“I don’t know. They were suddenly waiting for me outside Sam’s.”

“You didn’t create a potion or miscast a spell?” Malleus asked.

“I didn’t.”

They were at a loss. If only they knew the power of Silver’s voice.


	127. Epel: I’ll kill myself if it doesn’t

“You’re stupid.”

“The pot calling the kettle black.” Epel retorted, giving Deuce a good punch in the arm. “Just help me out here. And where’s Jack and Sebek?”

“Either fucking or fucking.” Ace replied, giving a half shrug of his shoulders.

“For the last time we aren’t romantically involved.” a voice said before Ace was hit atop his head.

“Sorry we’re late. I needed Jack to help me with some physical labor.” Sebek apologized before seeing the caged birds. “Geese?”

Epel explained they situation once more, earning laughter from his friends. He angrily pouted, stamping his feet and making them laugh even more.

“Stop! I need to have swans at Pomefiore in an hour! And I have no idea where I can get swans in such short notice!” Epel shouted, finally getting their attention.

“We can transform them.” Ace suggested.

“Transformation is very hard you know…” Jack mentioned. “I don’t think the five of us combined could do it.”

“Yes we can! Lilia sama has been teaching me a lot these days. If we pool what we have, we could make something.” Sebek piped up.

“Anything is better than being around Vil.” Epel pleaded. “Let’s try it.”

They agreed. Everyone knew how Vil got when he was angry.

•

“Add in a teaspoon of frog saliva.” said Deuce, being put on instruction duty.

Jack carefully added in a teaspoon. They collectively sighed in relief, seeing things were going well. Epel looked at the geese who honked loudly.

“Hope you all enjoy being swans.” Epel spat, earning angry honks in return.

“And we need a mane hair from a… lion.” Deuce spoke, looking back at them.

They searched around, looking for lion mane hair. Nothing. Of all things for the lab not to have, it had to be something they needed.

“How much time do we have?” Ace asked.

“Less than twenty minutes.” Jack sighed, watching the cauldron bubble.

“Leona!” Deuce shouted, startling the others. “Grab some of his hair and run! It should work.”

“But… wait, that’s actually genius.” said Sebek. “It might just work!”

Jack and Deuce stayed behind, keeping watch over the geese and cauldron.

•

“Leona? Yeah, he’s sleep. Why.” Ruggie pressed, looking at the three first years.

Ace started to walk Ruggie away from Leona’s door while Sebek and Epel slipped inside. There he was. They needed to be in and out quick.

“He’s a deep sleeper but don’t move too much.” Sebek whispered before staying behind by the door.

Epel now stood behind Leona who slept. Just a little. Epel lifted some of his hair. Snip. Epel gave Sebek a thumbs up. He tripped on a pillow, expecting to land and make noise, but instead he floated in the air. Sebek was struggling to keep him up. Sebek opened the door before throwing Epel out, quickly and quietly shutting Leona’s door.

They ran, texting Ace they got some of Leona’s hair. Ace patted Ruggie’s shoulder before taking off down the walkways. They had less than ten minutes.

•

“Oh god, please let this work! I’ll kill myself if it doesn’t.” Epel pleaded, watching Jack finish the transformation potion.

He poured some on each of the geese. Their form started to change. They were now…

“Geese. They’re still geese. Where did we go wrong!?”

Epel was already attempting to hang himself, but Sebek held him tight.

“Deuce! You were looking at the wrong transformation! Just how dumb are you!?” Ace barked, watching Epel flail around in Sebek’s arms.

“We can fix this. The recipe is the same but we need an octopus tear.” said Jack.

They could see Epel was in no condition to do anything. Sebek stayed behind with Epel while the others raced to get him that octopus tear.

“Epel, we still have time. It’s not the end… yet.” Sebek pointed out, patting Epel’s head.

“They won’t get back in time. Vil is not only going to chew me out but kill me. And then bring me back just to kill me again.” Epel weeped, trying to escape Sebek’s hold.

“I don’t think he’d go as far as… killing you twice.”

Minutes passed. Three minutes remained. .They weren’t back yet. Epel Felmier would be no more. He said a little prayer before hoping his goodbyes would reach his parents. Soon the trio were rushing in, carrying a tied up Azul.

“Cry into this cauldron!” Deuce shouted.

“Give us a tear or we’ll leave you out in Scarabia to dry out!” Jack growled, towering over Azul from behind.

Epel watched as they got Azul to cry. A little puff of smoke came from the cauldron before the pink liquid turned blue. Ace scooped some out, pouring it all over the geese.

“We… We did it!” Ace cheered, looking at the swans. “Now hurry up and get them to Vil!”

Epel wasted no time in picking up the cage and running. He knew he’d be late, but that was better than showing up late with the wrong bird.

They collectively sighed, Deuce releasing Azul from his restraints.

“I was really worried he’d kill himself.”

“Us too…” Jack mumbled.

“Now I’m curious about what’ll happen.” Deuce said, earning nods.

They hurried after Epel, needing to know how things ended.


	128. Vanrouges: Daddy’s got you

Silver watched as the sun disappeared behind the clouds. He tapped his father who was too busy playing games. He turned around, wondering what he was playing.

“What are you playing? I don’t recognize it.”

“Last Illusion X. It’s pretty popular these days.” Lilia responded, rapidly pressing buttons.

Silver looked up, seeing Malleus entering the room with snacks and drinks. Were they going to have a sleepover? Without him?

“I’m not included in the sleepover…?”

“Nope. You’re a growing boy who needs his sleep. Ah, shit!” Lilia spoke before seeing character getting attacked relentlessly.

“I tried to reason with Lilia but he insisted not to invite you. I’m sorry.” apologized Malleus with a sad look.

Silver didn’t say anything else, simply marching himself out the room.

“We should’ve invited him, Lilia. Now he’s mad.”

“Malleus, I care about Silver growing up as normal and healthy as possible. We plan on staying up all night. That’s not healthy.” said Lilia, saving his game. “Maybe when he’s older and not in a critical time in his life.”

“I suppose we’ll still be around. The perks of living a long life huh…” Malleus quipped before frowning. “It’s also a downside… watching those close to you pass on before you… I’m sure you know best, Lilia.”

Lilia remained quiet, setting up so they could play games together. Of course he knew. Living for as long as he has, he genuinely preferred not to be close to others in fear of going through too emotional pain. Again.

•

Silver tossed and turned in bed, finding it hard to sleep. The moment he sat up, a loud boom could be heard outside, causing him to cower under his bedsheets. Why was it so loud? The sky roared once more, making Silver shake like a leaf.

He calmed down, seeing it had stopped. He took the opportunity to go over to Lilia’s room, demanding they let him join in. The thunder sounded as he waited for Lilia to open his door. Lilia opened it, seeing Silver covering his head while crouching.

“Silver, what are you-”

Lilia sighed, seeing Silver had run into his room.

Malleus looked, seeing Silver sitting beside him. He turned to Lilia who shrugged. Silver jumped, hearing the thunder again.

“Oh? Is Silver still afraid of thunderstorms?” Malleus teased before feeling Silver sighing his nails into his arm. “Silver, that hurts… ouch!”

“I should’ve expected this. The clouds were especially gray earlier.” Lilia muttered, prying Silver off of Malleus. “Come here. Daddy’s got you.”

Silver clung to Lilia as another round of thunder sounded. Malleus rubbed his back, wanting him to feel more safe.

“Silver, do you remember what I told you about thinderstorms?” Lilia questioned, having Silver look at him.

“Yes… its just the Thorn Witch trying to talk to us…” Silver whispered, resting his head on Lilia’s shoulder.

“Right. There’s no need to be afraid. Right, Malleus?”

“Right. She no longer has a physical form, so this is one of the ways she can talk to us.” Malleus added, seeing Silver was less jumpy.

“Right…”

Lilia lied back with Silver, stroking his hair and giving his forehead a kiss. Silver snuggled closer to Lilia, the thunder seeming less scary. He felt himself now being sandwiched between Lilia and Malleus.

“Sorry for ruining your sleepover…” Silver mumbled, letting out a sigh.

“You’re more important than any sleepover. I will always put you first before anything else.” Lilia responded, caressing Silver’s cheek.

“And you’re just as important to me. Sometimes I see you as a little brother.” Malleus said, adding in his piece.

Silver smiled softly, whispering thank yous and quietly professing his love for them.


	129. Pomefiore: I couldn’t care less

“What. The. Fuck.” Vil cursed, watching a child roll around.

“W- We don’t know! We woke up and he was like this!” Epel’s roommate said, the other two nodding quickly.

“Bam! Bam!”

Rook entered the room, having heard Vil.

“Oh my, what a precious little one! Where’s Epel though?”

“You’re holding him.” Vil deadpanned, watching Epel play with and tug on Rook’s hair.

The students quickly fled, wanting to avoid Vil’s wrath. Rook got Epel to stop tugging on his hair and gave him a stuffed toy apple to play with.

“So, what do we do?”

“Don’t look at me. Children aren’t my forte.”

“Neither are they mine. I’m a hunter, not a sitter.”

They looked at Epel who mindlessly babbled, talking to himself about the weirdest things.

“Down!” Epel said.

Rook put him down before watching him run off with ease. Neither wanted to give chase, but Epel was practically defenseless. They ended up giving chase. Epel squealed in delight, taking in the bright, shiny halls of Pomefiore. Rook snatched him up and put a leash on him.

“I don like’t.” Epel said, his country accent unfiltered.

“Did he just… speak with an accent?” Vil questioned, looking at the small child.“

"Yes he did.”

“Git it off me.” Epel whined, tugging at the child leash. “I don like!”

“Epel, stop it. We can’t have you running off and causing others trouble.”

“Ugly man!” Epel shouted at Vil, his face red from anger.

“Wha- Young man! Watch your tongue!” Vil hissed, seconds away from choking him.

“Epel, I’ll take the leash off if you can promise me to not run away from me. Can you?” Rook asked, squatting at Epel’s height.

Epel looked at Rook, giving him a nod.

“Pawmiss.”

Rook removed the leash, feeling Epel hold his hand. Vil huffed, earning a stink eye from Epel. Rook gave Vil a look as if to say if he wanted Epel to like him, he had to respect him. Epel happily squished the stuffed apple toy, amazed by how it returned to its shape.

Epel looked at the two of them who talked in hushed voices. He wanted attention. He liked talking to the blonde. He tugged on his sleeve, trying to get his attention. He wouldn’t look at him. Epel’s eyes started to water before he burst into tears. That got their attention. Rook picked Epel up, trying to quiet him down.

Epel clung to Rook, quieting down. Vil gave Rook a look to which Rook responded with a shrug. He didn’t know either.

“Epel, is everything okay now? Were you feeling left out?” Rook asked, patting his back.

Epel nodded, wiping his face.

“Non, non. We use tissues.” Rook advised, handing Epel a tissue.

Epel wiped his face with the tissue. The blonde man was really nice. He felt something touch his head. It was the mean man. He flailed around, trying to hit Vil. Rook moves them away from Vil, seeing Epel calming down.

“Hmph. I never cared about children anyway.” Vil scoffed, actually feeling a bit hurt.

“Hm. Not everyone is good with kids.” Rook muttered, putting Epel down. “Why don’t we talk with Crewel? He might know something about this change…”

“I suppose we could try.” Vil sighed, looking at Epel who was entranced by the stuffed apple toy once more.

•

Everyone took notice of them, not because of their awe striking beauty, but because of the prettiest child they’ve ever seen was walking between them, entertained by one toy.

Epel hit Rook with his apple, wanting his attention.

“Yes, Epel?”

“Name please.”

“Mine or yours?”

“Yers.”

“It’s Rook. R-O-O-K.” Rook spelled out for him.

“Rook… Rook, play wit me.” Epel asked, getting a bit bored.

“What do you want to play?”

“I wan wrestle!”

Rook noticed Vil had stopped. Did he hear what Epel said? Epel tilted his head, wondering why he wasn’t responding.

“Wrestling isn’t exactly… proper.” Rook said, knowin Vil was watching him.

“I don git it.” Epel said, needing to know what was wrong with wrestling. “Papa does it wit me all tha time.”

“Well, you-”

“If he wants to do something unsightly, do it somewhere no one can see.” Vil stated, walking on ahead. “I’ll go ahead and see Crewel.”

“You don’t want to play with Epel? It’ll help you bond.”

“Are you suggesting I get myself dirty and look unsightly? Are you mad?” Vil snapped.

Epel really didn’t like him. He tugged on Rook’s sleeve, wanting to go play already. Rook gave Vil a pitying look before walking off with Epel.

•

Epel laughed in glee, sitting atop Rook. He was having a lot of fun now that the mean guy wasn’t breathing down his neck. Epel latched himself onto Rook, rubbing his cheek against him.

“I like Rook!” Epel stated, smiling in delight.

“My, that makes me happy~ I wonder if Vil and Crewel found a solution.”

“I gotta go.”

“Huh?”

Epel gave him an uncomfortable look. Rook sat up, Epel sliding off onto his lap.

“I gotta go…” Epel whined, squirming around.

“Oh! Uh, then let’s hurry.” Rook fretted, pulling Epel to the nearest bathroom.

They reached the bathroom. Rook felt Epel pull on his hand. He looked wondering why he stopped. A thought came to mind.

“Did you…?” Rook whispered, his eyes traveling down. “Oh, Epel…”

Epel started to cry. How was he to calm a child who pissed themselves? Epel continued to cry while Rook panicked.

“Hey, let’s not cry over what happened. Um, why don’t we try not to have an accident again?”

More tears fell. Rook ruffled his hair before pulling Epel out of the bathroom. A nice bath would probably put an end to his tears.

•

Rook sighed, feeling incredibly worn out. Epel played on the floor, enjoying life. Vil hadn’t contacted him. The door opened, revealing Vil.

“You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“Yeah? Well guess what, you’re on Epel duty now!” Rook fussed.

“I thought we agreed that we didn’t get along.”

“I don’t care. I’ve had to deal with him all day. The least you can do is switch places with me!”

“There’s no need. Crewel found a solution and is currently working on it.”

“Even better. You’re staying in here with him while I go rest.”

“Rook-”

Rook had already left. Epel wasn’t aware of the change. Yet. Epel scribbled in a book, making shapes. Vil watched from afar, not wanting to disturb his peace. Epel looked back, seeing Vil.

“Where Rook?”

“Rook needed rest and left me to watch you.”

“I wan Rook. Give me.” Epel demanded.

“Go. I couldn’t care less.” Vil sneered, watching Epel leave the room.

Vil sighed, thankful to be rid of the tiny menace.

“Hey, watch out!”

Vil looked out the room, seeing something heavily about to crush Epel. His body moved on its own, Epel being pulled back to him by magic.

“You stupid child. Watch where you’re going.” Vil complained, rubbing his forehead.

Epel started to cry, having been called a mean name.

“Stop crying or I’ll give you a reason to.” snapped Vil, having Epel face him. Epel cried louder. “Shut up!”

Epel quieted down, his lip trembling. A dark spot appeared on his crotch before liquid started to run down his leg. He seriously did not piss himself. Vil backed away in disgust, wondering just how much he had in him.

“I seriously don’t want to do this. It’s tasteless and downright disgusting.” Vil muttered, telling Epel to follow him. He wouldn’t. “So you’d rather stand there covered in your own urine?”

No response. Vil grabbed his hand, taking him to freshen up.

•

Epel sat quietly in fear. He didn’t want to be yelled at again. He missed Rook. Where was Rook? He liked Rook. Vil was mean. Vil didn’t care about him. He couldn’t do anything without him getting mad. He didn’t want to soil himself again either. It wasn’t pleasant.

“You’ve been deathly quiet.” Vil commenter, turning around to look at him. Epel kept silent. “You can talk to me.”

Still silent. Did he lose his voice? Couldn’t have. He was fine when Rook handed him off. He checked him over just to be sure.

“Epel, why aren’t you talking? Are you sick? Must we go see the nurse?”

Epel shook his head. At least he responded this time.

“So, why aren’t you talking?”

Epel pointed at him.

“Me? What did I do? If anything, you’re the problem here.” Vil scoffed, looking away.

Epel didn’t respond this time, knowing Vil would through a hissyfit.

“We don’t have to get along, but I need to take care of you and I can’t do that if you’re quiet all the time.” Vil mentioned, sitting beside him.

Vil’s close proximity was making him nervous. His body shook in fright. He was going to yell at him and get angry, wasn’t he? Vil stroked Epel’s hair, hoping he wouldn’t feel so tense. A sigh escaped Epel’s lips. Epel was finally relaxing around him.

He knew he could do it. It just took a little…

“Hm, you look awful pleased for a child that doesn’t like me.” Vil muttered, looking at Epel who started to move.

“I’m hungry.” Epel told.

“Let’s see what the kitchen has left.” Vil said, unaware of what had occurred.

•

Epel sat by Rook as Vil silently fumed off on a corner. If it wasn’t for the rules of the school he would’ve killed Epel.

“Vil, it’s already over and done with. They’re being washed and hung up to dry.” Rook assured, feeling Epel lean against him. “It wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t frighten the boy.”

“Frighten? I did nothing of the sort! He has it out for me! My limited edition sheets…” Vil fussed, a weary look on his face. “That demon!”

Epel minded his business while the two of them argued.


	130. Pomefiore: I couldn’t care less (cont.)

Rook silently used his phone, trying to find answers online. Crewel’s potion unfortunately didn’t work the way they hoped. Epel was still a child. He sighed, seeing most were saying the same thing. Potion, charm, potion, charm. As if they hadn’t tried for an entire week.

“Rook.”

“Hm?”

Epel stuck his hand out.

“No. No more sugared apples.”

“I wan! Gimme!”

“No.”

Vil walked in, wondering why Rook called for him.

“Great! Vil is here. It’s his turn to watch you while I do dorm leader duties. I don’t want to hear that you’ve scared Epel to death like last time.” said Rook, his tone turning low. “I will not hesitate to take you down.”

“Why are you only warning me? Warn him too!” Vil complained.

Rook lightly warned Epel, infuriating Vil. Why was he being so harsh towards him? Just because he was the adult? Rook left him alone with Epel. The two sat far apart in silence.

He could easily get through this. Just ignore him and give him his basic needs. It was a win for him and Epel. Vil opened his makeup bag, continuing what he was working on earlier. Epel was bored, wanting to run around outside. He kept quiet.

Vil hummed happily, seeing his creation was a success. Epel has been completely quiet for a whole two hours. He was pleased. He liked Epel when he was quiet. He looked back at the child who lied on his side. Was he asleep? Vil got up, checking on him. He was very much awake and clearly unhappy.

“Are you just going to lie there?”

Silence.

“Epel, I’m not asking you to like me, I just need to know if you need anything. I can’t have you dying on me.”

More silence. He really was getting frustrated with him. Why did he insist on being so difficult?

“Alright. You can lie there and starve. I’m not going to force you to do anything.”

“Sugar apple.”

“Hm? I didn’t hear you.”

“Sugar apple.”

“No. Rook specifically told me you can’t have them more than twice a week.”

“I wan'em! Gimme!” Epel demanded, now sitting up.

“N-O. No!”

Epel threw a tantrum. Vil plugged his ears, simply waiting until he tired himself out. Epel started to notice Vil wasn’t going to give him what he wanted, so he stopped.

“I’m not gullible like Rook. So either ask for actual food or go hungry.” Vil said, crossing his arms.

Epel was starving and needed to use the bathroom. Vil was his only source to fill this needs. He weighed his options.

“Bathroom.”

“You need to go?”

Epel nodded. Vil offered him his hand. A straight minute had passed before Epel took his hand.

•

Vil worked on homework while Epel ate. He couldn’t deny that the mean man took care of him well, he was just really nasty. Epel watched him practice magic while writing. He could use magic too. Epel grunted, lifting his fork an inch before dropping it. Vil didn’t even look his way.

Vil was truly awful. He wasn’t entertaining him. Vil finally looked at him.

“Are you done?”

“No.”

He turned away. That was it? He wasn’t going to play with him? This sucked. Rook always played with him.

“Mean man.”

“My name is Vil. Use it.”

“Mean man, play.”

“I won’t unless you start using my name.”

Epel frowned heavily. Vil shrugged his shoulders, going back to his homework. If Epel wasn’t going to respect him, he wasn’t going to entertain his wants. Respect was a two way street.

“Bill.”

“Vil.”

“Bill.”

“Vil.”

“Bill.”

He wasn’t sure if he was mocking him or actually trying.

“Yes, Epel?”

“Play.”

“You’re supposed to be eating.”

“Play with food. With me.”

“We don’t play with our food. We aren’t unsanitary here.”

Epel had enough. Vil wasn’t going to change his ways. Vil in actuality was trying, Epel was just being hard headed. So, he did what any kid would do. Knock his food over.

“Alright. You’re cleaning up. And don’t come crying when you’re hungry because you decided you wanted to act up and spill such good food.”

Vil somewhat helped Epel clean up before taking him back. Epel sat on the floor, clearly unhappy. Vil was being a party pooper. Why can’t he play with his food? Rook lets him.

“Epel, come here.”

“No.”

“Epel.”

Epel slowly rose to his feet, walking over to him. Soon his clothes were being taken off.

“How unsightly… a stain on your clothes…” Vil muttered, looking at what was used to create them.

Epel stood there half naked and confused. What was he going to do with his clothes? He watched with big eyes as Vil used magic, cleaning the stains on his clothes. He wanted to use magic like that. Vil deemed them clean before looking at Epel.

“Bath first. Well, we don’t have tubs here… I suppose a shower will do. Can’t have a grimy child putting on clean clothes.”

Epel found himself being whisked into Vil’s arms. He was speechless. The mean man wasn’t being mean. What was this sorcery?

•

Vil sighed, thankful that he could finally get time to himself. At least, that’s what he thought. It was already late. He gathered his things, getting ready for bed. Was Rook doing everything right? He could only hope and pray at this point.

Epel turned in his sleep, drooling on the pillow. Vil scrunched his nose. Just how wild was he? He quickly left, no longer wanting to view it.

Vil had come back, seeing in Rook’s instructions that they had to sleep together. As if he’d want to be any closer to a rude child. Plus he drooled! Vil hesitantly climbed into bed, keeping a distance between them. Epel rolled, pressing against him. Vil took a deep breath, just focusing on falling asleep.

•

Epel woke up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. He was really hungry. He looked to Vil who slept like a log.

“Bill…”

No response.

“Bill, hungry…”

Still nothing. Epel climbed out of bed, seeing he had to get food on his own. He left Vil’s bedroom, trying to find his way to the kitchen. Students whispered to each other, wondering why he was walking around without pants. No one bothered to stop him.

Epel arrived in the kitchen, hungrier than ever. He looked around for something he could use to step on. A wobbly step stool sat in the corner, haven’t been taken to be repaired. He pulled it over, wanting to get onto the counter to open cabinets.

“Sweet heavens! Epel!”

Epel found himself being picked up while the step stool was kicked away. Epel smiler happily, seeing it was Rook. Now he didn’t have to be with the mean man anymore.

“He acts like taking care of a child for a week is going to kill him…!”

Epel watched as they marched back to Vil’s room. Rook placed him down before he forcibly woke Vil up. The two were arguing. Epel felt… bad. Vil didn’t do anything to get yelled at.

“No…!” Epel cried out, hugging Vil’s legs.

“Epel?”

“Bill not bad.” Epel said, hugging him tighter. “Bill sleepy.”

“Yes Epel, I know. And that’s exactly why I have to scold him.”

“No! Bill not bad. Epel bad…”

“Epel? What do you mean…?” Rook questioned.

“Epel not finish dinner… so very hungry now. Bill warn me. I suffer con… conqi… conken… consensus!”

Ah… cute. Epel was defending Vil. And Rook knew just as well as the next person Vil was not Epel’s favorite. Which meant there was some truth behind it.

“Alright, but still, he should’ve kept a better eye on you. You could’ve gotten hurt on that step stool…”

“Step stool? You didn’t send that out for repairs!? Rook, what have you been doing? That was the first thing on the list!” Vil shouted angrily. “If anything, it’s your fault!”

“Ah…”

Rook quickly fled the room. Vil rubbed his temples before feeling something hit his leg.

“Thanks for defending me…” Vil said, sitting down on the bed.

Epel climbed onto it, receiving help.

“Bill not bad. Not kind either…” Epel muttered, lying his head on his lap. “Hungry…”

Epel felt Vil touch him, causing him to twist and turn out of it.

“Right. Can’t touch you…” Vil muttered, having Epel follow him.

Vil looked, feeling Epel putting his hand in his. He assumed hand holding was okay. He truly didn’t expect Epel to defend him. If anything, he expected him to team up with Rook before demanding Rook care for him. A small smile formed on his lips.

•

Vil sat in the shade as Epel ran around near the alchemy building. It was definitely difficult trying to get work done while trying to make sure Epel didn’t get himself killed. Epel looked, seeing Vil buried deep in work that had been piling up. He looked out at the open space then back at Vil.

Vil exhaled, finishing half of his work. He didn’t expect to not see Epel. He was in for it now.

“Epel? Epel? Where are you?” Vil called out, unaware of the child dozing off behind him.

Vil started searching around, not wanting to bear the burden of killing a student.

“Epel!?”

Epel jolted awake, seeing Vil left him. But his things were still here. Epel looked around, a bit frightened.

“Bill?”

Epel’s eyes started to water as he frantically looked around.

“Bill!?”

No response. Epel burst into tears, deathly afraid of being alone.

“Epel!?”

Epel quieted some, hearing his name. He got to his feet, heading towards it.

“Bill!”

“Ep- What the…?”

Epel wailed, hugging Vil’s legs. Vil picked him up, holding him tight. He was worried. He wouldn’t know what he’d done if something bad had happened. Epel blubbered, allowing himself to be comforted. Both had finally calmed down, fully recognizing each other’s presence.

“Ah, you don’t like to be touched.” Vil muttered, moving to put Epel down.

“No…” Epel whined, making grabby hands. “Up pease…”

“You want me to hold you…?”

“Pease…”

Vil picked him up, Epel resting his head on his shoulder. Epel closed his eyes, clinging to Vil. He was… comfortable.

“Bill…”

“Yes?”

“Sweepy…” Epel mumbled, snuggling closer. “Really tired…”

“It’s not time to nap though…”

Epel groaned, already getting in a comfortable sleep position. Vil sighed, walking them back to his spot under a tree. He lied Epel beside him as he started the other half of his work.

•

Epel played alone while Vil tried out new makeup looks. As they usually did. Epel looked at Vil, holding toys.

“Play?” Epel asked, tapping him.

“Not right this moment. I’ve got to finish this new look…”

Epel watched.

“I want that.”

“Huh?”

Epel pointed to his face.

“Really? I thought you weren’t into beauty stuff.” Vil chuckled, knowing he had to get a picture afterwards. “Well, I’ll let you try if you promise to stay still. Then we can play with your toys.”

“Pawmiss.”

Vil didn’t go too heavy on Epel’s face, giving him a few basics.

“So, do you like it?” Vil asked, holding out a mirror.

“I like it!” Epel clapped in delight.

Vil helped Epel down before being handed toys. Epel instructed him on what to do, most of his speech incoherent. He definitely felt ridiculous doing stuff like this, but it made Epel happy. That’s all that really mattered.

Epel liked Vil. He was a nice man. He wanted to be like him. Epel scooted closer to Vil snuggling close to him. Vil hesitated before stroking his hair. Epel was really allowing him to touch him now. The two continued to play, comfortable with each other’s presence.


	131. Diasomnia: To watch you do great things

Malleus looked on feeling proud. Ball night had started without any problems. Everything was perfect. It was supposed to mainly be a Diasomnia student only event, but a few had wormed their way in.

“It’s amazing Malleus. Your hard work is showing brightly.” said Lilia, gesturing to the spruced up lounge.

“You all helped, so you should be praising yourselves too.” said Malleus, giving Lilia a smile.

“Malleus sama! There you are!” a loud voice called out.

“Sebek, how many times must we tell you about volume control?” Lilia complained.

“Ah, my apologies…” he muttered, shrinking back. “Is everything okay? Nothing hurt him?”

“Of course not. You look really good in that dress kufufu…” Lilia chuckled, sending a little wind magic to lift up his dress.

Sebek frantically moved to keep it down, his cheeks gaining color. Malleus noticed someone else approaching them from afar.

“Silver. That color really suits you.” said Malleus, taking in Silver’s blue dress.

“To think my class would end up on the dresses side… It’s really not fair.” Silver complained, thankful that they could at least wear comfortable shoes off the dance floor.

“The classes were selected fairly. Each year has a section wearing a dress. Everyone else seems to be having fun you know.” said Lilia, gesturing to the Diasomnians and the few students who snuck in.

“Oh? Is that Cater? Isn’t he just adorable in that bright red dress?” Malleus commented, seeing Cater flit around, taking pictures.

“Ah, have you two chosen partners yet for the pair dance? Everyone has to dance you know.”

“Do I have to, father…” Silver groaned, not wanting to wear the shoes.

Silver sighed, having earned a look from Lilia from his complaint. That meant yes. They looked, seeing Malleus had wandered off. They split up in search of him.

Malleus hummed to himself, walking down the quiet halls. He still had some time before the pair dance started. He heard quick footsteps behind him. He wasn’t given much time to react as a person was tackling him and keeping him pinned down.

“Was this necessary, Silver…” Malleus asked flatly.

“You keep wandering off. We’re going to have to put a bell on you.” Silver replied, slapping a leash on him.

“This is seriously overkill. I’m not some lost child!” Malleus fussed.

“Yeah, and I’m a descendant of the sleeping princess.” Silver scoffed.

They could hear the music shifting. It was time for the pair dance. Neither had a partner.

“Do you want to be… partners?” Silver asked, dreading wearing the heels.

“You know it’s required.”

Silver sighed, them arriving back in the lounge. He found his heels, begrudgingly putting them on. Malleus made the leash disappear as they stepped out onto the dance floor. Everyone parted, giving Malleus and his partner room. Lilia and Sebek had come back just in time to see Malleus and Silver positioning themselves to waltz.

“No! That was supposed to be me!” Sebek wailed, his neon green and black frilled dress moving with him as he stamped his feet.

Silver held the corner of his dress, easily keeping up with Malleus as they glided across the floor. Everyone was captivated. How could they do it so effortlessly, especially when Silver was in heels?

“You’ve improved. Has Lilia been teaching you?” Malleus commented, looking down at him.

“I suppose. I more or less practice on my own though.”

“In heels?”

“…Yes. You never know when the day will come and well, look at me now.”

Sebek fumed, discreetly taking out his magipen and casting a spell, turning Silver’s blue dress pink. He had to freak out at wearing such an unsightly color and Malleus would be too distracted by its brightness to continue dancing with him. They carried on as if nothing happened, everyone’s eyes on them even more. Lilia noticed the color change, using magic to turn it back to blue.

“Is it inconvenient dancing with someone way shorter than you?” Silver questioned, fixing his hand’s grip on his dress.

“It can be, especially if they don’t know what they’re doing.” Malleus responded, Silver’s dress changing from blue to pink and so on. “Hm, have you noticed it?”

“I have, but we’re supposed to be dancing, not paying any mind to what’s going on with my outfit.” Silver spoke, also taking note that the others were more focused on them than dancing.

Malleus smiled softly, impressed with Silver. He was going to be a great magician for sure with this kind of attitude.

“I can’t wait to watch you do great things.” Malleus whispered, having leaned close to Silver’s ear.

That action enraged Sebek more. He used magic again, shortening Silver’s dress to the point if he made a false move, everyone would be flashed along with making it pink again. Lilia gasped, quickly changing it back to long and blue.

“This is getting out of hand…” Silver grumbled, not liking the fact he could feel air.

Malleus held Silver close before casting a spell on him and changing his outfit back. Sebek noticed he couldn’t change Silver’s outfit anymore. Did they know all along?

“How courteous of you.”

“I’d simply like to finish this dance with no accidents.”

Silver gave him a smirk, separating from him and curtsying while Malleus bowed. Everyone erupted into cheers and hollers. Lilia wiped his eyes, his paternal side feeling overwhelmed. Sebek couldn’t deny how focused they were despite everything going on around them. They were simply that impressive.


	132. Vil: You’re destroying my life!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing Text message image

Vil pampered himself, looking into the mirror with a smile. He was definitely the most beautiful in all of Twisted Wonderland. Everyone was talking about him whether on Magicam, Magiter, Magipage, Magilr, everywhere. No one could rival his looks.

Vil opened Magicam, taking in everything. He paused, scrolling back up. There was a male on his feed that’s he’s never seen before.

“Merielle posted this… person.” Vil muttered, staring at the photographed male. “Why is he beautiful!?”

The objects on Vil’s table jumped, shook and moved as he slammed his fist against it. There was no way there was someone just as beautiful as him. His face has to be covered in makeup. There was no way. He needed to get to the bottom of this.

Vil calmed himself, seeing what time it was. He sent a message before heading to class. No one knew him. He didn’t matter. He was on top of the world. Vil Schoenheit was definitely the most beautiful.

•

Rielle checked his phone, seeing the Vil Schoenheit had DMed him. He got excited, slapping Eosin’s arm. Mei looked as well.

“Vil messaged me! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god-” Rielle said, his mouth being covered by Eosin.

Mei took Rielle’s phone, checking the message.

“Oh, he’s asking if you know about Eosin.” said Mei, the duo looking at him.

“Me? Why me?” Eosin questioned, tilting his head.

“Remember when I posted your side profile? It must be because of that. OMG! What if he wants to scout you into the modeling world!?”

“M- Modeling!?” Eosin exclaimed, promptly running away.

“You scared him… You know he doesn’t like boasting about his looks…” Mei muttered, watching Eosin run upstairs.

“I didn’t mean to…”

•  
Vil tapped his foot, wondering when he’d get here. He still couldn’t believe it. This man was beautiful. Too beautiful. He should be the only top beauty around. He started looking on Magicam. More people were starting to talk about him. People were starting to discover him. “He’s so beautiful!”, “I’ve never seen someone so beautiful!”, “His beauty rivals Vil Schoenheit!”. No! No one could rival him. Clearly the photos were touched up.

“I see him! Vil Schoenheit! We’re here!” a cheery voice said.

Vil looked, seeing Merielle walking with that man. That godforsaken man that was captivating people. That’s his thing! All eyes should be on him! He was a nobody. He hasn’t worked hard like him.

“I didn’t think you’d be coming along.” Vil commented, looking at Rielle.

“Oh, he wanted me to come along.” said Rielle, giving Eosin a push forward.

“You wanted to talk…?” Eosin mumbled, hiding behind his hair.

He couldn’t believe it. His beauty in the photo was the same in person. Vil was upset. Eosin yelped in fright as Vil had suddenly grabbed him by his chin and started to rub at his face with a tissue.

“H- Hey! Stop that!” Rielle yelled, pulling Eosin away from Vil.

Vil’s eyes widened and his pupils dilated. The tissue was clean. No. That couldn’t be possible. There couldn’t be another natural born beauty like him. There couldn’t be!

“You! What’s your name?” Vil demanded, pointing at Eosin.

“Eosin… Schnee…” he whispered, hiding behind Rielle.

“What skin care brands do you use? What’s your daily routine? Tell me!” Vil yelled, pushing Rielle aside.

“Skin care brands? I don’t really use anything fancy… My routine is fairly simple too…” Eosin responded, tucking his hair behind his ear.

“Lies. You’ve got to be using something I have never heard of.”

Eosin wrote down his routine and things he used. Vil was appalled. You could hardly call it a routine. Rielle had lost all the respect he had for Vil. This was ridiculous.

“Had I known you were this nasty in person, I wouldn’t have let Eosin come here to meet you! Let’s go, Eosin.” Rielle said, dragging him away.

Vil wasn’t paying them any mind. It was impossible. These simple things couldn’t possibly make someone as beautiful as he. That Eosin was messing with him. Vil took out his phone, walking back to Pomefiore as his stalked him in social media. There had to be something he was doing that he wasn’t telling him.

A bit of blot slowly crawled across Vil’s magicrystal.

•

Rook looked at Vil who was completely absorbed in his phone. Was he becoming Cater? He tapped Vil who looked at him, his eye twitching slightly.

“Everything okay…?”

“Yes. Keep doing what I asked. You’re a hunter aren’t you?” Vil snapped, his eye twitching again.

Eosin this, Eosin that. What about him? The hard working beauty of Pomefiore? What was so good about Eosin? He didn’t get it. Truly, he didn’t. If it was any consolation, his modeling gigs haven’t changed. They still wanted him. They needed him. Rook glanced at Vil who wore a scarier look than usual. Did something happen while he wasn’t around?

•

Epel and Rook watched as Vil bumped into people and things, extremely focused on his phone. This was starting to get out of hand. They gave each other a nod, putting their plan into motion. Epel snatched Vil’s phone while Rook held him steady.

“Let go!” Vil shrieked, struggling in Rook’s hold.

Epel took a photo before tucking Vil’s phone in a safe place. They pulled Vil into a nearby empty room, needing to get him to calm down. The moment Rook loosened, Vil was freeing himself and knocking them back with wind magic.

“Give it back!” Vil demanded, stomping over to Epel. “I have to study everything!”

“Why are you so obsessed with this Eosin guy? Is it because he’s beautiful?” Rook asked, earning a kick to his face.

“DON’T SAY THAT WORD WITH HIS NAME IN THE SAME SENTENCE!” Vil screamed, frisking Epel after tying his hands up. “Found it.”

Vil quietly left the room, Rook holding his pained nose.

“I’ve never seen Vil like this…” Rook mumbled, his nose bleeding a little.

“Maybe we should see what this Eosin guy is about. You’ve been stalking him for Vil, right?” Epel asked, wanting to get to the bottom of things.

“Yes. He goes to Royal Sword fortunately and unfortunately. I’ve held on that detail in fear that Vil would explode. Like now.” Rook responded, freeing Epel from his restraints. “Let us make haste.”

•

Eosin happily talked with Jamie before noticing two properly dressed people standing in their path. They didn’t look like they were from Royal Sword. Were they trying to scout him into the modeling world too? He didn’t want it. Eosin hasn’t known peace ever since that photo Rielle posted of him online.

“It’s okay. I’ll protect you, senpai.” Jamie said, wrapping an arm around Eosin.

The two approached them, Jamie holding Eosin tighter.

“You’re the rising star Eosin Schnee, are you not?” the blonde asked.

“I didn’t ask for this! I don’t want to be a model for anything just leave me alone!” Eosin shouted, hiding behind Jamie.

“Oh no! We aren’t here for that. We just have a few questions…” the light purple haired boy stated, hoping he’d come out of hiding.

“Questions? Like what?” Jamie pressed.

“Well, our friend has become obsessed with him lately. I know, a lot of people have but does Vil Schoenheit ring a bell?” the blonde questioned.

“You’re friends with that villain? Now we’re definitely not talking.” Jamie grumbled.

“Wait, we just want to know if you ever met up with him. And if so, what happened?” the light purple haired boy pleaded.

Eosin told them their interaction and how violated and belittled he felt by Vil. He used to like Vil up until that point.

“So he’s panicking is all…”

“Yeah. I know this is asking a lot considering what happened before, but we would be ever so grateful if you could come and tell Vil personally that you have no intentions of overthrowing him in terms of beauty? He’s been going psycho…”

“Is that how you ended up with a bloody nose?” Jamie asked, noticing blood remnants.

“Yeah…”

•

Vil walked to the Pomefiore lounge, hearing Rook and Epel had some news for him. It better be good news or else he’d punish them. He stepped into the lounge, seeing a person he’s never seen before.

“What’s this giant furball doing in our lounge? Never mind that, what’s the news? I am a very busy person.” Vil asked, his nose half buried in his phone.

Eosin stepped out from behind Jamie. Vil dropped his phone. Why was he here? To torment him more? To rub in how he can be so beautiful without using a shit ton of products?

“I-”

“What are you doing here? Do you really want to show off that badly how everyone is talking about you? That people from all places want you? Movies, modeling, TV shows, you fucking name it!” Vil yelled, causing Eosin to take a step back. “It’s all about you now! My followers have dropped significantly! Three million! only three million remain and it’ll probably continue to drop! You’re making me into a has been! All my gigs lined up, gone! You’re destroying my life!”

Vil took out his magipen, sending the others but Eosin flying and being pinned to the wall by restraints. Eosin took out his magipen, just barely putting up a barrier in time as Vil attacked him.

“You’re wrong! I didn’t ask for any of this! I don’t like this fame! I thought it’d just be a harmless photo!” Eosin responded, trying to explain.

“You can say anything at this point. I won’t believe you! Everything I’ve worked hard for… gone!” Vil raged, destroying Eosin’s barrier with a tendrils spell before having them snatch him up. “And it’s all because of your fucking existence!”

“Vil, stop! You’re going to overblot!” Rook shouted, seeing the blot creeping up Vil’s legs.

“Vil, I swear I had no intention of hurting you! Blame the others, not me!” Eosin weeped, trying to free himself.

Vil snatched his magipen, putting it in his breast pocket.

“Stop acting innocent. That’s what I hate about people like you. Acting like you’re the victim and you have no control over what happens. You have plenty control! Stop playing victim and own your mistakes!”

Everyone looked as Vil was consumed by blot, a heavy surge of dark energy shooting out and destroying the lounge entirely. Rook, Epel and Jamie were freed, quickly making their way to Eosin.

“Stay back!” Eosin shouted, watching a tendril shoot towards them, crackling with electricity.

They stopped just in rome, the tendril unable to reach them. Rook and Jamie tried freeing Eosin to no avail.

“If you can get my magipen, I might be able to free myself.”

“Oh? Then I’ll make sure you never do!” Vil shouted, his dark spirit attacking them.

Eosin panicked, the tendrils rising higher in the air. Vil held his face by his chin.

“I should get rid of this first.” Vil muttered, the tendrils squeezing Eosin tighter.

A tendril wrapped around Eosin’s neck, strangling him. Vil looked, feeling magic being casted at him. Rook, Epel and Jamie were desperately trying to get his attention. The tendril loosened some, giving Eosin a chance to breathe.

“I won’t be able to kill him in peace if you three are still here. Hah!” Vil spoke, sending fire, earth and water magic towards them at once.

Rook and Jamie combined shields, but it wasn’t enough. They sustained damaged.

“How strong is he…” Epel wheezed, his arm bleeding.

“Epel, go get help! To put it bluntly, you’re slightly useless right now, not knowing a lot of spells.” said Rook, protecting Epel as he ran. “Vil, you’re being ridiculous right now! Would you just listen to Eosin!?”

Epel ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He texted everyone he knew, glancing back at their dorm falling apart.

“Hold on everyone… I’ll get a lot of help!” Epel thought, praying for their safety.

He skidded to a stop, seeing Cater and Jack stepping through the mirror. Did they get his message and come as fast as possible?

“Cater, Jack! There’s trouble! Vil-”

“Woah… why is Pomefiore so gloomy…” Jack muttered

“And the dorm is falling apart!?” Cater shouted, watching part of the roof caving in.

“Vil overblotted! He’s going to kill a student of Royal Sword if we don’t stop him!” Epel cried out, his arm starting to bleed again. “I sent messages to everyone I could. Please, Rook and this guy named Jamie are fighting him all alone!”

Epel hurried back with Cater and Jack in tow. He didn’t know how much longer they would last so he didn’t want to wait for others. They stepped into the building, Rook and Jamie looking extremely weak.

“Vil!” Jack shouted, gaining everyone’s attention.

“Jack. How wonderful of you to join us. And Cater too?” Vil said, floating down towards them. Vil felt something hit him. Rook was pointing his magipen at him. “You can still move, you useless vice?”

“Don’t hurt them…”

“I’ll put you out of your misery.”

Cater quickly used his magipen, protecting Rook and Jamie.

“Vil, I always admired you and that beauty of yours, but now? I hate to say this, but you’re pretty ugly right now.” Cater concluded, knowing he just infuriated Vil more.

“Ugly!? How dare you!”

They ran, taking Vil with them. More of the building continued to fall apart around them as Vil’s dark spirit swung at them.

“So, what’s the plan? We can’t keep running forever!” Epel fretted, constantly looking back at Vil.

Jack and Cater stopped, causing Vil to do so as well and attack them. Cater deflected his attack, seeing Jack wanted to try reason.

“Vil, we know beauty means everything to you. I would know! We grew up together. Sort of. All of this started because of one little photo that someone posted of their friend. I’m positive he wasn’t trying to ruin your life! Listen to what he has to say, Vil!” Jack yelled, seeing the blot was consuming Vil more. “If you don’t… you’ll die…”

“Learn the truth, Vil!” Cater added on, his defenses close to shattering.

“What would you all know!? You didn’t have to grow up meeting people’s expectations and looked down upon if you didn’t! You didn’t have to grow up with overly strict parents who wanted to use your beauty to better their disgusting lives! You don’t know my pain!” Vil shrieked, destroying Cater’s defenses and sending them flying into a wall. “Don’t act like you know me! None of you know me!”

“I kinda do…” a small voice said.

Vil looked down, seeing the one he detested the most. What would he know? He probably had a good life. How did he even get free without his magipen?

“I know what it’s like being used for your beauty… My family, friends… They all wanted me to do this and do that and it was tiring. So I ran from home…” Eosin told, now looking up at Vil. “I’m glad I ran away. I can be me. I don’t have to suffocate. I never liked boasting or even talking about my looks, and I still don’t. So when you got upset with me, saying I was trying to ruin everything you’ve worked hard for, I felt you, your pain. You weren’t given a choice, but I was.”

“Shut up! You’re just talking for the sake of it.” Vil growled.

Eosin pursed his lips, muttering to himself before seven little elves appeared around him. Eosin was soon covered in a seven colored barrier, easily deflecting Vil’s attacks.

“Vil, I don’t want your life! I didn’t want to ruin it either! I don’t want all this attention that I’m getting!” Eosin shouted. “So stop this before you die!”

“As if I’d listen to you!”

Jamie and Rook has arrived on the scene, limping their way over. Jamie’s eyes widened.

“Eosin, don’t!”

Vil flailed around, trying to get Eosin off of him. Vil slowly stopped struggling, his body weak. However, that didn’t stop Vil’s spirit from continuing to go rouge. It often hit Eosin who held Vil in his arms.

“Vil, it’s okay. It’s okay…” Eosin muttered, feeling Vil shaking in his arms. “Come back… Your friends miss you…”

The rampaging spirit slowly disappeared and the blot covering Vil disappeared as well. Everyone ran over, looking over the battered and worn out boys.

“You can get your status back. You’re Vil Schoenheit… I’m a nobody…” Eosin whispered, feeling Vil squeezing him. “Don’t sink so low…”

“Be quiet…” Vil fussed, keeping his face hidden. “Go back to the vegetable farm where you belong.”

Rook and Epel tried pulling Vil away from Eosin, but he wouldn’t budge. Eosin wouldn’t move either, mostly because he knew why. Vil didn’t want them to see him crying.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to flaunt your beauty… do it for yourself…” Vil muttered, low enough for Eosin to hear.

“Will you teach me?”

“Only if you’re willing to work hard.”

The others exchanged looks, wondering what was going on between the two. They had finally let each other go, but Vil continued to keep his face hidden from sight.


	133. Dorm Leaders: Movie Go Bang!

Kalim had everything set up just in time as the others entered his room.

“You’re here! Sit anywhere! Jamil should be bringing food.” said Kalim, popping in a movie.

“Your room is… decent.” Vil muttered.

“Move, I want the bed.” Leona growled, pushing Idia and Azul off.

“Rude! We can share it!” Azul fussed, moving Leona over and pulling Idia back up.

“No, I need space.”

Kalim shouted for them to shut up. They shut up, surprised that Kalim shouted. The movie started to play.

“Stop kicking me.”

“No.”

“That’s hurts…”

Riddle looked back, seeing Azul and Leona throwing down with each other. He got up, trying to separate the two while Idia simply cowered. Kalim and Vil were very much into the movie, somehow blocking out the grunts coming from behind them.

Vil talked to Kalim about the movie, Azul and Leona having been successfully separated. Riddle sat in between them, not wanting another fight to break out.

The movie was reaching it’s climax when Leona purposefully kicked Azul in the rear. Azul glared at him before going back to watching. He kicked Riddle who didn’t turn around but was clearly peeved.

“Oi, I can’t see the screen. You’re in my way.” Leona complained.

“Then sit up you lazy lion.”

“Ha? Wanna run that by me again?”

“Enough!” Kalim barked.

They were silent again.

“Always getting people in trouble…” Azul muttered under his breath.

“That’s it.” Leona growled, pulling on Azul clothes and starting a fight.

Riddle found himself and Idia being kicked off the bed as Azul and Leona tussled. Riddle jumped in, trying to break them up. Idia crawled back on, wanting to finish the movie.

The moment Kalim turned around, he paused the movie, glaring at them.

“Just one night! One night I ask!” Kalim shouted, causing them to look at him.

Jamil entered, placing down snacks.

“Hope you all have a good movie night… spending it constantly needing to take a shit.” Jamil said, his smile full of evil intent.

No one heard him as they argued, Idia being kicked off the bed yet again. Vil and Kalim joined in trying to pull Azul and Leona apart, Riddle getting kicked in the face by Azul.

“Oh. Well, I’ll see myself out then…” Jamil mumbled, leaving.


	134. Kingscholars: I wonder how stupid you can be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to give Farena’s wife a name and Nikita was the first name to pop into my mind.

“You know he won’t come if it’s an order from you. Let me send it.”

“But Nikita*…”

She gave him a look. He caved, allowing her to call Leona.

•

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come along?” they asked, holding Leona’s hand.

“Just be available to call and text. I’ll most likely need it.” Leona responded, kissing their forehead.

“Doing that only makes me want to go more.” they pouted.

“See you.”

They quietly sighed, walking away from the mirror.

•

Leona mentally prepared himself before entering through the doors. He plugged his ears, hearing a shrill voice heading in his direction. Cheka. He sidestepped, the child falling on his face. Cheka wasn’t deterred, simply clinging to his tail as he made his way upstairs.

He opened the door, seeing Farena and Nikita. He couldn’t defy an order from her. Now what she wanted him to come home for, he didn’t know. She said she’d tell him when he arrived. Cheka popped out from behind him, waving to his parents.

“It’s always nice to see you, Leona.” Nikita chirped, giving him a sweet smile. “Now, I’ll tell you what I want from the both of you.”

“Huh? Me too!?” Farena questioned, his eyes widening.

“Yes, you too. I want you two to spend time together. Just the two of you, so I’ll be watching Cheka.” Nikita explained, crossing her arms. “I’m tired of seeing you two distancing yourselves from each other. You don’t have to like each other, but I want you to like each other.”

“Nikita…!” they said in unison.

“No ifs, ands, or buts. I’m sending you both to go work with a cousin of mine.”

“Work…? Like, physical labor?” Leona asked, already not thrilled with the idea.

Nikita raised an eyebrow, silencing Leona. She gave them a piece of paper before sending them on their way. Cheka wanted to go, but his mother insisted on keeping him home.

•

Leona held his nose, the smell in the air simply appalling. Farena looked around, wondering where the so called cousin was. They both yelped, feeling something tug on their tails.

“Well aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes! Niki told me y'all was coming!” said a cheery voice, already annoying Leona.

“Hi. I’m guessing you’re Niki’s cousin?” Farena questioned, extending his hand.

“Aren’t I blessed to have THE King of Afterglow right here on my lil’ farm! Not to mention his lazy brother!” they said before gasping. “Goodness, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Shelly Zumwea.”

“Nice to meet you, Shelly. You already know us since Niki keeps in touch with you. So, I’m assuming you have something for us to do?” Farena asked, looking around.

“Yep! You two will be working together to complete tasks. Hope you’ve got a great bond!”

Leona scowled, looking away from Farena who quietly sighed. Shelly now understood why Nikita sent them here.

“Alright, your first task. Collecting eggs. I don’t want to hear even one egg broke.” said Shelly, placing her hands on her hips. “There’ll be hell if there is. And the chickens are pretty feisty.”

She showed them the way to the chickens, leaving them to collect the eggs. Farena checked inside, seeing the chickens resting or moving around slightly. Farena looked at Leona who was already slacking off. Asking him would just start problems.

Farena reached in, only to have his fingers pecked. He gently massaged them, seeing she wasn’t joking about them being feisty. He needed to coax them out so he could grab the eggs. And he had to do it carefully as she didn’t want any broken ones.

Leona watched Farena. He wasn’t even going to try and ask him for help? Just how uppity and dissociated was he? Now he definitely wasn’t going to help him. Time was being wasted the longer they refused to help each other. Shelly was watching from afar. It was clearly obvious now that they seriously needed help connecting.

Farena sighed, seeing it was impossible to do alone. He glanced back at Leona who looked off in another direction. He didn’t have much to lose at this point. Farena walked over to Leona who didn’t bother to look at him.

“Would you mind helping me? We won’t get anywhere like this.”

“Now you want to ask for help? You really didn’t want my help that bad that you were willing to try everything yourself before asking me?” Leona spat, turning further away from him. “So supercilious…”

“See, I knew asking you would just turn into a problem. That’s how all our conversations end up as or as pointless arguments!” Farena growled, walking away from him.

“Oh boy…” Shelly whispered, seeing they needed more help than she realized. She used a bit of magic, letting the gate open so a chicken could escape. “Let’s see how they deal with this…”

Farena noticed one of the chickens had come out. Would the others come out on their own? Farena was too focused on the ones inside that he ignored the chicken leaving through the gate. Leona noticed it, going after it.

Farena looked back, seeing Leona had left. Of course he did. He never wanted to do anything yet had the audacity to complain about him being selected as the future king. His ears perked up, hearing sounds coming from nearby. He hurried over, seeing his brother being attacked by the chicken that had left.

“Hey, don’t hurt him!” Farena fussed, getting pecked at himself before capturing it. He looked Leona over, seeing marks on his arms. “Does it hurt…?”

“Don’t act like you care…” Leona grumbled despite being touched by the action.

Farena sighed, seeing Leona wasn’t going to even try. He walked back with the chicken, still needing to find a way to get them out.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

Leona shifted slightly before pursing his lips.

“I’ll help.”

“Really? That would be very useful in this sticky situation.”

Shelly watched as the brothers came up with an idea, Farena leading the chickens out while Leona quickly and carefully pulled out the eggs.

“This is the first step into a better bond.” Shelly mumbled, smiling in delight.

•

Shelly had left them with the task of feeding and brushing the animals. Farena grabbed a brush, ready to start brushing.

“You’re going to brush them first?”

“Yeah?”

Leona didn’t say anything else. Farena quickly opened and closed the gate, getting ready to brush one of the horses. The horse started to move around, recognizing Farena as a stranger.

“Hey, calm down. I’m not gonna hurt you…”

The horse wouldn’t settle. Leona found his body moving on its own, pulling Farena out of the way of the horse’s kicks.

“Sometimes I wonder how stupid you can be.” Leona sneered, letting Farena go. “Give me that.”

Farena watched as Leona fed another horse before going in to brush. The horse wasn’t acting out. How did he do that?

“They’ll be too focused on eating to notice there’s a stranger touching them. But that doesn’t mean you can lallygag.” Leona said before glancing at Farena. “To think the king of Afterglow didn’t know something as simple as this.”

Farena looked back at the horse that had calmed down some. He did as Leona did and saw results. Leona did have some good ideas. Why didn’t their parents listen to him then?

“Thanks, Leo.” Farena said happily.

Leona moved onto the next animal, a small smile on his face.

“You’re welcome.”

•

Shelly could see they were getting along better. Not quite at the place she wanted, but it was much better than when they had arrived. Niki was going to be so proud. She rang a bell, shouting for them to come over.

“You two have been working hard all day. And I say that calls for a nice cool drink and a hot meal. Come on.” she said cheerily, leading them inside.

They sat at the table, having plates placed in front of them. Farena noticed there were vegetables on Leona’s plate, so he reached over to take them. Leona watched before stopping him.

“I thought you didn’t like veggies?”

“I don’t but… I’m getting used to them.” Leona responded, taking some back.

“Hm? Why now all of a sudden?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Could it be… you want to impress someone?” Farena teased, earning a little jump from Leona. “Ooo. Who’s the lucky person? Have I met them?”

“S- Stop being nosy!” Leona growled, his face flushed.

“Aw, you’re so cute!”

“Stop it!”

“Come on, tell me. Is it someone at Night Raven?”

Another little jump. He was on the right track.

“So I am right! Let’s see, who could it be… Is it Ruggie? No, I never took Ruggie as the into guys type… Oh! You’ve mentioned someone before and we met once. What was his name…” Farena said, playing detective.

“I didn’t mention anyone. Stop trying to figure things out.”

“Ah! Rook. It’s Rook isn’t it?” Farena declared, watching Leona jump back in fright. “I knew it! He was giving you a pretty flirty look when I first met him! He’s really cute, Leo.”

“You’re imagining things. I’m not interested in anyone. I’m a loner.” Leona muttered, his ears turning even more red.

“Right.” Farena chuckled, ruffling Leona’s hair.

•

Cheka looked up from their game, seeing his father and uncle had come back. Nikita looked at them as Cheka hugged them tight.

“So, how was it?” she asked, having already heard from Shelly.

“Stressful.” they said in unison before exchanging smiles.

“He’s not so bad.” Leona sighed, nudging Farena’s side discreetly.

“And he’s got some pretty great ideas.” Farena said, doing the same.

Nikita smiled, her tail waving in delight. She knew sending them to Shelly would bring them a little closer together. This was how family should be.


	135. NSFW Azelle: Sensitive

Rielle shifted his weight as he stood beside Azul as he talked to a few people. How should he approach the idea? Or maybe he just shows rather than tells? Azul glanced at Rielle who looked at the ground. Was he feeling bored?

“Ah, I forgot I had something to do. We’ll talk later.” said Azul, taking Rielle with him.

Now was his chance. Bring it up! He couldn’t. He was extremely nervous. Azul would be his first. He looked up at Azul before looking away. Was Azul experienced? Rielle softly sighed, gathering some courage.

“Hey, Azul…”

“What’s up, angelfish?” Azul asked, seeing they were nearing the hall of mirrors.

“Have you… had sex before…?” he questioned, looking up at Azul with his innocent eyes.

“Yeah. Have you?”

Arielle’s eyes widened. He was so comfortable talking about it. If that was the case, he should get comfortable too.

“No, but I want to. But I don’t want my first to be with some rando in like a bathroom. At least someplace clean and with someone I know.” Rielle expressed, a smile on his face. “Preferably someone I felt attracted to though.”

Rielle fake gasped, pretending he had just let something slip.

“I mean, um… I don’t know how to recover from that…”

Azul didn’t say anything, making Rielle a little uneasy. Did he hurt him? Well, there went his chances of having sex with Azul today. He could try again maybe… next month? Rielle noticed Azul was leading him back to his room. That’s where his things were. Oh no. He was sending him back to Royal Sword. Forget next month, more like three.

Rielle sighed, closing Azul’s door. He started to gather his things before feeling himself being hugged from behind. He kept quiet, feeling Azul’s hand moving down his torso, placing itself on his hip.

“You did mean me, didn’t you…?” Azul asked, placing a kiss on his neck.

“Ye- Ah!” Rielle squeaked out, feeling Azul grind against him while palming his crotch. “I want my first to be with you…”

“To think the prince wants to be fucked by a lowly octopus… How interesting…” Azul whispered, feeling Rielle’s bulge growing. “Does it feel that good?”

“Yes… teach me more…” Rielle groaned, subconsciously moving his hips with Azul’s hand.

Azul led him over to the bed, letting Rielle watch him strip. Rielle was extremely turned on, his erection pushing against his pants. Azul slowly undressed Rielle, chuckling at his blushing face. Azul crawled into bed having Rielle come over.

Rielle listened as Azul instructed him on a proper blowjob. Rielle was hardly listening, cutting Azul off midway, going down on him. Azul softly moaned, despite Rielle’s performance being somewhat sloppy. He guided Rielle along, having him learn this way.

“Rielle, I… I’ve always wanted you to blow me…” Azul admitted, looking into those purple eyes. “Aahh…”

Rielle moaned against his shaft, giving his response. Azul had Rielle go faster, needing to feel him more. Rielle has finally gotten the hang of it, Azul clearly feeling the difference as his moaning had become louder.

Rielle sighed in bliss, feeling Azul twitching in his mouth. He was loving every moment of this. He felt Azul grip his hair just as he felt cum entering his mouth. Azul had let him go, allowing him to pull off. Rielle swallowed, wanting another mouthful. He curiously teased Azul’s nipples, watching him squirm in pleasure.

“They’re… they’re very… sensitive…” Azul moaned, feeling his erection growing again.

“Hm… What about if I do… this?” Rielle questioned, sticking a few fingers in Azul’s hole and watching him squirm around. “What a reaction…”

Azul looked up at him with soft eyes, begging to be fucked. Rielle tilted his head, not completely understanding. Azul tried reaching for Rielle’s dick, wanting him to put in. Azul whispered his wants, causing Rielle to start panicking a bit. Azul let out a snort, watching Rielle reach for his phone and start looking up what to do.

Azul took his phone, placed it off to the side and started to sit down on him. Rielle gasped in pleasure with Azul, feeling Azul put his arms around himself. What Azul was doing was giving him such immense pleasure and he was enjoying it too. Azul kissed him, the both of them moaning into the kiss. Rielle reached down, squeezing Azul’s ass as he continued to move.

“Fuck…” Azul whispered, trying to get Rielle in as deep as he could. “Rie… mmm…”

Azul sped up, sending Rielle over the edge. Azul kept himself sitting on Rielle a bit longer before moving off. He gave him a few strokes, letting the rest of his orgasm out. Rielle was breathing heavily, simply amazed at what just happened. If this was what sex was like, he wouldn’t mind doing it every day.

“Can we do it again?” Rielle asked, his chest still heaving.

“After some rest, I don’t see why not.” Azul replied, hiding his throbbing erection.

Rielle noticed he was sitting strangely. Azul found his legs being forced open. He was still hard and throbbing. Rielle took it upon himself to please him, causing him to come a second time and all over his face. Azul apologized, handing him a napkin that he had gotten from nearby.


	136. Azelle: Can I call you Azie?

Rielle blinked, his cheeks gaining color. Azul was looking at him. Oh Poseidon, Azul was looking at him with such a look he felt he was going to pass out. What was he to say? It was then he remembered the situation. Azul had overblotted. Everything came crashing down, his light mood ruined.

“What are you doing here…”

“I heard about you, well, saw a picture of you on Magicam! You overblotted… I couldn’t think straight and I… I just came here… I was worried sick…” Rielle responded, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I thought I was going to lose you… I… I’m so sorry… this wouldn’t have happened if I had done my job as a prince… I have no right to call myself that…”

Azul looked to Jade who avoided his gaze. This wasn’t about him. He could still feel Azul’s gaze, so he opted to leaving the room, standing outside with the others.

“You can apologize all you want, but it won’t change anything.” Azul said, feeling a bit guilty.

Rielle wiped his cheeks, taking Azul’s hands.

“Go out with me. I promise on my title and birthright that I will make you the happy octopus under the sea.” Rielle said, squeezing his hands. “I want to make you happy… and I want to be with you… let me do this…”

Azul was taken aback some. Where was this coming from? He never showed any interest. Rielle sniffled, waiting for his answer.

“You’re crazy… You really think I’d say yes after that?” Azul stated, shaking his head. “I don’t want to see you.”

“But-”

“Go!”

Rielle quietly rose from his spot, leaving just as he had asked. They all watched Rielle walk down the hall in silence. The trio thanked Kalim before catching up with Rielle. They wanted to know what happened, but it was probably best not to press until he was ready.

•

They stood outside Rielle’s room, contemplating what to do.

“Should we ask now? It’s been a few hours.” Eosin asked, needing to hear their thoughts.

“Yeah. Let’s try it.”

The trio nodded, entering Rielle’s room. He was using his phone in silence. Eosin sat next to him, knowing he had that privilege better than the other two. Rielle was deleting photos of Azul and him and Azul.

“Hey, Rie. What’s going on?” Eosin asked, taking Rielle’s phone. “We want to listen to you…”

“Azul doesn’t want me. I knew this and yet… I still tried and I still asked him out…” Rielle mumbled, staring at his hands. “There was no way Azul would go out with me. I was one of his bullies, I go to Royal Sword and I’m a god forsaken prince at that… It was doomed from the start…”

“Don’t say that! You put yourself out there and that takes courage. He’s the jerk.” said Mei, sending a little fire heart towards Rielle.

Rielle held it in his hands. Fire heart. Rielle blinked, looking at his friends.

“He didn’t say no.”

“He didn’t…?” Jamie questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“No! He said and I quote, "You’re crazy… You really think I’d say yes after that?” and “I don’t want to see you.”, which means he’s not completely opposed to the idea!“ Rielle said, regaining some life.

"Rie, I’m pretty sure he-”

“I’ll keep trying! He’ll have to like me back and cave to my advances!” Rielle chuckled, restoring his deleted photos after taking his phone back.

“I’ve got a bad feeling…” Jamie muttered, earning a nod from Mei.

•

“Did you really mean it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jade.”

“Azul, we’ve known you for years. Why didn’t you give him a proper answer?” Jade questioned, helping Azul with some paperwork.

“Tell me, could you straight up say no to someone who came all the way from another school to check up on after you overblotted AND looked at you with such a loving and heartbroken look? Not to mention hearing how broken they were over it because they were part of the cause?” Azul asked back, looking at Jade.

“When you put it that way…”

“Exactly. I would’ve told him no had it not been for that.”

“But you like him, don’t you?”

“Absolutely not.” Azul declared, finishing the paperwork on his end. “I like him as a friend.”

“Really? Then why do you save all his pictures that he posts on Magicam?”

“You’re seeing things. It was one photo so I could use it for his contact.”

“You also bought more fried food than you usually eat, especially on the day Rielle came for a visit.”

“Coincidence.”

“And are you going to call coincidence to this?”

Azul watched as Jade played a video of them. They were hanging out in the city, doing friend things. Rielle had tripped on an air pocket and Azul had caught him. What came next was a kiss before quickly they parted, completely startled.

“You were watching us!?” Azul exclaimed, glaring at Jade.

“I just happened to be in the city~” Jade responded, giving Azul his signature smile.

“He initiated it.”

“Shall we watch it again?”

“No!”

“Confess Azul! You want him!”

“I do not!”

The door opened, revealing Floyd. He looked at the two of them who stared at him.

“Floyd, what are your thoughts on Azul’s actions and words towards Rielle?” Jade asked.

“He likes him.”

“See, I told you.”

“N- No I don’t!” Azul fumed, angrily leaving his seat and the room.

“Wow… He’s got it bad.” Floyd mumbled, taking the seat next to Jade. “Jade, let’s play now that Azul’s gone~”

•

Rielle finally typed out his message and pressed send. All he could do is wait.

“Hello~” a familiar voice called out.

“Lepus senpai! Hello!” said Rielle, quickly moving to give proper respect.

“No need for all of that. Using senpai is enough. So, how’s your crush going?” Lepus asked, taking a seat next to Rielle.

“Well, it was rocky at first but then things got better. We got to the stage in our friendship where I could start flirting. But then he overblotted and I rushed over to NRC to be by his side and foolishly asked him out, getting rejected promptly after.” Rielle summed up. “But now I’m trying to continue my advances because he technically didn’t say no.”

“Ooo. Is being a little bad rubbing off on you?” Lepus teased, his ears flopping in delight.

“Probably.” Rielle said without hesitation.

Probably? Should he be worried about him? The lure of being a little bad takes many RSA students within a year. Thankfully these past years haven’t been too bad.

“So, how are you going to attack him? Constantly asking everyday?”

“Nope. I’m going to act the same as I have been, just more distant.” Rielle replied, seeing Azul texted back. “He hasn’t noticed yet. I’ll have to keep at it.”

“Here’s to wishing you luck.” Lepus chuckled. He noticed a person was running towards them at incredible speed. “Someone is coming.”

“Get away from him, you naughty rabbit!”

“Oh, Eosin!”

Lepus leaned over, Eosin missing him and flying off behind them.

“Seems like I’m not wanted. I’ll see you around?” Lepus asked.

“Of course, senpai. Have a good day!”

Eosin wiped himself off, seeing Lepus left. He didn’t want that bad bunny anywhere near Rielle.

“So, you have an attack strategy?”

“Yep. Already implementing it.”

It was working. Azul was noticing the distance. Which meant he did want to be closer with him. This was a great finding. Azul invited him over. He refused. Azul was clearly hurt until he agreed, seeing his tone changed.

“Eosin. I just figured it out!” Rielle cheered, twirling around with his phone.

“And what is it?”

“Azul might like me!”

“Now you’re just spouting nonsense.”

Rielle showed him the conversation.

“Okay, maybe he might.” Eosin coughed, the conversation having changed things.

•

Rielle happily skipped onto Night Raven’s campus excited to see Azul. Azul claimed to have a surprise waiting for him and he wasn’t one to frown at surprises. As usual, Night Raven’s campus lacked color and life. How Azul could stand it here was beyond him, but maybe there was a lure about it.

Rielle made sure to wear his custom made Night Raven uniform, needing to blend in and not arouse suspicion from the students who hate RSA students. He kind of liked the colors of Octavinelle’s uniform.

Rielle stepped into Octavinelle, never tiring from its beauty. Maybe it was because he was a merperson. Azul specifically wanted him to go to Mostro’s. What for, he didn’t know, but he was going to find out. The door had opened for him, revealing Floyd. He was led to a table before Floyd was replaced with Jade who gave him a special looking menu.

“There’s only one thing on it…” Rielle explained, showing Jade. “Am I supposed to order it?”

Jade didn’t say anything. Rielle sighed, ordering the one thing. He felt his heart rate pick up at the sight of Azul. Holy fuck he looked good. He looked good in everything. He wouldn’t be surprised if he popped a boner at this moment.

Azul placed down two plates full of fried food. Rielle was in heaven. Fried food AND Azul looking like a hunk? He was living.

“Wow! This is so good! Azul, sit and eat with me!” Rielle chirped, pulling Azul to sit with him.

“Hm, you truly are happy when it comes to friends food huh…”

“Very much!”

Jade and Floyd watched the two of them eat.

“Are they gonna invite us? I’m hungry too…”

Jade stuck some seaweed in Floyd’s mouth. Floyd grumbled despite eating it anyway.

Rielle was happily digging into the veggies when he felt Azul turn his head. He tilted his head, wondering if there was a problem. Azul touched his face, moving closer to him. Oh god. His heart was hammering in his chest. Oh god, oh fuck. They were so close, he could feel Azul’s breath. He felt like he was going to pass out. Azul was inches away from his face, inches.

“Um… Wha-”

Rielle was silenced by a kiss. Azul quickly pulled away blinking rapidly. Rielle didn’t know what happened either. Azul had left his seat, disappearing into the VIP Lounge. He soon received a text saying Azul wanted to end their friendship and he never wanted to see him ever again. It hurt. So he did misread things. Eosin was right.

Rielle quickly fled, hiding his tears.

Jade and Floyd entered the lounge, seeing Azul with his head resting on the desk.

“You made him cry.”

“How cruel.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want him in my life anymore.” Azul grumbled, keeping his head pressed to the desk.

“All because you kissed him twice?” Floyd questioned.

“No, he kissed me!”

The twins sighed, seeing he’d never admit to being the one who initiated both.

“I hope you’re happy.” said Jade, reading Azul’s message to Rielle. He leaned down, whispering into his ear. “You’ll never, ever, see your love again.”

•

Mei cuddled Rielle who was in tears. Rielle had told him everything. Azul was a jerk to the max. How do you go and kiss someone then tell them you never wanted to see them again? He noticed Rielle had gone silent. He cried himself to sleep.

The others had come in, seeing Rielle snuggled against Mei. He filled them in on everything.

“I knew it. I knew that octopus was trouble!” Eosin hissed, looking at his poor unfortunate Rielle. “He deserves better.”

“Why don’t we trash his precious restaurant?” Jamie suggested.

“How evil of you… Lets do it.” Eosin said, crackling his knuckles. “Ow…”

“Guys, Rielle wouldn’t want that. Get rid of that pitchfork.” Mei fussed, watching Jamie make the pitchfork disappear. “I think he’d just want his closest friends around him, making him forget the bad memories. That’s the kind of guy Rie is…”

“You always know Rie better than I do… it’s troubling to me, but amazing overall…” Eosin admitted, looking at Rielle who slept peacefully. “Maybe you should date him.”

“M- Me!? That’s a funny j- joke!” Mei stammered, his cheeks gaining color. “He loves Azul. He wouldn’t have room for anyone else. Not even Jamie.”

“I suppose you’re right… Man, why do you do this to yourself, Rie…?” Eosin muttered, stroking his hair.

•

Rielle went on with his life. He couldn’t do anything about it. He wasn’t going to anger Azul by trying to reach out no matter how much he wanted to. One sided love hurt like a bitch.

The trio gathered together, watching Rielle speak with the campus animals.

“His grades are slipping.”

“His eating habits are everywhere.”

“His sleep schedule is fu- messed up.”

They collectively sighed, watching Rielle nod off before jolting awake.

“We’ve gotta fix this.”

“Are we finally going to trash Mostro?”

“No, Jamie! We force them into a room alone! It works on TV and movies!”

“This is real life, Mei.”

“Well do you have another plan then, Eosin?”

They fell silent.

“That’s what I thought.” Mei stated, his arms crossed. “Now the question is, how do we get Azul over here?”

“I’ve got it!” Jamie said before huddling with them.

They nodded, liking the plan. Rielle jolted awake, having fallen asleep again.

•

“To think they’d willing give us information about how they constantly beat us at Magift. How magnificent! I can profit off of this.” Azul laughed, rubbing his hands together.

“We get to see the Royal assholes’ campus!” Floyd said, looking around.

“It shouldn’t be hard to miss. It is blindingly flashy.” Jade quipped before shielding his eyes. “Looks like we found it.”

Waiting for them were Jamie and Eosin. They started to lead them to their secret meeting room which was just Rielle’s room.

Once they reached the room, the four of them pushed Azul in.

“Hey! What are-”

Jade and Floyd waved as Jamie closed the door. He couldn’t get out. There had to be a reason they locked him in here. His eyes searched around before finding it. Rielle. He banged on the door, begging them to let him out. No one was answering.

“Jamie, is that you…?” Rielle yawned, having been woken up. “Hm…? You look different.”

“I’m not Jamie.” Azul spat.

“And I’m not a prince.” Rielle chuckled, getting up and pulling Azul over to his bed. “I know, you all are worried about me, but it’s okay. I’m coming to terms with it all. I was too hopeful.”

Azul kept silent, not exactly sure what to say in this situation.

“Yeah, I get it. So you’ll just hear me out. I’ve always liked him, you know. Ever since we were young, I found myself captivated by him. He always studied hard and got amazing grades, not to mention his parents owned a famous restaurant. I went there a few times but never saw him. I really wanted to be friends with him, but the others kids wouldn’t even let me within a mile of him.” Rielle told, really just needing to talk. “And I really tried with the bullying, but as he said, it wasn’t enough. And so we grew older and eventually graduated… I was surprised to hear he started attending high school on land. It was like we were of the same mind, wanting to go to the surface in search of something…”

Rielle looked up at Azul, giving him a nervous chuckle.

“Everyday I hoped we could run into each other and reconnect. I wanted him to know I was truly sorry and a failure, unable to protect my people… I knew confessing my years of love and affection would just turn him away and it did… I should’ve just settled for being friends… I really am an idiot huh…?” Rielle spoke, getting quieter towards the end. “And even after all this… I still love him. He’s always on my mind. Is he eating? Sleeping? Doing well in school? I want to ask him these things but he wanted to severe ties. So I find myself staying up all night, not sleeping a wink, not eating because I’m too worried. And because of that, that’s why my grades are slipping. Too tired and low on energy to focus.”

“Rielle…”

“I know, I know. I’ve got to get myself together, but it’s hard. I’m really trying, but it’s… it’s just so hard. I love him so much… I don’t know what to do, Jamie. Should I see a therapist??” Rielle asked, looking at Azul with watery eyes.

Guilt was hitting him from all angles. He was so distraught, he was considering seeing a therapist. All because he wouldn’t come to terms with his own feelings. Azul hugged him, holding him tight.

“Your huh isn’t as warm as usual… Are you cold?” Rielle asked curiously.

Azul pulled away, pressing his lips to Rielle’s. Rielle tried pushing him off, wondering what came over Jamie. He rubbed his eyes, seeing who it really was. Rielle eagerly kissed him back, hoping it wasn’t a dream.

“Rielle, I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t think… I’m so selfish.”

“Well, you do go to a school founded on villainy, so that is to be expected.” Rielle commented, not seeing it too much of a problem.

“I do have feelings for you. Not as long as you had for me, but they’re there. Right in my heart.” Azul said, placing Rielle’s hand over his chest. “I’m not accepting these feelings I had for you, I hurt you. I don’t want to do that again…”

“Azul…”

Azul kissed him again, needing him to know his overflowing emotions. He wanted this male as much as he wanted to eat fried food all day, everyday. Eosin peeked into the room, seeing them making out. He gave them a thumbs up, signaling their success.

“I will go out with you, angelfish…”

“If I’m angelfish, can I call you Azie?”

“No, my mom calls me that.”

“But it’s cute.”

Azul reluctantly agreed, earning a happy hug from Rielle. They high fived, having successfully gotten their friends together.


	137. Kaja: Flower crown

Jamil looked into Kalim’s room, not seeing him. It was a bit strange not always having him around, but it was definitely freeing. He could finally do things he’s always wanted but hardly had time for. He was a half free man.

•

Kalim hugged Silver tight, laughing at his joke.

“I’m glad we can hang out more.” Silver said, giving him a warm smile.

“Me too! You’re so fun when you aren’t asleep.” Kalim replied, scrolling on Magicam with him.

They looked at pictures and videos, laughing at the funny ones and bookmarking some to try later after school. Kalim not once ever thought about Jamil.

“Oh, what are you doing for lunch?” Silver asked, seeing class was over.

“Hm, I was going to eat with you. Though, I am a bit worried…” Kalim said, feeling very unsure. “Someone might poison me…”

“I’ll protect you. We can switch meals if you feel more comfortable.”

“But then what’ll you eat?”

“Hm… Why don’t we share?”

“That’s a great idea! If they want to kill me, they’ll have to kill an innocent too!”

Silver and Kalim high fived, loving the plan they devised.

The bell rang, students excitedly talking and hurrying out the room to get to the cafeteria. Kalim happily clung to Silver as they walked down the hall, unknowingly passing by Jamil. Jamil blinked, realizing Kalim just ignored him. It was a bit rude, but he wasn’t relying on him. That was nice.

Silver and Kalim sat side by side, splitting the meal in half. They happily ate and talked, enjoying each other’s company. Jamil took notice. It really felt good not being relied upon.

•

Kalim waved to Silver, not really wanting to part. He thought about it.

“Kalim, there you are. There was-”

Kalim walked away from him, bouncing over to Silver. Jamil pursed his lips.

“Fine, I’ll just go through your things to find it.” Jamil whispered, watching Kalim walk off with Silver.

“Hey, I think Jamil wanted to talk.”

“He did? Well, he’s gone now! Let’s hurry to Mostro’s. I want to treat you!” Kalim cheered, hurrying Silver along.

Jamil started looking through Kalim’s things in search of his jewelry and shirt. A few memories came to mind as he looked at a few things. He found the shirt, still missing a few pieces of jewelry. Kalim’s door opened, revealing Kalim.

“Had fun?” Jamil asked, finding another piece of jewelry.

No response. He looked back, seeing Kalim checking his closet.

“Where did you go?”

“Out.”

“Out where?”

“To eat.”

“Where-”

Thud. The door closed, Jamil now alone in the room. This felt weird. Jamil found the last piece before leaving Kalim’s room. He was always running at the mouth, telling him every detail. Now he was getting extremely short answers. This wasn’t like Kalim at all.

•

Kalim constantly avoided any contact with Jamil unless necessary. Jamil was slowly starting to see what was taking Kalim’s attention. Silver. That aurora eyed male. Jamil watched from afar as Kalim and Silver made friendship bracelets. Kalim never did that with him, not even as an order. Kalim smiled widely, feeling tiny critters placing a small flower crown on his head.

Kalim clapped one delight, seeing Silver had one too. Silver hugged Kalim, causing Jamil to use magic and separate them. They looked at each other in confusion but didn’t really question it. They were holding hands. No. They couldn’t. Jamil separated their hands.

“Ah, we’re gonna be late for your club meeting!” Kalim gasped, packing everything up.

“Riddle will chew me out if I’m late.” Silver panicked, helping speed up the process.

They scrambled to their feet, their flower crowns flying off their heads as they ran. Jamil followed. He had his own club activities, but he couldn’t sit idle while Silver tried taking Kalim away.

•

Kalim clapped, watching Silver finished the last of his required practice. Jamil walked up, standing beside him.

“Hey, Kalim.”

“Hey.”

“Are you busy later?”

“Yep.”

Impossible. What could he possibly be doing later? Silver rode over to them, reigning his horse in.

“Hi Lily!” Kalim cooed, petting the horse.

Lily whinnied, leaning into Kalim’s touch.

“Kalim, what are you doing later?” Jamil ed asked.

“Hey, why don’t we ride together?” Silver suggested.

Kalim’s eyes widened. He followed Silver as he led him over to the gate. Ignored, just like that. Silver kept Lily steady as Kalim got on. If anyone saw the scene, it looked like Silver the prince was riding around with his lover. No. No, no, no, no! Jamil angrily casted magic, spooking the horse with the fake animal.

“Lily, calm down!” Silver fussed, trying to get her under control.

Kalim held onto Silver tightly, fearing he’d fall. This infuriated Jamil more. Kalim found himself falling over before being levitated by Jamil. Kalim thanked him as Silver slowly started to get Lily calm.

“You would’ve been seriously hurt if I wasn’t here.” Jamil said, having floated Kalim back over to him.

“Yeah. Thanks again. Could you put me down?” Kalim asked.

Jamil let him down, watching him run back over to Silver. No. That’s not what he was supposed to do. The two of them calmed Lily down, earning pleased sounds from her. They both hugged her. She returned the living gesture in her own way. Jamil was practically biting his finger.

•

Jamil knocked on Kalim’s door before entering. He dropped everything he was holding. Filled with anger, he pulled Silver out of bed, tossing him out the room. Now he had to fix Kalim’s meal again. Wait, fix his meal? Why was he making one in the first place? Kalim hadn’t asked anything of him for weeks. Silver got comfortable on the floor.

This was insane. Why was Kalim spending so much time with him? He was always falling asleep. He looked back, seeing Kalim rolling around, as if he was searching for something. Kalim woke up, seeing Jamil in his bed instead. Kalim stepped over him. Did Silver leave without saying goodbye? He poked his head out, seeing Silver asleep on the floor. So he joined him.

Jamil opened an eye, seeing a Kalim was missing. He looked out the room, seeing them on the floor in such a position that angered him. Their legs were intertwined and their faces was too close. They snuggled each other, further making Jamil upset. He needed to get rid of Silver. He couldn’t stand being ignored anymore. Jamil moved to send Silver packing when he felt hands seize him.

“What are you doing?” Kalim asked.

“Just making sure you’re both okay.” lied Jamil, pulling his arm back. “You shouldn’t sleep out here. You got a bed for a reason.”

“Jamil, I didn’t want to mention but now I have to. You’ve been clingy. Why?”

“Have not.”

“Every time I’m with Silver, your always interrupting. Yet when it’s someone else, you don’t care.”

“You’re-”

“Do you miss me?”

Silence. How was he to answer that? They laid Silver on the bed before Kalim demanded an answer.

“I’m jealous okay!? You’re avoiding me like the plague and giving him so much love, affection and attention! I know I said I hate you and never wanted to be your friend but I like you!” Jamil shouted, laying it all out.

“You like me…? I was avoiding you to give you your space… I can’t rely on you anymore, so I decided to use that time to better my relations with others.” Kalim confessed, stroking Silver’s hair. “I didn’t want to be more annoying than I already am.”

Silence. Kalim kept his eyes on Silver, not sure how to respond to Jamil. Did he like him? Of course he did, but in that light?“

"About your feelings… I can’t accept them.” Kalim replied, pulling Silver close. “I can only see you as a best friend, a brother…”

Kalim watched Jamil angrily storm off, slamming his door shut.


	138. Azul + Idia: S- Stop laughing!

Azul noticed Idia hadn’t been coming to club lately. Idia missing board game club was unheard of. He wasn’t exactly worried, but Idia was the only person good enough to give him a good challenge.

He packed up his things, needing to observe Idia. He needed his gaming buddy back.

•

Azul knocked on Idia’s door, waiting for him to open up. The door opened, revealing Idia playing games on a digital screen. So he was in his room. Why was he skipping club activities?

“Oh, hey Azul.”

“Don’t hey Azul me. You haven’t been showing up to club lately and I’m getting bored beating the others so easily.”

“Oh. That was today? Oh Hades, I’m sorry… I have… things, going on.” Idia muttered, looking at Azul. “I’ll come next week.”

“You said that last week.” Azul complained.

“Oh…”

“I better see you next week or else I’ll hire a search party to find you.”

Idia nodded, watching Azul leave. Ortho looked at Idia with curiosity.

“Why didn’t you tell him-”

“Shh! It’s embarrassing… No one needs to know…” Idia whispered, going back to his game.

•

Azul was tired. Idia didn’t show up again. That was it. He was going to figure out what he was doing next week. He just had to plan everything. He packed his things, needing to head to Idia’s room.

•

Idia allowed Azul in. Azul didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Ortho waved happily, greeting him as usual. Azul mindlessly talked, inspecting Idia’s room discreetly. Since he couldn’t find anything, he most likely had to surprise him.

“So, board game club next week?”

“Yes, I promise. I will come next time.” Idia promised.

Azul smiled, knowing he was lying. How was he going to promise he would when for weeks he’s done the same thing and not show up. He hung around a bit more, making sure there wasn’t anything that he missed.

•

Azul skipped club activities, heading to Idia’s room. He met up with Ortho, needing him to open up Idia’s room in case it was locked.

“Do you know what Idia does around this time?”

“No. He tells me to go out and leave him be for an hour or so…” Ortho responded, a bit curious himself.

They stepped into the Ignihyde mirror, ready to figure out what’s been going on with Idia. Did he have a secret girlfriend? Tutoring someone? Committing murders?

They reached Idia’s door. He gave Ortho a nod, having him unlock Idia’s door. Ortho and Azul stared as Idia stared back. Ortho was the first to move, pulling on Idia’s jacket.

“It looks nice, big brother!”

Azul had the door close behind him as he stifled laughter. Was this what Idia has been skipping board game club for? Azul couldn’t contain his laughter anymore. Idia’s face was extremely red, now covering himself with his bedsheet. To see Idia in a suit and tie was something unheard of. What would he need one for? The guy doesn’t even like going out in normal clothes.

“S- Stop laughing!”

“I’m sorry, but… a suit? What are you getting dressed up for? Your funeral?”

Idia fumed slightly, not liking being teased and laughed at. Was it really that weird for him to wear a suit? Then again, maybe it was. He couldn’t not wear it. It was a gift from Crimson Muscle for his birthday. Well, he only got it recently and his birthday was months ago.

“Okay, I’m done laughing. What possessed you to buy a suit?” Azul questioned, feeling the fabric. “Woah… That’s some good quality…”

Idia took off his jacket, letting Azul feel. Azul knitted his brows, unbelieving of how good this quality was. Idia didn’t seem the type to spend hella cash on a simple suit.

“Did you buy this?”

“No. It was a gift… I love it.” Idia responded, taking the jacket and hugging it close.

“I figured. You aren’t the type to indulge in such things. But wow, whoever picked it out must have expensive taste…”

“Yeah… he sure does…” Idia thought, seeing this could give him a little hint into who his bestest friend Crimson Muscle could be.


	139. Reok: That’s what I want to talk about.

Rook quietly watched Leona from a distance, observing his movements as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Wait. Yes there was. His tail was moving faster. He was excited about something, but nothing was around. His tail wouldn’t stop moving around in delight. Now he seriously needed to know what was causing it.

Rook stopped moving, staying absolutely still as Leona’s eyes opened. He started searching around for something. Did he breathe too loudly? He couldn’t have picked up his scent, he always made sure to keep it covered. Leona has gotten up from his spot and started walking away, his tail no longer showing his excitement.

“Just what were you excited about…” Rook whispered, slowly coming out of hiding.

•

Rook walked down the halls of Night Raven, thinking deeply about what in the world could’ve gotten Leona excited with nothing around? Was it the smell of the nature around him? Was he having a good dream? Rook felt himself bump into something.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Rook apologized before realizing who it was. “Ah, I won’t hear the end of it…”

“Be careful. What if you damaged you face huh? What would Vil say?” Leona stated, raising an eyebrow.

“I… Excuse me…?” Rook squeaked in confusion.

“Ah, don’t move.” Leona whispered, moving strands of his hair. “Perfect.”

Leona walked away while Rook stood frozen. What. The. Fuck. Rook’s face heated as he walked down the hall. What the absolute hell? Leona was messing with him, but why like this? Rook shook his head. He couldn’t let it bother him, that’s how Leona won. He knew doing that would throw him off his game.

Yet it felt… genuine.

•

Rook moved to tie his hair up for P.E when strong hands had covered his own. He looked back, seeing Leona holding a scrunchie in between his lips as he held his hair.

“Mueh I?” Leona asked.

“Um… sure.” Rook replied, allowing Leona to tie up his hair.

This was different. Leona was definitely trying to pull something. Now what it was, he didn’t know. He felt Leona’s fingers brush against his neck, making him shiver slightly.

“Are you done? Thanks.” Rook said quickly, pulling away from Leona.

“Do you want to partner up?”

“No! I mean, no. I have um, I promised someone else.”

Leona raised an eyebrow, watching Rook scurry away. This definitely wasn’t like him. He would’ve accepted in a heartbeat.

Rook kept his distance from Leona, trying to dissect his dastardly plans. In reality, there was no plan, just genuine feelings. Yet Rook couldn’t see that. The students took flight, doing a few drills. Rook focused his attention on flying, unaware of Leona flying over on his left.

“Hey, hunter.” Leona called out, wanting to know why he was so distant.

Rook was spooked, nearly losing his balance. His senses were dull today.

“What? Aren’t things usually the other way around? I bug you, you know?”

“Well you’re not and that’s what I want to talk about.”

He wasn’t sure how he felt about this, but it didn’t seem like Leona would bite his head off. Leona moved closer, wanting to have a better look of his facial expressions.

“So, what could the king of beasts possibly have to say to me? No matter how much you tell me to stop, I won’t stop observing you and learning you.” Rook stated, shrugging his shoulders as he sat sideways.

Leona sat sideways as well.

“Of course you wouldn’t. You’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.”

“And? What did you want to say?”

“How are you?”

Rook blinked. How was he? That isn’t right. He asked Leona to repeat himself. So he didn’t hear wrong. Leona seriously just asked how he was. How odd.

“I’m fine I suppose. You?”

“Fine as well.”

It was awkward to say the least. Leona showing even a hint of concern was abnormal. Leona moved closer, tucking his hair behind his ears. Rook silently blinked before his broom started to nosedive.

“Rook!”

“Huh? Oh!”

Rook regained control, having thoroughly scared everyone around him. Leona gave him a concerned look. Rook avoided his gaze, flying on ahead. What was with that lion? And what was this feeling he was getting? He glanced back, seeing Leona yawn as he flew. He was seriously bewildered by Leona right now.

•

Rook happily talked to Trey, not entirely sure if he wanted to tell him about the strange happenings earlier in the day.

“You look like you want to say something.” Trey commented, looking at Rook.

Rook took a deep breath before telling him everything. Trey nodded, already knowing the answer he was going to give him.

“Leona’s flirting with you. Subtly, but surely.”

“That lion can barely get up and get food for himself. As if he’d put in effort to flirt, especially me! I stalk him for fucks sake!”

“Hey, you’re admitting to stalking and not your usual observing.”

Rook covered his mouth. Holy shit things were going south fast. It’s all Leona’s fault. If he hadn’t touched his hair everything would be fine! Rook grumbled, marching away from Trey who chuckled. It was interesting to see Rook all confused.

Rook shook his head, going back to his little experiment. A little truth serum would get that pesky lion to confess his evil plans.

“Rook.”

“Ye- Ah!” Rook responded only to find himself face to face with that very lion he was talking about.

“Need help?”

“No!”

Leona peered behind him, wondering what he was making.

“Actually, since you’re here… I want you to try this.”

Leona took it without hesitation. Rook grinned on the inside, ready to unmask his plans.

“Leona, let me ask something. Are you plotting against me?”

“No.”

“Do you bite your tail when you’re all alone?”

“Yes.”

“Are you plotting against me?”

“No.”

So it was working. He wasn’t plotting against him. Then what the hell has he been doing all day?

“Rook, are you trying to figure something out and since you didn’t want to ask directly you went with a truth serum?” Leona asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No…” Rook muttered. Leona gave him a look. “Yes…”

“What is it that you wanted to know?”

“Why were you being so… so close to me!” Rook demanded.

“Why? Do you want more?” Leona asked, placing his hands on either side of Rook.

Rook let out the cutest noise, causing Leona to back up with a faint blush. Oh… That was cute. He wanted to hear it again. Rook did it again. It was amazingly cute.

“Stop that!”

“Your face is red, Rook.”

“So is yours!”

Wait, his face was red? Rook took out a mirror, looking at his face. It was red. Why was he blushing? He looked up at Leona, his cheeks getting brighter. Oh no, it couldn’t be. Rook internally panicked. He was blushing because of Leona. Blushing.

Rook came to a realization. He just might like Leona. He didn’t want to realize that. That meant feeling things and getting all crazy in his presence. To think he’d fall for the lazy lion who he’s done nothing but terrorize and been terrorized back. What a world.


	140. Reok: Reik, stop ignoring me

“Reik~” Leona called sweetly, walking over to Rook who sat on his bed.

Rook rolled out of his reach. That was new. Leona tried hugging him again. Rook rolled away again.

“Reik?”

No response. Leona moved to touch him, only for Rook to get up and move. This was ridiculous. Leona stripped off his towel, needing mobility. Leona moved to pounce on Rook who moved out of the way. Leona had his hands stopped as Rook had stopped them with his own. A battle of brute strength ensued as Leona tried getting Rook to submit.

Leona mewed, Rook having successfully pushed him back before leaving. He was used to tussling with Rook now and then. He liked it, having someone who could match his strength. But that one didn’t seem fun. It was more… hateful. As if Rook would’ve thrown him out the window if given the chance. He texted Rook, wanting to make sure he was okay. He was left on read.

•

New day, new things. Rook had to be in a better mood. Leona figured they could go to class together, so there he was, standing in front of Rook’s room.

Rook stepped out, only to find himself boxed in by Leona.

“Morning love. Feeling better?”

Rook rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in the process. Why was Rook mad now?

“Hey, what’s wrong Reik?” Leona asked softly.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Reik-”

“Stop!”

Rook pushed his arms down, quickly walking away. Leona followed, not giving up. He continued to ask him what the problem was, but Rook wouldn’t tell him. All his answers were extremely negative. Rook angrily pulled on his tail before storming off. Leona massaged his tail, not used to Rook being this violent.

“Rook! Wait!”

Leona chased after him as Rook started to run.

•

Leona sat next to Rook in class, Rook switching seats with the student next to him. Leona had them switch with him. They continued to do this until Rook ran out of students to switch with. Leona looked at him with a loving gaze.

“Rook, tell me…”

“We’re in class.”

“Write it then.”

“We’re in class.”

“Reik my love…”

Rook pushed a book in Leona’s face. Rook raised his hand, gaining Trein’s attention.

“Leona Kingscholar is causing a disturbance, Mr. Trein.” Rook said, watching Leona being put up in the front.

Leona looked back at Rook who quietly worked. What in the world did he do to Rook? He’s never seen him this mad before.

•

Leona continued to pester Rook who avoided his affectionate advances. This was killing him. He was being deprived of love, affection and attention. He would go wild at this rate if he didn’t get a kiss soon.

“Reik, stop ignoring me.”

Ignored. Leona growled, starting to tickle Rook. Rook started to laugh before kicking Leona in the stomach.

“Don’t touch me.”

Leona wheezed, clutching his stomach. If there was anything he hated about Rook’s strength, it was that he could be taken down by it if he used enough force.

He gathered himself, weakly catching up to Rook. Maybe they could at least eat together. Thankfully, Rook allowed it.

Leona tried plating food onto Rook’s tray, only to have his own tray slapped to the floor. He audibly exhaled, cleaning up what he could while Rook continued on. Ruggie had come over, helping him.

“Did you fight?”

“I don’t even know… He won’t tell me.” Leona replied, dumping everything. “He’s been like this since yesterday.”

“You seriously don’t remember what you did?”

“If I could I wouldn’t be in this situation now would I?” Leona grumbled before having an idea. “Ruggie, go talk to him. Find out what you can.”

Ruggie resisted at first before going over. Rook was extremely dangerous right now and he didn’t want his ass beat. He stood next to Rook before clearing his throat.

“Yes?”

“How are things? We haven’t talked in a while.”

“Leona sent you over didn’t he?”

“Yes. Please don’t kill me”

Rook smiled, seeing he could use this. Ruggie walked back to Leona who finished getting his lunch.

“Rook said he’ll beat your ass the next time you use someone else to figure out your mistakes.” Ruggie said before hurrying back to Rook.

Ruggie cheered, having received mini donuts as a reward. Leona sucked his teeth. What a weasel. Leona sat across from Rook who ate in silence. Should he even bother to bring it up?

“Reik, how has your day been?”

“Fine.”

Leona sighed. Rook really wasn’t going to tell him. Maybe he should just give him space. Leona stopped asking, deciding to do just that.

•

Nothing really changed. Rook was still avoiding and ignoring him. Now what was he to do? He honestly couldn’t think of anything that could’ve made Rook upset. He was lost. Leona watched Rook exercise in his room. Maybe if he acted out a bit, he’d explode and let everything out.

Leona picked up one of Rook’s pillows, scratching his nails against it and leaving tears. Rook didn’t even look his way. He destroyed another pillow. Still no reaction.

Okay, if he wanted to play like that. Leona pulled the sheets off of Rook’s bed, opened a window and tossed them out. He’s got to explode now. None.

“Reik, you’re killing me here!” Leona roared, watching Rook stretch his arms. “What did I do!?”

“You want to know? Will you repent if I tell you? Or will you just try to brush it under the rug like you always do?” Rook spoke, now finally looking at him.

“Yes! I will! I can’t stand this… I need to hold you… I need your love…” Leona whined, crawling over to Rook.

Rook sighed, taking out his phone. Leona looked over his shoulder, seeing he was on Magicam. He left the app before opening his gallery. He spotted a few photos of them. How cute. Rook tapped on one.

“Who is she?” Rook demanded.

Leona felt the life drain from his face. Farena swore he didn’t post anything yet here it was, buried under photos.

“I swear she’s not anyone. We were drunk and she came onto me.” Leona said, letting Rook go, sitting on Rook’s bed. “I’m not lying.”

“I want information. Tell me.”

“You promise you won’t harass her?”

“No.”

“Rook…”

“I don’t care. She put her disgusting lips on my boyfriend. She’s asking to have her head bashed in!” Rook yelled, crossing his arms.

“Bash her- I thought you were mad at me?” Leona said in obvious confusion.

“I am mad at you. You kept this hidden from me!”

“I didn’t even know Farena posted it! Rook just calm down, please. I don’t want you ending up in jail…”

Rook growled lowly. Leona pounced on him, trying to wrestle him into submission. They bit and scratched at each other before Leona finally got Rook to give in.

“I won’t harass her…”

“Good.”

Leona kissed Rook’s scratches before lovingly purring against him. Rook pet him, giving him love filled kisses in return.


	141. Rudia: Rara

Idia and Ruggie held their son’s hand, swinging him back and forth. He laughed cheerfully, looking up at his parents with a big smile. He had been anticipating this day ever since he overheard them talking about it one day.

“Pappy, are we going to ride lots of rides?”

“Of course we are, Ramune.” Ruggie responded, him being Pappy.

Idia smiled happily seeing their happy faces. He wanted to get out more and see what the world had to offer. Ramune had taken off, Ruggie chasing after him. He was really only able to make it this far because of Ruggie. If it wasn’t for him constantly dragging him out his room, he’d probably still be in there playing games and eating unhealthily. Never in all his years did he think he’d end up with a child either.

He always thought he wasn’t ready for such a responsibility. He didn’t even want to get started on the wedding.

“Oi, Blue, let’s go.” Ruggie shouted, just barely holding onto their kid.

Idia picked up his pace, having his band put on before they entered. Ramune was excited. He wanted to ride everything. The blue haired hyena looked up at his parents, waiting for the magic words.

“Since you behaved the entire way here, we’ll spend an extra hour here. Sound good?” Idia said, ruffling the fire headed child’s hair.

“Yes, Papa!”

They looked at the map, Ramune already pointing to ones he wanted to ride. They made a list, showing what they’d ride first to last. The adults set up a mini schedule, taking into account restroom breaks and stopping for food.

They had gone over to the first ride. Idia’s heart dropped into his stomach. What it said on paper was nothing compared to actually seeing it. He wasn’t letting his child get on that. He looked, seeing Ruggie and Ramune were already on line.

“Sweetness, we can’t let him ride this! It’s dangerous!” Idia fretted, hearing the screams. “Get off line!”

“Huh? I can’t hear you over the screams of delight.” Ruggie laughed, moving up in line.

He wasn’t going to let Ruggie have his way.

“Rara, Papa doesn’t think this is a good idea. Please get off line…” Idia pleaded with his son.

“Pappy, Papa’s being a buzzkill.”

Ruggie gave Ramune a high five while Idia’s jaw dropped. What was Ruggie teaching him?

“Am not! I’m just worried about you both.”

“Then ride with us.”

Idia swallowed hard, watching the ride drop. Oh hell no. Despite thinking that, he was now standing in line with them. Ramune cheered happily, now getting to ride with both parents.

“You made the right choice, Blue.” Ruggie muttered, linking his arm with Idia’s.

“I still don’t think he should ride this… but maybe I’m over worrying. I just… I just can’t lose him…”

“It’s okay, calm down. I’m the daredevil here. I know danger.”

“You’re so cute, Donut.”

Ruggie’s cheeks flushed at the nickname. He playfully punched Idia on the arm, warning him about it.

“Come on. It’s not like anyone’s going to hear me. My lovely little donut…” Idia teased.

Ruggie pushed Idia away, his face turning red. Ramune looked back, wondering if his parents weren’t happy.

“What’s wrong, Rara?” Ruggie asked, noticing his sad look.

“Are Papa and Pappy not happy?”

“Oh no. Pappy and I are very happy. Don’t worry too much, Rara.” Idia explained, seeing Ramune brighten up. “Let’s anticipate the ride, okay?”

Ramune cheered happily, their turn coming up soon.

•

They disembarked yet another ride. Idia’s and Ruggie’s worlds were spinning while Ramune was fine. It didn’t look like it spun that much when they were watching. Idia and Ruggie tried using each other as support only to nearly fall over. Ramune took off, assuming his parents were right behind him.

The adults finally got their heads back on. They looked around, seeing Ramune had disappeared. Fear and panic settled within them as they called out his nickname while searching.

“Rara!? God, why does he have to be hyper like you?” Idia complained.

“Like me? He’s acting more like you when he’s getting to do something he loves!” Ruggie snapped back, not liking the fact Idia was blaming him.

“Wait, this isn’t the time to argue. Let’s find our child…” Idia said, apologizing for his previous words.

“Right…”

Ramune looked around, his ears bending in and tail hanging fear. Where were his parents? Weren’t they right behind him? He backed himself into a corner, squeezing himself in as he sat on the ground. Surely they knew he was missing. He pulled his knees to his chest, watching the many people go by.

“Rara! Answer us, please!” Ruggie shouted, seriously worried someone might’ve picked him up. “I feel so irresponsible…”

“Hey, don’t cry… Donut…” Idia spoke softly, feeling Ruggie hide his face in his chest. “Doesn’t he do a thing when he’s scared?”

Ruggie nodded before looking up at Idia. He then had a thought, clearly showing on his tear stained face.

“He squeezes into crannies at home… Maybe he’s doing that now.”

“Alright, then let’s look for that.”

Ramune sobbed quietly. Would he never see them again? He loved his parents. He loved being outside with Pappy and doing all sorts of neat tricks, especially with magic. He loved being inside with Papa, playing all sorts of games, learning tricks within the games and making candy.

“Rara!?”

His ears perked up. Rara. That’s him, right?

“Rara!?”

He knew those voices like the back of his hand. He crawled out, searching for them. He spotted them, running over as fast as he could.

“Rara! Oh thank god you’re okay…” Ruggie exclaimed, hugging him tight.

Idia joined in, his heart finally settling. Their son was okay.

“I’m sorry. I won’t run off again.” Ramune apologized, tears and snot caking his face.

“Let’s go clean your face. Then we can ride more, okay?” Idia suggested, taking Ramune’s free hand.

“And stay close to us, okay?” Ruggie reminded.

Ramune nodded, promising them.

•

Idia and Ruggie held stuffed toys while Ramune happily ate. If you took away the part where Ramune had gotten lost, today was a perfect family day. Ramune rubbed his head against Ruggie, forgetting he had to cool it beforehand.

Idia chuckled, watching Ruggie assure their child that he was fine. Idia mouthed he’d check when they were alone, only to get a suggestive look from Ruggie. He didn’t mean it like that.

“Papa, why did you marry Pappy?” asked Ramune, enjoying his pretzel.

“Well-”

“Don’t lie to him. You know exactly why.”

“But I can’t tell him that. He’s going to think you don’t care about me.”

“Pappy doesn’t care about Papa…? Why…?” Ramune asked, now feeling anxious.

“See, now look what you’ve done!” Idia fussed.

“I just don’t want him being lied to his whole life!”

Ramune looked between his parents who argued, now feeling it was his fault. They stopped arguing, hearing sniffles coming from their child.

“Oh, Rara… We’re sorry.” Idia apologized, pulling him close.

“Papa and I just had a disagreement. Papa, let me tell him the truth, okay?”

Idia didn’t agree with it, but he allowed Ruggie to speak.

“In the beginning, Pappy didn’t really care about Papa. Pappy just wanted to not live poorly anymore, so I made a deal with Papa when we were younger. But as time went on, I started to fall in love with him. The deal was when he inherited the household, he’d marry me. So, I no longer wanted that because I didn’t want him to marry me because of a stupid deal.” Ruggie explained, looking at Idia who avoided his gaze. “Yet Papa insisted on keeping the deal. And turns out he only wanted to so he wouldn’t have to ask me himself.”

“So… you do care about Papa?”

“Yes, very much. I care about Rara too.” Ruggie smiled, giving Ramune a kiss on his forehead.

“I care about Papa and Pappy too! I love you both!” Ramune exclaimed, squeezing their hands.

“We love you too.” they said in unison.

Ramune’s ears and tail moved in glee along with Ruggie’s as they made their way back to the entrance.


	142. Auce: Because I felt sorry for you!

“Cauldron boy!”

“Sleazy magician!”

“Gross kisser!”

“Ass licker!”

“Yeah, I eat ass. Yours!”

“I eat yours too!”

“Annoying asshole!”

“Fuckwad!”

Jack, Epel and Sebek listened to the two of them go back and forth. It sounded like they were flirting? Wait, no. Wait, yes. They couldn’t tell anymore. Deuce had gotten up and left his spot.

Ace huffed, his cheeks puffed. Jack went to follow Deuce while Sebek and Epel stayed with Ace.

“So-”

“I don’t want to hear it. He’s always starting problems! We can’t even eat lunch in peace!”

“Ace, you started it though…” Epel mentioned.

“I didn’t! You don’t know what he was doing under the table.

Sebek and Epel exchanged looks. Did they want to know?

"Whatever, forget him.” Ace grumbled, eating his lunch.

Ace’s anger didn’t stay long and was replaced with sadness. It would’ve been touching had their argument not been over something silly which escalated into name calling.

“Deuce, come back and eat.”

“No! Ace will just start problems! He always starts them!”

“Did he this time…?”

Deuce fell silent. As he thought. Deuce stopped by a window, rubbing his arm.

“You don’t think I went overboard do you…?” Deuce asked, glancing out the window.

“A little.”

Deuce sighed. He then had an idea for a proper apology. He hurried back, Jack following behind.

Epel noticed Deuce heading over. Deuce had lifted Ace’s face before kissing him roughly. Surprisingly, Ace did the same. So they were dating. They started to feel uncomfortable, seeing they were kissing a bit longer than anticipated.

•

“You call yourself a magician yet all you can do is summon cauldrons.”

“Oh yeah? Who was crushed underneath said cauldron easily?”

“I can do a lot more than you ever could.”

“Yeah, when it comes to magic. I’m the expert at everything else, you weak blowjob.”

“W- Weak!? You told me you liked it!”

“Because I felt sorry for you!”

“Heh, at least I last in bed.”

“I- I do! You can’t even stay awake to watch a movie!”

“Can to! You just pick the boring ones!”

So, they actually aren’t dating. Then why did they kiss earlier? They were clearly confused.

“Kiss my ass!”

“I already do everyday!”

They separated. Yet teasing that turned into arguing over idiotic things. They couldn’t be dating. Not like this.

“See, told you. How the hell are they telling us they’re dating but do dumb shitlike this?” Epel said to Trey who they had brought along.

“If anything, this clearly shows they don’t like each other.” Sebek muttered to Silver.

Silver and Trey exchanged looks. Truly they were confused as well. Riddle scratched his head, just as perplexed as everyone else. You could hear them flirting within the argument, but nonetheless it was an argument and arguments weren’t good. And they had one at least every six hours. This couldn’t be a healthy relationship.

“Maybe we should get them to break up.” Silver suggested. “Constantly arguing isn’t good in a relationship.”

“Makes sense.” Jack agreed, seeing Ace and Deuce heavily making out. “But… I don’t know how we’ll do it if they’re practically fucking right before our eyes.”

•

Riddle and Trey sat Ace and Deuce down. The couple didn’t know what was going on.

“We’re concerned about your relationship. It doesn’t sound healthy.” said Riddle, looking to Trey.

“Arguing is normal in any relationship, but you’re practically arguing every five minutes. It’s best you break up.” Trey said, giving it to them straight.

“Eh…?”

“Don’t tell me we have to break it down further.” Riddle groaned.

“No, it’s just. We know what we’re doing.”

“Huh?”

“We’re purposely doing it. As if I would seriously argue with Deucie.” Ace cooed, pecking Deuce’s lips.

“Stop it~” Deuce giggled, kissing him back.

They didn’t say anything more, quickly leaving as clothes were being shed.


	143. LeoVil: I popped a boner

Leona entered the ballroom, arriving earlier than the time Vil set for him. Maybe he could impress a little with being on time and having bettered himself a bit. What he didn’t expect was to see Vil asleep on the floor.

He could mess with him. He thought of drawing on his face, but that was rather childish. Cutting his hair? He’d go nuts. Maybe he could just write a little something. No, he’d settle with changing the colors of his clothes. Now that was harmless and funny.

Leona towered over the sleeping Vil with an evil grin. Instead of changing the colors, he sat down beside him. He quietly inspected his face, taking in its beauty. Wow. To think humans could really be this beautiful. Vil must’ve worked extremely hard for it.

Leona pushed Vil’s hair out of his face, wondering what had him so tired. Then again, not just him, but Jamil and Kalim we’re giving him headaches. Maybe he should lessen his burden and stop fucking around. He really couldn’t stop staring at Vil.

“So, there are things I want to say, but could never say to your face. That’s just not how I roll with… feelings.” Leona said, keeping his eyes on Vil to make sure he wasn’t awake. “You’re… for a human, you’re simply stunning. I never wanted to admit it but, when I first saw you, I popped a boner. Yeah, a boner.”

It felt a bit easy now that Vil was asleep, so he decided to continue.

“I’ve liked for you awhile now… no, I’ve loved you for a while now. I’ve been past that like stage for months now. Everyday I wish I could gaze upon your beautiful face, seeing sides no one has seen… Getting to watch you sleep like this without having to worry about you waking up… Seeing the faces you make when I touch you in places…”

Leona pursed his lips, not expecting to reveal that much. He could quit while he was ahead. Vil wasn’t a light sleeper, but he wasn’t a deep one either, so his chances were fifty fifty here. He decided on continuing.

“I want to show you my life. I want you in my life. I want to show you my hometown and I want to visit yours. I want to know your family… I want to know how you became you.”

Leona touched Vil’s cheek, watching him not stir in the slightest. It was almost time for them to start practicing. Leona said a few more things before getting up to practice a bit. He couldn’t believe he said all that mushy stuff. Yo think he’d have to say it to him while awake? That was a no from him. He’d rather keep his feelings of love bottled up rather than spout that mushy nonsense.


	144. Kalim + Jamil: What makes you think you’re superior!?

Jamil coughed blood into his hand as they walked away. Jamil glared. What made them think they had any right to touch him like this? They were on the same level. Jamil got to his feet only to feel someone kick his back, knocking him to floor.

“You think you’re above us huh? Trying to get rid of the nicest heir we’ve ever had, huh!?” a servant spat, stepping on Jamil’s back while another stepped on his head.

A third joined in, kicking Jamil’s side. They spat on him before walking away. Jamil weakly raises himself up, sitting on the floor. His body was in pain. He couldn’t work like this. Jamil tiredly used the wall for support, limping his way to the bathroom to clean himself.

He only got so far before receiving another round of beatings. Getting to the bathroom was really going to be a challenge.

•

Kalim searched around, wondering what happened to Jamil. There was something he wanted to discuss with him. He asked the other servants who feigned innocence. They discreetly laughed after Kalim had walked away. As if they’d let their master see such a disgusting pig that was Jamil.

“Did you hear? Someone took Jamil’s clothes and burned them. He’s stuck in the bathroom.”

“Oh my god, how funny!”

The servants clammed up as Kalim approached them. They also feigned innocence about Jamil’s whereabouts. A servant had put up an out of order sign on the bathroom door that Jamil was in, making sure Kalim wouldn’t enter.

Kalim passed by the door without as much of a second glance. Where in the world was Jamil? A servant had come up to him, saying they had found someone who could help him. As much as he would’ve preferred Jamil, it was more important that he completed it rather than who was helping him.

•

Jamil had managed to escape the bathroom in the dead of night when everyone was asleep. He hid in the shadows as guards were on patrol. After large amounts of pain and limping, Jamil had finally made it back to his room. His door didn’t seem to be tampered with. He was wrong. The knob fell off, causing a thud to sound. He quickly hid as guards came over, making sure he took the knob.

They eventually left. Jamil tried to work quietly in getting the door to open. It wouldn’t. Jamil used magic, hearing that the door was locked. He had made it to the safety of his room. He collapsed onto the floor, his body finally giving out on him. How much longer did he have to endure this?

•

Jamil opened his eyes, seeing the sun was already high in the sky. He groaned, his body black, blue and dark red. Black and blue from bruises and dark red from dried blood. He couldn’t move his body because it was just that sore. Furious knocking could be heard on his door.

“Jamil, get out here right now!”

“You’re shirking on your responsibilities! What makes you think you’re superior!?”

“I can’t get up because of you all!” Jamil shouted back, fed up with them.

They fell silent. Finally, he could get some peace. At least that’s what he thought. They were attempting to break into his room. Jamil used magic, making sure they couldn’t break the door down. He managed to get up, crawling over to his dresser. What he didn’t expect was to see shreds of what used to be clothing. He crawled over to a hidden spot in his room, having stocked up on things in case of emergencies. Today was one of those emergencies.

The sounds stopped. Why all of a sudden? It was then he heard it. Kalim’s voice.

“Hm, his door is locked… Maybe he’s still sleep! Or not in his room.” said Kalim. “Either way, let’s leave him be! I’ll find him.”

He could hear them leaving. Jamil quickly got dressed, having showered the night before. His body was still sore, but he managed to get to his feet despite looking like a scarecrow who came to life not too long ago.

Jamil opened the door, seeing Kalim had left. Damn it, why did he have to leave? He could’ve told him everything they’ve been doing. Jamil used a healing spell, making his bruises and scars less painful.

•

Jamil found himself locked in one of the storage rooms. It was those three again. Jamil couldn’t bang against the door, having been tied up and hung. He sighed heavily, wondering how long he’d be stuck before they came for him.

It was strange. He could never find Jamil when he wanted to talk. Was he purposefully avoiding him? Well, it made sense. Jamil was no longer his servant in his eyes. Maybe he should give up trying to find him. Kalim was passing by one of the storage rooms when he heard movement from inside. There was a do not enter sign on it.

His parents always told him the signs the servants put up were to keep them safe, but…

Jamil looked up, seeing Kalim staring at him. Why was Jamil tied up and gagged in one of the storage rooms? He hurried over to Jamil, using magic to free him.

“Who did this to you? Tell me…” Kalim muttered before noticing a bruise mark looking down his shirt. “Take your clothes off.”

“Huh?”

“I know we aren’t master and servant anymore, but I’m ordering you right now to strip.” Kalim said, needing to know if there was more.

Kalim gasped in horror. There were so many, including cuts and scratches. Kalim shakily touched his body, wondering how much it hurt receiving them. Jamil watched Kalim touch his body, the only one noticing how lewd this was.

The door opened, revealing the three servants who locked him in.

“K- Kalim sama! How dare you flash him, Jamil!?”

“Shut up!” Kalim shouted, looking at them with watery eyes. “Do you know anything about this?”

They shook their heads, feigning innocence. Jamil glared.

“They’re lying! They did it to me! They beat me ‘til I was black and blue! Hit and cut me with sharp objects. Left me stranded in the bathroom yesterday after stealing and burning my clothes! Broke into my room and shredded my clothes! Tried breaking in this morning to drag me out when I was in no condition to move!” Jamil shouted, tears streaming from his face. “They even agitated my bruises and threw me in here!”

Kalim looked between Jamil and them. The servants denied everything. Who should he believe? The person who’s been by his side since forever but betrayed him? Or the servants who’ve known him since he was in the womb and treated him with nothing but respect? Kalim ushered the servants out, telling them to get back to work.

He couldn’t make a decision now.

•

Jamil was silently working on sprucing up the place when the three servants appeared again. Jamil was beyond enraged. He wanted them punished so bad.

They started beating up on him again. Jamil was about to retaliate when they heard a voice from behind them.

“K- Kalim sama! We were-”

“Enough. You three, come with me.” Kalim said lowly, his anger clearly visible.

They complied. Jamil watched as they disappeared from sight. What would become of them?

•

Jamil sat in the crowd as everyone watched in horror and awe as the three servants were being kept pressed down onto raised spots. At the sound of Kalim’s voice, three heads had rolled.

Kalim said a piece before everyone dispersed, feeling grateful that they weren’t servants and never defied the Asims. Jamil was at a loss for words. He thought at most Kalim would have their families exiled and stripped of everything. Death was…

“They won’t bother you anymore! Let’s get you to a doctor!” Kalim quipped as his cheerful self.

How could he act so normal as if he didn’t just murder three people for simply beating up on him? If Kalim was capable of this, he feared what could’ve happened if he wasn’t as close as he was to Kalim when he betrayed him.


	145. Octavinelle: Stop being paranoid

“You know, I get a feeling that I’m being followed.” Azul muttered, glancing behind him.

“You’re imagining it. Who in the world would follow you?” Jade replied, laughing with Floyd as they high fived.

“I’m just as attractive as the next guy thank you very much.” Azul snapped. “I’ve been feeling it for a few days now.”

“The octopus has lost it.” Floyd chuckled, him and Jade walking away.

“The Sea Witch had more reliable partners than I do.” Azul groaned, rubbing his temples.

•

Floyd hummed as he made his way to the library to harass Riddle. He soon got a chilling feeling of being watched. He continued to hum, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. Floyd ducked into the library, no longer feeling it. He started to him again, only to feel it again. What in the world was going on? He didn’t like the feeling, so he left the library.

“Jade!” he called out, seeing his brother coming out from a hallway.

“Oh, Floyd. What’s up?”

“I feel like people are watching me.”

“Don’t tell me Azul has you paranoid.”

“No… I really feel it… It’s so creepy. Hold me.” Floyd whined, hugging Jade.

“Really, stop being paranoid.” Jade fussed before seeing something in his peripheral vision. He looked, seeing nothing. “Hm…”

•

Jade hummed to himself, cleaning up Mostro. He felt eyes on him. Is this what Floyd was taking about the day before? He looked up, seeing no one around him. He kept humming, hoping it would make the feeling go away.

It wouldn’t. The feeling was worse now. A student stepped out, walking in his direction. They were a bit too close for comfort.

“I love your eyes.” the Octavinelle student said, staring into them.

“Um, thanks…?”

“You have nice teeth too.”

“Uh huh…”

“What a nice tongue… Can I touch it?”

Jade stepped back, seeing they were going to reach into his mouth. He felt his body bump into something that wasn’t wall. It was a few more students. They started to compliment him as well. No. Not again. He could’ve swore he was all alone. Jade started to run, the students following and giving endless compliments.

•

Floyd screeched at the top of his lungs before climbing up a tree. The students jumped, trying to reach him. A few started to scale the tree. Floyd used wind magic, forcing them back down. He saw Jade running in his direction.

“Jade!”

“I have my own problems!”

They looked, hearing another shrill voice in the distance. Azul. Soon Azul could be seen running down the halls with his own horde of students.

“Get away from me!” Azul shrieked, using magic to create blockades.

“Azul, we love you! We love you!”

Azul kept running.

Floyd was stuck in a tree.

Jade was being chased around the courtyard.

Poor unfortunate souls.


	146. Sesi: Lily was amazing as always!

“You made it on time. I’m surprised.” Riddle commented, looking at Silver.

“Oh, I just didn’t want to make you mad again.” Silver chuckled, all geared up to stay awake and ride into the sunset.

“Good. Sebek is getting the horses ready.”

Sebek. That lean, mean, Malleus loving machine. A part of him wished he was Malleus, solely to have Sebek’s affections. Well, not to the point he worshipped him. Not that it was a bad idea. Silver shook his head, catching up with Riddle as they went to the stables.

They entered, Sebek turning around and spotting Silver. That sleeping prince with such beautiful violet eyes. He quickly looked away, letting out Vorpal and moving onto Lily. Lily could sense his nervousness, sending her into a frenzy. Vorpal started getting riled up too.

Riddle and Silver went to their respective horses, attempting to calm them down. Sebek watched as Silver calmed Lily while looking beautiful while doing it. His eyes were sparkling. Silver looked towards Sebek who looked at him fondly. Their hearts were beating wildly in their chests.

“Sebek? Are you not going to let Dynast out? He’s itching over there.” Riddle called out.

Sure enough, the black horse was stamping its hooves. Sebek hurried over, a faint blush on his cheeks. He let Dynast out, the horse quickly giving him his love and affection. Silver felt his heart melt at the sight. Watching Sebek bonding with the horse that originally hated him, it was so touching. To know he aided in such a thing as well, he felt proud. Lily nudged him, wanting to be ridden.

“Hello? We’re wasting time you two.” Riddle called out, startling the two of them.

•

Silver patted Lily, signaling to her that he was ready. She neighed, her light brown mane moving with her. Sebek watched in awe as Silver and Lily easily cleared the hurdles. Silver was simply amazeballs. Silver gave Lily loving pats, chuckling as she moved around in glee, being careful not to drop Silver.

“Good girl.”

“Sebek, your turn.” Riddle said, Vorpal the brown horse snorting at Dynast.

Dynast snorted back. Were they communicating? Sebek gave Dynast reassuring strokes before patting him. Dynast whinnied before attempting the hurdles. Silver and Riddle winced, seeing Dynast didn’t properly clear the last hurdle. Sebek reassured Dynast seeing they needed work.

Riddle rode over with Vorpal, leading the the trot around. Sebek caught up with Silver, wanting to talk. They remained silent, not wanting to say the wrong things.

“Lily was amazing as always!” Sebek said, his face beaming.

“You flatter me. We just have been working hard together since our first meeting. Isn’t that right, Lily?”

Lily neighed, agreeing.

“You and Dynast could be just as good as us or even better. You just have to work at it.”

“Silver… You’re so cool…”

Silver felt his cheeks burn slightly. Sebek thinks he’s amazing AND cool. He had to say something nice back, but what?

“I’m amazed by how far you’ve gotten with Dynast. You managed to befriend him within a week while it took others a month or more.” Silver mentioned, looking at Dynast who was comfortable with Sebek.

Sebek was as red as a tomato. Silver complimented him. He was going to die of happiness.

“So, who wants to make a bet?” Ace piped up, watching Sebek and Silver riding behind Riddle.

“What’s the bet?”

“Whether Sebek or Silver will be the first to confess.”

“I say Sebek.” Deuce stated.

“I’m with Silver.” Jack responded.

“Sebek.” Epel said. “He doesn’t seem like the type who can hide his feelings well nor hold them in.”

“I’m with Sebek too.” Ace said. “And we’re going to bet madol and lunch.”

“AND lunch?” Epel asked in disbelief.

“Yep. Everyone pay up. 200 madol each.” Ace chirped, receiving their payments.

“They look so happy and Riddle is just… there.” said Deuce, Riddle not really noticing the two flirting behind him.

“Ooo! Look at Dynast and Lily! Purposefully trying to get their riders to kiss.” Epel squealed, loving the sight.

Silver and Sebek were blushing messes. Riddle looked back, seeing their faces. Did something happen? He had Vorpal slow down, causing Lily and Dynast to do so as well so they wouldn’t run into him.

“Your faces are red. Are you feeling ill?” Riddle asked, causing the two of them to blush more and look at each other.

They both panicked, causing their horses to do the same. Riddle had Vorpal help him calm the horses as Silver and Sebek dismounted. They glanced at each other before looking away. One day, they’ll confess in a romantic way, preferably on horseback.


	147. Leona: Cat Nip City

Ruggie knocked on the door before entering. He watched with his jaw dropped as Leona rolled around on the floor half naked with the most pleasured face he’s ever seen. What the actual god damn fuck? Leona sat up, seeing Ruggie staring at him. Leona mewled, crawling over to him.

“Hell no.” Ruggie muttered, closing the door.

He heard Leona pawing at the door, meowing at him. Jack noticed Ruggie standing by Leona’s door. Was he kicked out?

“Ruggie senpai.”

“Do not go in there.”

“Eh? Why?”

Jack soon heard Leona meowing and scratching at the door.

“Do you want to end up with scratches?” Ruggie asked, raising an eyebrow.

The scratching stopped but the meowing didn’t. Jack sniffed around the door. What was this smell?

“You smell it right? It’s cat nip. He’d fall victim to cat nip.”

“Shouldn’t we record this and hold it over him?”

Ruggie blinked, not expecting Jack to suggest something so devious. He was on board. Ruggie opened the door, hurrying to record Leona acting like a drunk kitten. They found themselves being pulled into the room before the door closed behind them.

Jack tried opening it. It wouldn’t. Jack and Ruggie exchanged looks as Leona stared them down, ready to pounce on them. Leona chased them around, Ruggie calling the first person on his recent contacts for help.

•

They knocked on the door, wondering if everything was okay. No sounds could be heard from inside. Ruggie had said the door was closed, so they went in through the bay window. Leona was drooling onto a pillow on the floor. Ruggie and Jack were nowhere to be seen.

“Cater…” Leona whispered, looking at the Magicammer through lidded eyes.

“You don’t look good. What did you do with Ruggie and Jack?” Cater asked, looking at the lion who was wiggling around.

Leona didn’t respond, simply mewling and kneading his hands into the pillow he held. Cater took a few pictures, finding it Magicam worthy. Cater soon found himself hanging upside down and his phone being floated away.

“H- Hey! Leona!” Cater cried out, not wanting to be dropped on his head.

Leona wasn’t even paying him any mind.

“Hey Trixie! Call…”

•

They stood in front of Leona’s door, having heard Cater’s dying plea. They entered through the bay window, seeing Leona was asleep now fully naked and putting himself on display in a starfish position.

“How repulsive.” they sneered, tidying up the room.

“It’s quite cute don’t you think?”

“Rook, shut up.”

Rook pursed his lips, moving over to the sleeping lion. He helped tidy around Leona’s bed, fixing pillows that had been shredded. Leona rolled, dangerously close to falling off the edge. Rook rolled him back, now feeling Leona clinging to him. He couldn’t help but coo.

“Rook, stop messing around and do something useful.”

“But Vil, I’m fixing the pillows.”

“Don’t ‘but Vil’ me. Go clean the bathroom or something. And where the hell is Cater?” Vil fussed, having Rook get up.

Rook opened the door to the bathroom, seeing it was clean and free of destruction. If they weren’t in the bathroom then where in the world did they go?

Rook moved back over to Leona, pressing his ear against his chest. His heart rate was elevated a bit but that was because of the cat nip littered about the room. He moved his ear to his stomach. He felt a little thump. He couldn’t have.

“Vil. I think I found them.” Rook whispered, rubbing Leona’s stomach.

“Where are they?”

“He ate them.”

“Not possible. He’d have to-”

They exchanged looks. Vil sighed, create items to cut into Leona with. Rook quickly made them disappear, suggesting they do something safer.

Ruggie groaned, seeing they weren’t looking properly. They were right about them shrinking, but they were simply stuck up in a spider web.

“How can we get their attention?” Cater whined, seeing they were around to reach into Leona’s mouth.

“Growl as loud as you can. Shout. Do something loud!”

They started making as much noise as they could.

The duo froze, seeing Leona’s eyes slowly opening. Rook covered his eyes, worried something would happen if he looked at them. Nothing should be able to wake Leona unless…

“Leona typically doesn’t wake up for anything unless it’s something ear piercing.” Rook muttered, looking around.

Rook looked up and spotted them. He had Vil keep Leona’s eyes covered. Rook used magic, bringing the three down onto the palm of his hand.

“He shrunk us! Turn us back!” Ruggie shouted, sounding adorably cute.

“Aw, but you’re so cute~”

Ruggie bit his thumb. Rook put them down, turning them back. Rook looked back, seeing Vil had put Leona to sleep.

“How did all this cat nip get in his room?” Vil questioned, looking at Ruggie specifically.

“Hey, it wasn’t me! I stepped in and he was already loony.”

Rook listened to them discuss, taking a seat on Leona’s bed. It was him. He wanted to see how Leona reacted to it and well, he could call it a success. Rook was definitely going to do it again, wanting to get more people involved for further study.


	148. Reok: He was exaggerating

Leona entered the room, having seen everything. As much as he wanted to say Rook deserved it, he couldn’t. His heart wouldn’t let him. Rook slowly turned his head, watching Leona approach him.

“Go ahead. Laugh.” Rook whispered.

“I already did. I’m not gonna lie. It was interesting to see how far you were flung.” Leona commented, fixing Rook’s braces.

“Jerk…”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re the idiot that blabbed to everyone about Vil’s strength though.”

“I meant it in goodwill. Everyone should know how strong Vil is.”

Leona didn’t say anything.

“Are you mad?”

“No.”

“But you’re not talking to me.”

Silence. Rook sighed, gently pressing against his broken arm. He watched Leona finish changing his leg’s banadages, now moving to his arm. Rook used his healthy arm to pull Leona down into a kiss. Rook smiled, giving him a deeper kiss. Leona pulled away, needing to change the bandages.

“I should be in the infirmary you know…”

“Too much of a hassle to go back and forth.”

“So you only did this because it’s more convenient for you? What about me? All my things are in P-”

Rook clammed up, seeing Leona had brought his essentials. It was amazing how considerate Leona has been of him since they became a thing. It was like…

“Lea, have you been stalking me?”

“What? I’m not you.”

“Yet you have every little thing I need without asking.”

Leona didn’t respond. Now things were interesting.

“You’ve been watching me at times haven’t you? It’s impossible to know what I need from everything I have in that room.”

“As if I’d want to watch you.”

Silence.

“I watched you sometimes…”

“Ha! I knew it!”

“Only because I wanted to know why you liked stalking me so much. I didn’t expect to learn so much…” Leona admitted, having finished changing the bandages. “There, you’re all fixed.”

“Lea.”

“What.”

“I heard you were going crazy when I couldn’t be found. Did you miss me that much?” Rook teased, poking his side.

“Who in the world said bullshit like that?”

Rook showed him Ruggie’s reply on Vil’s post on Magiter.

“He was exaggerating.”

“Your ears are red.”

Leona mewed in response, jumping at the feeling of Rook touching his face.

“It’s just us, Lea. Were you that worried about me…?” Rook asked in a soft and quiet voice.

Leona leaned his forehead against Rook’s, giving his nose a little peck.

“I was. I couldn’t relax, I couldn’t eat or focus… All my thoughts were about you and if you were safe… My heart dropped into my stomach when I saw you flying with your head cut off by Riddle…” Leona confessed, looking into Rook’s eyes. “You’re my everything…”

Rook cooed sweetly, capturing his lips. He was Leona’s everything. Well, Leona was his everything too. Rook hissed slightly, feeling Leona leaning against his arm a bit too much. They pulled apart, somewhat satisfied.

“Right, the meds.”

The meds. Those gross tasting things that surprisingly actually do help the pain. But he just couldn’t stomach them. He hoped he distracted him enough to skip it but it seemed like it wasn’t enough. Leona held them out to him along with a glass of water. Rook refused.

They bickered back and forth, Leona trying to get the medication in his mouth. Rook pushed Leona away. He was not going to be forced to eat them. He noticed Leona had turned his back to him. Was he giving up?

“Fine. Don’t take them.”

Finally, Leona was listening. Leona turned around, leaning close to his face. Leona had him open his mouth before felt disgusting circular objects enter his mouth. He had been tricked. Rook started to cough, Leona handing him water and forcing him to swallow. Rook glared at Leona, upset he had tricked him into taking his meds.

“You’ll thank me later, Reik. For now, deal with it.”

Rook crossed his arm, turning away. Leona sighed, curling up next to Rook. Rook lied down as well, wanting to feel more of Leona’s warmth.


	149. Malleus: I belong back home

Malleus stood by the window, looking out. It was always overcast and gloomy in Diasomnia. He didn’t mind it, but he would like a little sunshine here and there. He checked the time, seeing class would begin soon.

As if on cue, Lilia, Silver and Sebek were waiting for him outside his door. As usual, Silver and Sebek walked on his sides while Lilia hung behind. He didn’t mind this much, but he wished they’d loosen up a little. He could take care of himself. He kept silent, deciding not to vent his feelings.

Sebek parted from them first. Silver next. Lilia last. As usual, people avoided him. He was used to it at this point. He just wanted some friends beside Lilia, Silver and Sebek. Yet no one approached him, no one invited him to things, nothing. Was it really because he’s so powerful, powerful enough to be considered one of the five greatest?

It was stressing on him. Though, he didn’t do a whole lot of putting himself out there either. Maybe that would be a good first step. He turned to his seat mate before remembering he moved. This was going to take awhile for sure.

•

It wasn’t working. They’d get too scared and run or too scared to talk and then run. What was it? Was it his horns? His face? His uniform? He didn’t get it. Sure, he was more skilled in the way of magic than them, but he was just like them, a person with feelings. And those feelings were being hurt. Maybe he should’ve stayed in the Valley of Thorns.

“Malleus!”

He turned at the sound of the voice. Some was calling him. Could it be?

“Are you going to eat lunch at the cafeteria?” Lilia asked.

His hopes were dashed. It wasn’t someone new. Lilia could see the obvious disappointment on his face. Did something happen?

“Lilia, I’m considering going home.”

“Huh? Why all of a sudden? You haven’t-”

“I belong back home, not here.”

Lilia reached out to Malleus who slipped through his fingers. What was going on with him? Did he really feel there was nothing to learn amongst those lesser than him? Lilia caught up with him, trying to understand.

“Malleus?”

They both turned. A person stood behind them holding a folded piece of paper.

“Kalim Al-Asim. What business do you have with us?” Lilia asked, not so subtly judging him.

“Oh, uh… Maybe now isn’t a good time…” Kalim muttered, seeing they weren’t pleased with his presence.

“Wait, don’t go…” Malleus called out, his heart paining him. “Please…”

Kalim turned around, not thinking Malleus was capable of such sounds. He sounded so needy, it was worrying.

“Well, I wanted to give you this.” Kalim stated, placing the paper in his hand. “Let me know if you’re interested or not. My number is there.”

Malleus’ eyes were fixated on the big words. Banquet. A banquet. A. Banquet. They both looked worriedly at Malleus as he started to cry. Kalim wiped his tears, worried that he did something wrong.

“Thank you…”

“Hm? For what?”

“This… this invitation…” Malleus weeped, the paper becoming damp.

Kalim took it back, afraid it’d fall apart in his hands. He didn’t think he’d get so emotional over a measly invitation, but clearly people were different.


	150. Leona & Vil: They’re horny while fighting

Everyone watched as the two were about to pass each other in the hallway. What would happen this time? A brawl? Shouting match? Teasing? An almost make out session? No one could ever tell. What they weren’t expecting was for Vil to turn tail and head back the way he came. Even Leona seemed a bit confused.

“I asked Vil about his relationship with Leona. It was very confusing…” Epel piped up, seeing the two weren’t going to interact.

“What did he tell you?” Jack asked, walking away with Epel.

“Well, he said he’d kill Leona in a heartbeat, but Leona also gave him feelings. Such strong feelings that sometimes he… using his words, ‘Beating my meat until it really hurts.’” Epel said, remembering the look on Vil’s face.

“To think Vil uses such language now… He wouldn’t say things like that when we were younger.” Jack said in awe. “I asked Leona about it too actually…”

“Really? Tell me.”

“He also said he’d kill Vil in a heartbeat, but then he said something I truly wasn’t expecting.” Jack said. “He said, using his words, 'I feel like a bitch in heat when I think about Vil. I fuck just about everything in my room until I’m satisfied.’ Wild, I know.”

“Why don’t they just fuck then? It’ll solve their horny problems.”

“Maybe because they’ll kill each other before they get to that point.”

Epel nodded in agreement. Those poor horny boys.

•

Epel and Jack found themselves in the crowd again as Leona and Vil were going at it. Would one of them finally be taken down?

“Is it just me or is there a lot of dick touching and ass rubbing?”

“They’re horny for each other while fighting. What do you expect, Jack?”

“Fair point.”

The fight ended. Neither won. They swore at each other before limping away, discreetly palming their erections.

“This has been going on for days. When will they reach a conclusion?”

“When the story does.” Jack responded, wondering how they were going to deal with their erections.

“Story? Oh, you mean theirs. I get it.” Epel spoke, leading the way to their next class.

•

Leona watched Vil from his window. Why didn’t he think of this before? Epel came walking by, seeing Leona hanging out by one of the windows. What was he plotting now? Leona let out pleases sounds, watching Vil freshen up. He desperately wanted to bite into that lean meat that was Vil. Those faint curves his body has and that nice, plump, juicy ass.

Vil turned around, catching a glimpse of something by his window. He headed over, needing to know what it was. He searched around before noticing Epel down below. He was pointing up. Vil looked up, seeing Leona.

“Were you watching me!? I oughta kill you for invading my privacy!”

“You’ve got a real nice body…” Leona whispered, getting up close to Vil.

“You aren’t changing the topic! I’m reporting you to the headmaster!” Vil declared despite having started touching himself after Leona complimented his body.

“Fine, tell him. I’ll take my leave.”

“Next time I see you, I’ll kill you for sure!” Vil tried shouting but it came out breathy and choked.

“You okay?”

“Go!”

Leona left, just in time as Vil had sank to his knees from pleasure. He didn’t want him to go. He wanted more compliments.

Epel looked between the two of them. When would they fuck already? It was starting to become ridiculous. He had started to go back to his room when he heard a rather loud moan. They seriously needed to bang.

•

Jack knocked on Leona’s door, having something he wanted to discuss. Usually he’d get a grunt but there was none. The door was open, so he stepped in. Leona wasn’t lying in bed as usual.

Jack poked his head into the bathroom before quickly looking away. He definitely wasn’t expecting to see Leona stark naked and masturbating. He decided to wait outside his room, not wanting to invoke his wrath.

Leona sighed in bliss before he came all over the floor and his phone’s screen. Again. The picture of Vil was slowly becoming unseeable. Leona couldn’t stop, no matter how much pain overstimulation was causing him. The things he would do to have Vil right now, fucking him hard from behind and ruining that beauty completely. How good he probably looked sucking dick and those lewd faces he’d make when being pleasures.

Leona came again, now stopping as his hand was cramping. God he was in so much pain but he was still thirsty.

Jack knocked again, much louder this time so Leona could gear. At first he didn’t hear anything but then he could hear shuffling. Leona was finished with his… self care. He personally would’ve stayed to watch a bit. He really did pass up that chance simply because he wanted to be respectful.

•

Epel sighed, feeling Jack rub his head.

“Leona called Vil over to his room. I’m a bit worried…” Epel muttered, having watched their interactions as of late. “I don’t think they’re horny for each other anymore.”

“Yeah. They fight more and all…”

They sighed. Here was to hoping neither was murdered. Epel pursed his lips before looking at Jack.

“I’m worried. Maybe we should head over…”

They finished their lunches before hurrying to Savanaclaw. Jack wasn’t one to worry about Leona, but he was definitely concerned about Vil. They ran into the building, taking the walkways to Leona’s room. Just as they neared the door, a scream rang out.

Jack and Epel wore worried looks, practically bursting into Leona’s room.

“Let him go!” Epel shouted before blinking. “Vil…?”

“So… uh… This, this is awkward.”

The two first years apologized, shuffling out the door.

“Well, he’s safe.” Epel mumbled, his face red.

“For now. They might kill each other in the future…” Jack replied, his face just as red.


	151. Kaja: Men are wolves

Kalim entered Jamil’s room, once more ignoring his protests of wanting privacy.

“I’ve already seen you naked, what difference does it make now?” Kalim questioned, tilting his head with an innocent look.

“It’s still embarrassing! And these a female body parts!” Jamil hissed, keeping the towel around him.

Kalim simply chuckled, resting his head against Jamil’s chest. Things have been going smoothly ever since Jamil’s initial change. Despite still hating Cater for exposing Jamil, no one seemed interested that much. Jamil kissed the top of Kalim’s head, his ears red. He secretly loved it when Kalim would put his face into his chest.

“Kalim, let me get ready.”

“I’ll help!”

“K- Kalim!”

Jamil couldn’t stop Kalim from touching him all over as he helped him dress. Jamil’s face turned redder, feeling a bit of vaginal discharge seep out.

“You look great!” Kalim said cheerfully. “Ah, your hair. Let me-”

“I can do it.” Jamil spoke, using magic to braid it.

Kalim pouted but didn’t complain. They left the room together, ready to start the day. Kalim skipped ahead in glee. Jamil shuddered, getting an uneasy feeling. He looked, seeing Scarabians carrying on as usual. He quickly caught up to Kalim, holding his hand. A few Scarabians watched Jamil, licking their lips in need.

•

Kalim moved in his seat, feeling extremely happy. It was rubbing off on Silver.

“So, Jamil is still…?”

“Yep. We haven’t been able to find a cure yet. But I know we will!”

“You don’t sound too happy though.”

“It’s just… I’ll miss his breasts. They’re so comfy.”

Silver shook his head. They continued to talk until Kalim heard voices behind him.

“Hey, I want in!”

“Keep it down! We don’t want competition…”

“Yeah. How are they gonna pull it off? He’s not simple minded like his boyfriend.”

“He craves attention…”

They had started talking lower. Kalim came to his senses, Silver having snapped in his face.

“Everything okay? You spaced out on me.”

Kalim turned around, now facing the students.

“Excuse me? I couldn’t help but hear something was going to happen? What is it?”

“Oh it’s…”

“It’s for our club. Private stuff.”

“Oh, that’s okay! I just didn’t want to miss out on anything fun.” Kalim said cheerily before turning back around.

The two guys exchanged looks, dodging a bullet.

“Man, now I wanna do something fun.” Kalim pouted.

Silver suggested a few games they could play until class was over.

•

“Stop it!” Jamil hissed, crushing his seat mate’s dick in his hand.

Moving his seat wasn’t helping him any. He had thought they had stopped ages ago, but it seemed like a few still didn’t get the message. The bell rang, signaling class was over. Jamil stayed behind, not wanting them to follow him. Surprisingly, a lot of people had stayed behind. Trein gave them a look before leaving the room.

They collectively looked at Jamil.

“Don’t you think about it…” Jamil growled, magic sparks emitting from his magipen.

“Think about what? Telling you how amazing you are?”

Jamil blinked, the sparks disappearing. They thought he was amazing? A part of him wanted to hear more.

“Your intellect is something awstriking.”

More guys had surrounded him, singing his praises. Jamil was a blushing mess. He’s never received so many compliments before. He felt touched. Most of them had stepped back, only two by his side now. One led him out of his seat and into the middle of the room. Jamil soon found himself being held and unable to use his arms. He couldn’t believe he fell for such a thing.

“Look at these thighs!”

“His breasts are so squishy.”

“His ass feels good…”

Jamil flailed around, their touches leaving a disgusting taste in his mouth.

“I wonder if I can finger him…”

No. Absolutely not. Jamil looked into one of their eyes, hypnotizing them and using them to take down the other guys. Jamil ran, using magic to seal them in the room before slapping a maintenance sign on the door.

He forgot about the hypnotized student. Jamil order them to report himself to Crowley before he ran away.

•

Silver and Jamil could see Kalim processing it all. Jamil sat beside Kalim, interlacing their fingers.

“I didn’t mean to let my guard down. It won’t happen again.” Jamil apologized, kissing Kalim’s cheek.

“You’re not at fault. They are! They tried to gang rape my… my lover! We have to report them!” Kalim exclaimed.

“Already did.”

“I’ll keep an extra eye on you. I won’t let this happen again.” Kalim declared, holding Jamil in his arms.

Jamil gave him a kiss, appreciating his efforts. But would he really follow through with it? He relished in Kalim’s touch, feeling his body leaning into it when it could. Silver smiled, glad to see everything was alright between them.

•

Jamil received a text from Kalim asking if he was okay, making sure to include their caution word in case it wasn’t Jamil texting him. Jamil sent back the second part, assuring him he was okay. Jamil kicked his lab partner in the crotch, lying that he had done it to himself accidentally when making an inappropriate joke. Needless to say, the student got in trouble with Crewel.

Jamil finished their potion, only to feel his lab partner rubbing his thigh. Jamil had had enough. He was about to bring it to Crewel’s attention when the student suddenly turned into a squirrel. He didn’t do that and no one else was watching them. His partner remained a squirrel until the end of class. He wasn’t complaining about what happened.

Jamil was doing his laps for P.E when he felt eyes on him. Not the usual lusty stare, but something more frightening. A student had come up on his side, clearly trying to make a move on him. He was soon bounded by heavy chains. Weird things were happening around him and he was still thankful, but it was also concerning. Kalim had texted him good luck in p.e. Unfortunately Jamil couldn’t view it.

Jamil knew Kalim was pretty worried about leaving him alone after what happened in the classroom. He made sure to reply to Kalim when he could, not wanting to worry him with radio silence.

More students were chained up, now garnering Vargas’ attention. The frightening feeling he got never left the entire time he was in P.E.

•

Jamil was plenty scared at this point. Someone was closely watching him and it was scaring the life out of him. He bumped into a student, promptly apologizing before being told he wouldn’t be forgiven unless he was allowed to grope. Were the boys in this school always this disgusting? Jamil involuntarily let out a pleased sound as his breasts were suddenly being touched.

Poof! The student was now an earth worm. No one was really around and the few who were weren’t paying them any mind. He took out his phone, needing Kalim to know what the hell was going on. Kalim seemed concerned as well. Thank god. He asked Kalim to meet him, hoping he could get rid of the frightening feeling.

Not long after, he saw Kalim running towards him. The frightening feeling left the moment Kalim had come into sight.

“How has your day been? Have my texts been working?”

“It’s so weird… All the guys who try to get in my pants are either transformed or chained up.”

“Woah. Scary stuff…”

“Not to mention constantly being watched and feeling as if I’d be struck down and raped…”

“I’ll stay by your side then!”

Jamil readily agreed. The feeling never came back.

•

Kalim happily cheered for Jamil on the sidelines as he had basketball club. Kalim narrowed his eyes, scanning the other club members. He discreetly has his magipen ready to use. He wasn’t going to let anyone touch Jamil.

Ace walked over to Jamil, wanting to poke his breasts as a joke. He soon found himself being forced to the ground by heavy chains. Kalim acted innocent as everyone worriedly looked over Ace. Kalim chained yet another student creeping up behind Jamil for an ass grab.

Jamil was internally freaking out. The feeling was gone but the things were still happening. He looked to Kalim who seemed just as worried.

A few more students were chained up before practice had to be canceled. Jamil walked over to Kalim with his things, sighing heavily.

“I don’t get it. Why are they so wild today? Before it was just a little teasing. Now? They want to fill all three holes.” Jamil complained, holding Kalim’s hand.

“Men are wolves.”

“Right, right…”

They arrived back in Scarabia, settling into Kalim’s room. Jamil took of his uniform jacket and sweatshirt, his breasts now more visible as the shirt outlined them.

“Kalim, why don’t I stay here tonight? I’m sure you want to keep an eye on me.” Jamil suggested, unbuttoning a few buttons.

Jamil watched as Kalim walked over, giving him a kiss. It was full of love yet sprinkled with hints of lust and desperation. He could feel his shirt buttons being loosened, his breasts seconds away from popping out.

“Kalim… what are you doing…?”

“What I should be doing…”

Jamil softly sighed, feeling Kalim kiss his neck as his hand ran over his thighs and eventually in between his legs.

“Go ahead then…” Jamil whispered, having wanted this for ages. “Make sweet love to me…”


	152. LeoMil: I’m his servant

Jamil did homework on his bed while Leona napped beside him. He finished one class, about to move onto the next when Kalim entered the room. As usual, the idiot needed his help. He moved to follow Kalim when he felt a hand grab his wrist.

“Are you really gonna go?”

“I have no choice. I’m his servant.”

Jamil didn’t wait any longer, hurrying after Kalim. It was annoying. It felt like Jamil had less time for him as of late. Every time he thought he had him, Kalim needs this, Kalim needs that. Kalim, Kalim, Kalim. What about him, his boyfriend? Did he not matter anymore?

Leona sighed, seeing an hour passed and Jamil hadn’t even come by. This was ridiculous.

•

Jamil entered his room, expecting that Leona left. He didn’t. There he lied in his bed, his textbooks and notes placed neatly off to the side. His homework was completed too. Did Leona do this? He had to thank him. What would equal the amount he gave him?

Jamil crawled into bed, kissing Leona’s neck. He palmed his crotch, hearing soft grunts.

“You’re the best, Leona… no, monster…” Jamil whispered, slipping his hand down his pants. “I’m your reward…”

Jamil basked in the quiet sighs coming from Leona. Jamil stopped touching him, allowing Leona to have his way with him.

•

Jamil found himself bending to Kalim’s whims yet again. He always dreamt of one day just being able to toss Kalim to the edge of Twisted Wonderland and being done with him. Always making him do so many when he wanted, not even bothering to ask if he wanted to do them. And he doesn’t even get the right amount of appreciation for his hard work.

“Jamil! Can you come help us?” Kalim shouted.

“No! I don’t want to. I just want to spend time with my boyfriend! Coming.” Jamil said, instructing the students before hurrying over.

Jamil was tired. He apologized to Leona again for having to miss their movie night. Three weeks. It’s been three weeks that he’s missed movie night. He wouldn’t be surprised if Leona was considering breaking up with him because he’s not giving him the time and attention he deserves.

Jamil put his head in his hands. He didn’t want that. He loved Leona. It was often he let people in and liked them. Even more so since he was a rich kid like Kalim. He was incredibly surprised when he figured out he loved Leona.

“Jamil!”

No. Jamil wanted to scream so loudly no. He was going to lose his boyfriend, the first person he’s had genuine feelings for in years all because the stupid little heir couldn’t do things himself.

“I’m coming.” Jamil replied, getting up from his seat.

But he couldn’t. Not only would it come back to bite him, it’ll affect his family too. Kalim was going to run him ragged before they could even start their lives as adults.

•

Jamil reread Leona’s last message. Making him his? Wasn’t he already? He’s left quite a number of marks since they’ve been together.

Jamil finished getting dressed for the day, hearing Kalim calling for him. Remember, Leona loves you. Keep cool. Jamil took a deep breath before heading out.

Jamil helped Kalim with a few things before they needed to heard to Night Raven for class. Would it be so bad if he just said “no”?

•

Jamil sighed, seeing lunch time was close to coming around. Kalim was going to demand the world again. When was the last time he hung out with Leona? Two days ago. Two whole days. It was ridiculous. He received a text from Leona.

“‘You’re free.’ I’m free? What does he mean…” Jamil whispered, pretending to take notes.

Class ended and he expected a barrage of messages from Kalim. None. He took this rare opportunity to hunt Leona down. He was going to use this time well before he was forced to do things once more.

Jamil entered the gardens, practically jumping into Leona’s arms once he found him. He gave him kisses, having missed him dearly. Leona gave back the same intensity, him being the one deprived the most.

“He hasn’t called for me yet… This is a miracle!”

“He won’t be calling for you anymore. I own you now.”

Jamil blinked. He what? Own?

“Am I just… another servant?”

“You don’t sound happy…”

“Leona, I don’t want to be a servant anymore! Ugh, this is awful…”

“Hey, you’re thinking too much. You’re my personal servant, I’m the only one who can boss you around. But I won’t. You’re free to do as you wish.”

Jamil turned, looking Leona in the eyes. He wasn’t lying to him.

“I’ll even eradicate that you were a servant to the Asims and me.”

“Just the Asim one for now. Since I’m your servant, what should I do for you?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Then… I’d like to make up for three missed movie nights.” Jamil stated.

“I like that idea.”

Leona kissed his cheek, loving that he was able to hold Jamil and not a pillow out of desperation.


	153. Kalim & Jamil: I can’t trust them

Jamil found himself being fed by Kalim, practically being pampered. He liked it. It was great. Kalim looked at him with such adoring eyes.

“Kalim, I’d like to get started on my duties…” Jamil told, attempting to get up from his bed.

“No need! I have others doing it for you. Relax. Want more?” Kalim asked, holding up more food.

“I’m full, actually.”

“Okay. Ah, your room is a bit messy. I’ll have someone clean it.”

His room wasn’t dirty. He couldn’t see what Kalim was seeing. Kalim shouted out the door and a few servants had come in. Kalim picked Jamil up in his arms, wanting them to fix his bed too. Holy shit, was this what it was like being a pampered rich kid?

The servants left, not before giving Jamil nasty looks. Kalim left, telling him to take it easy. Jamil looked, seeing his room was practically sparkling. Life was good.

•

Jamil walked around, watching the other servants work. Look at them, pitiful. They did this to themselves. He would still be at their level if they hadn’t beaten up on him.

“Jamil! There you are!” Kalim called out, skipping over to him. “I couldn’t help but think of you when I looked at this! Here.”

Jamil was now in possession of an expensive looking necklace. Kalim happily put it on him, moving to admire how it looked on Jamil. The servants were discreetly grumbling. This wasn’t how things were supposed to end up.

They watched Kalim practically pamper Jamil as if they were lovers. It was disgusting. Jamil had betrayed him, even threw him across a desert for fucks sake. Yet he was being treated like a king. Was their years of dedication all for naught? Was bad behavior what got rewarded around here now?

“Hey, are you going to sleep in your room tonight?”

“Well, yes. It is my assigned room.”

“Well tonight you’re sleeping in mine! With me!”

Jamil blinked. Seriously?

“Oh, it’s not like that. Just to make sure you’re living as comfortably as possible.”

“Oh, then sure. Why not.” Jamil replied with a smile.

This was the life. It really was. He glanced back at the other servants.

“Bow down to me!” he thought, laughing internally.

•

Jamil woke up the next day feeling completely refreshed and ready to work. Jamil was about to leave when he felt arms wrap around him.

“Where are you going?”

“To work.”

“You don’t have to do that. Others are taking care of it for you!” Kalim said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “Let’s sleep more!”

He didn’t have to work today either? This was great! He willingly got back into bed with Kalim. He easily drifted off, loving this newfound freedom.

•

Jamil was once again being fed by Kalim with those adoring eyes. He seemed so happy getting to feed him.

“Oh! I was out today and I couldn’t help thinking if you when I saw these!” Kalim said, snapping his fingers.

A few servants came in holding an assortment of bags and boxes. That was… a lot of stuff. They placed it by Jamil, not without giving him dirty looks before leaving. They desperately wanted to call bullshit on what was going on, but after seeing what happened to those other three, they valued their lives.

One couldn’t take it.

“Kalim sama, may I speak?” they asked, getting on their knees.

The others were trying their best to get them to shut up. Seeing they weren’t going to listen, the left without them. It was nice knowing them.

“I’m listening.” Kalim said with a smile.

“How you’re treating Jamil, I mean, Jamil sama… It doesn’t feel right. He did bad things to you yet you treat him like a lover…” they said, keeping their head low. “I don’t understand it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain it to you.” Kalim responded, having them move closer. “Jamil, could you wait for me by the kitchen?”

Jamil nodded, leaving the room. He looked back, wondering why he couldn’t be present. It did concern him after all.

Jamil waited by the kitchen, wondering how long it was going to take Kalim. He saw Kalim bouncing towards him wearing a new outfit. What happened to his old one? He decided not to question it. This was Kalim.

“So, is there anything you want? Food? Clothes? Jewelry? A new gaming system?”

“I actually just want to rest.”

“Then you can rest in my room!”

“But I-”

Kalim was already dragging him off towards his room.

Kalim closed and locked the door behind him, tucking Jamil into bed. This was nice.

“Do you want me to read to you? Sing? Just leave you alone?”

“I’m fine. Thanks.”

Kalim smiled happily, kissing his forehead.

“Sleep well Mimi.”

Kalim turned off the lights, exiting the room. Jamil snuggled into the sheets, unaware of Kalim entering the room again. Kalim watched him sleep. There was no way he could take his eyes off Jamil. Someone was going to get bold and hurt him. He never wanted to see him all black and blue again.

Time passed and Kalim could see Jamil was in deep sleep. Kalim left his spot by the wall, hovering over Jamil. He knew he wouldn’t exactly be on board with it when he was awake, but he wanted to take care of all of his needs. Even the sexual ones.

“My apologies in advance…” Kalim whispered before ducking underneath the bedsheets.

•

Jamil groaned, his eyes slowly opening. He felt light. He sat up, seeing he had slept the entire night. Kalim was asleep beside him. He raised an eyebrow, knowing Kalim wasn’t the type to sleep nude.

He felt like working today. Jamil got out of bed, using Kalim’s bathroom to shower before heading to his room to get dressed.

Kalim stretched out, waking up over an hour later. He rolled over before his eyes widened. Jamil was missing. His heart rate had gone astronomically high as panic settled in. Someone took him. Kalim threw on a long shirt, more worried about Jamil than how he looked.

“Jamil!? Where’s Jamil!?” Kalim shouted, earning looks from the other servants.

Who in their fool mind would mess with Jamil now? They were all going to be punished at this rate. Kalim continued to call out for Jamil, slowly feeling himself going insane.

“If I find out any of you had something to do with it I-”

“Kalim?”

Kalim turned, seeing Jamil coming from the direction of his room. Kalim ran to him and hugged him tight, rubbing his head against him. Jamil looked, seeing the servants looked petrified. What happened before he came over?

“Come! I need to get ready.”

“Oh, but I-”

Kalim looked at him with big, round eyes.

“Okay.”

The servants watched as Kalim clung to Jamil like a monkey to a tree.

“I heard someone spoke up about it…”

“Yeah. Heard they were killed in private, courtesy of Kalim sama…”

“That stupid child… We wouldn’t be living in fear if he didn’t think he could topple Kalim!”

“Did you say something?”

The servants’ eyes widened, seeing Kalim standing before them.

“N- No. We’re really happy you found Jamil… sama.”

“Yes! Allow us to continue working…”

Kalim smiled, walking away. They discreetly sighed, seeing he hadn’t heard them.

“Guards!”

Guards arrived, holding them both. Kalim turned around with the cutest and most innocent face they’ve ever seen.

“Kill them.”

The other servants turned away, seeing they were killed on the spot. Kalim hummed as he skipped away, catching up with Jamil. The servants were trembling in fear. What happened to their loving heir who wouldn’t hurt a fly?

•

Jamil was sitting on Kalim’s bed playing games with him. He kind of wanted to work.

“Kalim, I want to do some work.”

“No! You can’t. I won’t allow it.”

“Why not…?”

“I can’t trust them. They’re going to hurt you!”

“I don’t think they will…”

“No! I forbid it!”

Jamil was taken aback some, not expecting Kalim to raise his voice. He didn’t want him to work? But he had to. He was getting a bit bored.

“Kalim… you’re being rather…”

Kalim was narrowing his eyes.

“Nothing. I’ll enjoy these games with you.”

Kalim cheered happily.

“I’ll make you happy! I promise.”

Jamil smiled softly. He was happy, but he really wanted to do some physical labor.

“Oh! I forgot I have to go out today with my dad. I promise I’ll be back soon so we can play together!”

Kalim crawled out of bed, fixing himself in the mirror. Jamil was thankful. Now he could go and do some work while he was gone. It was nice not having to work but he was really getting antsy.

Jamil waited some time after they left to go out and do his usual duties. He either found them already being worked on or completed. Kalim really made sure he didn’t have anything to do.

Even the other servants wouldn’t allow him to help in fear of losing their heads. This free kind of life was starting to feel a little… suffocating.

•

Jamil was dying. Kalim wouldn’t stop showering him in gifts. He wouldn’t allow him to do any servant work. Though sleeping in the same room wasn’t at all bad. He could still get behind that.

Everything would be fine if he was allowed to work around the place. Sure, Kalim was playing with him and practicing alongside him, but even then…

“Jamil! This ring reminded me of when you overblotted! It’s a little snake ring.” Kalim quipped, purposefully putting it on his ring finger. “Oh, my fault.”

He didn’t feel it was a mistake. He didn’t call him out on it. Kalim smiled in delight, glad to see the ring fit him.

“Kalim, are you in here?”

Kalim’s parents entered the room. They told him he was needed somewhere before watching him take off. The door was closed.

“Jamil… We need your help.”

“Mine?” Jamil parroted, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. You’re the only one he listens to. You have to get him to stop this. Our staff is slowly being cut away at and our expenses are higher than usual these days…” Mr. Asim said with worry.

“But we’re mostly concerned about our dwindling staff… Please, talk to him…”

Jamil nodded. They left. They expected him to talk sense into their nonsensical child? He wasn’t entirely confident. But did he really want to give up this lifestyle he was currently living?

•

Kalim flopped onto his bed, tired from learning the ropes. Jamil was silently using his phone. Kalim got on all fours, resting his head on Jamil while lying on his back like a dog asking for belly rubs.

“How was your day? Great right?”

“Kalim, I want to talk to you.” Jamil said, placing his phone off to the side.

Kalim gave him a serious nod.

“Your parents… they aren’t happy with the way you’ve been doing things. They say staff is starting to dwindle. I’m assuming they mean people are leaving and I am curious as to why.”

“Don’t worry about that! They aren’t happy with what I’m doing… Well, if it’s you saying it, then I’ll do something about it.”

“So you’ll stop?”

“I’ll take care of everything!” Kalim said cheerfully, holding Jamil’s hands. “I’m sorry that I worried you guys… mostly you.”

Jamil sighed. He’d go back to being a servant. The others would probably have their way with him again. Unless Kalim’s actions still hold fear over them. Jamil felt he could rest easy tonight.

“Jamil… can I take care of you tonight?”

“What do you mean…?”

Kalim reached back, running his fingers over his crotch.

“Oh, you really don’t have to Ka-”

Kalim was spreading his legs and pulling his pants down. Jamil was clearly panicking and trying to keep Kalim away.

“Kalim! Please, you don’t have to do t- Ah!”

Jamil stopped resisting, loving the way Kalim’s tongue moved. Jamil bit his finger, seeing Kalim would let him direct him. He was going to enjoy tonight even more.

•

Jamil stretched out, feeling a bit tired from fucking most of the night. Kalim surprisingky wasn’t in bed. He figured he would be considering how he destroyed him. It was awful silent in the Asim household.

Jamil had stepped out of the room, all clean and ready to stay working. No one was in the halls. He walked down those halls before hearing voices. He followed them, seeing they wee gathered around the lounge room. He squeezed through, seeing what was going on.

“Jamil, good morning! I’ve fixed our problem! Now we won’t have to worry about anything anymore!” Kalim chirped with his bright smile.

“I own this place now.”


	154. Kalim & Jamil: Blue blossom

Kalim happily twirled around, clapping along with Cater and Lilia as they practiced for their performance next year. They were confident more students would join and make things more lively.

“You know, that wasn’t half bad. If we can just get you to sing a bit higher…” Lilia said, having Cater practice with him. “You too Kalim.”

“Eh? I thought I wasn’t singing though.”

“Don’t you want to be backup?”

“Hm, not really. I really like Cater’s singing!”

Cater blew him a kiss as a thank you. They practiced once more before deciding to call it day. It was getting better, but not quite ready to be presented.

“You know, I’ve been curious. How have things between you two been since… you know?” Cater asked, taking a seat next to Kalim.

“It’s okay. He’s still not warming up to me as much as I’d like haha.” Kalim responded, that cheery smile making itself known.

“Well, he did hold a grudge for years. I don’t think he’d warm up to you after a month or two.” Lilia stated, sitting with them.

Kalim sighed, letting his chin rest on the table. They patted his back, giving him reassurance.

“Maybe I should start doing more things for him like he did for me! He’ll definitely appreciate it!”

They watched Kalim run off despite still having half an hour of club activities left.

“Should we tell him?” Lilia questioned.

“Nah.”

•

Scarabians watched as Kalim worked around the dorm. They loved their dorm leader, but he couldn’t do a thing right. They constantly came to his aid, whether Kalim knew or didn’t. Kalim felt great. He just completed a bunch of things so Jamil wouldn’t have to. He thanked the students who helped him before skipping off to Jamil’s room. The students collapsed to the floor, tired from doing most of the work.

Kalim started organizing Jamil’s clothes the way Jamil did his. He never really looked at Jamil’s non school clothes before. Their tastes were similar but different. He picked out a dark olive green sleeveless that said “I’m the boss of me”. Well, it was certainly relevant now. He looked at a few more, each that had text or photos stating that he listens to himself only.

Kalim moved on, not letting it get to him. After some time, Jamil’s room was clean and organized. He’s got to love it. Question was, where was he? He decided to wait in his room for him.

Kalim jolted awake for the nth time. Jamil still hadn’t come back. What was taking him so long? Did he decide to sleep in another dorm? That made the most sense right now. If that was the case, he couldn’t really do anything about it. Kalim got up and quietly left his room. He entered again, seeing no point in heading to his room when he could sleep here. Jamil was away and he wouldn’t notice if someone had slept in his bed.

•

Kalim stretched out, feeling great. It was the weekend and he was ready to party. RSA was going to be having one later that night and he was invited along with Silver. How they were invited is a story for another day. Kalim hurried out of Jamil’s room, needing to get ready for the day.

Kalim poked his head out his room, seeing Scarabians just hanging out, some with friends from other dorms. He started asking around if anyone had seen Jamil. Surprisingly, no one had. It wasn’t like Jamil to be missing for too long. Especially since he always practiced magic around this time.

Jamil wasn’t in his usual spot for practice. Was he skipping? Jamil never skipped anything. It was time to start investigating.

•

Kalim had talked to just about all of Jamil’s classmates except Azul. He found himself in Octavinelle, hearing Azul was sick in bed. He didn’t know merpeople could catch colds. The more you know.

Kalim knocked on Azul’s door before entering. He wasn’t prepared to see Azul thrashing about, Floyd sitting on him and trying to pin his arms back while Jade attempted to give him medicine.

“Umm, should I come back later…?”

“Kalim, help m-!” Azul cried out before having medicine shoved in his mouth.

Azul stopped thrashing, having been taken down by the disgusting tasting medicine. The twins sighed before looking towards Kalim.

“We’re sorry you had to witness that.”

“What can we do for you, sea otter?”

“Well, I was going to ask Azul if he knew about Jamil’s whereabouts since they’re in the same class, but it looks like I won’t be getting an answer anytime soon.” Kalim explained, seeing Azul’s glasses skewed on his face as he slept.

“To think sea otter can’t find his sea snake. That’s unusual.” Floyd commented, earning a nod from Jade.

“We can say for certain no one from Scarabia stayed over in Octavinelle. I read over the sign ins this morning.” Jade assured, seeing a dark cloud hanging over Kalim’s head. “Why not ask the other dorm leaders or vices if anyone stayed over?”

“You’re a genius! Thanks Jade!”

They watched Kalim scurry out the room.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Jamil is just avoiding him.”

“Totally.”

•

Kalim had visited every dorm but Pomefiore. He stepped through the mirror, taking in the beauty. He spotted Epel not too far away talk with Sebek.

“Hey Epel, Sebek.”

“Afternoon senpai.” Sebek responded, Rpel giving a little nod.

“Epel, do you know where Rook and Vil are?”

“Vil is locked up in his room as usual. Rook is… stalking someone. I don’t know who.” Epel responded, wondering why Kalim seemed a bit panicked.

“Thanks!”

“Did he seem a little…?”

Sebek nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

Kalim hurried up the stairs, dashing towards Vil’s room. He knocked harshly, knowing it’d get Vil to come out. As expected, he did.

“What-”

“Did anyone from Scarabia stay over last night?” Kalim asked loudly, cutting Vil off.

“How rude. Speak properly.”

“Vil I don’t have time for this!”

“One person did.” Vil said before giving his name. It wasn’t Jamil. “Now you’re all sad. Why?”

“Jamil is missing…” Kalim muttered, dragging his feet as he walked away.

“Hm, I think I saw him hanging around outside the dorm yesterday. What was that child’s name…”

Kalim waiter with bated breath before Vil recalled. Kalim took off after getting the necessary information.

“He’s so delusional sometimes… To think he’s a dorm leader.” Vil whispered, closing his door.

Kalim was heading for the student’s room when he overheard people talking. It was that student and another.

“Slow down. We can fix this. How much did you give him?”

“I don’t know. I just wanted to get back at him for hurting Kali…”

“You idiot. Why would Kalim be happy about this? Anyway, let’s get his body to an unused room.”

What did he just hear? He heard a door opening. After some grunts, the door closed. Kalim looked.

“Jamil…!” Kalim thought, watching them carry his lifeless body.

His grip on the wall tightened, his knuckles turning white. The other guy was right. Why would he be happy about this? He discreetly followed them, needing to know what they did to Jamil.

The student left the room with his senior, having locked the door behind them. Kalim waited until they were far enough away to unlock it with magic and enter. They just left him on the floor. That only fueled his anger more. Kalim knealt by his side, opening Jamil’s mouth and sniffing. A very faint citrus scent. Which meant…

As expected, there was reddening behind Jamil’s teeth. Kalim lifted Jamil’s shirt, squinting at his chest. There was a little black speck over where his heart was. They used blue blossom, a plant based poison. It was hard to detect if you didn’t have sharp senses.

Kalim lifted Jamil onto his back, needing to get him back and cured fast. An entire day has almost gone by. Jamil would quickly fall into critical condition within the next twenty four hours if left untreated considering how much Jamil had consumed.

“I’ll save you, Mimi. I promise!” Kalim whispered, holding Jamil tighter.

•

Kalim shook the beaker, watching the blue liquid turn clear. It was ready. Kalim looked back at Jamil, seeing he was starting to sweat. Kalim quickly picked up the antidote, lifting Jamil’s head so he could drink. Jamil started to cough harshly. Kalim backed up, knowing what was coming next. He moved the bucket up to Jamil’s face, having him puke into it.

Kalim rubbed his back, wondering if there was more. Jamil looked up at him before sitting back as steady as he could.

“You’re gonna be okay. Rest up. But I’m going to need a urine sample when you wake up to make sure it’s really gone.” Kalim said, lying Jamil back.

“It hurts…”

“Yes, I know. Your stomach will hurt so that’s why I suggested you sleep. You’ll have a headache soon too.”

Jamil closed his eyes, trying to sleep. Kalim used magic, having their childhood lullaby play for Jamil. Jamil was out in seconds. Kalim continued to stir the contents in the hidden mini cauldron. He scooped a bit out, seeing it was starting to become smooth compared to its chunky texture from before. It was almost ready. Kalim plucked a few hairs from his head before putting it in.

The mixture went up in smoke, slightly bubbling over as eerie fog started to crawl out and surrounded it. The dark green mixture slowly started to change colors before becoming a yellow and gray color.

“Perfect. I have some time before Jamil wakes up…” Kalim mumbled to himself, pouring the contents into a small, non see through bottle. “I’ll make sure you suffer…”

•

Kalim asked around for the student, learning he was studying out in the courtyard. Perfect. Kalim double checked everything. Taste changed? Check. Outward look changed to his favorite drink? Check. One student who had a death wish? Check. Kalim happily greeted him.

“Wow! For me?” he exclaimed, taking the disguised bottle.

“Yep! We’re such good friends so it’s only right I treat you nicely~” Kalim grinned, waiting for him to drink.

The student opened the drink, downing about half of it before he suddenly collapsed to the ground, the drink spilling. He looked up at Kalim who didn’t look the slightest bit worried. Did he…?

“I don’t appreciate what you did. I still wouldn’t even if you used a small dose of blue blossom.” Kalim said, watching him writhe in pain, furiously scratching at his neck as it burned while his throat closed. “I’m not really a violent guy, but I guess today’s an exception.”

The student weakly reached out to him before passing out. Kalim hummed, using magic to leave no evidence behind. A simple thunderbolt was enough to permanently rid of it all. Kalim left him there. He wasn’t going to die… yet.

•

Jamil was searching around for Kalim in the dead of night. He still had a dull headache but he was feeling much better than before. He saw Kalim was asleep on the floor, curled up in blankets. Jamil bit his lip before slipping out of bed and cuddling Kalim. He didn’t want to admit it, but if it wasn’t for Kalim, he was certainly going to die.

Jamil buried his face in Kalim’s neck, smiling softly. He wasn’t all bad. Sometimes.

Kalim smiled, feeling Jamil hold him. Jamil wouldn’t have to worry about that student ever again. He wasn’t going to recover from bell’s breath, not with what was available on campus.


	155. Epel: Though she didn’t like me much…

Epel hid in the temperate zone as faint voices could be heard. He hated this. He wanted to go home. This isn’t what he wanted. He would rather be in any other dorm than this one. ANY other dorm. He didn’t get it. How was his soul that of Pomefiore. He’s done nothing his entire life that would emulate it.

Epel sighed, leaning against a tree. It wasn’t too late to leave, right? He could transfer to a school near home or maybe… Royal Sword?

He was being too hopeful. His parents, no, his family was paying all this money for him to attend this prestigious school. He was going to suffer through it. No matter the cost.

He heard voices again. Epel his further, hearing people rushing in and out. He couldn’t go back. This wasn’t his first time escaping and each time the punishments were worse. Surely he’d die if he went back.

“…you…”

Epel looked around. Was he hearing things? The soft voice spoke up again. He looked up, seeing rather pretty woman squatting some in front of him. He reached out, seeing she wasn’t physically present. He suppressed his screams, not wanting to be found.

“Hey you, why are you sad?” she asked, looking at him with gentle eyes.

“Well, can I speak frankly, miss…?” Epel asked, not feeling like speaking formally.

“By all means go ahead, little one. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“I dun really ‘preciate tha fact I wa put inna dorm that ain’t fer me.” Epel said, sighing heavily. She was surprisingly kind and attentive for a ghost. “Miss, are ya a ghost?”

“I don’t really know myself. I heard someone crying and I came to look. I had an urge to help.” she responded, giving Epel a warm smile. “You seem to be the one.”

“Do ya have a name I can call ya by?”

“Snow White. That’s what my parents named me.”

Snow White? The name wasn’t familiar to him. He kept his thoughts to himself, wanting to vent about his frustrations with Pomefiore.

“Well, Snow White, here at Night Raven, we’re sorted inta dorms based on our soul by a mirror. I feel I’ve been wrongly put in tha dorm I’m in. I don care bout this beauty nonsense. I wanna be strong like tha guys in Savanaclaw.” Epel spoke, frowning heavily. “I came to be a strong magician but I can’t if I’m stuck in a trash dorm like this.”

“Why do you want to be a strong magician?” Snow asked sweetly.

“Look at me, miss! I'ma frail lil’ thang! No one takes me seriously 'cause I’m so tiny! I wanna get buff too and stand tall like Mr. Vargas and them guys in Savanaclaw. Everyone listens to tha bigger guys. They’re more important too.”

“Is that so? My step mother was a pretty strong woman, but she wasn’t tall and buff. Yet she had everyone’s attention. I admired her really.” Snow White spoke, recalling memories. “Though she didn’t like me much…”

“That so? Well, what do ya think I shud do? I git punished every time I git caught or head back fer escapin’…” Epel muttered, shuddering at the memories. “Tha dorm leader’s relentless…”

“I think you should go back. You said a mirror sorts everyone into the dorms here, right? Then there’s a reason why you were put in the dorm you’re in right now.” she chirped, smiling warmly. “I think you’re perfect the way you are darling.”

“I dun believe ya.”

“Truly, I mean what I say. You give off such a beautiful aura, a strong will within it. You’re already strong in my eyes.”

Epel pursed his lips, looking at the beautiful woman. She seemed too innocent to lie. Maybe he could try looking at things differently a bit.

“I’ll go back then. Thank ya, miss Snow.”

“I had fun talking to you. I’d love to talk to you again.”

Her giggling was adorable. Epel looked away, hearing them coming back. He turned to look at her again, seeing she disappeared. Epel came out of hiding just as Rook was passing by.

“There you are! Vil is very angry you know.” Rook muttered, fearing what Vil would do to the poor child.

“I accept punishment…” Epel whispered, glancing back to where he saw Snow. “I have to prove something…”

“Hm? Did you say something else?”

“No.” Epel lied, following Rook back to Pomefiore.


	156. Jalia: Your braids look exceptional

“Jamil!” Kalim shouted, running over to the male who was about to enter the library. “Are you going to do homework too? Let me join!”

“You’ll do so whether I respond or not…” Jamil muttered, entering the library.

Jamil picked up the few books he needed, only to have them taken and being carried by Kalim. He didn’t say anything, simply walking back to the table. Kalim placed his books down before hurrying off to get his own.

“Thought I’d find you in here.” a voice said.

“Leona in the library. Looks like I’ll finally be free of being Kalim’s little fetch it boy.” Jamil muttered, knowing Leona wasn’t one to frequent places like this.

“Studying up on the Sorcer of Hot Sands huh? I could help out.”

“You? If you can perfectly answer these first two questions, then I’ll consider it.” Jamil sneered, showing him the first two homework questions.

They were relatively hard, requiring the help of the library books and cross referencing. Leona easily answered them. Jamil blinked. To think Leona actually studied something.

Kalim came back, seeing Leona sitting in his seat. Kalim tightly gripped his books, gently dropping them onto the table to get their attention.

“What took you so long? Hey, Kalim was kind of sitting there…”

“And? Move your feet, lose your seat. Anyway, as I was saying…” Leona said, going back to helping Jamil out.

Kalim pouted, doing his work. His foul mood didn’t last long as Ruggie had come for Leona, dragging him to his supplementary class. Kalim sat next to Jamil who was just about done with his work. He had to do something.

“Jamil, I don’t quite get this part. Could you explain it like how you always do?” Kalim asked.

“Ah, I suppose it can be tricky if you aren’t paying attention.” Jamil said before starting to explain.

Kalim nodded along, discreetly slipping his hand over Jamil’s. Jamil pulled away, still explaining. Kalim tried again, this time scooting closer discreetly. He bumped knees with Jamil. No bump back.

“And that’s why we celebrate him instead of the street rat.” Jamil explained, looking at Kalim. “Did you get all of that?”

“You’re so handsome, Mimi…” Kalim blurted out.

“You weren’t listening. I’m not explaining it again. Good luck.”

Jamil answered the last question on his homework before packing up. Kalim needed to keep him here.

“Oh! Jamil, we were supposed to discuss the details of the banquet tonight! We do have important people coming.”

“Ah, it nearly slipped my mind. Give me a moment to put these back.” Jamil spoke quickly before taking off.

Success. He was going to get Jamil to fall for him. It was going to take awhile, but he was more than willing to fight for his affections. Jamil had come back and sat beside him. Kalim finished up his work before turning to Jamil. They discussed possible themes and what food could be cooked without offending anyone.

Kalim often touched Jamil who moved away whenever he got too close. They finished discussing, splitting the duties. They parted ways, Jamil relieved to have time for himself.

•

Jamil couldn’t focus in basketball practice, one person being loud and the other trying to act like a referee. It was affecting the other members too. Jamil walked over to them, an annoyed look on his face.

“Just sit quietly. Can’t you do that?” Jamil fussed before glaring. “Shouldn’t you two be at your clubs?”

“We don’t do anything in my club though…” Kalim replied, knowing Lilia and Cater were fine without him.

“Didn’t your dorm get their ass handed to them by Diasomnia? Can you afford to just sit here?”

“They don’t need me. They’ve got Ruggie.” Leona shrugged. “You’re more interesting.”

Jamil gave a disgusted look as Leona blew him a kiss. Kalim growled, sending Jamil back. They were silent for the rest of practice. Ruggie had camre and fetched Leona at some point, leaving just Kalim.

Practice had finished, Kalim rushing over to wipe his forehead. Jamil allowed him to. Kalim found himself staring at Jamil’s face, his movements slowing some.

“Kalim, you’re not dabbing.” Jamil piped up.

Kalim squeaked, his face red as he started to dab again. Being this close to him was enough to make him pass out from sheer bliss.

“I love you…” Kalim whispered, it going undetected.

Kalim carried Jamil’s things as they left the gymnasium. Kalim continued to interact with him, trying to get as close as he could without making him suspicious or uncomfortable.

“So, what are you going to do now? Start other homework? Cook? Rest?”

“I have plans and you’re not invited.” Jamil responded, trying to take his things from Kalim.

“Why don’t we head to Scarabia first and drop this off?”

“Actually, I think I’ll take it with me.”

“Where? I’ll-”

“Don’t you have studying to do? I know your class has a test tomorrow.”

Kalim nervously laughed, assuring Jamil he’d study hard after dropping him off. Jamil had taken his things and left. It wasn’t a complete failure. Jamil showed concern and clearly kept himself updated with his class. Things were on the right track.

•

Jamil ate lunch while studying his notes. He had a test next period and couldn’t afford to fail. He discreetly rolled his eyes as a certain person had sat next to him.

“Hey, your braids look exceptional today.”

“They’re the same as they were yesterday, Leona.” Jamil sighed.

Leona simply shrugged, starting to enjoy his meal. Jamil was slowly getting tired. For over two weeks he and Kalim have been hanging around him whenever they had a chance. He appreciated the little gifts and help they gave him but sometimes he felt smothered.

Jamil put his hand out, seeing Leona was trying to feed him. At least they understood no meant no.

“Do you ever lie awake at night, wondering if someone is thinking about you?” Leona asked, munching on meat.

“Some nights, yes.”

“Do you think of how nice it’d be getting to be with them… maybe stargaze…”

“A few times.”

Leona was ecstatic. He’s got to be talking about him. Jamil smiled softly before eating again.

“Hey, do you have plans tonight?”

“No. Why?”

“Come to Savanaclaw. There’s something I want to show you.”

Jamil agreed, a bit curious as to what the lion could have to show him.

Kalim bent his spoon, watching them interact.

•

Jamil yawned before feeling someone touching his shoulders.

“Kalim?”

“Are you busy tonight?”

“I have plans with Leona, but it won’t take long since he’s just showing me something.”

“Then, I’d like to hang out tonight. Let’s have a game night just like when we were younger!”

That sounded fun. Jamil agreed, feeling Kalim really getting into his shoulders. When did he learn how to massage?

Leona had entered the courtyard. He spotted the two of them not too far away. He walked over, wondering what the pampered kid was trying to pull.

“Oh, it’s Leona.”

“What are you two up to?”

“Nothing much! Just making plans for tonight to have fun.” Kalim responded, purposefully wearing a smug look.

“Ha? We already have plans.”

“I didn’t think you were going to take all night to show me something.” Jamil responded. “Cause that’s just weird.”

“It’s a big thing! It’ll take quite some time. You won’t be able to do his plans.”

“Yes he can! Jamil is great at time management!” Kalim fussed.

“He’s hanging with me tonight, so butt out you airhead!”

“No, he’s hanging with both of us!”

Jamil listened to them bicker back and forth until…

“My, what’s going on here?”

They all looked, seeing someone sitting in the tree above them. The person jumped down, landing ever so gracefully.

“It’s Lilia.” Kalim gasped, looking at the short man. “Leona isn’t sharing Jamil!”

Lilia raised an eyebrow, needing an explanation.

“I made plans with Jamil during lunch then this idiot comes out of nowhere making plans on the same night!” Leona scoffed. “I have every right to have him to myself tonight.”

“Well, this is an easy fix really. Jamil, who do you want to spend time with tonight and who will be pushed to tomorrow?”

“Honestly? I was interested in doing both tonight, but now I’m not. Your arguing turned me off.” Jamil explained, getting to his feet and walking away.

“And there you have it.” Lilia chuckled behind his hand. “Arguing gets you nowhere.”

They sighed before glaring at each other. They couldn’t wait any longer. They had to confess before someone came and stole Jamil.

•

Jamil found himself in the botanical gardens in search of Kalim. He claimed to need help identifying some plants.

“Hey, you’re here! Come.”

Jamil let Kalim lead him before noticing the area was decorated slightly. He pushed the thought aside, assuming it was someone’s things.

“Jamil, I’m going to be straight to the point here.”

“Uh, okay…?”

“I-”

“I finally found you! And you?” Leona said, seeing Kalim holding Jamil’s hands.

Kalim was bumped out of the way, Leona now standing in front of him ready to confess.

“Jamil, I-”

“Move!”

“No, you!”

Jamil watched as they continued to move each other out the way. He quickly started to frown. What in the world had gotten into them lately?

“Jamil, I want to date you!” they said in unison before glaring at each other.

“Uh… what?”

“I want to be your boyfriend! No, pick me! Stop copying me!” they said in unison again.

“Uh…”

“So we meet again. How lovely.”

They looked, seeing Lilia appear almost out of thin air. Jamil looked, watching Lilia appear from behind him. This was yet another time he’s appeared when they were fighting.

“We know, we know. Jamil is the only one who can decide. So, tell us! Who is it?”

“Oh, I can decide for him.”

“Ha? I don’t think I heard right. How can you decide for him?” Leona sneered, looking at the tiny man.

Jamil leaned down slightly, sharing a kiss with Lilia. Kalim’s and Leona’s jaws dropped. They smiled warmly at each other before Lilia looked back at the two with their wide open mouths.

“Stop harassing my boyfriend for his love. It’s already mine.” Lilia stated, his hands on his hips as he stood in front of Jamil.

“Wait, wait, wait. You’re dating Lilia?” Kalim asked in disbelief.

“Since when!?”

“Since the first day you two started pursuing me. I’ve… I’ve had a major crush on him for a while…” Jamil explained, his cheeks and ears turning red.

They couldn’t believe it. This entire time they were trying to win over a guy with a boyfriend. Kalim felt utter shame. Leona? Not so much.

“You’re more than free to hang out with him as friends, but anything past the friend boundary, you’ll have to deal with me.” Lilia said, narrowing his eyes. “Do I make myself clear?”

Kalim responded while Leona grumbled. He soon responded, feeling Lilia’s eyes burning into him.


	157. Jaila: Your braids look exceptional (cont)

Kalim and Leona watched from their respective spots in the main building as Jamil and Lilia kissed underneath one of the apple trees in the courtyard. Both growled in displeasure. Why Lilia of all people? He was old, out of date, tiny, weak.

Lilia smiled softly before looking up, having noticed the two staring. They pretended they weren’t looking, going on their way.

“What is it?”

“Your love interests aren’t happy with your choice.” Lilia responded, holding Jamil’s hand.

“There’s something about you that I’ve never felt around them. It’s like…” Jamil said, looking into Lilia’s eyes. “I was created just for you…”

“Vi…”

Jamil chuckled, loving the flustered blush on Lilia’s face. It was always a treat to see.

“I love you, Lily…”

“And I, you.”

Kalim and Leona groaned in pain as they kissed again. Why!? What was so great about Lilia?

“We’ve gotta do something…” Kalim muttered.

“I’m only teaming up with you because we have a common goal. After that, we’re enemies.” Leona replied.

“I know. Let’s start formulating some plans.”

•

Kalim wept into his arms as Silver rubbed his back. He’s been upset a lot these days, yet he’d never tell him why.

“Kalim, you know I care about you… What’s wrong?”

“Stupid Lilia! Taking my one truce love Jamil away! We’ve known each other for years! We’ve seen each other naked! Yet he’s dating that pint sized grandpa!” Kalim wailed, having picked up a bit of Leona’s way of speaking.

“Wait, wait. Say that again? The last sentence.” Silver asked.

“Yet he’s dating that pint sized grandpa…?”

Silver rapidly blinked. Lilia was dating? Since when!? Silver scrambled out of his seat, leaving Kalim to wallow in sadness.

He called Lilia, demanding he tell him where he was. Silver hurried, now having the location.

Silver wheezed, having reached the library. Next time, he wasn’t going to run. He pushed open the door, keeping an eye out for Lilia. He spotted him sitting at a table alone. He sat down, glaring holes into him.

“Yes my child?”

“Why am I just now finding out you’re dating!?”

“Oh, guess it slipped my mind. I assumed all you youngsters kept in contact and information just flowed through.”

“Oh, I guess I’ll sit somewhere else then…” Jamil muttered, grabbing his things from where Silver sat.

“You’re in my lover’s seat.”

“No, it’s okay. I can find another.”

Lilia sighed, watching Jamil settle down at a farther table. He glared at his son.

“You could’ve moved.”

“Not until I get more answers. Why someone so young? Why Jamil? Why…” Silver asked, pressing Lilia for details. “Does he even know you’re prehistoric!?”

“Hey, I’m not prehistoric.” Lilia grumbled. “And yes, he does know. That was the first thing I told him when he confessed. Usually they play their confessions off as a joke before leaving. But Jamil wasn’t deterred.”

Silver looked at Jamil who silently worked. Jamil was crazy. His father was crazy.

“Okay then. I’ll expose this little game you two have going on.”

Lilia raised an eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into Silver. Lilia picked up his book, sitting down next to Jamil and leaning against as he read.

•

Silver stood in front of the mirror for Scarabia, waiting for Jamil. He was going to investigate this joke of a relationship they had going on. There’s no way they’d be serious about each other. Jamil entered, seeing Silver waiting and blocking off the mirror.

“Jamil Viper! I have some questions for you. I would love your input.”

“Uh, okay…?”

Silver grabbed his wrist, dragging him to the gardens to talk.

Jamil was forced to sit before having the end of Silver’s baton pointed in his face.

“How do you know Lilia Vanrouge?”

“Uh, we go to the same school?”

“When is his birthday?”

“January 1st…”

“Favorite food?”

“I don’t know? But he really likes the tomato juice I make…”

“You don’t even know his favorite food?”

“I’m sorry??”

“Where’s his beauty mark?”

“Ha?”

“Yet another thing you don’t know!”

“Silver, why are you doing this?”

“To see if you’re worthy of being my father’s lover.”

“I think that’s-”

Silver continued to bombard Jamil with wuestions, noting how many he got wrong or didn’t answer.

“Such poor results. You aren’t worthy of him.”

“What? How is asking how many oreos bits he likes in his ice cream even count!?” Jamil complained, half of the question being downright stupid.

“It’s important!” Silver shouted. “They’re important to him which means if you don’t find it important, you don’t care about him.”

Jamil rubbed his temples. What the actual god damn fuck?

“Look, I’m going back to my dorm. I’ve got homework.”

“Break up with him!”

Jamil gave him the middle finger.

•

Jamil and Lilia sat together, enjoying lunch together. Silver snapped, having his plan start. Jamil was leaving as planned. Silver waited a bit before starting the second portion of his plan. Having someone bond with Lilia, making it seem flirty. Jamil entered, seeing the sight. Silver laughed lowly. What would he do?

“Lash out so I can get rid of you!”

The three of them were talking. His help left, telling him it was no good. Silver cursed under his breath, bending the spoon in his hand. He was going to get him.

Lilia glances back, looking at Silver who are with a bent spoon.

“Lily? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just enjoying our time together.”

He had a feeling he knew who was behind the sudden attack.

•

Silver watched them walking together. Silver snapped, having his help give Lilia a smooch in the cheek and an ass slap before running away. Jamil had to lash out now.

Jamil was just talking to Lilia. Why? Why wasn’t he mad? He needed to amp things up. What could shake their faith in each other? A light bulb went off. Lying about what the other said. But he didn’t want to hurt his father. He came up with other ideas.

•

Jamil stood in front of hot coals with Silver. What in the name of the Great Seven was he doing now?

“If you really love my father, stand on those coals for five minutes barefoot.”

“You’re joking.”

“I knew it! Your love isn’t strong e-”

Jamil stood on the coals. This was getting ridiculous. Just the other day he wanted him to paint a portrait of Lilia as accurately as possible. So he drew a lily, coloring half red and the other orange. Naturally Silver got upset, but Lilia seemed thrilled with it.

“Oh my, what in the world is going on here?”

“Father! I’m testing his love for you.”

“Oh? So like yesterday when you had him run around campus searching for a flower that grew in one specific spot?” Lilia asked, raising an eyebrow. Silver nodded. “Come my dearest.”

Lilia helped Jamil off the coals, hoping his feet weren’t damaged.

Silver couldn’t deny how they always looked at each other fondly. Or how they always rushed to the other’s side when they were hurt. But that still didn’t convince him Jamil was right for his father. He had to do more tests.

•

Lilia covered his mouth, listening to Jamil explain the ridiculous tests Silver had him do the past few days. Did he not get tired of thinking of them?

“Ah, Silver is adorable. I’m sorry you have to go through all of this.”

“If it’s any consolation, it goes to show he cares.” Jamil sighed, letting his head collide with the table.

“He’ll come around, Vi. I always give you enough love to revive you, right?”

Jamil looked up, gazing into Lilia’s loving eyes.

“Yeah… Your love is enough, Lily.”

Lilia kissed his forehead, having Jamil sit beside him so he could lay on him instead.


	158. Leechs + Rook: What a dastardly plan

“What a dastardly plan.”

“It sounds fun! I’m in~”

Rook shook their hands, laughing in utter delight. Leona refused his friend requests, so now he was going to get even. Having two pairs of extra hands was going to make the reward that much nicer.

“So, when do we start?”

“I’ll text you, so stay nearby.”

The twins nodded, ready to play Rook’s little game.

•

Rook purposefully sat away from Leona so he couldn’t see he was the culprit. Trein was deep into today’s topic, making it easier. Rook took out the laser pointer before turning it on.

Leona yawned before seeing the red dot. It moved and his eyes automatically followed it. It moved again, now his body moving towards it. Other students were in shock, watching Leona crawl on them trying to catch that red dot. Trein wasn’t paying them any mind yet. Rook moved it to the center of the room, Leona jumping out to catch it.

Now Trein was paying attention. Leona mewed, thinking he finally caught it only to see it move. So he gave chase.

“Kingscholar, what is the meaning of this?” Trein demanded before watching Lucius join Leona in the chase. “Lucius!”

The cats meowed before seeing the light on Trein. He was soon tackled by Leona and Lucius. Rook texted Jade, the classroom door opening slightly. Rook sent the dot over to it, Leona pushing the door open with brute strength. Floyd closed the door while Jade took over leading Leona.

“Let’s see if he really does have cat reflexes…” Jade chuckled, having Leona jump from the third floor.

Jade and Floyd lowered themselves down with wind magic, seeing Leona was perfectly fine. Now there were two dots. Leona tried chasing them both. The twins chuckled, watching Leona act like a little kitten.

They whispered to each other before deciding to lead Leona along. Rook had given them free reign of what to do as long as they got him to fall into water as an end result. They had Leona jump on people and mess up a plethora of other things, all while leading him to his doom.

Rook hurried to catch up with the twins, needing to be there at Leona’s crowning moment. He double checked he had everything he needed. Jade had texted him that they were nearing the water source. Rook picked up his pace, not wanting to miss a second.

•

“Aw, he’s so cute like this.”

“Too bad he’ll be upset after what happens next.”

Rook set his phone up to record before he joined in with the twins. Three dots. Leona’s eyes sparkled. He chased after them before feeling air beneath him. He easily fell into the water. He meowed in displeasure, climbing out.

They laughed as Leona continued to meow, shaking himself. Leona soon returned to his senses, feeling terribly wet and three faces laughing at him. Rook stopped recording before telling the twins to run.

Leona chased after them, planning to strangle them to death if he caught them.


	159. Silver: I never wanted bad blood

Silver found himself awaking in the woods surrounded by animals, some asleep beside him. He was used to this by now. He just wished he knew why. He didn’t have anything against the animals, he just wanted to know why they gathered around him. The only other person he knew that animals gathered around was Kalim.

The animals ran away from just about everyone else, even the headmaster who’s been here for years. Silver gently pet the head of a squirrel, loving how soft it felt. He was decent in animal language, but he always found himself able to speak to animals through singing. The animals had a lot of complaints and most were reasonable.

“Who am I…? Why can I speak with you all perfectly through singing?” Silver whispered, looking at the bird that landed on his finger.

Silver sighed, closing his eyes. His magipen gave off little sparks before the light dimmed. He opened his eyes, promptly freaking out at the sight of a blonde woman standing in front of him and scaring the animals in the process.

“W- W- What are you!? Are you dead…?”

“I can’t say for sure. I heard a troubled voice calling, so I answered. Seeing that I’m here, it must be you.”

Silver pursed his lips, looking at her. She didn’t seem dangerous. Still, it was unnerving to see that she was semi transparent.

“Well I’ll be…” she whispered, leaning closer to look at him. “I was wondering why you seemed so familiar to me.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“You’re a descendent of mine. I know that kind of soul anywhere.” she said with a pleased smile.

“Descendent…? Miss, do you know something? All my life, well not all of it but, I’ve been wondering who I am, where I’m from… My adoptive father doesn’t know a thing…” Silver explained, hoping she had answers.

“I’m your ancestor, Aurora. I’ll answer any questions you have.”

He watched her sit down before a few animals flocked over to her. He started questioning. She answered each question with ease. Silver was learning so much about himself. What didn’t expect to learn was that he and Malleus were enemies.

“I do feel awful that Maleficient wasn’t invited to the celebration of my birth… but to be cursed to die because of it…” Aurora said quietly, looking towards the ground. “It was a bit cruel. However I never wanted bad blood between us, but my family kept making things worse…”

“Aurora, do you know why I keep falling asleep randomly? My adoptive father said it was present when I was just a baby too… My whole life basically…”

“Really? I don’t really know much about that… None of my other descendents had that problem. Could her curse be coming back after centuries…?” Aurora mumbled at a complete loss. “Have you pricked your finger on anything?”

“Not that I recall… Maybe I did when I was an infant?”

“I can’t really say. I didn’t know you were a descendent until now…” said Aurora, teaching out to him. “Your eyes look just like mine. You seem to be the first of my descendents”

He was the ONLY one? He felt a bit special now. They talked a bit more, Silver learning he had quite a few similarities to her. It felt nice, knowing more about himself. He no longer felt lost.

“Thank you… Aurora. I finally know myself… Will I be able to talk to you again if I have more questions?”

“I don’t know know… But I would love it if we could talk again. There’s so much I want to tell you.” Aurora giggled, her hand hovering over his head as if she was giving him a head pat.

Silver blushed, finding her adorable and kind. He was happy to be related to her.


	160. Diasomnia: Toys stay on the floor

Everyone in the classroom looked as the dust had settled after Floyd’s tantrum. Most things were fine. Kalim looked around, noticing Silver disappeared. He was about to speak when crying could be heard.

“Silver!?”

Kalim picked him up, his clothes sliding off and leaving a naked baby in his hands. Kalim pressed Silver to his chest, covering him with his cardigan. Floyd naturally got in trouble not only for causing a ruckus but also for transforming Silver. Kalim got Silver to quiet down somehow.

“Asim, I’ll take it from here.” Crewel said, taking Silver from him.

Not too long after, Silver was a crying mess. The students plugged their ears, Crewel failing to calm him down. Kalim took Silver back, him falling silent as he rested his head against Kalim.

“Well. I guess he’ll stay with you.” Crewel sighed, seeing Silver sucking on his fingers. He reached out to stop him, but Silver wasn’t having it. “Asim, his hand…”

Kalim moved Silver’s hand, scolding him. Silver whimpered, everyone expecting him to cry. He didn’t. Crewel ended class early, keeping Floyd behind to give punishment. Crewel had advised Kalim to seek out the Diasomnia students close to Silver.

Everyone was looking at him. He finally spotted one of Silver’s friends.

“Sebek! Don’t move!”

Kalim rushed down, hurrying over to Sebek.

“There’s a problem! Silver…”

Sebek raised an eyebrow before being shown baby Silver.

“Oh my god… He’s tiny! And cute! And naked…” Sebek muttered, Kalim’s cardigan covering very little.

Sebek had gotten close, making cute little noises at Silver. Silver was slightly entertained. Sebek played with his hands before feeling dampness on his shirt. Sebek jumped back, seeing he was peed on. Kalim gave him a weird look before seeing the last of it. A diaper probably would’ve been a smart idea.

Sebek used magic, putting a diaper on Silver while groaning about having to clean his shirt. Kalim apologized, now seeing why he felt he was forgetting something.

“Where is he!?” a voice shouted.

They saw Lilia and Malleus running over to them. Silver played with Kalim’s earring, blubbering. Lilia saw him, his son. Memories started to resurface, tears pouring out of his eyes. He had always wanted to go back to those days. Today he’d get the chance.

“Silver…”

Silver looked at Lilia who had called out to him. Silver stared at him. Silver wiggled around in Kalim’s arms, trying to get to Lilia. Kalim handed him over, seeing how happy he was to be with him.

“Daddy’s here… You’re gonna be okay.” Lilia whispered, holding Silver close.

Silver easily relaxed, closing his eyes. He liked this person. He was familiar and warm.

“We can take over from here, Kalim. Thank you.” said Malleus, gently patting Silver’s head. “Please expect a reward by tonight.”

“Ah, I don’t really need one. I just did what I felt was right!” Kalim said with a heart laugh.

Silver sat up, seeing Kalim was leaving. Silver made displeased noises before crying. He wasn’t calming down.

“Kalim!”

Kalim turned around, seeing they were having trouble. He hurried back over. Silver stopped crying, making grabby hands at Kalim. Kalim held his hands, saying cute things to him. Silver squealed in delight as Kalim booped his nose.

“Silver, I can’t stay too long. They’ll take good care of you.” Kalim told, patting Silver’s head.

Silver grabbed Kalim’s earring. He tried getting Silver to let him go before receiving a slobbery kiss on the cheek. Kalim was able to leave this time, Silver having properly gotten to say goodbye.

•

Silver slammed the dolls against the floor, making noises. Lilia watched in bliss, a part of him wishing Silver could stay like this a bit longer. Malleus came back in with food and a drink.

“Silver, it’s time to-”

Silver crawled away from him. Malleus set everything down, ready to hunt Silver down. Lilia helped. Silver kicked and screamed as Lilia held him. Lilia sat Dilver on his lap, keeping Silver’s mouth open while Malleus quickly put food it in. Silver instantly calmed down.

“I don’t miss this part.” Malleus mumbled, watching Silver smile as he ate. Silver reached out, trying to get more. “Hey, settle…”

Silver made a displeased noise as if answering him back.

“Hey, don’t give me that.”

“Wah!”

“Silver…!” Lilia hissed, giving him a little tap on his thigh.

“Mm…”

Silver pouted, still eating what Malleus was feeding him. Malleus had given him the sippy cup after he finished his meal. Lilia took over with this part while Malleus went to clean the dishes.

Lilia set Silver down on the floor with toys after he finished his drink. Silver played with a truck while Lilia watched over him. Silver was just plain adorable. Malleus came back in time to see Silver using magic, making everything float. Lilia was struggling to get him to stop. Malleus cast a spell, his magic overriding Silver’s. Silver watched everything being placed back down. He couldn’t pick them back up.

“Bah!”

“No, Silver. Toys stay on the floor.” Lilia said.

“Bubu aahh!”

“Silver.” Lilia warned.

Silver was upset. Silver started bawling, throwing a tantrum. Malleus and Lilia simply watched him. Silver looked, seeing they weren’t going to give him what he wanted nor attention. He quieted down.

•

Lilia set Silver down, having changed his diaper for the nth time. He seriously didn’t miss feeding time and diaper changing. Lilia flopped back onto his bed, tired out. Silver found something that reminded him of Kalim. He started to cry.

“What’s wrong, Silver?” Lilia whispered, slowly sitting up.

Silver held the cardigan, bawling his eyes out.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty? Another diaper change…?”

Lilia ran a hand over his face, at a loss. It’s been so long, he couldn’t remember Silver’s cries. He picked Silver up, rubbing his back. Maybe it was gas. Silver was still bawling. Lilia turned, hearing his door close.

“I can hear him all the way from my room… What’s going on?” Malleus asked, seeing the child pressed to Lilia’s chest.

“I don’t know and it’s stressing me out…” Lilia whispered, starting to give up on calming Silver.

“Hm? He’s holding Kalim’s cardigan…” Malleus muttered.

He took it, causing Silver to scream louder. He quickly gave it back, Silver not as loud as before.

“Why not try video calling Kalim? He was able to calm Silver.”

Lilia was quick to do so. Kalim answered, Silver quieting some at the sound of his voice.

“Silver, say hi.”

Silver turned, seeing Kalim’s face on the screen. He was silent. They couldn’t believe it. They solved the mystery. Silver touched the phone screen, accidentally hanging up on Kalim. Silver was in tears. Lilia quickly called him back.

Lilia kept Silver from touching the screen so he wouldn’t hang up on him. Silver smiled sweetly, loving the peekaboo Kalim was playing with him.

“Was he giving you trouble…?” Kalim asked, getting ready to head over.

“We couldn’t figure out why he was crying, but it turns out he missed you.” Lilia said tiredly, Silver blubbering and trying to touch the screen.

“Haha, that’s so cute! If it’ll be easier, I’ll come over.”

“Please…”

Kalim moved to hang up but Lilia pleaded him not to. He wasn’t sure if he could handle another round of tears.


	161. Diasomnia: Toys stay on the floor (cont.)

Lilia watched Silver fondly as he played in the grass with his toys. Silver made noises, smashing cars together.

“That’s my little boy…” Lilia wept, feeling proud.

Silver looked at Lilia, eyes full of love and wonder. Silver crawled over to him, grabbing onto his leg. Lilia looked, seeing Silver smile. Silver watched as Lilia fell back. He had died of cuteness overload. Unfortunately, Silver didn’t know that, assuming something was wrong.

Silver tapped on climbed on him, anxiety building up inside of him. Silver started to cry, making Lilia worried.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Silver coughed, continuing to cry.

“Silver, Daddy’s here. He hasn’t gone anywhere…” Lilia said sweetly, holding Silver close.

Silver latched onto him. He was okay. Silver snuggled closer to him, loving his warmth and wanting more love.

Once Silver was calm again, he let him go. Silver went back to his toys. A few students passed by before backtracking.

“You’re babysitting?”

“More like raising, but yes! Isn’t he adorable?” Lilia said, patting Silver’s head.

“He looks like Silver… Is he family?”

“You don’t know? This is Silver.” Lilia said innocently.

The students gasped. Was he really this cute as a baby? It must be amazing having beautiful genes your entire life. They took pictures, posting them on Magicam. They played with Silver for a bit, also being blessed by his angelic smile. They left feeling as if their souls had been cleansed.

“Silver, do you want to go exploring?”

“Bu!”

Lilia chuckled, a horde of bats appearing. Silver looked at them, not sure what to make of them. The bats lifted him, scaring him some.

“Silver, it’s okay. You know them.” Lilia said softly, relaxing him.

Lilia picked up the toys while the bats carried Silver around. Lilia snapped, the bats coming to his side with Silver. Silver looked around in awe, wanting to touch things. Students walking by either stopped to interact with him or took photos.

Lilia loved seeing the shocked faces when they learned the baby was Silver. Silver was too into the stuffed toy to even remotely be interested in other people. Lilia’s paternal instincts went off, picking up his child as the bats dispersed.

“Aw, I wanted to get a picture too…”

“Oh, Cater. It’s just you…”

“Hm? Who else would it be?” Cater said, looking at the baby snuggling close to Lilia. “So, may I take some photos?”

Lilia checked your and down, seeing Cater wouldn’t be a threat. Silver clapped happily as he was given his toy as he sat on the bats. Cater took photos as if it was a photo shoot.

“I’ve got great pics! Ah, which to post…” Cater exclaimed. “Thanks for letting me take pics.”

Lilia nodded as Silver babbled, giving the bats a little trouble in keeping him up.

•

Lilia looked in his bag before at the relax Silver sitting on the table. It was feeding time and Silver was definitely not going to sit still.

“Silver, come to Daddy.” Lilia said softly.

Silver looked at him with curious eyes. What was he doing? What did it mean? Silver crawled over to him, wanting to be near him.

“How’s child raising?”

“Better now you’re here.” Lilia quipped, bouncing Silver on his lap. “He needs to be fed…”

Malleus immediately frowned. Lilia simply nodded, knowing exactly how he was feeling. Lilia handed everything to Malleus as he kept Silver seated.

“Alright Silver, time for a nice meal.”

Silver slapped his tiny hands against Lilia, seemingly excited. He was behaving, for now.

“Open wide~” Malleus cooed.

Silver was eating with no problems. Both were shocked but extremely grateful. Students passing by couldn’t help but take photos or watch.

“Since you’ve been watching him most of the day, why don’t I take over?” Malleus suggested, seeing Silver had finished it all.

Silver made grabby hands, wanting more. Lilia wiped around Silver’s mouth before giving him something to drink.

“You sure you don’t want me with you?”

“Get some rest. You’re the one mainly looking after him.”

Lilia smiled, giving Silver’s cheeks kisses. Silver was obviously delighted with the actions. Lilia handed Silver off, expecting a few tears, but he seemed just fine.

“Ah, he’s been so behaved today. Hopefully that continues for you.”

Malleus nodded, not expecting a horde of students to start taking photos. Silver shook his sippy cup, little drips of his drink jumping out. Everyone was annihilated by his cuteness.

Malleus felt Silver before seeing he needed a diaper change. He made sure Silver had something to occupy him while he changed him.

“Ah, don’t.” Malleus warned, moving his hand.

Silver giggled, playing with the toy. Malleus gasped, not expecting this development.

“You couldn’t hold it in could you…?”

Silver simply blubbered, doing what made him feel good.

•

Silver crawled around, chasing the magic animals Malleus created. Lilia wasn’t kidding when he said he was behaving. It made him happy.

“Silver!”

Silver looked up before crawling over. He was picked up, squealing in utter delight.

“Hey, Kalim.”

“I heard Lilia was bringing Silver out and about at school today. Everyone’s been posting and talking about him, so I wanted to see him too haha!”

Silver played with Kalim’s earring, his body lovingly pressed against Kalim. Kalim cutely talked to him and played around a bit, earning happy noises. He was really an angel.

“I wonder who your family is. I wanna know who gave you such good looks.” Kalim chuckled, rubbing noses with Silver.

Kalim was now officially Silver’s favorite person. Malleus chuckled, watching Silver attempting to give Kalim kisses. He took a photo, knowing Lilia would’ve loved this.

Kalim put Silver down, seeing he needed to get moving. Silver was distraught. Why was he moving away? Why was he not being cuddled and talked to?

“Oh no, please don’t start crying…” Kalim said, seeing tears pooling in Silver’s eyes. “Ah, I knew I shouldn’t have come… I’m really sorry Malleus…”

Silver whined, pulling on Kalim’s pants leg. He had to go and picking him up would give him the wrong idea. Malleus picked Silver up, allowing Kalim to leave. Silver cried. Why did he leave? He wanted him back. He wanted to be played with. He loved his smell. Malleus comforted him, hoping he’d calm down.

•

Sebek curiously watched Silver who destroyed a train with a car. This was pretty violent pretend play. It was still cute none the less.

“Oh, it’s baby Silver.”

“He looks like such an angel~”

Sebek puffed his chest out. Of course Silver looks like an angel. He is an angel. Sebek made sure Silver was okay as more people continued to stop by and take pictures.

“Alright, I’m back.” Malleus said, seeing there weren’t people trying to take photos.

Silver was pretty content, often looking at Sebek who would talk to him. Ah, he really was an adorable angel. Sebek squished his cheeks, Silver laughing in response.


	162. NRC Staff (students): Happy Beans Day

Everyone put on their patches for their respective teams. They were pretty much okay with what team they were put on. The gong sounded and both teams took off from their starting points, magipens out and ready to be used.

“Shame we’re on opposing sides, dog worshipper.”

“Talk trash all you want Sam. We’ll be victorious.”

“Already underestimating us are we, Divus?” Dire questioned, cocking an eyebrow. “That’ll be your downfall.”

They parted ways, heading for a supply point. Divus and Mozus sticked together picking up another person for their little group. Divus convinced the other student to go to the supply box, using him as bait. He and Mozus promptly raided the box once they monster team left.

“We’re got beans, a bean shooter, and a camo jacket.” Mozus muttered. “You have better aim… Ah, I have an idea.”

Divus was given the jacket and bean shooter. They planned to use the people they teamed up with as bait, going as far as to sacrifice Mozus if it meant dwindling the monster team.

Divus easily took down students from the monster team from blind spots, making it even easier since he had the camo jacket. Divus swung down from the tree, taking cover with Mozus.

“If we’re lucky, we might get the lyre at this rate.” Mozus whispered, watching students from the farmer team pass by.

•

Sam lied in wait in by the supply box. It was empty as he and Crowley raided it, but it was a good way to catch unsuspecting farmer students.

Sam and Crowley easily caught farmer students. It would be nice to know how many of both teams were left.

“Ah, there’s Ashton.” Crowley whispered, seeing the buff teen sneaking over to them. “How are things by the lyre?”

“Stable, but the guys are looking worn out.” Ashton responded, looking at the two.

“Then let’s head over and take their place. The three of us work pretty well together.” Sam suggested, looking at them.

They nodded, leaving the supply box and catching a few other students on their way to the coliseum. A few monster team students noticed them, letting them past. The switched out with the others, waiting for the farmers to try and capture them.

“Actually, I have a plan. Are you willing to listen?” Sam asked, having them come closer.

They nodded, listening to Sam explain. It was an astounding plan. They separated, hiding nearby with their camo jackets. A group of farmers came in, meaning the others out front were taken down. The moment they lowered their guard, they pounced, taking them out with minimum effort.

“I must say, Sam. What a cunning plan.” Crowley confessed, having had his doubts, especially since he was a first year.

“Please, I’ve got many more tricks up this hat of mine.” Sam chuckled before they hid again.

•

Divus and Mozus took out yet another monster student. Divus checked their bag, seeing they were running low on beans. Mozus searched his memory bank before having him follow. If his guess was correct, there should be one near the coliseum.

“We’d be awful close to an area swarming with monster students…” Divus muttered. “I know we have camo jackets but I know a few of them are halfies.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll got a plan.”

He sure hoped he did. They soon arrived near the coliseum. As expected a few monster students were hanging around. Mozus used magic, covering their scent. Divus sent magic in a different direction, drawing them over for extra measure. They quickly moved, finding a supply box.

“Perfect. It hasn’t been raided.” Mozus whispered while Divus took out the confused students.

“Any ammo?”

“Luckily. We’ve got ourselves a capture net too. Oh! This will certainly be useful…”

Divus caught a glimpse of Mozus putting one of the magic drugs available in his pocket. Was he going to tell him or would he have to find out?

“Alright, we don’t know who is in the coliseum which could make planning not so easy.” Mozus stated before seeing a farmer group heading in.

“I’ve got it. We need an aerial view though.” Divus said, trying to remember if he knew any magic.

He soon found himself being lifted into the air with Mozus. Mozus made walking on air seem like the easiest thing. He quickly followed. The peered into the coliseum, seeing the lyre unguarded. The group appeared. They ran to the lyre when three people suddenly appeared, taking them down.

“Ah. It’s those three. Ashton covering their physical weakness, Crowley covering their magical weakness and Sam the planning genius. This is definitely going to be hard.” Mozus muttered. The trio disappeared. Mozus had them safely land back on the ground. “We only have ten minutes left…”

Divus racked his brain for an idea. Something that would take into account their own strengths and weaknesses. He snapped.

“Your familiar. Is he back in your room?”

“Yes. What about him?”

“Summon him.”

Mozus was very confused. He summoned his familiar, the black and white cat rubbing against him. Divus explained his plan, Mozus now seeing what he needed Lucius for.

•

The trio watched as Mozus walked in with Lucius in his arms. Mozus placed Lucius down before having him follow him to the lyre. The trio jumped out at Mozus, but he expected them, taking Ashton out before running.

“Hmph. There’s still two of us.” Crowley huffed, watching Mozus standing far from them.

Sam ducked while Crowley was hit from behind. Divus smirked, jumping down from the stands.

“Just you and me Sam.”

“To think you’d come up with something this clever. I’m impressed.” Sam admitted, readying himself to capture Divus.

Sam and Divus clashed, Divus doing his best to avoid Sam’s advances. He found himself close to having Sam right where he wanted him. Until he slipped. Divus found himself being held by Sam, his body positioned as if Sam was going to drop him.

“Got you.” Sam chirped, giving Divus a flirty look. “Already falling for me aren’t we?”

“Ugh, please don’t.” Divus grumbled, rolling his eyes and keeping his face hidden.

Sam laughed in delight, helping Divus up.

“Now back to-”

Divus smirked as the gong sounded.

•

“I can’t believe it.”

“The monster team always wins!”

The farmer team had won. Divus’ plan was a success. Sam looked down in shame. He was too focused on Divus to realize a cat was making off with the lyre. He was bested by a housecat.

“Aw, is Sam gonna cry?” Divus teased, poking his cheek.

“Stop…”

Divus continued to poke fun until Sam had gotten up close in annoyance. Divus clammed up, his ears a bit red. Sam eventually apologized, seeing he could’ve hurt his feelings. Ashton, Mozus and Crowley happily talked about their experience today while the other two kept silent. They couldn’t quite name it, but something about them seemed… different.


	163. Riddle: Such a bulge

Riddle finished setting up for their daily tea time. He realized he forgot the snacks. He searched the kitchen. He didn’t buy any and Malleus would arriving at any moment. He didn’t trust food made solely of magic. He’d just have to apologize and promise to do better next time.

Riddle walked back out to the rose garden, seeing Malleus waiting for him. They greeted each other before sitting down.

“I deeply apologize for not having snacks. They slipped my mind…” Riddle apologized, pouring Malleus a cup of tea.

“It’s not the first time you’ve forgotten something. It’s been happening a lot lately.” Malleus commented before taking a sip.

“You think so?”

“I know so. You don’t remember nearly poisoning me with expired pastries?”

Oh. It was impossible to forget that. Riddle apologized again, promising to do better.

“So, speak. I know you have a lot to say.”

“I hate Azul. I hate him so much.”

Malleus discreetly sighed, knowing exactly where this was going to go.

“I hate that he gives me these feelings, these really intense feelings. I have no idea how to release them and it drives me insane. It spiked yesterday when he was changing out of a wet shirt.” Riddle spoke, remembering it vividly. “I couldn’t even look at him. It was that strong.”

“Riddle, have-”

“Azul always looks so good. How can he always look so good? Even his bed hair is the cutest thing ever. Is it so wrong that I want to do things with him? All sorts of things to be exact. I guess you can count that as one too…”

“That? Pray tell, what is that that you mean?

"You know… that…”

“I’m not following.”

Malleus was clearly teasing Riddle. Riddle covered his cheeks before speaking.

“Fingering… sucking dicks… Sticking dicks into assholes…” Riddle said, getting quieter towards the end.

“Then why not go do them with him? Telling me isn’t going to grant you want you desire.”

“That’s true, but I need someone to vent to. It’d go insane if I didn’t.” Riddle replied. “Ah, if only he was interested… I’d love to know what his kisses are like… Then feeling them on my neck and body…”

Malleus sipped his tea as Riddle easily fell into a sexual fantasy. Riddle truly had it bad for Azul. A part of him was worried it’d become something more the longer he denied himself in telling Azul his feelings.

“Do you know how many times I’ve dreamt of a tentacle fantasy? Too many times! But the allure of all those legs touching me all over…”

Riddle had slipped into yer another fantasy. Compared to the other one, this one was definitely more lewd and suspiciously interesting.

“And there’s be such a bulge…” Riddle whispered, squirming in his seat. “I really got myself hot and bothered… Guess I’ll suffer.”

“Or, you could tell Azul your feelings.”

“But-”

“Seriously. I’m tired of hearing you whine on and on about wanting Azul to fuck you with a penis or all ten tentacles. I’ve been watching the two of you as of late and the tension between you two is so thick I could use my horn to cut through it. How can you two not see each other lusting for the other? It’s so obvious!” Malleus grumbled, starting to vent his frustrations. “I won’t continue this tea time with you if all you’re going to do is talk about how much you want Azul yet do absolutely nothing to get to him.”

Riddle blinked, not expecting all of that from Malleus. He was suddenly at a loss for words. Was it really that bad? If Malleus was scowling then it probably was. He didn’t realize he was bothering him with it so much.

“Wow… I’m sorry.” Riddle apologized, taking a step back. “I never considered your feelings.

"Riddle-”

“I won’t talk about it anymore.”

Now Riddle was going to extremes.

“Riddle, I’m just telling you to stop sitting on your ass and griping about Azul. Gripe when you know for certain he doesn’t like you.” Malleus explained.

“You mean, actually go up to him and tell him my feelings?”

“You make it sound like the worst thing ever.”

He wasn’t confident he’d get his feelings across properly. What if he missed a line? Mixed up words? But he wouldn’t get anywhere if he just kept sitting and complaining.

Malleus watched Riddle get up from his seat.

“I’m going to tell him.”

“Great! Get moving. Tell me the details when you get back.”

Malleus watched Riddle take off. He knew this meant he’d hear nothing but Riddle talking about him and Azul being boyfriend, but it was better than hearing him whine, groan, complain, you name it.


	164. 1st y Vil: You’re fine!

Beauty. What is beauty? The makeup caked on your face? The clothes that you’re wearing? The nature all around you? Vil sat in front of his mirror. He was beautiful, but something was missing. What was it? He flipped through his various magazines and searched on all social media platforms he was on. He looked over magazines he had been in and some shots photographers had sent him. He saw it.

Rook opened the door, seeing Vil behind it.

“Look at me. What do you see?”

“Vil, it’s-”

“What. Do. You. See?”

“You look f-”

“Fat right? I knew it.”

“No, I was going to- And he walked away…” Rook mumbled, wondering what that was all about.

•

Vil ate breakfast before staring at his meal. He finished it, hurrying back for seconds if there was any. Rook watched him scarf it all down as if he hadn’t been fed in days. Well, he didn’t eat dinner the night before, so maybe he was just really hungry.

Vil let out a satisfied sigh before looking at Rook. Maybe he should’ve cut back. Maybe he should’ve stopped at one serving. He was trying to lose weight not gain it. Rook watched as Vil dumped out his tray before leaving. It was obvious that Vil wasn’t going to be walking to class with him.

Rook was paying attention in class when Vil stumbled back into the room. He wordlessly took a seat in an empty spot, acting as if he hadn’t been gone for ten minutes. Nothing seemed wrong with him. Maybe he was stuck because he needed tissue.

Class ended and Rook had walked over to him. Vil was silent.

“Yesterday you didn’t let me finish. I was saying you-”

“Looked fat. You don’t have to remind me.” Vil snapped.

“Fine! I was going to say you looked fine. You cut me off just like yesterday.”

“I look fine?”

“Yes.”

“Fine…?”

“Yes…? I didn’t say anything weird.” Rook responded.

Vil walk ahead of him. Did he make him upset?

•

Vil excused himself, leaving Rook alone at their table. Vil double checked his clutch, making sure he had everything. He sped walked to the restroom farther down, having his hair cover his face so he wasn’t recognizable.

As expected, it was empty. Vil discreetly looked around before putting up an out of order sign up, slipping inside.

Rook looked at Vil’s empty tray. He ate so much. How did he have such a big appetite? He’d have to ask when he came back.

Vil breathed heavily before vomiting again.

“You’re fine!”

Vil got to his feet, flushing the contents in the toilet bowl. He silently walked over to the sink, washing his hands before opening his clutch and taking care of his dental hygiene. Vil coughed a bit before spitting into the sink. There were remnants of the meal he ate not long ago being taken down into the pipes by the running water.

“I’ve got to be beautiful… I have to lose fat here… and here…” Vil muttered, picking the most random spots that need “fixing”. “I wonder when I’ll start seeing results…”

Rook looked up, seeing Vil had come back. He was gone for quite a while, but he decided not to bring it up. He was probably having bowel movement issues.

“I wonder what we’ll do in P.E today.” Rook said, trying to make light conversation.

Vil simply nodded, stuffing what was left on his plate into his mouth. Rook didn’t question it, assuming he was still hungry. Who wouldn’t be? The lunch was just that amazing.

“Rook, how do I look…?” Vil mumbled, poking his plate with his fork.

“You look fine as usual. Why do you ask? Do you have a secret pimple…? I’ve got-”

“No, it’s nothing. Just a question.” Vil whispered, throwing out his trash.

Rook raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was feeling so concerned about. He always looked beautiful. Why did he bother asking? Rook hurried to finish his own lunch before going after Vil.

•

Vil pressed against the back of his tongue, forcing himself to vomit. He knew he shouldn’t have eaten them, but he couldn’t resist. He didn’t want to pay the price. Vil’s body shook, startled from the repeated actions.

“Vil…? Are you in there?” a voice called out.

Vil could feel another wave coming in. He desperately told them to leave him alone, not wanting anyone to know what he was doing. He managed to get them to leave, just in time as he vomited once more, his body shaking even more. Vil heaved, not expecting to vomit again.

His stomach settled, leaving him tired and weak. He constantly reminded himself that this was for his own good. He can eat whatever he wanted and stay skinny.

“You’re fine!”

He was fine. He shouldn’t be just fine. He should be beautiful. He’s worked hard for as long as he could remember to become the most beautiful. Rook was very accurate with things, so he knew he could trust his word.

Vil stepped out of the stall, opening his clutch. Rook walked into the restroom, seeing Vil freaking his breath. He was gripping the sink rather tightly.

“Vil, where have you been?”

“I’ve been places… Do you need me? I would prefer if you didn’t. I’m rather tired.” Vil responded, spitting into the sink before turning off the water.

“Well, I did want to discuss the Beautiful Aueen more. You’re really knowledgeable…” Rook said, approaching him.

Vil closed his clutch, nearly tipping over as he let go of the sink. Rook held him up, wondering if he was feeling dizzy. Vil pulled away from him, saying he was fine and didn’t have time to talk. He assured him later they could. Vil was starting to become distant and he didn’t like that. Rook glanced into the sink, seeing a bit of light colored substance in the sink.

Rook was still worried. He hurried after him, seeing he was staggering a bit. Rook leaned Vil against him, not caring that he was practically yelling at him to let him go. Rook walked him back to his room, going in as well.

“Are you sure you’re okay…?”

“Yes! Let me sleep.” Vil fussed, getting under his sheets after changing.

Rook pursed his lips, listening to Vil’s plea. He at least could’ve gave a subtle thank you for helping him to his room.

•

Rook entered the restroom, having followed Vil. He was usually disappearing after eating, but there were times like now when they were just in class or hanging out before their next one. Rook stood by the door before he heard it. He rushed over, seeing Vil locked the door. Of course he did.

“Vil!? Is everything okay!?”

“Go… go away!”

“No, you’re sick! Did you eat something bad? Is it a virus!?”

“Go-”

Vil vomited again. Rook was a worried mess, wondering how he could help Vil. Rook went into the stall next to Vil’s, climbing into Vil’s. A student walked in, hearing the two arguing before the sound of retching. They quickly left, not sure they wanted to know what the hell was going on.

“Vil just tell me!”

“I’m trying to become beautiful and you’re in my way!” Vil shouted, his body trembling like a leaf. “Get out.”

“What? But you’re already beautiful!”

“I can’t settle for just that! I’m not satisfied. I’ll do whatever it takes to be the most beautiful!”

Vil had left the stall, staggering as usual. Rook couldn’t believe it. Vil was going to ruin himself. He couldn’t let him continue like this. Vil’s body violently shook before he vomited onto the floor. This wasn’t healthy. He needed to do something.

“Vil-”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear it. Don’t you dare speak of what you saw either.” Vil seethed, using the sink as support. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Even still-”

Vil glared at him, forcing him to clam up. He knew what he was doing. He was in perfect control. Rook didn’t know a thing about what he was trying to achieve. Vil washed his mouth, Rook looking on in utter despair.

•

Things were getting out of hand. Rook could clearly see the effect it was having on Vil. He said he had it under control, but it was obvious he wasn’t. Vil needed help but he refused him each and every time. Everyone in Pomefiore was talking about him. They posted nasty things about Vil. He was becoming a meme at that.

Rook leaned his forehead against the door, his heart paining him as Vil retched. His was going to lose Vil at this rate. He couldn’t lose his best friend, not when he could do something about it.

“Vil, let me in.”

Silence.

“Vil.”

More silence.

“Vil…?”

Rook scaled the door, seeing Vil passed out on the floor. He climbed in, unlocking the door before carrying Vil out. He kept him covered, not wanting the others to see him.

“Don’t die on me…” Rook whispered, holding Vil tight.

The nurse took over, checking Vil over. Rook told him everything. Tears were streaming down his face as Vil lied still on the bed. The nurse assured him he’d take care of Vil, sending him out. He couldn’t sit still. He had to do something to help Vil.

•

Rook entered Vil’s shared room, looking at his things. He took all his magazines and photos, stuffing them in a bag. These things were killing his best friend. He wanted to burn them so bad.

Rook visited Vil every chance he got, desperately needing to hear he was getting better, that he wouldn’t die. The nurse had gotten fed up, banning Rook from the infirmary until he said otherwise. Rook couldn’t help it. He was just worried about Vil.


	165. NRC + RSA: Prom Isn’t Lame

“Do we have to ask someone to prom? It’s an all boys school!” Ace fumed, stabbing his lunch.

“I think it’ll be fun. Plus it’s a joint prom with Royal Sword.” said Epel, having his eyes on someone already.

“With our rival school… I don’t know how I feel about that.” Jack muttered, Sebek nodding in agreement.

“I’m kind of with Epel. We might make some lifelong friends. Just like how we came together.” said Deuce, turning the mood utterly sappy.

“Ew, gross.” Ace groaned, the others groaning with him. “But yeah… like us…”

They gave each other warm smiles before remembering the topic at hand.

“Oh, Cater just posted on Magicam. It seems like they’re changing things up this year. He posted, ‘Half of Night Raven and half of Royal Sword will be told to wear dresses to really get the feel of prom.’ Oh…”

“What!? You’ve got to be kidding!” Deuce exclaimed, looking at Epel’s phone.

Epel saw Vil had posted too. It was the same message Cater posted. Now they had to believe it. They exchanged looks, worried they’d be selected.

“I wouldn’t look good in a dress.” Jack stated, turning up his nose.

“Watch you get picked just for saying that.” Ace snickered.

“Ask Cater how they’ll be picking. Is it through a draw? Who has the lowest grades so far? Highest grades?” Sebek asked, really hoping he wouldn’t be picked.

Epel sent Cater a message, patiently waiting while the others were feeling antsy. Cater responded.

“He said they’ll be deciding by… a card game… I don’t get it. Why is this school so weird?” Epel complained, wishing Cater knew the card game so he could practice.

They were now worried.

•

The card game was a memory game. How they were going to decide from it was beyond them. Group by group, students entered the room. The teachers and Crowley watched, keeping an eye for those who noticed. The first year gang exited the room, wondering if they had done things right.

“Did anyone hear that voice?” Jack asked, remembering it.

“You heard it too?” Sebek asked, his eyes widening slightly.

“You two heard something?”

“What was it?”

“Lucius.” they said in unison.

“Eh? What did he say?” Epel asked, narrowing his eyes.

“He told us to stop playing.” Sebek said with a shrug.

“So we did.”

“That explains why you two suddenly stopped flipping cards. But what does that have to do with anything?” Deuce asked, not getting it.

Epel thought about it before gasping. They looked at him. Epel’s face filled with horror. Now they were really confused.

“Ace, Deuce. I hope you like wearing dresses…” Epel mumbled, putting his head in his hands.

“Ha?”

•

Ace and Deuce were crying their eyes out. Jack and Sebek high fived, having passed. To think Lucius decided their fate. How in the hell were they supposed to hear Lucius when they were trying to focus on the game?

“This isn’t fair!” Deuce wailed, looking at the dress he was given. “I’m not going to prom!”

“All because you have to wear a dress? Wow.” Jack said in awe.

“Look at it this way. Our senpais had to go through the same thing. I’m sure the faculty caught them too.” Ace said, trying to look at the bright side.

“Ace is right. We just… have to make the best of this.” Epel added on, disliking his dress. “Why is this shit so cutesy…”

“So, have you guys asked anyone yet?” Sebek asked, hoping for some good news.

They nodded, having asked their preferred person. Sebek frowned. He didn’t get Malleus. To think someone had beat him to the punch despite asking weeks in advance. Now he was stuck with some nobody from Diasomnia.

“I asked Riddle.” Jack said, surprising everyone. “What?”

“Well, for starters, we thought you would’ve asked Leona senpai or Ruggie senpai…” Deuce said. “Not to mention we’re talking Riddle… Riddle Rosehearts…”

“I like him. That’s all there is to it.” Jack said, his tail wagging. “ Who did you ask Deuce?”

Well… it’s quite a story actually-”

“Floyd pestered him until he gave in.” Ace laughed, unable to hold back. “Like, Floyd was everywhere. I mean, everywhere.”

“Well you asked Jade like a stuttering mess!” Deuce revealed, laughing when Ace turned red.

“It’s just nerve racking asking our seniors! That’s all!” Ace shouted, hiding his face.

“Who did you ask Epel?” Jack questioned.

“Oh, some guy from Royal Sword that I become friends with.” Epel responded with a smile.

•

Everyone was busy the entire week, making sure they still had a date and that their outfit was complete. The teachers were more lenient this week, anticipating the event themselves.

The day had finally come. Students from both schools were arriving in pairs, groups, alone, just about any way they could. Epel and Ace watched as the Royal Sword students shone bright even in their formal wear. They were a tad envious. Epel waved, seeing his prom date. Ace couldn’t deny it. The guy was a real catch. They watched as Jamil and Lilia arrived together, Lilia more excited than Jamil despite being the one wearing the dress.

Their jaws dropped, seeing Azul stepping out of a fancy car with the most attractive person they’ve ever seen. They knew it was a guy in a dress but god damn he looked good.

“Watch your step, angelfish…” Azul warned, seeing there was a step.

“You’re so attentive tonight. I feel like a princess, Azie.” he chirped, allowing Azul to help him.

“Oh, it’s Leona.” Ace pointed out, Epel still staring at Rielle.

Epel looked, seeing Leona being dragged by Rook. Neither were wearing a dress. They said a silent prayer for Leona. Epel noticed Vil from afar, walking with someone. Who was he? As they got closer, they had to shield their eyes. Their beauty was blindly radiant. Neither were wearing a dress.

“I told you, follow my lead. We’ll get more looks that way.” Vil hissed at the black haired male. “I want this to be the best night, Eosin.”

“Right…” he responded, wishing literally anyone else had asked him.

“Aw, were you waiting for me?” a voice asked.

Ace momentarily froze, seeing Jade in a dress. He didn’t pass.

“Where’s Floyd…?”

Not too long after he asked, they watched Floyd walk past, literally dragging Deuce with him. He was in a dress too. They went inside together, the prom having already started. The venue was packed.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to find Deuce, Jack and Sebek in all of this…” Ace whispered.

“Found Jack.” said Epel, noticing his ears.

Idia paced around, unable to convince himself to go. He couldn’t. There were too many people. They were going to look at him. He wasn’t allowed to wear a mask, further frustrating him.

“Idia…?” a voice called out.

Idia looked, seeing a ginger haired boy looking at him while in a dress. It was white and gold.

“Dimitri….?”

“That’s me. Are you ready to go in or…?”

“Yes. I mean no. I don’t know.” Idia muttered, feeling as if he’d turn into pudding at any moment.

Dimitri took his hand, promising to stay by his side the entire night. Idia felt a little relaxed, but mostly thankful he wasn’t going to force him to do anything.

•

“Photo time~!” Cater cheered, taking yet another picture for the Cam.

He continued to flit around before he felt someone stop him.

“You’ve been camming non stop. Take a break.” they said.

“Hm, only because you said so Mally.” Cater spoke, walking with Malleus to sit down. “I can’t help it. I’ve got to document everything!”

“Can’t be easy in that dress.”

Cater pursed his lips. He didn’t like being reminded of it. How was he supposed to know there was a rabbit speaking? They speak so lowly! Though, it was a consolation to see Trey didn’t hear the rabbit either. Malleus continued to tease him about the dress until Cater had gotten fed up and started getting physical. Malleus easily subdued him.

Rielle sighed, wondering where his friends went. He was barely able to move in the dress. He got separated from Azul, his lifeline. He did make some new friends as of a result of his wandering.

“Rielle! I found you!” a voice called out, running towards him.

“Mei! I’m so glad to see you!”

They hugged it out. They talked about their experience up until when they met, laughing at each other’s stories. Rielle felt someone bump into him, sending him stumbling forward and almost falling.

“Oh, didn’t see you there nya.”

“Che’nya… You were chosen too?”

“I don’t want to talk about…” Che’nya grumbled, his dress fluttering with his movements.

The duo burst into laughter, loving how adorable he looked. Che’nya hissed, demanding that they stop.

“Who was your prom date? I’m sure they were in for a surprise.” Rielle asked, wiping his eyes with a tissue, not wanting to smear his makeup.

“That would be me. Stop running away you newborn kitten.” a voice answered, placing their hands on Che’nya’s shoulders.

“I thought I lost you, glasses boy.” Che’nya spat, moving Trey’s hands.

“Can’t lose me. I’ve got to make sure you don’t cause trouble.”

“Watch me nya!”

They watched Che’nya run off before disappearing. They found it a bit unnerving seeing Trey was simply walking away and not running. Did he know where Che’nya was in his invisible state?

•

“Floyd, get down from that chandelier!” Divus shouted, not wanting to damage anything with his magic.

“Che’nya, stop shredding things!” Mr. Belden shouted as well, chasing his student along with Trey.

“I say, this was a smashing success wasn’t it, Fluroa?” Crowley questioned, laughing heartily.

“Your students caused half of this mess.” Fluroa responded, watching the students having gone from chill to wild animals. “But it’s nice to see them having fun together and not despising each other.”

“Well, we wouldn’t if a certain school would lose for once.” Crowley muttered, taking a sip of his drink.

“Maybe the school who always loses wouldn’t if they properly trained.” Fluroa responded, sipping his own drink.

The two headmasters discreetly glared at each other while students went wild down below. The other staff from both schools watched their chaos, loving every moment.


	166. Kalim + Jamil: Let Jamil be free to be himself

Kalim ran around in glee, playing with Jamil and their younger siblings.

“You can’t catch me!” Kalim teased Jamil who purposefully hung back.

“Wow, you’re so fast!” Jamil exclaimed, knowing full well he could easily catch Kalim.

“Really? Thanks!” Kalim said happily, making it back to base.

They played a few more rounds of tag before the adults called them inside for lunch. Kalim ran off to wash his hands, excited to eat. What were they going to feed them today? He hoped with his entire heart it was his favorite meal. Kalim walked out of the bathroom, making his way to the dining room when he heard voices talking.

“You’re doing well Jamil. Keep it up.”

“Yes mother…”

“Repeat to me what I just told you so I know you fully understand.”

“I have to make Kalim look good and hide my talents and intellect…”

“Good boy. You, a lowly servant can never be better than your master.”

“Yes mother…”

‘Come, it’s time for lunch. You’ll be eating with the rest of us. Your sister is already waiting.”

Kalim stepped out, seeing Jamil and his mother walking down the hall. He didn’t get it. Why couldn’t Jamil be better than him? Why did he have to make him look good? Was Jamil holding back this whole time because of his parents? He thought back to all the times Jamil had lost or did worse than him. He could’ve done much better. Why were they doing this?

Kalim sat at the dining table with his family, them eating happily. He was the only gloomy person in the room. The conversation weighed heavy on his mind. Just how good was Jamil if he was holding back on things? He had to be really good if he could perfectly do bad enough to make him, a natural disaster, look good.

“Kalim, is something wrong? You’ve hardly eaten.” his mother asked, worried about her child.

“Why can’t Jamil be better than me?” he asked, looking at them.

They exchanged looks. How did he know about that? Jamil couldn’t have told him. He knew the consequences. They were going to have to punish him, seeing he was bold enough to defy them.

“What do you mean? Jamil is doing his best like you.” his father claimed, trying to divert the conversation.

“No he’s not. Jamil is better than me at things. Why can’t he show that?” Kalim demanded, needing answers. “Why does he have to hide?”

Things were going south fast. So they used the oldest trick in the book.

“You’ll understand when you’re older.” his mother replied, trying to end the conversation.

Kalim was upset. He pushed his lunch off the table before storming out. If they weren’t going to tell him, he’d asked Jamil’s parents. Kalim’s parents quickly notified everyone, telling them to stay tight lipped if Kalim asked questions.

Kalim arrived in the dining room for servants, spotting Jamil’s family. The Viper parents were expecting him. Jamil and his sister looked at Kalim who seemed upset.

“Mr. Viper, Mrs. Viper-”

“Kalim sama, you shouldn’t be in here with us servants. Go back and enjoy your lunch.”

“But I have a question…”

“We’re sorry. We aren’t allowed to answer you.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a family secret.”

He wasn’t convinced. They were purposefully keeping quiet and wanted to know why. He looked at Jamil who quietly munched on bread. He knew how he could get information.

“Fine. I’ll find another source of information.” Kalim declared.

-

Kalim cornered Jamil, forcing him into the nearby closet. Jamil was a bit scared, not used to Kalim being so forceful.

“Why can’t you be better than me? Tell me! I order you!” Kalim demanded, pressing himself against Jamil so he couldn’t escape.

“I don’t know what-”

“Jamil!”

What should he do? Betray his family? He couldn’t. He couldn’t tarnish their good name just to finally vent his frustrations. Kalim’s eyes were drilling holes into his body. He had to resist. His family legacy was more important than the possibility of relief.

Jamil broke down in tears, terribly conflicted. He didn’t want to hurt his family’s name, but he wanted to shout his frustrations in Kalim’s face, desperately telling him how much he didn’t want to be a calculated idiot.

“They didn’t want you to feel discouraged and feel upset that you couldn’t do things that I could… They wanted you to feel special… but I’m the gifted one… I couldn’t show off anymore because then you’d find out and feel like you were worthless. That you couldn’t do anything because I was better.” Jamil weeped, his everything breaking at this point. “I hate it… It’s frustrating… I don’t like being an idiot! I want to show off! I want to be seen as a genius! Not a stupid idiot like you!”

Jamil covered his mouth, seeing he said too much. He was in for it now.

“You shouldn’t be forced to hide yourself… That’s horrible…” Kalim muttered, looking at the sobbing Jamil. “So what if you’re better than me at things? I just have to try harder.”

Kalim wasn’t mad? Not even when he called him an idiot? Kalim backed away, satisfied with the information.

“Don’t hide anymore. I’ll talk to my parents and yours. I want to see what you can actually do! Don’t hold back!” Kalim exclaimed, holding Jamil’s hands.

Years of frustration and discontent vanished. Kalim was listening to him on top of sort of promising to speak to their parents. Kalim… cared. Kalim squeaked, feeling Jamil giving him a tight hug. He wordlessly hugged Jamil back, feeling him bury his face in his neck.

Kalim entered the room, gaining his father’s attention.

“Are you done asking questions that you don’t need answers to?”

“Yes, I’m done asking but now I’m requesting something.” Kalim said, standing by his father’s side.

“What is it?”

“Let Jamil be himself. I want him to show off his talents. I don’t like how things are. It’s not right.” Kalim explained, looking his father in the eyes. “He probably works hard day and night to get as far as he’s gotten. Wherever that is. Don’t stifle him!”

“Kalim, listen to me. In this kind of setting, servants can never rise above their masters no matter how talented they are. Plus, the Vipers have served our family for generations. They made a binding contract with our ancestors long ago that they would always serve us and never rise above.”

“I don’t really understand but it doesn’t sound right!” Kalim huffed. “Let Jamil be free to be himself or I’ll… I’ll do something really bad!”

“Kalim, I’ll tell you as clearly as possible. Competent servants are the worst servants. Having too much education will give them ideas and they’ll start an uprising. To think that child would grow to be so smart, I should’ve had him killed.”

Kalim was on utter shock. His father thought so lowly of the wonderful servants they had. Kalim marched off.

“I’m going to something really bad! I won’t stop until you let Jamil be himself!”

Mr. Asim shook his head, wishing his son wasn’t so stubborn.

•

Kalim sat on the roof. He slowly inched towards the edge, seeing it was dangerous enough. Servants noticed him. Everyone was in a panic.

Jamil colored with his little sister when he overheard the other servants. He told his sister to continue coloring while he checked things out.

Jamil ran out, turning and seeing Kalim sitting on the roof. What in the world was he doing? The Asims had rushed out, shouting for their son to get down.

“I won’t move back to safety unless you-”

“Okay! Jamil doesn’t have to hold back! We promise just come down from there.”

“Do you really mean it? Tell it to Jamil’s face!”

Kalim watched as his parents told Jamil. Kalim smiled, moving back to get to safety. Kalim’s foot slipped, sending him sliding down and clinging to the edge for dear life. Jamil jumped into action, rescuing Kalim. Kalim looked up at Jamil, his eyes full of wonder and awe.

“You saved me…!” Kalim exclaimed, throwing his arms around Jamil.

“Of course. I’m your servant…”

“No. We’re friends.”

“Friends…? But I’m-”

“I’d be honored to have a genius like you as a friend! I could learn so much about things from you! I might even get better.”

He wasn’t getting his hopes up. Servants and their masters weren’t really allowed to have a relationship with each other, let alone a friendship. But to hear the Asim heir wanted to be friends was… touching.

“I would like to teach you… actually…” Jamil muttered, scratching his cheek. “Like… easier ways to remember spells…”

“Really!? Please, teach me!”

Kalim’s parents looked on in disgust. Who did this servant child think he was? They always get last say, but they couldn’t go back on their word. Not yet at least. They were going to have to use tricks in order to justify stifling Jamil once more.

•

Kalim cast a spell, looking to Jamil with big eyes. Jamil instructed him more, seeing where he could improve. Kalim was in love with this. Things were so much easier to understand when Jamil explained rather than the boring teachers. He could easily change the color of things now unlike before.

Their little paradise was interrupted by one of the adults. Did they need something?

“Jamil, you’re needed. Follow.”

Kalim watched as the adult left with Jamil. Jamil wasn’t supposed to leave his side though. Kalim followed, wondering what they needed him for.

His eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Jamil was cleaning up the large mess with only a bit of trouble. To have magic skills like that…

“I’d never catch up to him…” Kalim mumbled, watching a bit more before running away.

Jamil looked back, hearing footsteps. The adult let him go. Jamil hurried back to the room, only to see Kalim wasn’t there. They weren’t supposed to be apart. Jamil searched high and low for Kalim, hoping nothing bad had happened.

Kalim groaned, looking at his hands. Why couldn’t he do it? What was he doing wrong? Kalim cast the spell again. It was still wrong.

“Come on, work!” Kalim fussed, getting frustrated.

Kalim heard the door open, him now having a stare down with them.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Jamil exclaimed before looking at Kalim’s hands. “What have you been doing!?”

“I was just practicing magic-”

“Too much! Look at your hands!” Jamil yelled, Kalim’s hands covered in black goo. “Why would you do this to yourself!?”

“I’m just trying to get better!”

“You will get better, just-”

“No, I have to get better now!”

“Everyone learns at a different pace-”

“Stop! Stop treating me like a dummy! I can learn quickly!” Kalim shouted, his arms now completely covered.

“Kalim, please, calm down…”

“No! I don’t like it when you treat me like this! I won’t get any better if you keep babying me!”

“Kalim, shut the hell up before you go into overblot!” Jamil shouted, watching Kalim take a step back.

“Ov… ove… overwhat?” Kalim asked, the black goo making its way down his body and slowly creeping up his neck.

Jamil was panicking. He needed to calm him somehow.

“Kalim, please forgive me for this.”

“H-”

Kalim collapsed, the goo slowly receding back to where it started. Their mothers had entered the room, having heard voices from within. Neither bothered to ask what had happened, assuming Jamil had hurt Kalim. This was what they feared.

“Mom, where are you taking me? And it hurts…” Jamil asked, his mother’s grip on his wrist hurting like crazy.

“You stupid child! You couldn’t get enough just by showing him that’d you’d go and hurt him!?”

“Huh? But I just saved him…”

“Enough out of you! Mr. Asim will deal with you.”

Jamil was confused. Why wasn’t she asking details?

•

Now he understood why. They wanted to get rid of him. And now they had their chance. Jamil sat on the floor, his head bleeding.

“Exile him.”

Mrs. Viper looked away from her son, trying to keep his emotions in check. She couldn’t do anything. She shouldn’t do anything. Jamil brought this upon himself. At least she still had one good child. Jamil’s little sister was in tears. Where were they sending her brother? Would she not get to see him anymore?

Jamil found himself by the outskirts of his home. They were already putting up signs saying if anyone caught him entering, they were legally allowed to hurt him any way they wished. They didn’t care if he was brought in dead or alive. Jamil turned his back, walking away. He quietly formulated plans on how to survive. His main goal was to find a town and hopefully earn some money to stay afloat.

Jamil kept moving despite how hot the sun was. Sand. Sand was everywhere. Just one cactus was all he needed. Yet there wasn’t one. Jamil paused, trying to think of water spells he knew and that wouldn’t evaporate once used.

“Hey…!”

He wasn’t expecting to hear a voice. Jamil looked, his jaw dropping. What in the name of the Great Seven was this idiot doing!?

“Kalim! Why are you here and not home!?”

“I’m following you. Where you go, I go! I know you’ll help me out as you always do. Teach me well, haha!”

He really was an idiot. Kalim handed him water, glad to see him drinking it all.

“Oh! I’ve been wanting to tell you but they kept us apart… I’ve been developing a unique magic!”

“Really? What is it?”

“Relax in the desert, a never ending party. Sing, dance! Oasis Maker!” Kalim shouted, a small spurt of water coming out of his hand. It wasn’t evaporating. Kalim gave him a cheeky smile, ending the spell. “I can only create this much, but I’ll keep practicing so I can make a rainfall!”

“It’s not completely useless… But still, you shouldn’t be here. Your family-”

“You’re my family now.” Kalim said, cutting him off. “Let’s get out of this heat. I’m melting.”

Jamil racked his brain for a spell before creating clouds over Kalim, keeping him covered in shade. Kalim pulled him under, not wanting to be the only comfortable one. Jamil looked at Kalim before his eyes softened. He couldn’t have asked for a better friend.


	167. Film: Laundry seems pretty easy

“So, let me make sure I understand. You want me to help you become independent?”

“Well, why wouldn’t I ask my boyfriend to help me?”

Floyd smiled widely, pulling him into his arms. Kalim rubbed his head against him, receiving forehead kisses.

“I’ll teach you everything you need to know about being independent! Starting with cooking.” Floyd said, having Kalim look at him.

“I’m in your care!”

•

Floyd blinked, looking at the kitchen. To think things could spiral out of control so fast from one mistake. He laughed in delight, loving the chaos. Kalim wiped his cheek, tasting the food.

“It’s not bad!” Kalim cheered, grabbing a bit for Floyd to try.

Floyd ate it, his eyes widening. It really was good. They cheered, seeing cooking was a success. They looked as a few pieces of meat fell to the floor from the ceiling.

“We should probably clean.”

“Yeah…”

The couple cleaned up, Floyd and Kalim teasing each other and purposefully making the other clean up more. This was really fun for Kalim. Sure, there were… a lot of hiccups, but cooking was fun. And to have Floyd cheering him on by his side, he couldn’t ask for more.

They finished cleaning, packing away the meal they made.

“Why don’t we eat it together tonight? Oh! Can we make dessert tonight to go with it?” Kalim suggested, his eyes sparkling.

“Yeah. Let’s do it.”

“Ah, I can’t wait to tackle the next thing!”

“On the list it says laundry.” Floyd responded. “Though, I don’t really know much. Jade always does it.”

“I’m sure we can figure it out. Let’s have faith.”

They gave each other warm smiles, ready to tackle the next task.

•

Floyd and Kalim fell out of the laundry room along with a large amount of suds. Something went wrong. Did they add too much? Too little? Students passing by looked in horror as Floyd and Kalim fought through the suds to get to the machines.

They hurried to notify a teacher while Floyd attempted to get rid of the suds. Kalim checked the machines. They were still running thankfully.

Floyd managed to get the suds under control while Kalim moved his laundry into the dryers, unaware there were pieces of clothing not meant to be dried.

“Well, it took a while but we got it!” Kalim declared, feeling proud of himself.

“Huh. Laundry seems pretty easy to me.” Floyd spoke, not seeing what Jade was seeing.

They walked away, only to hear one of the machines making noise before exploding. The students arrived with a teacher just in time to see one of dryers destroyed.

“Oh my god…”

“Floyd, what just happened?”

“Dunno. Hey teach, something weird happened.”

The two were thoroughly scolded and being given lessons in proper laundry washing as punishment after their classes tomorrow.

•

They sat in the punishment class, bored out of their minds. Why was there so much work out into washing clothes? Floyd leaned against Kalim, having fallen asleep. Kalim soon drifted off, but it only last for a bit as the teacher shouted at them to wake up.

They groaned, hearing they’d start over from the beginning if they fell asleep again. This was torture.

“Hey.”

Kalim looked at Floyd.

“What?”

Floyd pecked his lips, wanting to go in for a full kiss but the teacher had turned around. Once he turned around, Floyd wasted no time in capturing Kalim’s lips, finding this more entertaining.

They continued to kiss behind the teacher’s back before he started asking questions about what he’s been teaching. Floyd looked up the answers so they could get off scott free.


	168. Rudia: I’m going to be missing out…

Ruggie sighed, changing into house slippers as he listened to the silence. He made a beeline for the stairs, seriously needing to nap.

Ruggie opened the door, seeing the crib. Ruggie walked over, seeing his sleeping angel. He didn’t touch him, not wanting to wake him up. The moment Ruggie had gotten settled into bed, he knocked out.

•

Ruggie woke up, seeing morning had risen. He looked, seeing he was alone in bed. He searched for the time, seeing he had two hours if he wanted to arrive at work on time. Ruggie got up and peeked into the crib. His child was missing.

Ruggie started checking around the room, hoping he didn’t get out and crawl somewhere dangerous. Ruggie was checking in things when he heard the door open.

“You’re up. I just finished breakfast.”

Ruggie looked back, seeing his husband. He was about to voice his concerns when he heard a squeal come from behind him.

“Idia… don’t give me a heart attack. I thought Rara had gotten loose…” Ruggie muttered, his heart settling.

“You came home late again. What is she making you do?” Idia asked, feeling their child pulling on his hair. “Ah, Rara… stop…”

Ramune squealed, nibbling on Idia’s hair.

“It’s just things. Nothing to worry about. Let’s go have breakfast.” Ruggie said, walking out the room. “Oh, did you feed Ramune?”

“Yeah…”

Idia frowned, expecting at least a kiss on the cheek. Idia sat down, putting Ramune on his lap while Ruggie ate. He started conversation, hoping Ruggie would tell him more about what he’s been doing that he comes home later. Ruggie continued to dodge his question.

Ramune played with his fingers, often glancing up at Idia with his innocent, baby eyes.

“Ah, sh- darn. I’m sorry.” Ruggie apologized, wuickly finishing up before rushing upstairs.

Idia watched him come back, passing them by. Ruggie came back, pressing a kiss onto Ramune’s cheek, saying goodbye to the both of them.

“I deserve one too… Rara was crying all night…” Idia muttered, looking at Ramune’s little ears twitch.

•

Idia screen recorded as he played a game. Ramune played on the floor, bashing two cars together while making noises. Ramune looked up, wanting to be close to Idia. He crawled over to the bed, looking up.

“Ah, ah!”

Idia looked, seeing Ramune sitting by the bed.

“Do you want Papa to pick you up?”

“Puh… Pawh!”

Idia blinked. It sounded like he said papa. He picked Ramune up, saying Papa again. Ramune didn’t repeat. He sighed, seeing they still had a ways to go. Ramune watched Idia play his game with wide, curious eyes. Idia let him touch a few buttons, smiling softly as his giggling.

“I never thought I’d love having a child so much…” Idia whispered, watching his fire haired hyena child play with him.

“Mmm… buwah!” Ramune shouted, pointing at the screen.

•

Ruggie flitted around, doing just about everything. He finally got a break, getting water to revive himself a bit. This certainly wasn’t his ideal job, but it was definitely safer than what he was considering in the past.

“Bucchi. There you are.” a voice said.

Ruggie discreetly groaned, seeing his boss approaching him.

“I know. Don’t rest until you’ve done everything.”

“No, I just wanted to talk. I appreciate you, really. I’ve never had such a capable assistant like you.” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “Look forward you a raise.”

A raise? It was about time he got one. Depending on how much it was, he could afford to put more money away into Ramune’s university fund. Idia constantly assured him that the Shroud fortune could be used, but he still wanted to contribute something.

“Wow, that’s really generous. Thank you.”

“Of course. Keep working hard, Bucchi.”

Ruggie nodded, watching her walk away. Ah, it truly felt good being appreciated and having his efforts recognized.

•

Ruggie yawned, one of the few still left. He finally completed the last task, now able to go home. He looked at the time, seeing he’d be arriving home later than yesterday. By the time he got home, both of them would be asleep. At least, he figured Idia would be asleep.

Ruggie packed up, making his way home.

•

Ruggie unlocked the front door, stepping into the silent house. It was a bit unnerving, but expected. Ruggie walked further in, memorizing where things were so he wouldn’t bump into anything and make noise.

Ruggie ascended the stairs, noticing a light down the hall. He pushed open the door, seeing Idia curled up in his chair playing games. He quietly watched, listening to him talk. He must be streaming. Why so late was beyond him. Idia was really passionate about gaming, so it wasn’t really any surprise to him that Idia wanted to make a career out of it.

Ruggie left the door ajar, heading to their room to check on Ramune. He peered into the crib, seeing him fast asleep. As much as he wanted to stay up and talk to Idia, his body was starting to feel the effect of earlier. Ruggie climbed into bed, passing out within seconds.

•

Ruggie woke up, not seeing Idia beside him. Ramune wasn’t in his crib. Yet again, two hours if he wanted to arrive on time. Ruggie hurried and freshened up before getting dressed and heading downstairs. Idia and Ramune weren’t there, but a plate full of breakfast and a note waited for him.

“‘You were already out before I could tell you. The others invited us for a play date. Since it’s far from here, we had to leave early. Love you.’ Wow… I’m going to be missing out…” Ruggie muttered, rereading the note.

Ruggie sat down, seeing the meal needed to be reheated. He wondered how much he’s been missing out on since he started working later.

•

Ramune played with his car as Idia pushed the stroller. Idia yawned, having been up most of the night streaming and taking care of Ramune.

Idia pressed the bell, waiting for one of them to answer the door. The door opened, revealing Jade. The moment Idia stepped inside, a scream rang out.

“Is everything…?”

“Yep. Our little girl is teething.” Jade responded, smiling sweetly.

Idia held Ramune, seeing their daughter biting Ace’s hand. Ace looked up at them, tears pricking his eyes.

“Does she always bite people…?” Idia asked, worried Ramune would get bitten.

“For now, no. Just Ace for some reason.” Jade responded, taking their daughter from Ace. “Heather, say hi to Ramune.”

Heather looked at Ramune, showing her sharp teeth as she smiled. Idia heard his phone ring, so he handed Ramune over so he could answer.

“Ruggie? Aren’t you at work? Huh? I’m at the Trappola’s… EH!? Ru-” Idia said before Ruggie hung up.

They found Ruggie at their doorstep, completely dressed in casual wear. Idia let out a grunt, feeling Ruggie holding him tightly. His family was more important. He didn’t want to miss his child growing up.

“I’m so sorry… I’m going to make more time for you both. I promise.” Ruggie stated, stepping inside. “Where is he?”

Ramune looked up from playing with Heather. He quickly crawled over to Ruggie, begging to be picked up. Ruggie picked him up, receiving love in return. Ruggie turned to Idia, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“You worked hard, taking care of Ramune while I wasn’t around. I have to show you appreciation later. It couldn’t have been easy.”

“Of course not! He’s extremely fussy before bed.” Idia complained, Ruggie giving him an apologetic look. “But most of the time he’s easy…”

Ramune pulled on Ruggie’s ear, wanting more attention. Ruggie kissed Ramune’s cheeks, causing the baby to giggle in delight. Idia smiled softly, pulling his husband and child close.


	169. Lilia: Get out before I kill you

Lilia hummed in delight, seeing it was getting closer to night time at Night Raven and the dorms. Silver hung out in his room as usual.

“Father, should I go with longer or shorter?”

“What are we talking about?”

“Length.”

“Of?”

“Fuck stick.”

Lilia’s head quickly whipped around, Silver laughing and hollering.

“Ha! I got you good.”

“Laugh all you want. I’ll be laughing in the end.”

Silver shrugged, scrolling on Magicam. It felt good messing with Lilia. Now he understood why his father messed around so much.

“Hey, father…”

“Is it another dick joke?”

“No, just… I started thinking about why you might love joking around and all so much. You’ve been alive for so long and seen so much.” said Silver, looking at Lilia’s back. “You’ll continue even after I die. It’s one of things that makes you not feel as bad…”

“Silver, you think too much. It’s getting late, you should head to bed.”

Silver kicked off his shoes, getting comfortable under Lilia’s sheets.

“I meant yours.”

“Can’t I act like a child again? Sleep in the same bed…”

Lilia caved, allowing him to stay.

•

Silver was in deep sleep. Lilia created a speaker, connecting it with his phone. Tonight was finally the night. Lilia stepped out his room before blasting music. Lilia easily sang along, walking the halls of Diasomnia. He didn’t even bother to skip the curse words, singing them louder than the actual words.

“GET MONEY, FUCK BITCHES, SMOKE WEED EVERY DAY!” Lilia shouted, unknowingly waking up students.

Lilia rounded a corner before his speaker was suddenly snatched from his hand and turned off.

“Evening Malleus.”

“Don’t evening Malleus me. It’s not even evening! It’s two in the morning!” Malleus fussed.

“I know. The perfect time to sing.”

“More like screech. I’m ordering you to go back to your room and go to sleep.”

“You aren’t the boss of me you fledgling.” Lilia cackled, taking his speaker back from Malleus.

Lilia found himself sitting outside the dorm, being pushed further as an invisible barrier covered all of Diasomnia. Lilia huffed, picking up his speaker. Others would appreciate his amazing singing.

Lilia stopped at Heartslabyul first, ready to turn up. He only lasted a few minutes before he was beheaded by Riddle and kicked out by a half awake Trey. He tried going back in but the magic lock wouldn’t break.

“Party poopers…”

“Get out before I kill you for disturbing my sleep!” Riddle shouted out the window before Trey pulled him back in.

Lilia went to Octavinelle next, knowing merpeople loved having a good time. Lilia blasted his music again, parading around in the dorm. Surprisingly, no one had come to stop him. These were his kind of people. More profanities left his mouth. Little did he know he was being watched.

Lilia was about to burst into another song when he was suddenly attacked and stripped of his speaker. Two angry eels stared down at him while someone approached.

“Do you have ANY idea what time it is!? People are trying to sleep and absolutely DO NOT appreciate your awful singing!” Azul fussed, glaring at Lilia through his blurry vision.

“I thought you all liked it…”

“No!”

Lilia found himself in the hall of mirrors, kicked out by yet another dorm. Lilia attempted to go into Ignihyde but was surprised to see he couldn’t. Idia had caught wind of it from Cater’s Magicam post and promptly had any and all attempts to enter Ignihyde cut off.

Lilia entered Scarabia, ready to rock out. Heavy metal blasted out of his speaker, startling a few students awake. He lasted quite a long time, Kalim having joined in until Jamil broke them up, kicking Lilia out. No one was appreciating his efforts.

Lilia went to Savanaclaw. He sang. And sang. And sang. Lilia looked around, the walkways utterly empty. He sang another song. No one was coming out. The result didn’t change no matter what he changed up. Lilia pursed his lips, not seeing it any fun. So he left.

His last stop: Pomefiore. Lilia entered, looking at the building looking in front of him. He knew what awaited him when he entered. Lilia went in anyway.

Just like Heartslabyul, he was easily subdued by Vil. Rook wasn’t even needed. Vil was shouting his own profanities at Lilia, truly upset that his beauty sleep was disturbed. Everyone who was awakened and nearby listened, thankful they weren’t Lilia at the moment.

Vil finished his rant, ordering Rook to throw Lilia out by whatever means necessary. Lilia was finally thrown out of all dorms. Which only left a few people. The staff.


	170. NSFW Reok: Cock Torture

Rook lied on Leona’s bed, having been begged to spend the night. It was cute seeing Leona acting all cute just to get him to stay. Rook sat up, holding on of Leona’s pillows. His scent was still faintly there. When would he come back? Wasn’t he the one who wanted to spend time together? Rook walked over to the bay window, looking out. He had to admit, the night sky in Savanaclaw was just as beautiful as Pomefiore’s.

Rook unlocked his phone, going back to his search. He’s been wanting to ask Leona about his thoughts on something. He wanted to spice up their sex life a bit more, but he was worried Leona wouldn’t like it. He seemed more like the type to not venture into sex toys or other things. Rook put his phone on sleep, thinking of not asking him.

Rook was startled out of his thoughts as he felt something touching him and pressing against him.

“Did you get lonely?”

“No.”

“Really? Then maybe I should leave again.”

Rook didn’t reply, knowing how Leona operated. If he was going to leave then he was going to leave. Leona didn’t leave, knowing Rook at least missed him. Rook sighed softly, feeling Leona kiss his neck a few times.

“You’re holding one of my pillows. You really missed me huh?”

“Wouldn’t it be a little weird if I didn’t miss my boyfriend?” Rook responded, looking back at him.

“That’s true.” Leona chuckled before his face turned serious. “Come here…”

Rook dropped the pillow, allowing Leona to kiss him as he locked his hands around his neck. Leona deepened the kiss, one hand on Rook’s back and the other gently grabbing at his ass. He could feel Rook grinding against him a little. Leona pulled away, looking into Rook’s beautiful green eyes.

“Rook, I… umm…” Leona stammered, not entirely sure how to voice it. Rook encouraged him to continue. “I want to have sex but… I… I want to have my ass fucked by you. I’m always doing it and I’ve been having this fantasy…”

Rook’s eyes widened slightly, totally not expecting this. Leona’s been thinking about something like this? He never would’ve imagined.

“We would be playing hunter & hunter… I’d let myself be caught by you and be forced to beg for things… And then getting fucked by you as a reward for being good little lion.”

“You really put a lot of thought into it. I wouldn’t mind helping you live out your fantasy. It sounds fun.” Rook giggled, watching Leona smile sweetly.

“But not tonight. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you.”

Rook tilted his head in confusion. What did he mean?

“You want to ask me something. You kept looking at your phone then at me for a while at some points.”

“It’s nothing r-”

Leona had taken his phone, unlocking it with ease.

“Really? Your password is our safeword?”

“It helps me remember so it’s not all bad. You know I forget when I’m lost in pleasure…” Rook muttered, having a flashback to when he had to stay in the infirmary for a few days.

“So, this is what you’ve been looking at…” Leona mumbled, looking at Rook’s search history. “Do you want to do this?”

Rook’s face was extremely red, his eyes looking down at the floor. Why was he feeling so shy?

“Umm… y- yes…” Rook stuttered, playing with his hair.

“Then let’s do it. I’m really in the mood tonight…” Leona growled lowly, capturing Rook’s lips again.

Rook excitedly kissed him back, both stripping each other of their clothes. Leona attacked his neck and collarbone, loving the soft moans coming from his boyfriend. Rook pulled away, needing to set things up. Leona helped, seeing things would go faster that way.

“So, should I restrain you?”

“Hm? Oh, I guess you didn’t get it…” Rook mumbled, earning a look from Leona. “You’re supposed to be getting restrained.”

Leona soon found his wrists cuffed and unable to move, having been stuck through the duplicated railing of the one in his room. Leona growled lowly, not expecting a collar. Rook admired his handiwork, looking at Leona on all fours.

“Rook…”

“Shh… the best part hasn’t come yet.” Rook whispered, sticking a vibrating butt plug up Leona’s ass before placing a ring around him. “Let’s begin.”

Leona was surprised, not expecting to feel both spots being pleasured at the same time and so hard. Rook was simply watching. Is this all he wanted? He could be doing so much with him like this. Leona looked at Rook, feeling him petting him. Leona could feel it slowly starting to bubble within.

Rook gave Leona short kisses, feeling him moaning into his mouth. Maybe it was time to up the settings. Leona gasped, feeling even closer to his climax. It felt a little dirty to him, Rook watching all of this unfold. He liked it. He wanted Rook to watch every little thing he did. Rook turned away from him. He started whining, mostly because of him being edged but also because Rook wasn’t watching him.

“R- Reik…” Leona whined, trying to get his attention.

Leona moaned loudly, coming onto the floor. He started to meow, wanting Rook’s attention. Why was he looking away if this was what he wanted? Rook made no sense. Maybe that was what was so alluring about him.

Leona mewled, coming a second time. Rook still wasn’t paying him any mind. He couldn’t even call out this time, the settings being put on max. Leona attempted to reach out, his arms only going so far. All he could think of was “Look at me”. Didn’t he want to see his lewd faces?

Rook finally looked at him, surprisingly giving him more pleasure. Leona tried displaying himself more as he edged closer to another climax. Rook crawled over to him, kissing him before grinning.

“I’m gonna leave your mouth sore…” Rook whispered, opening Leona’s mouth. “Look at those canines… so sharp… I would advise you not to graze them against me. I’ll punish you.”

Leona felt Rook put his dick in his mouth without much warning. Leona moaned against Rook, feeling himself close to coming again. Leona looked up at Rook, the lewd looks pushing him over the edge.

“Lea, you look so good like this… It’s just like how I imagined…” Rook whispered, pulling on Leona’s ears. “Keep looking at me like that… like the kitten you are…”

Leona was completely lost in pleasure, just barely noticing Rook coming on his face. Rook licked Leona’s face, looking at him panting and drooling. He didn’t expect Leona to be on board with his weird fantasy. It was even better than what he’s been imagining for weeks. He stroked Leona’s hair, noticing his body was shaking. He turned the settings down, wondering if he needed a break.

“Lea, are you alright?” Rook asked, cupping his face.

No response. Rook knitted his brows.

“Lea, can you say fireworks?” Rook asked, looking him in the eye.

It looked like he was trying to say something. Rook leaned in close, trying to hear. Rook turned them off, leaning Leona’s head on his shoulder. Did he push too far? He never said fireworks though.

“Why… why did you stop…” Leona whispered, turning his head some. “I feel cheated…”

“I was worried about you… you weren’t responding to me.” Rook responded, moving Leona’s hair out of his face. “Are you okay though…?”

“No, because I’m still horny.” Leona attempted to growl but it came out as a mewl.

Rook chuckled, pecking him on the lips. He wouldn’t leave his darling little kitten hanging for too long.


	171. Azelle: You’re being insensitive

Azul was working in Mostro when Jade suddenly pulled him aside into the VIP Lounge.

“What is it?”

“Rielle.”

Azul groaned, peeking out. Sure enough, Rielle was walking in with someone, being seated by Floyd. He liked Rielle, but some times he was just too much. He had a life outside of him.

“Ha? I want Azul serving me! Get this guppy out of here!” Rielle yelled, throwing the menu in the Octavinelle student’s face.

“Hey, chill out a bit Rie.”

“Fine… but I want Azul.” Rielle said more calmly. “Sometimes I wonder where I’d be without you, Eos.”

They chuckled, patiently waiting for Azul. Jade looked at Azul, wondering what he’d do. They had hung out literally just yesterday.

“I’ll serve him…”

“You don’t have to-”

“Jade, if he was just a normal guy, then I’d probably have him kicked out. But not only is he royalty and can ruin my family’s life, he’s also…” Azul said before trailing off. “Someone I love…”

Jade didn’t say anything, watching Azul head out. He did the same, going back to work.

Rielle’s eyes lit up at the sight of Azul. Eosin kept him in his seat, afraid he’d jump out and attack Azul with love.

“You’re finally here. I don’t want any of these guppies serving me. God knows where they’ve been.” Rielle said, not even bothering to say it quietly. “So, what’s on the menu?”

Azul picked up the menu Rielle threw, handing it to him. Rielle scanned three menu, his smile turning into a frown. Eosin gave Azul his order, them waiting for Rielle.

“This menu is trash.” Rielle stated, tossing it aside. “Give me something worthy of my title, you octopus. You can do that, can’t you?”

“Is really nothing on the menu to your liking…?”

“Well, the raspberry passion fruit tea does sound good. I want one of those. But I demand high quality food. I’m a prince for fucks sake, Azul.” Rielle said, looking at Azul who picked up the menus. “I would say take all the time you need to impress me, but I don’t have time today.”

“Right…”

Azul walked away, trying to think of a high quality dish that could be made with the ingredients they had available. No, he had to visit Sam’s. He couldn’t skimp on anything. He wasn’t that kind of guy, especially now that it concerned the prince of Coral Sea.

“Jade, Floyd. You’re both temporarily in charge until I get back. Keep that boy entertained or else you know what happens.”

Azul left through the back door, not wanting Rielle to see him leave.

•

“Pleasuring the taste buds of a snotty prince are we? I have everything you could need. In stock!”

Azul had searched for Rielle’s preferred foods, taking note of what ingredients were in each dish. Sam helped him find the ingredients. He could already tell how expensive they were just from the ingredients within the ingredients that he needed.

Azul could feel his wallet’s pain at the total price of everything. Azul reluctantly handed madol over before seeing Sam hand some back.

“Keep this little discount between us.” Sam winked, handing him his purchases.

“So you can be a reasonable businessman.” Azul said, his way of saying thanks.

“Of course. I don’t want to lose a dear customer of mine.”

•

Rielle was close to throwing a fit. He was starving and the entertainment sucked balls. Eosin couldn’t do much else for the Leech twins.

“I want my food now! Or else I’ll have my father buy this place and turn it into something more useful!” Rielle shouted before sipping his tea. “At least something in this place is good.”

Azul hurried out, carrying two dishes. Rielle smiled happily, watching both being placed in front of him. Another student had come with Eosin’s new meal, his other having been wrong.

“This better taste like quality.”

Everyone watched Rielle with interest. Would the Mostro Lounge stay or would it be bought out?

“It’s… acceptable.” Rielle stated, eating more. “I want dessert of this quality or better.”

“Right.”

Azul was going to leave until Rielle stopped him.

“Sit and eat with me. You made too much.” Rielle demanded, patting the seat next to him.

Azul sat down, promptly being fed by Rielle.

“Azul, you know I care about you right? I would never purposefully hurt something you love doing.” Rielle said, eating the pretty damn delicious meal.

“I am aware.”

“Marry me.”

Anyone who was around them looked at the sound of Rielle’s declaration. Azul was stunned. The Leech twins were amused yet completely surprised.

“Huh? We haven’t even graduated from school.”

“You can learn from tutors back home. I’ll provide you with the best.”

“Rielle, I want to continue studying here. I don’t want to go home.”

“So you’re agreeing to marry me though?”

Azul fell silent. Was he? This was an entirely big step. They were going to skip the dating phase completely. Rielle caressed his cheek, awaiting his answer.

“I don’t even get an engagement ring…?” Azul fussed, trying to buy more time.

Rielle pulled a ring out, dashing his hopes. It was the family ring. Everyone was getting anxious. Would Azul accept it?

“Angelfish… I can’t say yes. You’re going to pull me from Night Raven and I don’t want that.”

“Then I won’t. I’ll start attending Night Taven with you so we can be together more!”

Azul and Eosin widened their eyes in shock. Rielle wasn’t serious. He couldn’t be.

“Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Azie, you won’t accept my proposal otherwise… How much more do I have to do to get you to agree?”

“Angel-”

“You know what. I’m not going to try and reason with you. You’re not going to like anything I propose. You’re marrying me and coming back to Coral Sea with me.”

“You can’t just-”

“Yes I can because I am Prince Rielle Aquarus and I rule over all of you merfolk!” Rielle shouted, startling everyone.

“Rielle…” Azul whispered, not liking the scary look in his eyes.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to marry Rielle, he just thought it was a bit soon and there was more he wanted to learn while in Night Raven. He couldn’t go against an order unless he wanted his family to suffer because of him.

“Don’t worry about getting moved out, I’ll have people get them for you. And don’t worry about wedding details! I already have everything set. The wedding is going to be seven days from now.”

“W- What!? Rielle, this is too sudden!”

“Azie, I’m a prince. I get what I want when I want. And I want you to be my husband.” Rielle stated, pulling Azul in for a kiss. “I’ll do anything to have my way.”

Jade and Floyd exchanged looks, wondering what would become of Mostro if Azul was being forced to leave.

•

Azul sat in room alone filled with things he liked. He wasn’t all that that upset because it wasn’t like Rielle was keeping him hostage or anything. He just didn’t like that he was being forced into marriage so quickly.

“Azie! Let’s go out! There are people I want to introduce you to.” said Rielle, holding his hands. “Hey, you still haven’t changed into your octopus form.”

“I don’t like it. You know this.”

“They can’t make fun of your. You’re going to be my husband. If they make fun of you, they’re making fun of the Aquarus family.” Rielle explained, seeing Azul is just being paranoid. “It’s been a few years since everything.”

“Rielle, now you’re being insensitive.”

“And you’re being paranoid.”

Azul lied face down in bed, refusing to go. Rielle was being an inconsiderate ass for his feelings. As if a few years would heal deep wounds from his childhood. Rielle sighed, sitting beside Azul. Maybe he did push a bit too far.

“I’m sorry, Azie… I was out of line.” Rielle apologized, petting his head. “I won’t ask you to come. I’ll see you later.”

Rielle looked back once more before leaving. Would it be so bad if he transformed once? It would make Rielle happy. But then he continue to ask him to stay transformed.

•

Rielle smiled happily, entering the home with Azul. He was expecting him to stay but here he was. And in his natural form as well.

“Now don’t embarrass me like you always do. They’re important people.” Rielle commented before walking into the room.

Embarrass him like always? Azul lowly growled. Azul entered after him, seeing a few people, two of them looking their age.

“Prince Rielle Aquarus! What an honor to have you here! And this is…” they said, looking Azul up and down, poorly hiding their disgust.

“Wait! I know you! You’re Azul the stinky octopus back at Sharktooth elementary! What are you doing with Rielle?”

“I bet he’s trying to suck up the family fortune and run, breaking Rielle’s heart.”

“I’m sorry, are you talking bad about my husband?” Rielle asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Your husband…? But when did the wedding happen!?”

“Yeah! Why would you marry that?”

“I see. The Aquarus family will no longer have business with you if think this lowly of who I chose as my spouse.” Rielle stated, wrapping his arm around Azul’s waist and leading him out.

Rielle could hear the adults scolding their kids.

“You helped a lot, Azie.”

“Hm? How…?”

“We’ve been trying to weed out so called ‘partners’ and 'friends’. If they can’t handle I’m marrying someone as wonderful as you, then they aren’t fit to say they’re associated with us.”

“So you’re using me!? Rielle, I can’t believe you’d do something like this!” Azul shouted, extremely angry. “I let myself be vulnerable, showing off a side of me I never wanted to ever again just so you can weed out leeches!?”

“Yeah. That’s really it. I knew you were intelligent. Imagine our kids! Attractive AND intelligent!” Rielle squealed, hugging Azul.

Azul pushed him off.

“No. Here I thought you seriously wanted to marry me for me. Because you loved me. Now you’re showing your true colors.” Azul muttered, his heart paining him. “I’m breaking up with you.”

“I’m sorry, did I hear correctly? You’re trying to break up with me? Azie, Azie, Azie. What happened to your intelligence not too long ago?” Rielle asked, circling around Azul before holding his face by his chin. “You can’t defy me, meaning you have no choice but to marry me. Unless… you want a life more painful than your childhood ever was?”

Azul was definitely afraid, but he couldn’t help but like the way Rielle handled him. He didn’t know he’d like being dominated.

“If you understand, then let’s head home.” Rielle said cheerfully.

“Angelfish…” Azul mumbled, rubbing his arm.

“Hm?”

“Do you love me…?”

“Of course I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be marrying you.”

Azul gave him a kiss, putting his hands on Rielle’s waist.

“Show me then…”

•

Rielle smiled softly, kissing Azul’s neck.

“Did you feel it? My love?” Rielle asked, looking at Azul’s reddened face.

“Yes… Yes I did…” Azul whispered, his chest heaving.

“I can show you more.”

“No! Please… I’m tired…”

Rielle chuckled, loving the pleasured look on Azul’s face. This man was going to be his husband in two days. He couldn’t wait. A few times he considered moving up the date.

“Angelfish…”

“Yes, Azie?”

“Are you going to leave…?”

“Do you want me to?”

Azul didn’t respond. Rielle stroked his hair before pulling Azul closer. He knew what Azul meant. Why he couldn’t ask him directly was something he wanted to know.

“You know you can just tell me directly. We’ll be bound together soon.”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“Not as embarrassing as your squeaky whines.”

“S- Stop it!” Azul hissed, his face red.

Rielle chuckled in delight, giving him a kiss as an apology. Just two more days. Two more days and Azul would solely be his.

•

The audience clapped, the two finally wed. Many were unsure about the person Rielle was marrying, especially since he was… an octopus. They were definitely rare in the area.

“I finally have you…”

“You sound like some yandere…” Azul whispered, feeling a tad worried.

“Please, I wouldn’t go around killing people for you. I’m royalty bitch.”

Azul rolled his eyes despite replying with a smirk.


	172. Kalim + Jamil: Calling for Kalim… what’s wrong with you

Jamil sat locked in a room that he purposefully locked himself in. The memory still haunted him. He didn’t expect Kalim to take things that far. To go as far as to kill his parents just because they disagreed with him…

“Jamil? Are you going to come out today? I have lunch!”

Jamil didn’t respond. He’d never respond to Kalim. Never again. How could he act like any of this was normal? That it was okay? None of it was. He wasn’t that important that he had to kill his parents in cold blood for.

Yet he attended their funeral a few days ago.

“Jamil, I’m going to leave it by the door as usual.”

He heard the tray being placed down by his door before footsteps retreating. Jamil waited about an hour before pulling the tray into his room. He once made the mistake of taking it after he no longer heard Kalim’s footsteps. Kalim tried forcing his way in.

Jamil silently ate, planning his workout routine in his mind. He had no choice since he refused to leave the room. And he had to stay fit so he could fend Kalim off and still do things he’s always done. Would he ever leave the room? He did when Kalim was asleep. Yet he’s noticed that he’s been going to sleep later and later, making it hard for him to move around. He was a tad worried that Kalim might develop insomnia.

•

Kalim sat in his father’s chair, wiping his staff with a tissue. Jamil hadn’t come out in over a month. Why? He did all this work so he could relax and feel at home. Yet he does nothing but keep himself cooped up. He was tired of it. He wanted to see Jamil.

He’d heard rumors of Jamil moving around at night, so he did his best to stay awake to catch him. He hadn’t yet. Why was Jamil so slippery like a snake? Kalim grunted in displeasure, throwing his staff and cracking the orb on it. A servant hurriedly picked it up and brought it back.

“Tell me, why does Jamil avoid me? Am I not providing enough? Does he want friends? Money? Love?” Kalim asked the servant.

“I… I don’t know.”

“You don’t know…?” Kalim whispered, looking down at the servant. “Then what good are you huh? I can’t believe you can’t even do something as simple as figuring out what he wants! I need to know! I need to get in there!”

Kalim panted heavily, the poor servant having been beaten to death. The others kept their heads lowered, afraid making eye contact would cause him to lash out at them. Kalim angrily left the room, still having blood splatter on his clothes and blood dripping from the staff. The servants exchanged looks.

“Kalim’s lost it… I thought things would be better under his rule but…”

“This is nuts!”

“Poor Sylivar… His little girl’s birthday was coming up…”

“Doesn’t that make her an orphan now since her mother died years ago…? That poor child… she’s only five.”

•

Jamil listened to music, trying to forget everything. It was impossible. It was still fresh in his mind.

“I own this place now!”

Jamil shuddered, remembering the blood just dripping from the head Kalim held. Jamil felt sick. He tried calming his stomach, not wanting to go out. Kalim wasn’t asleep yet. The bathroom in this room had broken a few days ago. He hadn’t collected everything he needed to fix it, but he was hoping tonight would be that night.

Jamil jolted awake, looking at the time. Two in the morning. His stomach had settled, but he still needed to gather tools for fixing the toilet.

Jamil opened the door, hearing all was silent. Kalim had to be asleep. Jamil started sneaking around, swiping things he needed and grabbing alternatives if anything happened.

“Aha!”

Jamil jumped, a ball of light being shone on him.

“I finally got you~”

Jamil ran, Kalim giving chase. Jamil wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. Why did the room seem so far away?

“Stop running from me!” Kalim shouted, tackling Jamil to the ground, making him drop everything. “That’s better.”

Jamil tried wiggling himself free. Did Kalim get stronger? That was plenty worrisome. Kalim laid on top of him, holding him tight.

“I miss you, Mimi. I haven’t seen you in ages. Did you even go to the private funeral?” Kalim asked, drawing invisible circles on Jamil’s skin. “Why do you hide from me, Mimi?”

Jamil stayed tight lipped. Kalim frowned, not liking this.

“I learned some new tricks. Would you like to see them?”

Jamil wasn’t given a chance to respond when Kalim suddenly cast a spell. A blue band appeared between their arms, seeming as if they were bound together.

“Now you can never leave my sight. We’ll eat together, sleep together, use the bathroom together, bathe together. It’s going to be so fun!” Kalim said, giggling cutely. “No more hiding! Be free, Mimi.”

“What do you mean be free!? I’m literally bound to you right now!”

Jamil felt the band tighten around his wrist.

“No negative feelings or your circulation gets cut off.”

“What about you?”

“I can’t hurt you.”

Kalim had it easier. Clearly he’s on the losing side. Suicide was sounding very tempting. Kalim help him to his feet, leading him back to his room.

•

Jamil was out of breath. Kalim licked his lips, looking at Jamil expectantly.

“Kalim, stop this…”

“Treat me however you wish. I know you’re frustrated. I’m your sex toy.”

“Kalim, what are you saying!?” Jamil fussed, watching Kalim posing lewdly.

“I want you to be happy. I want to care for all of your needs. Please, use me…” Kalim slightly begged, gently running his hands over his body. “I’m your little slut…”

Jamil wasn’t having this. Kalim had a few loose screws. But now it was more than usual. Why would he have sex with someone he didn’t care for? Before he went batshit crazy, maybe he would’ve but now? It was out of the question.

“Then I’ll come to you.”

“No! I’ll come to you.”

Kalim bit his finger, wanting Jamil to touch him.

“How should I position myself? How would you like to do it?”

“Kalim, listen to me. I do not need my sexual needs fulfilled.”

“Eh…? Why not? Did someone else do it for you!?” Kalim demanded, his gentle look turning nasty quick.

“No! It was just myself. I have two hands. Can we just go to sleep…?”

“If that’s what you want, we can!”

Kalim moved over, wanting Jamil to sleep on the inside. Jamil didn’t argue, simply climbing into bed. Jamil felt Kalim cling to him, snuggling against him. He regretted leaving the safety of his room. Now he could never go back. Kalim would keep him under constant watch.

•

Jamil awoke, seeing Kalim had tangled their legs together. He wasn’t getting out of bed unless he wanted to wake him up. So he opted for going back to sleep.

Jamil awoke a few hours later. Kalim was now awake. He turned around, looking into Kalim’s fiery orange eyes.

“Morning. We have an early day, let’s get moving.”

Jamil found himself in Kalim’s bathroom, a bath being drawn. Kalim looked at him, waiting for him to strip. Jamil only stripped when the bath was ready to be used. They quietly sat in the tub together.

“Mimi, is there anything you want to do? I’ll have it provided.”

“I don’t want anything from a murderer.”

“I did it for us.”

“No, you did it for you.”

Kalim was confused. What did he mean? His parents were trying to brainwash Jamil into thinking he was wrong. He wasn’t wrong for killing them. They were questioning his authority.

“I don’t get what you’re trying to say, but I won’t stop providing for you. We’re at the top now. You can boss around servants. I’ll get rid of anyone you don’t like.” Kalim smiled, moving closer to Jamil. “You can boss me around too.”

“Then stop all of this!”

“Stop what?”

“Killing servants! Treat them like people! Let me do what I want! Stop watching me 24/7!” Jamil shouted, pushing Kalim back.

Kalim stared at him with his big eyes. Was it finally getting through?

“Okay.”

“Okay to what?”

Kalim dissolved the bonding spell. He was letting him go? He was a bit concerned.

“Kalim, what are you plotting?”

“You want to do what you want and you can’t do that if I’m connected to you. And you don’t want me watching you 24/7.”

So he was listening. Kalim smiled widely, his fingers twitching underneath the water.

•

Jamil watched as the doors closed. Kalim was really keeping to his word. He started to explore the area.

While searching, he noticed most of the areas were dusty and covered in cobwebs. The more he looked around, the more he started to notice there wasn’t anyone around. He had looked through the entire place.

He was the only one.

Jamil quickly ran back to the doors, trying to push them open. They wouldn’t budge. Unbeknownst to him, Kalim had guards block off the doors so Jamil couldn’t escape and he wouldn’t get visitors.

This isn’t what he wanted. Yet it was. He said he wanted to do his own thing and didn’t want to be watched. So here he was. At least they were kind enough to leave food and a few essential tools.

Jamil had gotten a bathroom back in order before calling it quits for the day. Everything was so old he had no choice but to use magic and replace everything.

His next step was the kitchen. It was in bad shape like the bathroom. He often hurt himself, not used to older machines. He managed to spruce it up a little, not looking as dingy as it used to. Jamil sank to the floor before passing out. Hard work really sapped your energy.

•

An entire week had gone by. He was almost out of food and hadn’t had contact with anyone or anything. It was slowly getting to him.

“Onions or no onions?”

“Weren’t you saving them for tomorrow’s dinner?”

“What about half?”

Jamil shook his head. He put the onions away, saving them for later. He made a different dish, eating completely alone. This wasn’t too bad. He did what he wanted when he wanted. No one was breathing down his neck.

Yet it didn’t feel as good as it first did. Jamil brought his meal with him, planning to read while eating. The books were interesting, but they started to not feel that way. Why? It was a book! He liked books! Jamil closed it, opting for just eating. He liked this.

•

Three weeks. Three weeks without human contact. Jamil looked to his side, freaking out. When did Kalim get in? He rubbed his eyes. Kalim was gone.

“Kalim?” Jamil called out, getting up from his spot.

He ran out the room, calling for Kalim.

“Don’t go. I want to talk!”

Silence. Jamil returned to the room before stepping back. Were there always animals in the room? He ran over to them, trying to touch them. They vanished at his touch.

“Don’t leave me too…” Jamil whispered.

He put his hood up, his body sensing something was around. He discreetly looked around. Was he being watched? He’s been feeling it lately. A simple creak of the floor was enough to send Jamil flying and cowering under something.

“WHO’S THERE!?” Jamil shouted, having his magicrystal ready. “Why do you talk like that…?”

“Like what?”

“That! Like a whiny child.”

“Leave me alone-”

Jamil jumped, hearing another creak. He was going to die. He was going to fucking die.

“Kalim! Is that you!?” Jamil shouted. “Calling for Kalim, what’s wrong with you.”

“As if he’d come for me.”

“Yes he would.”

“Get real.”

Jamil rocked back and forth, having a conversation with himself. He developed a habit of licking his hair when he did so.

“Look, there’s someone over there.”

Jamil looked, seeing a retreating figure. He went after it.

“Hello!? Please stop running!! Let’s talk! I won’t hurt you!” Jamil yelled, not realizing it was yet another hallucination.

Jamil was convinced he lost them. He found himself back by the entrance of the place. It was locked. What was on the other side of the door anyway? He didn’t know.

“Anyone out there? Hello?”

Nothing. Jamil pulled on his hood tighter, constantly looking over his shoulder.

Jamil rocked back and forth as he was unable to sleep. When was the last time he had gotten proper rest? There weren’t many windows in the place, and the ones that were present weren’t readily accessible.

“Just sleep.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not tired.”

“You have bags under your eyes.”

Jamil continued to converse with himself, it being the afternoon time in the Land of Hot Sands. Jamil lied down before closing his eyes. He couldn’t do it. His paranoia of being watched was keeping him up.

“No one is watching you.”

“Then what’s that!”

Jamil involuntarily started to cry as he talked to himself.

•

Kalim had the objects removed, entering to check on Jamil. It’s been an entire month since he last saw Jamil. Was he well? Was he happy? He made sure fresh food was left for him at the beginning of every week. He looked, seeing the last two weeks of food they delivered still sitting by the door.

The place wasn’t big, so finding Jamil wouldn’t be too hard. He noticed it looked a little cleaner than what he initially remembered it being.

“Jamil?”

Kalim checked the kitchen and bathroom. Nothing. He opened a few bedrooms. Nothing. He opened the last door, seeing the study. He spotted Jamil whispering to himself while cowering under a table.

“Jamil.”

Jamil looked up, practically crawling out and running to him.

“How was it? Did you get what you wanted? Do you want to keep things like this?” Kalim asked, Jamil hugging him tight.

“You’re real, you’re real, you’re real, you’re real, you’re real…” Jamil muttered repeatedly, clinging to Kalim like a baby.

“Of course I’m real. Why wouldn’t I be?” Kalim asked curiously.

“I don’t like this! I want to go back! I miss you, I miss everyone. Please take me back! I’m so alone…”

“Really? But isn’t this what you wanted?”

“No! I want you!”

Kalim blinked before smiling sweetly. Jamil wanted him. That was music to his ears. He happily walked Jamil back to the Asim household.

•

The servants were appalled. What had happened to Jamil? Why was he suddenly clinging to Kalim like his life depended on it? What kind of spell did Kalim put him under?

“Kalim, I want to eat!”

“Get this man some food right now or it’s off with your heads!” Kalim shouted, watching servants scurry around. “Hehe, now I see why the Queen of Hearts liked saying this.”

“Kalim, can we go play games later? I’m in the mood for magic spell games. I bet you can’t beat me.”

“You’re on! Kalim chuckled, receiving a kiss on the cheek from Jamil.

"I appreciate you, Kalim.”

“I just want you to be happy. I’ll take care of all of your needs, no matter how big or small.”

“Then if I asked for you to be my sex toy…?”

“I’ll do it. I do anything you want.”

He liked the sound of that. To think he could have anything he ever wanted and had the nerve to refuse. He was truly an idiot. He was going to make the best of the situation. Jamil didn’t care what had to happen in order for his happiness to be granted. If people died, then they died. It was life.

“I never want to part from you. You’re amazing Kalim…” Jamil whispered, resting his head against Kalim’s shoulder as he sat on his lap.

“And you never will. We’ll be happy together, forever. I’ll make sure of it.” Kalim said happily, holding Jamil close.

“Even if I have to kill everyone in this god forsaken household.”


	173. Vice Leaders: I actually do have a complaint

Trey entered the room, seeing Rook was the only one in the room. The meeting was supposed to start in three minutes. Where was the bird man and everyone else? Trey sat down, noticing Rook was staring straight ahead. He decided not to disturb him.

Jade arrived, seeing Jamil and Lilia were missing along with the bird man. Trey quietly greeted Jade, advising him not to bother Rook. Jade looked, understanding what he meant. Jamil had arrived with Lilia just as the clock had choked, signaling it was a new hour. The bird man still hadn’t arrived.

“Seems like we’re all here. I’ll start the meeting then.” said Lilia, looking at the other four. “Trey, why don’t you go first?”

“Do you know how tired I am these days? Riddle is supposed to be the dorm leader yet I keep getting called for problems he could easily solve on his own!” Trey complained, letting his emotions go. “Don’t get me started on having to be mediator in stupid squabbles. Who in the fucking world has a major disagreement about how many sprinkles belong on a cupcake!?”

Riddle sneezed into a tissue, rubbing his nose with it before throwing it out. Was he getting sick?

Jade patted Trey’s back, trying to soothe him. He loved Riddle, but he was becoming too dependent. He’d end up like Leona at this rate.

Leona sneezed, briefly waking from his nap before going back to sleep.

“Rook. Do you have anything to say?” Lilia asked, the only person daring to break Rook’s concentration.

“Do I? Oh, it’s already time. My apologies, I was thinking of ways to learn more without getting murdered.” Rook said before clearing his throat. “Vil is insufferable as usual. I completely understand his utter desire for things to be beautiful and emit it but, these poor children. They can’t even have a little fun because he’s practically breathing down their necks. It’s no surprise most of them come to me in tears, hoping I could give them leeway.”

“You know, I always thought Vil was cool until he started spilling the beans in this meetings.” Jade said with a sigh. “Not even letting them have time for themselves in an effort to make them beautiful. It’s not necessarily bad but…”

“Yes, that’s what I think. Anytime I voice my opinions, he gets mad and calls me useless. As if I don’t help him mind his looks.” Rook scoffed.

“One of these days, Vil will come to understand.”

Vil sneezed softly, earning looks from the underclassmen he was teaching. He started yelling at them for getting distracted. They couldn’t help it. He sneezed so cutely.

“Jade?”

“Hm, I don’t think I have any complaints this week.”

“If that’s that then-”

“Haha, what am I saying? I can’t stand Azul. Every day he makes me gather information on students. Why can’t he do it himself? Why do I have to do the tedious as fuck job? He’s the one that desperately needs this information if he wants to scare them into contracts.” Jade sneered, his calm air disappearing. “I’m here to have fun, not be his little assistant. And he’s so ungrateful! Sometimes it takes days to find what I’m looking for. I’ve never gotten a thank you!”

Trey gave Jade’s back pats. Jade sighed, his calm demeanor and smile returning.

“As usual, things are just peachy~”

Azul sneezed, groaning as his papers now had little damp spots on it.

“Jamil?”

Everyone quickly got up, getting snacks and drinks. Everyone knew Kalim and every week it’s been a long one.

“I have pretty great self control these days. I went an entire three days without yelling at him. But oh my fucking god, the amount of problems I had to solve within those three days was stupidly high. He’s the fucking dorm leader yet can’t even do something as simple as cleaning up! Every time he helps, it gets dirtier! How!? You’re cleaning! And don’t get me started on the animals he keeps bringing in! We have enough. Efuckingnough!” Jamil shouted, slamming his palms on the table.

Jamil continued on and on about Kalim and how useless he is as a dorm leader, no, as a person. He’s never met someone so idiotic that they were just a complete waste of space.

“Wow… I’m sure you’re glad to have unloaded all of that.” said Lilia, looking at Rook giving him a cup of water.

“Yes. I have my sanity back for a little while.”

Kalim sneezed, easily going back to horsing around with other students.

“Sometimes I wish he was like Idia. Smart.”

Idia sneezed, almost messing up his rhythm combo.

“So Lilia, what choldhood stories will you tell us today?” Trey teased, causing Lilia to roll his eyes.

“I actually do have a complaint.”

Everyone gasped. Lilia with a complaint?

“Malleus wanders too much. He knows I don’t like having to look for people and things. Sometimes it feels like he’s doing it on purpose. It’s stressing on me and the others who have to find him.” Lilia explained, rubbing his temples. “One time, someone found him on the roof. The roof! Why? There’s literally nothing on the roof of Diasomnia.”

They continued to listen as Lilia complained more. Lilia finished his piece, feeling better.

“To think Malleus was like this…”

Malleus sneezed loudly, scaring everyone around him. He apologized, quickly making his way.

“I love these weekly meetings. It’s so nice hearing that I’m not the only one suffering.” Trey piped up, looking at them.

“Right. I also love some juicy gossip.” Lilia chuckled, his little fangs showing.

“I think we can all collectively agree…” Jade started.

“That dorm leaders are pains in the ass.” Jamil finished.

The dorm leaders collectively sneezed, wondering if they were catching a cold.


	174. Kalim: We don’t do well in heat…

Kalim walked with Floyd, excited to try out his new version of swim tag. Floyd always won because, well, he’s a fish, but Kalim never minded it. He was happy, being able to be with Floyd. He didn’t get why people disliked him. He really knew how to have fun.

“Sea otter, watch out.”

Kalim blinked, seeing a ball land right by his feet. How did Floyd know? He looked at Floyd who kept walking. He hurried to catch up with him. Floyd was so cool!

They arrived at the indoor pool, only one other person in the area. Kalim stripped, having his trunks on underneath. Floyd picked up his clothes, placing them off to the side so they wouldn’t get wet. He didn’t want a repeat of two weeks ago.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Kalim staying over, he didn’t like that Kalim wet up his bed. He personally loved water as much as the merperson next to him, but it was uncomfortable to sleep on in human form.

Kalim watched Floyd hop into the pool, approaching him. He listened as Floyd gave him the new instructions before sending Kalim off.

•

“One day I will win!”

“Keep dreaming.”

Kalim smiled softly at Floyd. He was becoming a precious friend. He noticed Floyd had took out his phone. He was frowning.

“Sea otter, can we go somewhere?”

“Eh? Sure I guess.”

Kalim felt Floyd take his hand, leading him in another direction. Where were they going? Why did he seem upset when looking at his phone?

They found themselves by the sports field before entering the woods. Floyd finally stopped. Kalim looked around, wondering what they were doing here. A small gasp left his mouth, not expecting a back hug from Floyd.

“Floyd…?”

“Shh…”

Kalim kept quiet. He was very unsure about what was going on.

“I don’t want to work…” Floyd mumbled, sitting down and taking Kalim with him.

Kalim felt Floyd resting his head on him. He gently patted his head.

“Do it for me? It’ll make me happy.” Kalim quipped, knowing it always worked.

“Well, if you’re asking…”

Kalim waved, watching Floyd leave. He was such a gentle soul. How could anyone not like him?

•

Kalim knocked on the twin’s room, having plans with Floyd. No one answered. He knocked again. Still no answer. The door was locked too. Maybe Azul knew.

Azul was missing too. Where were they? Did Floyd not want to hang out anymore? His chest pained him. What about all the fun they had together? All the nights they stayed up talking about the dumbest things?

“Kalim! There you are!”

There he was? Why was Jade looking for him?

“Have you seen my brother? I know he had plans with you today…”

“No actually… We were supposed to start hanging out a few minutes ago…”

Jade was clearly anxious. If his own twin didn’t know where he was, then it was a big problem.

“Floyd is tall and intimidating. I’m sure he could fight if he got into any trouble.”

“Yes but, we’re fish. We don’t do well in heat…”

Heat. Could Floyd have gone to Scarabia to meet him? No. They agreed to meet here. Even then, Floyd was a tricky fellow. He told Jade his thoughts, having him follow him to Scarabia.

Kalim constantly provided water for Jade, knowing the heat was definitely harsher on him.

They had checked the entirety of the Scarabia dorm. No Floyd. They started searching the desert. Jade looked at his phone, seeing Azul wasn’t having any luck. He sighed, staring at his lock screen of himself and Floyd. Where could his precious brother have gone?

Kalim stopped Jade, seeing something in the distance. There shouldn’t be anything out here, especially this far out from the dorm. They approached with caution.

All caution was throw out the window as they ran.

“Floyd!”

Jade picked up his tied up brother while Kalim used his unique magic to revive him. They let out sighs of relief, seeing his breathing wasn’t as faint. Who would do such a thing? They could be charged with murder had Floyd stay out any longer.

•

Kalim dabbed his forehead, searching for the perps with Jade. Once they were found, Kalim assured Jade he’d take care of everything, especially since he had to care for Floyd. Jade was a bit worried, but Kalim was too soft to resort to violence.

Kalim had the two meet him in the courtyard. He acted friendly with them, lying his ass off. He needed them to lower their guard. Kalim continued to act like an idiot, discreetly swiping their magipens.

“Hey, there’s something I want to tell you both…”

“What is it?”

“Yeah?”

Kalim attacked one with a binding spell before head butting the other. They were clearly confused, but understood he wanted a fight. They searched for their magipens hut couldn’t find them. Kalim smirked, taking that opportunity to summon his staff and beat them with it.

“You think leaving Floyd out to die was funny huh? Well imagine how funny you’ll look crossing over to the other side!” Kalim growled, kicking the unconscious unbound guy to the side after giving him a good beating.

“Wait! I’m sorry! I didn’t want to! He roped me into it!” the student pleaded.

Kalim beat him too. The student fell unconscious as well. Kalim hung them both from different trees before walking away. Kalim was on his way back to the hall of mirrors when he ran into Jade. Why wasn’t he with Floyd?

“Kalim, promise me you didn’t do anything crazy.” Jade asked.

“Of course not. I just had a nice chat with them.”

Jade couldn’t say whether he was lying or not. So he had to take his words with a grain of salt. Kalim followed Jade back, getting a feeling he should’ve done more. Floyd almost died. And they were only getting a beating and at most a few days of suspension from Crowley.

Maybe he should take matters into his own hands.


	175. Kaja (Yandere!Jamil): I’ll give you good dreams…

Jamil sat beside Kalim as they ate lunch together. After the initial blow up between them, things were pretty okay. Kalim listened to him more, he gave his feelings proper consideration. He fell in love. All his hatred was forever zapped, replaced with warm love and light.

Kalim smiled at him, showing how much he loved his cooking. That precious little smile that was all for him. He loved it. Jamil fed Kalim some of his meal, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

“You’re so kind to me even after everything…” Kalim muttered, looking at his food.

“I’ve forgiven you. Don’t think about it any longer. Let’s be happy together okay?”

“Well, okay then!” Kalim laughed, flashing a smile.

Jamil softly moaned, popping a boner. He shouldn’t be allowed to be that cute.

•

Jamil regularly checked up on Kalim, making sure he was okay. He couldn’t tell if anyone was making moves on him since they were in separate classes. It was driving him mad. Kalim was his and his alone. The more he thought about it, the angrier it was making him. He clearly wasn’t focusing in class. He sent Kalim another text.

Kalim responded with who he was sitting next to. Silver and some weirdo. Silver was okay in his books. It was that other student. He asked for his dorm. Ignihyde. He stopped worrying. Ignihyde was full of virgin nerds. He’d never make a move on Kalim.

Jamil was able to focus again in class.

•

Kalim helped a few students carry things. Jamil watched from afar. So far so good. He couldn’t stand sitting on the sidelines. He ran to help Kalim carry things.

Kalim accidentally missed a step, stumbling back. Another student caught him. Jamil’s eye twitched. Why were they putting their hands on him? Kalim was his! Kalim apologized, picking up the items that fell out. Look, they had Kalim apologizing for something that wasn’t his fault! Jamil was seeing red.

They finished moving things, high fiving as a result. They were touching his property. Jamil had Kalim go on ahead. He wanted to “chat” with the students. Kalim happily skipped back to Scarabia, ready for their lessons in alchemy and magic practice.

Kalim sat on his bed, wondering what was taking Jamil so long? This actually gave him an opportunity to sneak into his room. Jamil used to keep his door open but now it’s shut tightly. He made a copy of his key, unable to help his curiosity. Before he could leave the room, Jamil arrived. He’d have to try again next time.

•

Kalim lied awake in bed. It was one of those nights he had trouble sleeping. Counting sheep didn’t help. The trick Jamil taught him didn’t work either. Maybe he’ll tire out and finally sleep. Here was to hoping he didn’t miss morning class.

Jamil was hiding in Kalim’s closet. He’s done this for weeks. Getting to watch him sleep was an absolute privilege only he could have. The way his chest rose and fell slowly while asleep was magical. Looking at his pretty lashes… touching his soft hair… Jamil was in complete bliss. But tonight seemed different. Kalim wasn’t falling asleep. He was used to him staying up a little before finally sleeping, but Kalim seemed really troubled.

After what seemed like hours, Kalim had tired out and fell into a deep sleep. Jamil crawled out, approaching Kalim’s bed like some imaginary monster a child hallucinates about in the dark. Jamil peered into his face, drinking it all in. So beautiful, so precious, so worthy of receiving all of his pure love. Jamil touched him, wanting to feel all of him without scaring him.

Jamil lied Kalim on his back, watching his chest rise and fall. So breathtaking. Jamil pulled the bedsheets back, looking at his body. How much clothing could he remove that wouldn’t startle his darling if he were to awaken? Jamil quickly got to work, now able to see more skin. His beautiful melanin skin…

“Mm… ngghh…” Kalim muttered in his sleep.

“I’ll give you good dreams… Don’t worry…” Jamil whispered, running his hands over Kalim’s sides, kissing on his exposed skin. “I’m going to give you all of my love…”

Kalim’s body gave little reactions to the touches and kisses. Jamil put his legs on either side of Kalim. His beautiful sleeping angel. Jamil let his dick free, keeping his shirt lifted with his mouth as he touched himself.

“I want… I want to show you…” Jamil mumbled, pre-cum erupting from his tip. “My feelings…”

Jamil’s breathing started to quicken, pre-cum coating his hand and shaft. He couldn’t defile his angel. Jamil lied back, allowing himself to be covered in his own cum. Kalim grunted, his body wanting to turn. He was jealous. Jealous that Kalim could get him so horny just by looking at him.

Jamil continued to watch him sleep from his side on the bed. He stayed a bit longer before leaving.

•

Kalim woke up, feeling refreshed. He stretched out, ready to start the day.

Kalim knocked on Jamil’s door, wondering if he was awake yet. No response. He knocked again, just to make sure. Kalim sighed, walking away. He missed being able to walk into Jamil’s room.

The day continued as normal. Jamil met up with him, they ate breakfast together, walked together to classes before separating. As usual, Jamil showed concern and asked about his seat mates. He and Silver always sat together. They were best friends after all. The person on his right was always changing. Today it was someone from Savanaclaw. He felt a little intimidated, but other than that things were okay.

The Savanaclaw student looked at Kalim, seeing he was tiny compared to him. How cute. Silver noticed the student staring before they looked away.

“Hey, the guy next to you was checking you out.” Silver whispered.

“No way. Why would a halfie be interested in me, a human?” Kalim chuckled, turning his attention back to Crewel.

Silver was showing concern not because Kalim was in danger, but because both were if Jamil caught wind of it. He happened to see Jamil one day and it didn’t take a genius to put things together. He does his best to keep his entire being away from Kalim, afraid Jamil would do away with him.

Class ended and the student started up conversation with Kalim. This was bad. He couldn’t stop them. He could only hope Jamil didn’t catch them.

•

“Wow, I never thought we were from the same homeland!” Kalim exclaimed, looking at his cheetah ears. “I’m sure you know me. My family is famous in Hot Sands.”

The student nodded, explaining more about himself. He’s had his eye on Kalim for a while. He was cute. It’d be a big bonus if they ended up getting married after dating. If they lasted that long. They continued to talk more, Silver discreetly watching on in horror. Jamil hadn’t arrived yet, but he didn’t want to imagine what would happen if he did.

“Kalim, you’re really cute.”

“Haha, thanks!”

“Are you dating anyone?”

“No, why?”

“Then-”

Silver covered his eyes. Jamil had arrived.

“Oh, Jamil! This is-”

“I know who he is. He only wants you for your money.”

“Huh? Wh-”

“Don’t try to lie your way out. How dare you try to hurt the heir to the Asim household!?”

“Jamil, I think that’s enough…”

Jamil kept going. The student quickly got up, seeing he had a crazy servant. Kalim sighed, wishing he got to hear his response to his question. He was a bit mad at Jamil really.

“Jamil, you didn’t have to do that. I can discern for myself.”

Jamil watched Kalim leave angry. That student made his angel upset with him. He was going to pay him back tenfold. Jamil ran off in the direction the student went in. Silver left his spot, needing to make sure Kalim was okay.

•

Jamil hid in Kalim’s closet again. He took proper care of that cheetah student. Now he was going to properly care for his sweet angel. Jamil bound Kalim to his bed. He could move anywhere on the bed, but if he wanted to get off, he had to ask him. He couldn’t trust people anymore. Everyone wanted his darling.

It was unfortunate that Kalim wouldn’t attend classes anymore, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t teach him. He’d have Silver deliver Kalim’s work so he wouldn’t fall behind. He took Kalim’s phone, enchanting a pen to write down important names and numbers in Kalim’s phone. Once that was finished, he deleted everyone but himself. But could he trust him not to call the emergency lines?

Jamil took the battery from his phone. That was better. He also took his magipen, rendering him mostly useless. He could still use magic, but he’d have to be more cautious since he wouldn’t have his buffer.

Jamil kissed Kalim on the lips, wishing he could taste the inside of his mouth. His hands ran over Kalim’s body, wanting to make his precious angel come.

And he did just that.


	176. Reok: Speak French Between your Legs

Rook hummed to himself, adding a few of his things in Leona’s room. They left so much stuff in each other’s rooms it was like they were going to start sharing clothes. Or were they already?

“Reik.”

“Oh, Lea. How was the meeting?”

“Awful. I couldn’t sleep through it.”

“Silly lion. Of course they wouldn’t let you. But now you’re back so sleep all you want.”

Leona walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around him lovingly. Rook turned in his arms, booping his nose.

“Je ne veux pas dormir plus…” Leona muttered, looking into Rook’s eyes.

“E- Eh…?” Rook squeaked, his cheeks flushing. “But you said-”

“Jouer avec moi un peu, Reik.” Leona quipped, cupping Rook’s burning face.

Rook couldn’t speak, his mind on the fritz.

“Reik? Can you hear me?”

Rook escaped his hold, running into the bathroom. Not too long after, a loud scream rang in his ears. Leona laughed, loving the way he got. It was totally worth learning French.

•

Leona purposefully sat next to Rook, wondering how he’d react in class since he’s only ever done it when they were alone.

Rook wasn’t suspecting anything. He felt Leona’s tail tickling his side. He stifled his laughter, pinching Leona in return. The two continued to horse around behind Trein’s back, stealing a few kisses that were almost caught.

“Est-ce que vous venez en salle ce soir…?” Leona asked, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

“Why are you asking now…?” Rook whispered, his face turning red.

“Si ce n'est pas maintenant, quand?”

Rook bit down hard on his lip, trying to not let it get to him.

“Il y avait un nouveau jouet sexuel que je voulais essayer. Nous pouvons faire que demain, cependant.”

“Mr. Trein!” Rook shouted a bit too loudly.

“Yes, Hunt?”

“May I please go to the infirmary? I seriously do not feel well and if I don’t go now I will vomit on the floor.”

Trein let Rook go, mostly because he didn’t know how true his words were. Leona laughed behind his hand, watching Rook glee the classroom. His ears picked up on the faint sound of Rook screaming. Music to his ears.

•

Leona watched as Rook picked a different partner for P.E. Was he that mad? He missed his little hunter. Leona stared in Rook’s direction the entire time. Rook finally looked at him, but instead of a blow kiss he received a middle finger. Did he hate it that much?

Maybe he should stop. The class was split into teams, playing a classic game of flag football. Leona and Rook were separated.

Vargas was impressed, deciding to end activities a bit earlier and allow the students a little free time until the end of class. That didn’t mean they could leave though.

Leona walked over to Rook who chatted with others.

“Your husband’s here.”

“Husband? Please, I don’t even have a boyfriend.”

“Oi, cut the crap.”

Rook pouted, seeing Leona lying across his lap. He didn’t like getting all flustered.

“Reik, you never answered me though.”

“Yes, I’ll stop by tonight. But I’m not staying.”

“But it’s the weekend tomorrow. I’d love to wake up to your sleeping face…”

The students “ooohed”, earning hits from an embarrassed Rook.

“Stop talking so loudly… Fine. I’ll stay.”

Leona sat up, giving Rook a passionate kiss.

“Je suis en amour avec un mignon chasseur…” Leona whispered, capturing his lips again.

Rook’s cheeks burned bright as he kissed Leona back. He hated that Leona speaking French gave him feelings he never even thought he could feel. But the bottom line was, he loved it way more than he should.

“Bon sang, vous lion sexy…”


	177. Mallca: A chicken swallowed it, right?

“Jamil’s gonna be throwing the bouquet!”

“Ace, stop tugging on me!”

“I wanna get married next!”

“You don’t want to join in, Floyd?”

“It’s dumb. Stay with me, mackerel~”

Cater looked to Malleus who seemed a bit uncomfortable in his outfit. Was it too tight? Too loose? Cater discreetly tried fixing it.

“Don’t you want to go?”

“Nah, I’m fine by your side. I’m really happy for them though. If they can make it, so can Fuce over there.”

Malleus looked over at Deuce who was being smothered by Floyd. Somehow they worked. Malleus looked at Cater before getting up. Cater was lifted to his feet by Malleus. Cater blinked, seeing they were standing with the rest of the bouquet crowd.

“Everyone ready?” Jamil shouted, smiling bright.

Everyone in the crowd cheered as Jamil turned around, ready to throw. Cater decided to join in since they were standing there. Jamil threw the bouquet back. Everyone standing attempted to grab it. Plunk. Everyone looked.

“Why are you all staring…?”

“Mally…”

Malleus looked as Cater was touching his own head. Cater had Malleus mimic him. Malleus felt something stuck on his horn. He pulled it off before seeing it was Jamil’s bouquet.

“Looks like Malleus and Cater are next to get married!”

Kalim screeched in delight, giving them hugs. Jamil pried Kalim off, taking him to get more food. The crowd dispersed, now talking about a future royal wedding.

“I don’t understand, Cater.”

“It’s all right. You don’t have to know.” Cater replied, sitting back down with Malleus.

Cater posted about the bouquet toss on his Magicam before being asked by friends to dance with them. Cater waved to Malleus, telling him he’d stay nearby if he needed him.

Malleus looked at the bouquet, trying to figure out what it meant. He started to ask a few others, wanting to familiarize himself with other kinds of wedding practices.

•

[Later on in life]

Cater yawned, seeing he slept through the morning. That was expected, he did party hard at that party last night. He sat up, seeing Malleus was already up. No surprise. He went to bed at a reasonable time.

His nose picked up on a familiar scent. Malleus was making his father’s favorite breakfast. Cater excitedly got out of bed, ready to chow down.

Cater entered the kitchen, seeing Malleus cooking. He slid next to him, seeing what was left that he could help with. He picked up the carrots, placing them in a pan along with seasoning. Cater hummed to himself, pushing around the carrots, often glancing at Malleus.

“Is that a popular song you’re humming?”

“Nope. It’s an oldie. It’s… a song dear to me.”

Malleus quietly listened before noticing he found it familiar. It finally clicked. Cater finished with the carrots, plating them before grabbing cups to pour juice in them.

“Cater, who told you about that song?”

“Hm? Why do you wanna know?”

“As if I’d forget the lullaby Lilia sang to me for years.”

Cater didn’t respond, pouring juice into the cups. Malleus added the request of the food to the plates, placing them on the table. Cater happily handed him a cup before sitting down to eat.

Cater cracked the egg open, noticing something else besides yolk came out. He picked it up with his fork.

“Wait a minute…” Cater muttered, finally adjusting. “Malleus, there’s a ring in my egg. Why is there a ring in my egg?”

“Cater-”

“Never mind. I’ll figure it out later. I’m starved.”

Malleus sighed, seeing Cater wasn’t going to pursue it until he had his fill of breakfast.

Cater sighed in satisfaction, never tiring of that authentic Valley of Thorns breakfast. He still wasn’t used to living in a big castle, but it was fun exploring all the places and hidden doors. Cater cleaned off the ring, looking it over.

“You don’t think a chicken swallowed it right?”

“Cater-”

“Of course not. Anyway, it was probably a practical joke. I feel bad for whoever’s ring this is.”

“It’s supposed to be yours.” Malleus said quickly, not wanting to get cut off again.

“Mine? Did you put one of my rings in an egg!?”

“No! It’s your engagement ring!”

Cater blinked rapidly, looking between him and the ring. Engagement ring? Then that meant…

“You want to marry me? Me? Mally, you’ve lost it haven’t you? Why would the future ruler of the Valley of Thorns marry someone of not high standing, especially a male on top of that? Don’t you want biological kids…?”

“Did I not read the signals right…?” Malleus whispered, feeling tears prick his eyes. “I’m so sorry…”

Malleus took the ring back, excusing himself. Cater watched him leave. Not read the signal rights? When was he giving off signals that he wanted to get married? He couldn’t do that. Malleus deserved better. He was going to stay with him until he found someone better, no matter how much it’d pain him in the end.

•

Cater greeted the people living around the Draconia castle that sat high up on a cliff. A lot of people didn’t like him, so he always made sure to avoid the ones who didn’t like him.

“You’re not walking with Malleus today?”

“No. Something happened between us… I know I hurt him, but it’s for his own good.”

“Hm? May I ask what happened, Cater?” the woman asked, intrigued by what could possibly hurt their future ruler.

“He… He proposed to me. I turned him down of course. Like you said, he’s the future ruler. Why would he marry someone like me… He needs to think things over.”

“Cater, Malleus wouldn’t have proposed if he wasn’t sure about his choice.” she replied, knowing many suitors had come and gone. “He even proposed after having so many people set up for him over the years.”

Cater frowned even more. Why? Why him? Why not someone with famous parents like Riddle or Azul? Even Vil who’s a pro model?

“Cater, you look so troubled. Is it that bad that he wants to marry you? Is there a reason you can’t?”

“No, I’m… I just don’t want him making a mistake.” Cater spoke, snuggling into Malleus’ jacket that he ended taking.

“I think he would’ve dumped you by now if you were a mistake.” she giggled.

Cater could feel hateful stares on him. She had him come inside, knowing her neighbors would jump at the chance to harm him.

•

Cater had returned, finally having made up his mind. He ascended the stairs, taking the leftmost set of stairs up to the second floor. He knocked on one of the doors, taking a few steps back.

“Cater, you came back.”

“Before you say anything, I do want to marry you more than anything! I was wrapped up in me, thinking I was thinking of you but I wasn’t… I’m sorry.”

Cater felt something touching his hand before seeing Malleus was putting the ring on him. He was really going to go through with this. After all the grief he’s out him through ever since they’ve been together. The clumsy confession, the reveal of himself, almost breaking up, long distance at one point. Cater buried his face in Malleus’ chest, feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

He was seriously doing this. He was going to marry Malleus Draconia, direct descendant of the Thorn Witch and considered one of the five greatest in this current time.

[Meanwhile in Hot Sands…]

“Amiya, stop running in the hallway!”

The little girl stuck her tongue out before running away. Jamil was appalled. Who was teaching her such things? Jamil chases after her, scooping her up and giving her a firm spanking.

“Jamil- Oh. There she is. And crying? Jamil, what happened?”

“I told her to stop running in the halls and she wouldn’t listen. I told her three times now. And she had the nerve to stick her tongue out at me. You taught her that didn’t you?”

“Huh? I didn’t… Oh no.”

Jamil narrowed his eyes. Kalim covered his face in shame.

“She must’ve seen me when I was talking to a sibling… I feel awful.”

Jamil set her down, seeing her immediately go to Kalim for comfort. Jamil sighed, seeing she always did this. Kalim was too soft on her so he had no choice but to be the bad guy.

“Mia, Papa Mimi is just looking out for you. You don’t like being hurt right?”

She nodded, still clinging to him.

“Then you’ve got to listen, okay? Papa Lili doesn’t want to have to take the fun away.”

“Okay…”

“What do you say to Papa Mimi?”

“Sorry for not listening… and sticking out my tongue…”

Jamil gave her a hug, showing her all was forgiven. She held both of their hands, wanting to play. Kalim took her, knowing Jamil had things to do. Amiya refused to move without Jamil. Ah, here there went again.

After a lot of coaxing, Jamil was finally able to leave with only a few tears shed in the process. Kalim played with Amiya, thinking back to when Jamil mentioned it. Could she have it?

Amiya smiled sweetly, feeling Kalim stroking her hair. It was probably best to consult a doctor privately about it. Kalim set the thoughts aside, seeing it was something to discuss with Jamil about when he got back.

“Papa Lili, what’s this?”

Kalim looked before his eyes widened.

“It’s a special lotion that isn’t for children. May Papa Lili have it?”

“Really? So I can use it when I’m not a child?”

Kalim was panicking. He could’ve swore they cleaned up the night before. Kalim explained while trying to destroy her curiosity. He managed to get it back from her, wondering where she even found it.


	178. Leona: It’s A Snakeu

Rook quietly giggled, placing a cucumber on Leona’s stomach. He couldn’t wait to watch him freak the freak out. Rook looked back, giving the twins a thumbs up, signaling for them to place the others.

They quickly got to work. Rook stood by the bay window before sounding off an air horn and hiding. Leona groaned, slowly waking up. His eyes rested on something sitting on his chest. Leona meowed and hissed, jumping for dear life. He landed on the floor before feeling his tail touch something.

Leona looked before jumping again, hissing. The twins and Rook stifled their laughter as Leona jumped about his room, meowing and hissing at the cucumbers. The twins signaled that Ruggie was coming, causing Rook to snap a few photos and a quick video before leaving.

Ruggie entered the room, watching Leona jump from place to place. He wordlessly picked up the vegetables, unbelieving of Leona.

“What are you, a domestic cat? They’re just cucumbers fool.” Ruggie complained, seeing he could make lunch and dinner out of them. Maybe even a snack if any was left.

“But still…”

“And you call yourself a prince AND leader of Savanaclaw. I’m highly disappointed.”

Leona lowly growled, wanting to hurt Ruggie.

•

Rook looked at Leona who slept beside him in class. He and the twins were plotting to ambush him after class since their classes ended around the same time. Rook giggled behind his hand, Leona splaying out and their body parts touching. He loved being a menace in this lion’s life.

The bell rang, signaling class was over. As expected, Leona was called to the front. Rook hurried through others out before placing a cucumber on the ground, making sure he couldn’t see it yet.

The moment the door opened, Rook floated the cucumber up, causing Leona to jump in fright and hiss. He had the cucumber move closer, chasing him around. Rook stopped pursuing him, the twins taking over.

Leona panted, seeing he was safe. He started taking the stairs down until another cucumber cane within sight. Floyd watched as Leona fell down the stairs, landing on all fours. This was more fun than watching Azul outsmart people.

Leona regretted looking around. It was practically a minefield of cucumbers. Leona mewled, his body trembling. Why were there so many? He couldn’t deal with them all. Leona started to sob.

Floyd took that chance to get rid of them so Leona could move onto Jade. Leona blinked, surprised that crying actually worked. He quickly ran, not wanting them to come back.

Jade spotted Leona, instantly launching a cucumber at him. Leona meowed, scurrying up a tree. He soon came down, seeing it was safe. Leona couldn’t have been more wrong. Jade started throwing cucumbers at him in regular intervals, scaring the poor lion shitless. Jade texted them, saying Leona had passed the final checkpoint.

The three of them gathered, watching Leona head towards the gardens for safety. As expected. They hurried ahead of him, combining their magic to magically grow the cucumber that awaited him to a giant size.

Leona’s pupils dilated, his ears bent down and tail hung between his legs as he looked up at the giant cucumber.

“Nooooooooooooooo!” Leona shouted, running away while sobbing.

The trio laughed hard, just barely high fiving each other. Messing with Leona has indeed become their favorite pass time.


	179. Trey x Jade: That little glasses man…!

Jade held Trey close, watching his lovable boyfriend freshen up. He loved the nights that Trey stayed over. He usually had better dreams.

“So, what are we going to do on this wonderful day off together?” Jade asked, hearing the water being turned off.

Trey checked his teeth before deeming them fit.

“You know, I never thought much about it. I figured you had something planned.”

“Ah, this isn’t good then…”

Trey had Jade lean closer. Was he going to kiss him? Trey held his face, slowly forcing open his mouth.

“You brushed properly right? I’m just gonna take a look to be sure and-”

Jade had pulled away from him, quickly running away. That was weird. Was he ashamed that he wasn’t brushing properly? Trey hurried after Jade, forgetting he didn’t know where he fled to. Was he mad at him? Maybe because he was going to be inspecting his teeth. Did Jade hate that? He didn’t know.

•

“So, you forced his mouth wide open and he ran from you as if you harassed him?”

“Yes, Riddle. How many times must you say it.”

“Well… you scared him to put it bluntly.”

“Ha? Why would he be scared of having his teeth checked? It’s not like he doesn’t know about my obsession.”

“Ah, you finally admit to it being an obsession.” Riddle chuckled, dodging a pillow being thrown. “But, he wasn’t scared that you were checking his teeth. You really don’t know anything about moray eels do you?”

Trey was lost. Of course he didn’t know anything. The twins wouldn’t tell him anything and he was too busy to find time to look them up.

“Trey, you forced him to ask you to fuck him.” Riddle said as simply as possible. “Gaping mouths for us don’t mean anything, but to those eels, it means they want sexy time.”

Trey was horrified. That must have been mortifying for Jade. He had to apologize for being so stupid and ignorant. Riddle gave him reassurance, telling him Jade would forgive him if he sincerely apologized and vowed to make it up to him. Trey knee Jade. He wouldn’t make it that simple, even if they were lovers.

•

Trey found himself back in Octavinelle, hoping Jade was in his room. He path was soon blocked by another Jade, no, by Floyd.

“What are you here for?”

“Jade.”

“Get out.”

“But-”

Floyd picked Trey up, tossing him away from the entrance. He was going to have to get through Floyd if he wanted Jade.

Jade lied in bed in his room, wrapped up in his bedsheets. How could he face Trey after that? Did Trey want to take that next step? Did he want to take that next step? Jade curled in further. He never really thought about it before. Him and Trey… in bed… skin touching skin. Jade’s face heated up even more. What was he thinking? Trey didn’t want to. He never showed interest.

His cheeks cooled, having come to a conclusion. He wouldn’t tell Trey what it meant. He didn’t want him to feel guilty or pressured. It was a harmless mistake. Yet why did he feel so sad?

•

Trey sat in Heartslabyul with Riddle. Things weren’t progressing at all. Most of the day was gone and he wasn’t any step closer to Jade.

“I don’t know what to do… Floyd seems to know my every move.”

“He’s a freak of nature. We’ve discussed this.” Riddle said, handing Trey a cup of tea. “You have to outsmart him. And it’s not that difficult to outsmart him. He’s an idiot unlike his brother.”

“I know your hatred runs deep, but pull your punches a bit.”

“I refuse.”

Trey sipped tea while thinking. Outsmart Floyd. He liked fun things, but he loved Jade more than anything. Maybe he could use that to his advantage.

“Looks like you’ve got something up your sleeve.”

“Yep. I don’t know it’s success rate but it’s better than nothing.”

Riddle chuckled lightly. He loved seeing Trey formulating plans. It was like watching an evil mastermind.

•

Jade checked his phone. No calls, no messages, no nothing. Trey wasn’t going to contact him? Did he… not care? Jade shook his head. He probably doesn’t know it’s an actual problem. He called Trey. It went straight to voicemail. He texted him, waiting for a response. None. Maybe Trey was busy. That didn’t make sense. Neither had plans today.

Maybe there was chaos in Heartslabyul. That could be it. Jade kept his phone beside him, opting to read a book while he waited.

Jade checked his phone. Nothing. It’s been three hours. How bad were things on Trey’s end? Maybe he could go help. But would they want him there? He looked up, seeing Floyd enter his room.

“Where have you been all day?”

“Protecting you.”

“Me? From what?”

Floyd didn’t respond, simply curling up next to his brother.

“I love you, Jade.”

“I love you too.”

Floyd could be cute sometimes, like now. It was always fun to see him act like a little boy around him.

“Have you seen Trey today by any chance?”

“No.” Floyd lied. “Why do you wanna know? He forced you to ask to have sex with him.”

“It was probably an accident. I’d like to know but I haven’t been able to reach him.”

“Forget him. Find a new boyfriend.”

Jade rolled his eyes, gently stroking Floyd’s hair.

•

Trey found himself standing outside Octavinelle yet again the next day. He was going to get in there. What he wasn’t expecting was to see Floyd waiting for him so early in the morning.

Azul had come out, seeing Floyd and Trey going at it. Why were they fighting outside his beloved dorm?

“Both of you, stop.” Azul demanded, stopping them both. “What seems to be the problem?”

“That little glasses man was forcing Jade to have sex with him!”

“I didn’t know gaping mouth to moray eels meant let’s have sex! I want to apologize for my ignorance but Floyd won’t let me through!”

“Ah…” Azul muttered, seeing he could profit off of this. “I’ll be more than willing to help you Trey, but for a price.”

“This sounds shady.”

“Then you can continue to fight Floyd here while Jade loses faith in you.”

Trey crossed his arms, mulling it over. Jade was more important than anything.

“Alright, let’s hear your pitch.”

“I help you get to Jade, explain yourself and keep Floyd at bay. In return I ask for rights to a few of your dessert recipes that we can make and sell in Mostro’s.” Azul stated, laying it all out.

A few recipes just to apologize to his boyfriend? It was a little much, but if it’s for Jade…

“Fine. We have a deal.”

“Wonderful!”

Floyd found himself being stepped on as Azul let Trey enter.

“Hey! Let me up! He’s going to hurt my brother.”

“Hush.” Azul muttered, silencing Floyd.

He put Floyd on a leash as they followed Trey up to Jade’s room.

Trey knocked, hoping he was there. Jade opened the door before hugging Trey tight. He did care. Trey really did care.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what I did meant something sexual to you… I’m an awful boyfriend…” Trey apologized, wondering how hurt he felt. “Please, ask when you’re ready. Let’s forget this ever happened.”

“I’m sorry too…”

“Huh? Why? You didn’t do anything wrong…”

Floyd made sounds, agreeing with Trey for once. Jade had nothing to be sorry for.

“No, I do… It’s partially my fault for never telling you about it.”

“No, I’m the ignorant one here.”

The couple went back and forth before Azul stepped in.

“You’re both at fault and let’s leave it at that. Now kiss and make up.” Azul said, wanting his recipes.

They happily kissed, glad to know the other was willing to make up with them. Azul let Floyd go, taking Trey so they could hurry and get those recipes.

“I’m madly in love, Floyd…”

“Ugh…” Floyd groaned, not understanding.


	180. Leona + Vil: Why don’t we use magic

Leona and Vil worked together in the lab, having been unfortunately put together by Crewel. Leona refused to help out during class so they had to stay behind and finish their classwork.

“You’re still going to sit and do nothing?”

“Yep. You can do all the work and tell him I didn’t help. I really don’t care.”

“This work requires two people for a reason you lazy lion.” Vil seethed.

“How unfortunate you got stuck with me. I’m going to sleep.” Leona yawned, lying on the floor.

Vil groaned in frustration.

“I see you two still aren’t making progress.” Crewel said, looking up from his papers. “I mean it when I say you two won’t be leaving this room until you finish. The other teachers are already in agreement with me.”

Vil was even more upset. That stupid lion!

“Leona, get up! You may not care about your grades or life but I do! I have a future!”

“All I hear is garbled nonsense.”

Vil had enough.

“Well, I have a meeting to get to. Work hard puppies.” said Crewel before leaving.

“We just leave-”

“No! I will not get a bad mark in any of my classes!” Vil yelled, his magipen emitting magic sparks.

“Ah, so it’s a fight you want?”

The two of them fought, unaware of the fact they were sealing their exit.

Vil breathed heavily before growling.

“Look, I’m outta here.”

Leona tried pushing the door open. It wouldn’t budge. He applied all of his weight. Nothing. Vil placed his hands on his hips. What was he doing now?

“I thought you were leaving.”

“I can’t. Well, more like we can’t.”

“Ha? Stop messing around.”

Vil tried himself. He was right. It wouldn’t move.

“This is your fault for not cooperating! Crewel sensei!” Vil said before shouting. “Sensei! Anyone!?”

It was the end of the day. No one would be stopping by anytime soon. Vil took out his phone, checking the time. His phone wouldn’t turn on.

“Shit… I didn’t get a chance to charge it. Leona, where’s your phone.”

“In my room.”

“That’s a nice place for it.” Vil grumbled, being completely sarcastic. “Now we can’t call for help or tell what time it is.”

“Why don’t we use magic to open it?”

Vil was surprised that he actually had a good idea. They started to use magic to open it, only making it worse. Vil stopped Leona, seeing they weren’t getting anywhere.

“We’ll have to hope someone comes by. You have better hearing, so keep an ear out for people.” Vil said before glaring. “We wouldn’t even be in this situation if you just helped me.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Fine. You’ll give in at some point. We’ll be here all night and I have all night to bug you about it.”

Leona thought. And thought. And thought.

“Fine. I’ll help so you’ll leave me the fuck alone.”

“Good because I didn’t want to deal with you any longer than necessary.”

The two got to work, easily completing the work that could’ve been finished within class time. Vil properly stored their work before sitting far from Leona. Leona did the same.

•

Vil’s head bobbed, feeling sleepy from not being active. Leona watched his head bob. He looked dumb. He totally would’ve taken a picture if he had his phone. He figured it was close to evening time judging from the light entering the place. If no one stopped by by now, they weren’t getting free until Crewel’s first class in this place.

Vil jolted awake, unbelieving that he was falling asleep in a place like this. He used a bit of magic, making his space a little more comfortable. Vil noticed Leona was looking at him.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Vil rolled his eyes, keeping his back to him as he lied down.

Leona did the same, seeing no point in watching Vil.

They could’ve believe they were trapped together. Of all people, it had to be the person they hated the most.

•

Nighttime settled within Night Raven. Vil was fast asleep. Leona was waking up. He looked over at Vil who shivered slightly. Did he easily get cold? Was there a draft coming in? Leona sighed. Why did he care? Vil could freeze to death.

Vil shivered again, curling more into himself. Leona crawled over to Vil, touching his arm. Wow, he was cold. Leona pursed his lips before lying down behind Vil. He pulled Vil close to him, seeing he wasn’t shivering as much. He purred a bit, wanting to soothe him some.

•

Vil’s eyes fluttered open, a yawn escaping his mouth. Morning had risen and something heavy was touching him. He looked back before freaking out. Leona groaned, being awoken by Vil’s frantic movements and yelling.

“Why are you so loud…”

“Why are you touching me like we’re lovers!?” Vil shrieked, pressing himself against the wall.

“Wow, maybe I should’ve let you freeze.”

Freeze? Vil calmed down, processing his words.

“What do you mean…”

“You were shivering like a leaf in the wind. I would’ve let you continue to freeze. And seeing how ungrateful you are, now I’m convinced.”

Vil looked away, rubbing his arm. Leona did that? Maybe he wasn’t all bad.

“Thanks… I appreciate it.”

“You don’t sound like it.”

“Now you’re starting problems.”

“Then sound sincere!”

They two bickered back and forth before the doors to the place had fall down.

“Our queen!”

“Here I was hoping Vil killed you…”

Rook ran over to Vil, hugging him tight. Ruggie stayed by the door, kind of wishing Leona had been done in. Rook wrapped Vil in multiple blankets, knowing he easily got cold at night. It was still fairly early in the morning.

Ruggie left as well, not feeling like catering to Leona’s needs.

“Wow, not even gonna ask if I’m okay.”

“You’re a lion. Of course you’d be fine.” Ruggie shouted.

Leona tolled his eyes, grabbing their classwork before heading out to catch up with them.


	181. Mapel: That jargon nonsense

Epel stretched out, trying to grab a book from up on the shelf. He hated being short. The book was taken by someone taller. Epel sighed, feeling utter defeat. He soon had the book in his hands. Epel looked back, seeing a kind face looking down at him. His cheeks flushed.

“I told you to call on me if you needed help.”

“I don’t like being reminded that I’m short…”

Epel blushed more as he received pets. They walked back to their table together, Epel receiving help as they were learning about the Thorn Witch.

“Malleus, you seem to know a lot about the Thorn Witch.”

“Well, considering I got to meet her and ask questions, I would say I do.”

Epel’s eyes widened. How old was he then? Malleus could tell exactly what he was thinking.

“Faes live a long time you know. I’ll outlive you…” Malleus said, rubbing his thumb over the back of Epel’s hand.

“It don’t matter n- I mean, it doesn’t matter. We just have to enjoy our time together. That’s what’s important.” Epel said, his country almost coming out.

He would be mortified if Malleus ever learned that he was from the countryside. Such a high class guy dating the son of poor apple farmers. Not to mention his parents were magicless.

“Why do you look so troubled, Apple?”

“Ah, there ya- you go, using a nickname…” Epel said, catching himself again. “It isn’t anything. Let’s continue our talk about the Thorn Witch.”

Malleus could tell Epel was holding something back. Every time he approached, Epel would move farther away from him. Was it something serious? Would their relationship end if he knew?

•

Epel held Malleus’ arm as they walked around campus, looking at gargoyles. He was really surprised by Malleus’ vast knowledge on such a small structure.

“Ah, don’t you have club practice soon?”

“Yes but…”

“But what?”

“That means I’ll have to leave you. I don’t really want to.”

Malleus chuckled, ruffling Epel’s hair.

“You’re so adorable, Epel. Why don’t I go with you? I am a bit interested in what your club does.” Malleus suggested, holding his hands.

Epel’s eyes sparkled. Malleus was interested. Epel excitedly took his hand, leading him to the sports field. It wasn’t often he got to see Epel this happy. It really warmed his heart.

Epel used magic to change into his gym clothes before feeling Malleus hold him back.

“Apple, before you go, there’s something I want to know.” Malleus asked, earning a little nod from Epel. “Is there anything you’re hiding from me? I want you to know that you can tell me anything. I’m here for you.”

Epel took Malleus’ hands giving them little kisses. Malleus blushed, not expecting the action. Epel hurried off, Ruggie calling for him.

Malleus was genuinely impressed by his little boyfriend. He was fast and pretty skilled, but often overlooked because he was small. Malleus now had even more respect for him than before. The club took a break, Epel heading back over to him.

“You were amazing out there. You’ll definitely be picked for the starting lineup for next year.”

“I also hope I’ll grow taller and develop more muscles!”

“Epel, being tall isn’t everything you know. Appreciate your height.”

Epel sighed, looking at his bottle of water. Malleus was worried something was wrong, and there really wasn’t anything. He was just being self conscious.

“Malleus… what you said earlier… there is something that I’m hiding. I…”

“You?”

“I'ma country kid. I speak witha accent and all that jargon nonsense y'all don’t comprehend. I ain’t froma high faluin’ family. We sell apples fer a livin’. Ma family is barely makin’ ‘nough ta send me here.” Epel confessed, letting his accent out. “I didn’ want ya ta know 'cause I ain’t want us ta end… I ain’t rich or important like them others in this here place…”

“You’re perfect to me, Apple. Even if you speak with that thick accent. It doesn’t change that brave fighting spirit you’ve got in you. That desire to become great despite not having the physical appearance you want.”

Epel looked up at Malleus, his eyes watering. Malleus pulled him close, listening to his sobs.

“I luv ya, Mal. Honest. I’ll become someone important so ya won’t feel ashamed.”

“You’re fine. I’d never feel ashamed. I’d prefer a hard worker like you over someone who’s had everything handed to him since they were born.”

Epel cried more. Malleus was too kind to someone like him. He was a simple country kid. Though, that didn’t really seem to matter to Malleus. Epel wiped his face, hearing the club members calling for him. Malleus fixed him up with magic before sending him off.

“Everyday I find more reasons to love my little apple…” Malleus muttered, watching Epel with fond eyes.


	182. Phantomhive: Marron Tart

“We’ll need to collect about 300 chestnuts if we want to make an appropriate replacement for the Unbirthday Party.” said Trey, looking at Ace.

“So many…”

“I’ll have you help me with roasting them and peeling them.” Trey said, looking at them.

“I’m out.” Deuce said, getting ready to throw out his trash.

“We aren’t going to help fix your own mistake.” Ciel said, Grim nodding along.

“You’re all so cruel!” Ace complained, glaring at them.

“There, there~ Making them together and then eating them together will make it more delicious~!” Cater piped up, smiling happily. “It’s that making memories thing~ It might help you start a cooking blog for all we know~”

“The only ones who can eat it as soon as it gets out of the oven are the ones who made it, you know?”

“Hey, you boys! Get your rear in gear! We’re gonna go pick some chestnuts ‘til we drop!”

“Well, if we’ll get to eat some if we help out, I suppose I could offer some of my time.”

“How shady…” Ace grumbled, seeing they were only going to help because they wanted to eat.

“There are a lot of chestnut trees right by the forest behind the school’s botanical garden.”

“Alright! Then, let’s gather in front of the greenhouse after school.” Ace declared, wanting to get the collar off as soon as possible.

•

“Whoa! There really are a lotta chestnuts here! If we have this much, then it’s all-you-can-eat marron tarts for us! Gehehe… Let’s hurry and—Ouch!!” Grim exclaimed, babying his paw. “Gah! The chestnut’s thorns dug into my pawpads!”

“Only an idiot would try and pick them up with their hands.” Ciel sighed, using his sleev to help Grim remove the chestnut. “It’d be better to have gloves and something to hold them in.”

“Maybe we can find those things in the botanical garden?” Ace suggested.

They followed Ace who led them inside.

“Whoa! It looks bigger on the inside.”

“We should be able to find the necessary tools here. Let’s split up and look around. Ace you go east, Deuce you take west, Grim you go north and I’ll check around here.”

They nodded in understanding before going off in their respective directions.

“If you find anything, about or sending up a little light!”

“Got it!” they replied in unison.

Ciel walked around before noticing fruit he’s never seen before. Well, naturally he hasn’t since he wasn’t from this world nor time period.

“They look so strange…”

“Ow–!”

Ciel looked around, wondering where the sound came from.

“Hey. You’ve got guts stepping on someone’s tail without apologizing.”

“Well, I-”

“I went here thinking I can have a peaceful nap, but then my tail gets stepped on. This’s the worst.”

“You wouldn’t have gotten stepped on if you weren’t lying on the ground in a person’s blind spot.” Ciel argued, crossing his arms. “You more or less deserved it.”

The lion started to sniff him before scowling more.

“You think I’m gonna let you off scott free after you just stepped on the great Leona’s tail? I’m in a bad mood after being woken up from a good sleep. Start gritting your teeth.” he growled, baring his fangs.

“H- Hey! No need to-”

“Leona-san~!”

“What?”

“I knew you’d be here. You’ve got supplementary lessons today.”

The person in front of him named Leona groaned, rubbing his temples. Clearly this new person wasn’t his favorite, but said new person saved him from a world of hurt.

“You already repeated a year, Leona-san. If things keep going like this, we’ll end up being classmates next year, y’know?”

“Ah, shut it. Stop nagging, Ruggie.” Leona complained, tired of his constant nagging in his ear.

“I don’t wanna nag you either! Geez, you can do anything you put your mind to, but you don’t put effort at all. Come on, let’s go!” Ruggie fussed, grabbing him by his wrist.

“Tch. You better be on guard the next time you see me, you herbivore.”

“What a temper he has. He could prove useful if I play my cards right…” Ciel muttered before seeing the others return.

“We found a basket and some tongs here!”  
“Hey, did something happen? You look a bit shaken.”  
“Yeah. You look a little pale. Well, paper than usual.” Grim commented.

“I’ll tell you after we pick the necessary amount of chestnuts. That’s the whole reason we came in here.” Ciel said, ushering them out.

They started picking chestnuts, the trio often looking at Ciel who seemed pretty focused.

“What do you think happened?”

“He’s a tough guy. Nothing could scare him.”

“Aren’t you the one that pointed out he loooed paler than usual!?” Deuce whispered to Grim.

They finished collecting chestnuts before surrounding Ciel. He already knew what they were going to ask, so he started explaining.

“And that’s what happened.”

“That dude definitely sounds scary…”

“Now that I think about it, he was wearing a yellow vest… What dorm was that again?” Ciel asked, his memory foggy.

“Oh, you mean Savanaclaw.” Deuce piped up, remembering Trey and Cater’s explanation. “Maybe Night Raven College has a lot of… delinquents.”

“Alright! We picked up a lot so this should be good! Let’s go back to Trey-senpai!” Ace said, glad to see they were a step closer to finishing.

•

“Welcome back. I see you’ve picked a bunch.”

“You can make a gigantic tart with these!”

“Though, you’ll end up doing more work, but… Do your best.”

“All of this, huh… I feel like we’ll be here for a long time.” Deuce muttered, sort of wishing the collected less.

“Preparing beforehand is necessary when making dessert.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let’s just get it over with!!”

“Here, you can use this to help since you don’t have magic.” Trey said to Ciel, having given Ace one as well.

“You don’t have to remind me.” Ciel huffed, struggling to peel it open.

“No, no. You do it like this.” Trey explained, guiding Ciel’s arms.

“Ah…”

The trio watched as Trey helped Ciel learn to properly peel chestnuts.

“Thank you. I can do the rest myself.”

“Think Trey’s got a soft spot for him?”

“No way, Ace. Ciel’s a huge weirdo anyway.” Deuce snorted.

“I see you three are working hard.” Trey stated, looming over them.

They instantly shut up, working faster.

•

“Ah…!! We finally finished peeling them all!”

“My arms hurt…”

“Haha. Great work. I’m sure that your hard work will all be worth it.”

“I’m getting hungry just by the smell, yanno~”

“The marron base uses butter and sugar. And then, I also added some oyster sauce as a secret ingredient.”

“Oyster sauce?!”

Ciel rolled his eyes. The two dimwits are too easily fooled. He kept quiet, wanting to see how this ended.

“Exactly. The savory flavor of the chestnuts gives the cream a rich flavor. And then, to make it better, I use this ‘Walrus-brand young oyster sauce.’” Trey said, showing them the bottle. “There’s no famous pâtissière who doesn’t use this for their tarts, you know?”

“Really…? It’s a pretty salty sauce, isn’t it?”

“You know how they put chocolate in curry, too? It kinda makes sense…”

“You’re both idiots.” Ciel spoke, shaking his head in disbelief. “He’s clearly messing with you.”

Trey started to laugh hysterically. The trio looked at Trey who held the table for support.

“There’s no way I’d put oyster sauce in a dessert, you know?”

“What!? Are you making fun of us!?”

Trey was still a laughing mess. He calmed himself down, looking at his gullible kouhais.

“The moral lesson here is that you shouldn’t believe anything you’re told. Learn to doubt a bit, okay~?”

“This guy looks nice, but he’s the type who can tell lies with no problem, huh…” Grim muttered, displeased that he had been lied to.

“I seriously can’t believe I’m hanging around idiots like these.”

“Hey, we aren’t idiots!” Deuce exclaimed.

“No, Ciel’s got a point here. We did foolishly believe Trey senpai just now…” Ace sighed, shaking his head.

“Next is the fresh cream—Ah!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I got carried away with the chestnuts you picked that I went overboard with making the marron base.” Trey explained, looking between the base and the cream. “We’re a little short on fresh cream.”

“I’ll go buy some. Do they sell it in the school store?” Deuce volunteered.

“That shop sells pretty much anything, so I’m sure it should be there. Can I ask you to buy some other stuff while you’re at it? Two packs of milk, two cartons of eggs, silicon cups, and five canned fruits…”

“I don’t think I can carry all of that alone… Ciel, will you-”

“No. I’ve done enough manual labor for now. Take Grim or Ace with you.” Ciel responded, waving Deuce away.

“Please Ciel. Ace is the last person I want to be stuck with.”

“Hey!”

Ciel sighed heavily, going along.

“I’m going, too! I don’t wanna mix more dough!” Grim shouted, following them.

They traveled from the cafeteria kitchen, following the directions Trey gave them. They looked, seeing a little place sitting in front of some trees. It looked homey. Kind of. Deuce pushed open the door, stepping inside.

“Pardon us! Whoa, what an amazing shop… Crystal skulls, magical texts, and… wh-what sort of animal is this…?”

“Wah~ Can we really find some fresh cream here?” Grim mumbled, feeling incredibly unsure.

“Hey! Little demons. Welcome to Mr. S’s Mystery Shop. What is it that you wish for today?” a man asked, approaching them with interest. “A charm against cheating? An ancient king’s mirror? Or maybe, some cursed tarot cards?”

Ciel looked around at everything he had available. Maybe there was something that could get him home. It was worth an ask.

“Um… We would like to buy the things written on this note.” Deuce stated, showing him the note.

“This looks like a map.”

Deuce looked before embarrassment took over. He flipped it, showing him the actual list.

“What do we have here~? Fresh cream and eggs… Oh, my! What a pretty sweet line-up~ OK! I shall bring them out now.”

“Whoa… Will he really have some here?” Deuce muttered, looking at all the knick knacks, charms and strange masks lying around.

He was extremely doubtful. Ciel looked, trying to find something that had to do with moving through portals or something similar.

“Here, thank you for the wait. It is rather heavy, so are you sure you can carry them all? If you act now, I can throw in a special bag to carry all of those things for 30% off of its original price~!”

“What did you say? Hey, that sounds interesting~!” Grim exclaimed, wanting in.

“W-we’ll have to decline! Let’s go, Grim!”

“But why?! I wanna play more~!”

“OK, OK! Then, I shall be waiting for your return, lost little lambs! Bye~!”

Ciel pretended to walk out with them before going back in.

“Hm? Is there something you forgot little one?”

“You supposedly have anything anyone could ever want. So, do you have anything to could send me back to my world?”

“I do have things that can send one through time or through space, but I cannot guarantee it’ll be what you’re looking for.” he said, looking down at Ciel. “However, they cost quite a hefty price my little demon. Come again when you have cash to spare.”

Ciel found himself standing outside the store. The Mystery was his best bet at this point in time. Who knew when that self proclaimed “kind” bird man would find a way for him?

Ciel had caught up to Grim and Deuce who didn’t even notice he was missing.

“That was a very amazing shop, in a way…”

“Boo, you’re so stingy, Deuce.”

“Who are you calling stingy?!” Deuce hissed, glaring at Grim before looking to Ciel. “Ciel, is the bag with the canned fruits heavy? I can hold it for you. I’m experienced with carrying heavy loads.”

“You make it sound like I can’t carry things. I may look small but I’m stronger than you think.” Ciel responded, moving the bag from Deuce’s reach. “Worry about that raccoon over there.”

“I’m not a raccoon!”

“Ah, sorry… it’s just, Mother always takes me with her during timed sales. She buys a lot, so I end up helping her with the bags.” Deuce explainer, not wanting Ciel to feel offended. “I’m the only man in the family, so I’m used to helping a lot with hard labor. Ah, I’m sorry… I keep talking about myself.”

“Hm… I guess there is something admirable about you.” Ciel replied, walking on ahead.

They arrived back at the kitchen, working more on the tart for the Unbirthday party. Trey made sure they weren’t slacking on any parts.

“Alright, the last step is to sprinkle some powdered sugar on top and then…”

“We’re done~!!”

“Who knew that making desserts would take this long? I’m so tired…” Ace complained, slumping over the table.

“Nice work~ ♪ Did you finish the tarts? The decoration looks so cute~! It’s totally ‘grammable! Let me take a pic~” Cater quipped, taking pictures in all angles.

“Where were you all this time!?” Ace fussed.

“I came to check on my cute little juniors ‘cause you were doing your best~ Ahaha, you look dead tired!”

More photos were snapped.

“Doing things you’re not used to can be tiring. In any case, sweets are the solution for a weary body. Have some of our freshly made marron tart.”

“Yay~!”

“Not you.” Ciel barked, pushing Cater away.

“Aw, don’t be so stingy.” Cater whined.

“You didn’t help, so you don’t get any.”

“Ciel~”

Ciel gave him a good kick to the shin.

Cater wept on the floor as the others dug in.


	183. Leona + Azul: Not so fast takoyaki

Azul beat Idia yet again. Sometimes it felt like Idia wasn’t even trying anymore.

“Hey Idia, are you tired of these games?”

“Yes.”

Wow. So blunt.

“You like luck based games too much.”

“You like strategic games too much.”

Azul sighed, seeing they wouldn’t get anywhere like this. They played a few more games before they became fed up with each other. They both left the club room unhappy. Clearly they needed a break from each other.

Azul walked around, clearing his mind. Jade had told him the flowers were looking exceptional and he should check them out in the botanical gardens. He wasn’t big on floriculture, but he didn’t have much else to do.

Azul pushes open the door, his nose being hit with all sorts of scents. He went to the subtropical zone first, the smell from there being the strongest. Surprisingly, Jade wasn’t exaggerating about the flowers being exceptional.

He moved onto the other zones, saving the temperate one for last as it was closer to the entrance. Azul peeked into the temperature zone, already seeing a variety of flowers blooming bright.

Azul walked in further, taking them in. He was so focused on the flowers that he had completely forgotten why he came in the first place. He turned around, spotting someone sitting on the floor. He immediately recognized them.

“What’s that dangerous lion doing in here? Skipping supplementary class I bet.” Azul thought, trying to escape Leona’s range of sense.

“I smell takoyaki.”

Curses.

“Ah. I’ve been caught.” Azul muttered, walking over to Leona.

“What are you sneaking around for? If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“You misunderstand. I can to alleviate myself of stress. You happened to be here.” Azul responded before noticing it. “Playing alone? Clearly someone doesn’t have friends.”

“Yeah? Neither do you, bullied kid.”

That was a serious blow. Azul couldn’t hold back his tears.

“Look at you, blubbering like a baby. No wonder your ass got bullied.” Leona snorted, capturing another piece. “If you can’t stand your ground, you’re a sitting duck.”

Leona was giving advice? Azul wiped his face, not sure how to feel about it.

“Are you gonna stare? Then take a picture.” Leona snapped.

Nope. He was still nasty as ever. Azul sat down, placing pieces back onto the board.

“I’ll challenge you.”

“Ha? I doubt you’ll last a minute.”

They started to play. He and Idia often played chess, but Idia rarely won. He always planned five moves ahead, so that could be the reason. Azul’s plans fell apart in an instant. How could he miss such an obvious move? He had to rethink.

“Hm, not bad…” Leona muttered, Azul capturing another piece.

He was genuinely surprised. at most people had gotten a piece off him before they met their doom. They were about equal in terms of how many pieces each had captured. Maybe the octopus bastard wasn’t all that bad.

They continued to play, Leona finding himself in the red. Azul was certain he had this match in the bag. Leona moves his piece. Azul internally laughed, taking Leona’s piece. Leona smirked. He fell for it.

Leona thanked Azul before capturing his piece. Azul’s eyes widened. He was tricked! His vital piece was taken.

“Don’t count your blessings, octo bastard.”

“Ah… I will recover from this. It’s only a matter of time before I take your king.” Azul declared, focusing even more.

The two went back and forth, not giving the other any leeway. Azul slipped up. He was soon taken down. Leona laughed heartily, feeling energized. How long had it been since he’s had a challenge this exciting?

“I demanded a rematch. I will catch you.”

“Ah, ah. Not so fast takoyaki. Pay up.”

“Huh? We didn’t even bet anything.”

“Too bad. We start paying up now. Either give me some cool magic or I get handsy.”

“What do you mean by handsy…?”

Azul soon found out. He pleaded with Leona to stop, feeling violated. He shelled out a few madols, seeing it as the better option.

“Let’s begin round two.”

“I will win this time and get even with you for touching me!”

“Yeah right. Dream on.”

They narrowed their eyes at each other before starting up the gameplay once more.


	184. NSFW Jace: Fuck, fuck, fuck…

Ace and Jade continued to steal glances at each other when the other wasn’t looking. How to ask for sex? It wasn’t their first time, but it was definitely nerve racking each time. What if the other wasn’t in the mood? What if they were but things got in the way.

They reached Jade’s room in the blink of an eye. When did that happen?

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Tomorrow’s an off day and all.” Ace said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah. Can’t wait for our plans.”

Didn’t look like the other was interested. Ace turned to leave before feeling Jade hug him from behind. Ace’s face heated up, feeling something poking him from behind. No, he was imagining it.

“Ace…”

“Hm?”

“I… Can we…”

Ace turned in his arms, now looking up at Jade’s reddened face. Was he feeling unwell? Jade roughly kissed him, unable to hold it in anymore. He needed Ace. He needed him bad. Ace wrapped his arms around Jade as they roughly made out in the hallway.

Ace wrapped his legs around Jade as he carried him into the bedroom. Ace kicked the door closed before Jade moved him to the bed, dropping him and starting to strip. Ace did the same, dying for Jade’s touch. Ace pulled him down for a kiss, greedy and hungry for him. Ace softly sighed, feeling Jade’s hands exploring familiar territory.

Ace rubbed between Jade’s legs, seeing it was already dripping wet and peeking out. Jade moaned into the kiss, having Ace rub him more. Jade pulled away, Ace now having Jade’s long and slimy erection in his hand.

“Don’t look at me like that. It makes me feel dirty…” Jade whispered, getting harder from Ace’s look. “What do you want first?”

“Just put it in…”

Ace reached around Jade, trying to push him in further despite Jade not fully in and already hitting his prostate.

“Stop, I don’t want to hurt you like last time…” Jade whispered, kissing Ace’s cheeks.

Ace gripped Jade’s arms as he started to move inside him. Ace dug his nails into his arms, moaning Jade’s name like his life depended on it.

Jade had suddenly stopped moving. Ace opened his eyes, seeing Jade, but not quite like he remembered. He was wondering why his hands suddenly felt a little wet.

“You forgot to take your potion today?”

“I forgot to take my potion today.”

Ace sighed, sitting up as Jade moved back. It was even marked on his calendar that sat on the wall beside the bed.

“So…?” Jade questioned, his tail moving around.

“Well we should first get you into some water.” Ace stated, attempting to pick Jade up but easily giving up. “You get heavier when you transform…”

“Ahaha…”

Ace handed him his phone, having him call Floyd for help as he threw on some clothes.

Floyd burst into the room, seeing Jade wave as Ace sat on the floor.

“So. Why am I just now being notified?”

“Just help me move him. Azul’s got a private bathroom right?”

“Yeah. I have a key.”

“When did you make a key, Jade?” Floyd asked curiously.

“Oh, just when he happened to leave them lying around.” Jade chuckled.

They unlocked Azul’s door, dropping him in the shower before turning it on. Ace thanked Floyd before closing and locking the bathroom door behind him.

“So, Floyd’s going to be making you a potion.”

“Ah… I’m really sorry Ace. I was enjoying my time with you it completely slipped my mind to make one.” Jade apologized, leaning against the wall. “The mood is ruined too, isn’t it?”

Ace pursed his lips. He looked at Jade whose tail pitifully flopped around. Jade looked up, seeing Ace had entered the shower. Naked.

“No. Your form may be different, but you can still fuck me good…” Ace muttered, sitting on his lap. “I may or may not have dreamt about being fucked by your natural form…”

Ace roughly kissed him, returning the gesture from earlier. Jade held Ace, gently grasping his ass. Ace softly moaned, feeling Jade dragging his nails against his cheeks.

After a bit of foreplay, Ace found himself being pounded into by his beached merboyfriend. Jade listened to his blissful moans, knowing he was hitting the right spot. Ace tightly gripped Jade’s shoulders, trying to get him in deep. Jade kissed along his neck, gently biting as well. Ace threw his head back, not expecting Jade’s tail to start teasing him.

“Do you like that?” Jade questioned, knowing Ace did just by his reaction.

“Fuck… fuck, fuck, fuck…” Ace moaned, feeling himself about to come.

Jade attacked his neck again, making Ace’s body quiver. Ace tightened his hold against Jade, coming all over them. Jade wasn’t done with him. Ace whined, feeling Jade’s tail still pumping him as he started thrusting harder into him. Ace was a moaning mess at this point.

Ace weakly planted kisses on Jade’s face, the pleasure he was receiving being too much. Ace silently gasped as he leaned back, Jade’s movements becoming sporadic before feeling himself being filled. Jade started licking Ace’s chest, licking his nipples as his tail continued to stroke Ace’s shaft.

Ace panted and moaned, feeling himself coming again. Ace heaved, tipping back. Jade pulled him towards him, feeling his rapid heart beat. They both looked, hearing knocking on the door. Floyd couldn’t be finished that quickly.

“Floyd said there were people in my bathroom and said they might be fucking. Are you fucking in my bathroom!?”

They exchanged looks, trying to come up with a good lie.

“As if we’d do something so naughty in your bathroom.” Jade responded.

“Right. We’re just talking.”

“Oh yeah? Then why is the door locked!?” Azul fussed, trying to break the door down.

“We wanted alone time!”

“We can’t have that if there are people like you trying to ruin the moment.”

The couple chuckled, loving infuriating Azul.

“Did I satisfy your dream…?” Jade whispered.

“More than satisfied.” Ace giggled, giving him a brief peck on the lips.


	185. Savus: I’ll make sure nothing happens to us

Divus entered their home, watching a child zoom by along with an adult. And a dog. Barking. Nothing unusual. He felt a tug on his coat before seeing big, adorable and innocent eyes looking up at him.

“I know what you want. Give me a moment.”

The child held onto his coat, following him. Divus picked the child up, barely noticing the child, adult and dog running past. Divus set the child down, heading up stairs.

Soon barking could be heard before two dogs came out of a room.

“Tinker, Markis!” Divus cooed, the dogs running to greet him.

They settled down, seeing the child hiding behind him. He peeked out from behind, now being sniffed by the dogs.

“Markis, play nice.”

They recognized the tiny human, giving him loving licks. The child giggled, still clinging to Divus.

“Fen, there’s a toy you want, right?”

Fen nodded, pointing towards his and his sister’s bedroom. The dogs followed behind, curious as to what their humans were doing. Fen smiled happily, having his desired toy in his hands.

“Ah, one day you’ll speak to us…”

Divus scooped Fen up, seeing the other child and the third dog running down the hall.

“Daisy! Corliss!”

Both stopped.

Daisy walked over, sitting by Divus’ feet.

“Where’s your father?”

“He collapsed on the couch.”

“What have I told you about running? You could hurt Fen.”

“But-”

“No buts. I’m not expecting you to be perfect, Corliss, but I want you to set a good example for him.” Divus explained, setting Fen down. “Okay?”

Corliss watched as Fen walked over to her, holding her hand.

“I understand.”

“Good. Now I have to go scold him too…”

The three dogs followed Divus down stairs. Sam grunted, feeling Divus’ heel digging into his side.

“I told you stop running in this go- this house. Especially with the dogs! They can knock things over.”

“Where’s the fun then?”

Divus glared at him.

“What about Fen?” Divus countered.

Sam pursed his lips as he sat up.

“I know. That’s why I told her we should keep it to a minimum since he was playing in the living room.”

“I know you want them to have fun, but I need them to know certain rules are in place for a reason!”

Corliss and Fen listened to their parents from the stairs. Corliss took Fen back upstairs, closing the door. They always argued when it came to rules and when they should be bent.

“Are we moving…?”

“Huh?”

An unfamiliar voice rang in her ears. She looked down at Fen, wondering if it was him.

“Did you speak?”

Fen nodded.

“This… this is great! I have to-” she exclaimed before stopping. “They’re probably still arguing…”

“I don’t want to move…” Fen mumbled.

“No one is moving, Fen. All parents have disagreements. As your big sister, I’ll make sure nothing happens to the both of us.”

Fen nodded, believing her. They weren’t blood related, but they got along pretty well. They heard the door open, both adults stepping inside.

“Corliss, we decided you’ll be grounded for two days as a result of breaking the rules. Daddy is also being punished for allowing it. You know what that means.”

Corliss sighed, handing over her games. They listened to the adults until they finished.

“Hey, Pops…?”

“Hm?”

“Fen spoke.”

Both were now in their faces. They backed up, seeing Fen wasn’t comfortable.

“He was concerned about moving…”

The adults exchanged looks before Sam picked up Fen.

“My friends say you two heard a little something. We didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Right. We’re just concerned about keeping you both safe… We want to raise you both right.” Divus added on.

Fen rested his head against Sam’s shoulder, his eyes drooping. Divus had Corliss follow him out so Sam could put Fen to nap.

Fen fought sleep before being lulled into slumber by Sam’s song. Sam kissed his head, hoping he had good dreams.

•

Divus helped Corliss with her homework while the dogs moved about. Tinker decided to stay upstairs with Fen who slept.

“No. What are these teachers teaching you? Let Papa teach you the correct way!”

Corliss rolled her eyes. He always had a complaint about her teachers. Though, most of the time he did provide better ways.

“See? As simple as that.”

“Woah… That saves a lot of time.”

Daisy lied by Divus, going to sleep. They both started to smell something amazing coming from the kitchen. Tinker barked, meaning Fen was awake. Divus moved to go check but Sam was quicker.

Sam entered the room, seeing Fen sitting up in bed. He wasn’t supposed to wake up for another hour.

“Fen, is everything alright?” Sam asked, walking over to him.

Ah. He saw it. The poor child wet the bed. Sam grabbed clean clothes before taking him into the bathroom.

Divus popped his head in, assessing the scene.

“He peed himself…?” Divus whispered.

“I wish that was all.”

Divus “ahed” before leaving Sam to it.

“You could help you know.”

“Ah. I hate those friends of yours.” Divus sighed, more worried about the food cooking downstairs.

Fen rubbed his eye, all squeaky clean. Tinker stood outside the bathroom looking in for his tiny human. He got excited, seeing the little one walk out.

“Tinker, sit!” Divus stated. Tinker sat. “Good boy.”

“I have to-”

“I know. The food. Go.”

Fen looked up at Divus, still feeling sleepy. Tinker’s tail wagged, wanting to play with the little human.

“Fen, do you want to play with Tinker?”

Fen nodded, giving the dalmatian a hug. Divus allowed Tinker to move, instructing him to be careful. Divus decided to move Fen down stairs, wanting to keep a better eye on him.

Corliss pet Markis until he moved away, heading for the kitchen. Divus sat Fen down with some toys, going back to helping Corliss with her homework. Tinker sat beside Fen, his tail wagging in glee.

•

Divus helped Fen eat, seeing he was going to be a lefty after all.

“Dad, I love it when you make jambalaya!” Corliss exclaimed, nearly finishing her plate.

“Hey, slow down little lamb. It’s not going out of style.” Sam chuckled, loving her happy face.

“Jambalaya!” Fen cheered, picking up rice with his fingers.

Their hearts melted. Fen smiled, feeding Tinker who sat by his seat. Divus and Sam sighed, seeing they’d have to tell him yet again not to feed the dogs.

“Daddy, Papa…”

They looked, wondering what she had to say.

“I know we aren’t blood related, Fen and I, but, thanks for adopting us… I’m really happy to have a family again…” Corliss spoke, feeling herself starting to cry. “I… I just…”

“Corliss…”

Fen looked, wondering why his older sister was crying. Now his parents were crying. Should he cry too? He started to cry, Tinker joining in with his howling and whining. Soon Daisy and Markis walked in, howling and whining with their family.


	186. (4 y) 1st Year Gang: I don’t miss those times

Ace and Deuce finished setting up in the tea garden, seeing it was about time for the others to arrive.

“It’s been a long three years since we arrived. hasn’t it…” Deuce muttered, looking at the colored cups.

“Yep… Feels like just yesterday we were being thrown out of here.” Ace responded, making sure they had each’s taste perfectly set up by their seat.

“Hey!” a loud voice said, nearly scaring them.

“Sebek. Loud as usual.”

“Ah, I’m working on it…”

“You’ve said that for the past few years.” Deuce muttered.

“They aren’t here yet?” Sebek pointed out.

“Of course not. They’re probably making out somewhere.” Ace complained, tired of them always arriving late for meetups.

“Oi!” a cheerful voice called out.

Epel came in, dragging Jack with him.

“I’m betting they were making out.” said Deuce.

“I vote fucking.”

They looked to Sebek.

“I’m going with making out.”

They waved, greeting the two of them.

“So, you were almost late. As usual.”

“Yeah. Jack couldn’t find his jacket. Turns out it was picked up by another guy and we had to get it back from him.”

Ace had them pay up. The more elaborate the story, more likely they were doing the secs. They all sat down, amazed by the spread Ace and Deuce had set up.

“To think we’ll be graduating in a few months.”

“It really feels surreal…”

“It feels like just yesterday we were fighting students who overblotted…” Sebek sighed. “I don’t miss those times.”

They nodded in agreement. They started to reminisce, slowly realizing how much they missed their seniors who’ve gone before them.

“I feel like I never appreciated Rook and Vil as much as I should’ve…” Epel mumbled, stabbing his salad. “I didn’t know how hard it was for Vil until I’ve experienced it.”

“Yeah. Between the two of us, we can barely remember up to 300 of the rules. Riddle was one person and remembered 810. 810!” Deuce exclaimed, feeling like his head was splitting.

“It’s pretty easy in Savanaclaw really. Just beat up a few guys and assert my dominance.”

“Must be nice.” they said in unison, clearly unhappy.

“Sorry?” Jack apologized.

They sighed, seeing how much they took their seniors’ efforts for granted. They kind of wished they asked for guidance more.

“We’ll all stay in touch when we graduate, right?” Epel asked, looking at the others.

“Of course. We’ve been in this together since our first year. We have…” Deuce said, putting his hand out.

“An unbreakable bond?” Ace finished, placing his hand on top of Deuce’s.

The others placed their hands on top. After all the shit they went through in their time being here, they’d have to have a strong bond because of it.


	187. Lilia + Sam: I’m a grandkid

Lilia flipped his hair, removing some of it from inside his shirt. Was it always this long? Well, he did want a change after ran entire decade passed. Or was it a few decades? Time was but a fleeting moment to him.

He was practically alone again. Silver had gone off, got married and all that jazz. Malleus was busy ruling. Sebek disappeared somewhere. Everyone was scattered around Twisted Wonderland. It was then he thought of Night Raven, the good old days they used to have.

Lilia searched through his closet, the uniform he used to wear in decent shape. Something a little magic could fix. Lilia had the uniform repair itself while he searched for appropriate yet comfortable shoes. Was the bird man still headmaster?

He was getting a bit excited. Naturally they’d be new students. Even Leona graduated way back when. He figured the lion would still be there even now. Lilia had the uniform put itself on him as he beautified his face.

“Ah, I wonder if anything’s changed?” Lilia mumbled, tying his tie in a cute bow like he usually did.

•

Lilia floated down onto campus, his little bat friends flying away after making stairs for him to descend. Everything seemed the same. Though, the buildings did look updated. He walked around, checking out things. They students seemed bright eyed and bushy tailed. They had to be first years.

He continued to flit around, looking at new faces and how the upgraded some of the places.

None of the other teachers were here. He wasn’t surprised. Trein was probably dead. Bird man wasn’t headmaster anymore either. That was a blessing. Now it made sense why the place looked so great. Someone was actually taking care of it.

He wondered if Sam was still around. He couldn’t be. Lilia hoped the snacks he loved were still being sold. Students greeted him as he made his way to the Mystery Shop. No one suspected anything.

Lilia stood in front of the shop, seeing it hadn’t changed. He opened the door, stepping inside.

“Welcome li-”

They stared at each other.

“Sam? You’re still here?”

“Sam? You mean my old man? My parents say I look like him. But with a mustache of course.” he chuckled nervously. “My grandpa told me about the students. You look an awful lot like Lilia.”

“Lilia? No way. I’m Lilian, his grandson. Lilia is too old to move these days.”

The both of them were sweating bullets. Neither could figure out that they were immortal. Lilia started up conversation, wondering how Sam was doing. Sam caught himself a few times slipping, as did Lilia.

“So, thinking about a wife and kids? Someone’s got to inherit this place.” Lilia asked, looking around.

“Ah, right. I’ve been looking.” Sam lied, twirling his stache. “What about you? Got to keep that bloodline going huh?”

“I’m seeing someone.” Lilia lied.

Silence. They couldn’t say much unless they wanted to give themselves away.

“So, do you like it here?” Lilia asked.

“I suppose. I prefer my homeland though.”

They started to talk again, slowly getting to know the other despite already knowing each other.

“It’s good to see that Sam had inheritors. My grandpa loved the snacks here.”

“He was a hefty spender…” Sam mumbled, Lilia not catching it.

The door swung open, revealing a disgruntled fae.

“Mal-”

“Lilia, what in the name of my grandmother are you doing here? I need you back he. Now!” Malleus yelled, stamping his foot. “Also, what in the world are you wearing Sam?”

The duo looked at each other, Sam’s mustache having been removed and Lilia’s hair tied up.

“You were you the whole time!?” they said in unison.

Malleus was dragging Lilia out the shop.

“Wait. Explain this to me Malleus!” Lilia demanded, sitting on the back of Malleus’ broom.

“Sam is immortal. Couldn’t you smell it?”

Lilia frowned as he thought. Strangely he couldn’t. Usually he picked up the scent right away. Malleus assured him it was probably just the many smells within the shop stopping up his nose.

Lilia wasn’t too sure about that.


	188. Night Raven College: It’s really pretty, senpai

Jade ushered the late comers in before shutting the door. Everyone was excitedly chatting, it having been years since they last saw each other. The ones out of touch reconnected, catching up on their lives.

“Is that a ring I see?” Ace gasped, looking at Riddle’s left hand.

“You’re marrying Trey senpai!?” Deuce exclaimed, looking at the two of them.

“Unfortunately, he’s not. I still say he’s missing out.” Trey chuckled, half serious and half joking.

They searched around the room, wondering who it could be.

“Do you want me to tell you both?” Riddle asked, getting tired of their guesses.

“Yes!” they said in unison.

“Alchemi Alchemevich Pinka.” Riddle said, smiling softly.

The duo blinked, not knowing who that was. Have they met before?

“Che'nya, guys.”

“Oh… OH! That sleazy cat!?” Ace exclaimed, unbelieving their serious ex dorm leader would marry someone like that.

“Wow… did he like, blackmail you or something?”

“You sound like Trey. And my parents. No, Che'nya didn’t do anything but make me fall in love with him…” Riddle responded, turning the ring. “The wedding is next year. I think we sent out invitations a few days ago.”

“Where’s mine?”

“As if I’d have time to give it to you in person. We mailed yours.”

Trey faked being hurt. A few others had walked over to them, saying their greetings.

“Woah! Is that a ring on Riddle’s finger? Who’s the poor soul that’s marrying you?” Ruggie snorted, wondering how much the ring cost.

“Ruggie senpai, be nice. I’m sure Riddle senpai has changed his ways some.” Jack said, admiring the ring. “It’s really pretty, senpai.”

“Hm, you look a bit unhappy.” Jade mentioned, looking at Azul.

“Riddle’s getting married…”

“Ah, I heard. I’m guessing you still harbor feelings.” Jade chuckled.

Azul didn’t respond, moving to put more food out. Clearly he still did if he ignored him.

Kalim happily chatted with others.

“Hey, Jamil didn’t come with you?” Epel commented, noticing he wasn’t around.

“Ah. He’s doing his own thing now since I freed him. He said he was going to come.” Kalim replied, checking his phone.

Leona sat on the roof, wanting to sleep in peace. The hairs on the back of his neck rose. He attacked, cutting Rook’s cheek.

“This is why we don’t sneak up on people!” Leona hissed, watching Rook let his cheek go.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you… I had to for old time’s sake.”

Rook was bleeding quite a bit. Leona turned his back to him. That was all his fault.

“So, how have you been? Cheka tells me you’re working now.”

“Since when-” Leona started then stopped.

Rook tilted his head, wondering why he was staring. There was so much. Was it that deep?

“Come.”

Rook let Leona lead him, not entirely sure what was going on.

Idia watched everything from his screen. There was no way he was going in person. People often stopped by his screen to talk and catch up. He wouldn’t lie, it was nice talking to them again.

“Hey Lilia, where’s everyone else in Dia?” Cater asked, taking a selfie with him.

“Malleus is busy, Sebek is busy guarding the busy Malleus and Silver went on a discovering himself journey and has yet to return. So I’m here in their places.” Lilia explained.

“I was looking forward to Silver’s glow up.” Cater pouted.

“Ah, there you are. Stop running off.”

Cater squeaked, running away from Vil. Lilia watched as Vil gave chase.

Riddle finished his drink.

“Still… Che'nya?” Deuce repeated.

“Deuce, we’ve been over this.” Ace said.

“Don’t worry, I’m still in awe of it all too. It feels like just yesterday I was fussing at him for getting comfy in my home…” Riddle chuckled, tucking his hair behind his ear. “Or how he took many of my firsts…”

“First kiss?” Jack asked. Riddle nodded. “Even in the bedroom…?” Riddle nodded. “Wow, what a wild kitty.”

“Please, I took some of his firsts too.”

They collectively “oohed”, needing details. Riddle told them as much as he felt like, chuckling in delight. He loved embarrassing Che'nya. They had a new perspective of Che'nya after what Riddle told them.

Jade and Floyd kept Azul under control as they continued to host the reunion.

“I feel like we’re forgetting something…” Floyd muttered.

“Please don’t tell me it’s the glassware!” Azul panicked.

“If it was important we wouldn’t have forgotten it.” Jade said with a shrug.

[Meanwhile…]

Crowley twiddled his thumbs, waiting for one of the alumni to step through his doors.

“Perhaps I got the wrong date…”


	189. Kalim + Jamil: Did you fall?

Kalim couldn’t help but notice things about Jamil. He would reject hugs, and when he surprised him with one, he always hissed like a snake. Maybe hugs hurt him now. He considered taking him to a doctor. But he didn’t seem to be in much pain. But even still…

“Kalim?”

Kalim was startled out of his thoughts. When did Jamil get there? How long had he been there? Kalim turned, greeting him. Just act normal. Don’t arouse suspicion.

“How are you feeling today?” Kalim asked. “The sun is pretty hot.”

“And that’s why I came for you. Your parents want you inside where it’s cooler.” Jamil explained.

“Can you carry me? I don’t feel well…” Kalim lied.

Kalim climbed onto his back. He wasn’t hisssing anymore. Maybe he was just having a bad day then.

Jamil placed him down on his bed, leaving to get water and food to help relax him. Maybe he was worried over nothing. Kalim lied down, needing to continue with his lie until he could get out of it.

•

Kalim’s eyes fluttered open. Despite not being sick, he ended up falling asleep after Jamil fed him. He sat up and stretched out, seeing it was nighttime. Everyone should be getting settled in their rooms. Kalim decided to talk to Jamil for a bit before letting him sleep.

He opened the door to his room, not seeing him. If he wasn’t here, then he had to be showering. Kalim skipped over to the bathrooms, entering one of them. He saw Jamil’s clothes. He decided to sneak up on him and scare him.

Kalim tiptoed closer before pausing in his mischief. He continued to stare, wanting to reach out and touch them. So he did, startling Jamil in the process. Jamil covered himself, a rule being not to be indecent in the presence of an Asim.

“W-”

“Why are those there…? Did you fall?” Kalim asked.

“Don’t-”

“I am going to worry about it. My personal servant was hurt yet I never noticed. I’m an idiot.”

“He finally admits it. No, you’re not. You’re busy with other things. You don’t have time to worry about a lowly servant.” Jamil responded.

“You’re not a lowly servant. None of you are! I consider everyone my friends and family.” Kalim stated, turning Jamil around. “How did this happen…?”

Jamil saw Kalim wouldn’t let it go unless he told him, so he did. It was weird feeling Kalim touch his body the way he was, but it was also soothing.

“I’ll buy you some cream so they can disappear. Your skin is so beautiful and to have something so ugly on it…” Kalim said, looking at the biggest one. “I can’t have that.”

Jamil wanted to question why he couldn’t have that but Kalim was already walking away.


	190. 1 y Octavinelle: It was all me!

Floyd felt Jade hold his hand as they looked out at the Coral Sea.

“I’m with you.”

“That’s not it, Floyd.”

“Eh? Then what?”

Jade silently hugged Floyd. Floyd was disgusted some before hugging Jade back. Azul had come back from wandering.

“Maybe we weren’t chosen.” Azul muttered, fixing his glasses.

Floyd felt Jade hold him tighter. Not chosen? Not even a single one of them? Now what were they to do? Azul sat down with them, feeling at a loss as well. They were going to have change their life plans.

They looked up, hearing something faintly in the distance. Jade lifted his head, squinting down the small shore.

“Hey, it looks like a horse!”

Azul jumped up. This was it. At least one of them was going to make it. It stopped right behind them. Jade and Floyd stood up, watching Azul get in. It wasn’t moving.

“Why don’t you get in?” Azul suggested.

The twins climbed in, feeling the carriage take off. They were chosen. All three of them. They pulled each other into a group hug, crying their eyes out. They’d get to be together like they’d dreamed.

•

They sat together as the headmaster went on. This was really happening. They were going to be together.

“…dorm sorting…”

Jade tensed. He glanced at Azul and Floyd who seemed calm. How could they be? They could be sorted into different dorms! He didn’t… he didn’t want to be apart from them.

“Azul… aren’t you worried?” Jade whispered.

“About what…?”

“We’ll be sorted. We may not be in the same dorm…”

“Stop worrying. Of course we’ll be in the same dorm. We’re bonded.”

Jade still felt antsy. How could he be so confident? What would he do without his precious brother? Or Azul? They weren’t the best at making friends, him and Floyd because of their intimidating everything and Azul because… deep, personal reasons.

Jade looked to Floyd who seemed focused on something. He wished he could be as calm as Floyd and Azul. But he really just wanted to be with his childhood friends. Jade closed his eyes, asking Poseidon for guidance and help. His eyes snapped open, hearing a bit of destruction going on.

“You, there! Stop this nonsense!”

Jade looked and spotted who he was talking to. Floyd. What in the world was Floyd doing? Floyd ran around, using magic and causing trouble.

“Jade, do something about your brother!” Azul hissed.

“I don’t even know what the problem is! That’ll just be going in blind.” Jade whispered back, watching things catch fire, things submerged and plants encasing things.

People started chasing Floyd around while he continued to ruin decorations and injure students. Jade was at a loss, Floyd never acted out without a reason, but he couldn’t think of one. Was he bored? But he was looking forward to this just as much as he was.

Jade finally got up, seeing Floyd was getting out of control. The others had got to him before he could. He rushed over, shielding Floyd’s restrained body with his own. Floyd looked up at Jade, not understanding what he was doing.

“Stop, Jade…”

“I’m terribly sorry for my brother causing trouble… It’s my fault for not keeping a better eye on him, so I’ll accept punishment as well.”

“No!” Floyd whined, not wanting Jade getting in trouble. “Don’t punish him! It was all me!”

Azul watched as the twins covered for each other while the dorm leaders tried figuring out what to do.

“Jade, stop it!”

“No, I-”

Floyd bit Jade.

“Floyd… Why did you even do this…? Wasn’t Night Raven our dream?”

“Yeah. But it’s no dream if I can’t be with you and Azul.” Floyd stated, scooting closer to Jade and resting his head on his shoulder.

So Floyd was worried too. Jade hugged his brother. He knew Floyd wouldn’t have acted out without a reason. And this was a pretty stressful reason.

“We’re sorry…”

They were given punishment duties before being sent back to their seats. Azul looked at them, taking their hands and giving them a squeeze.

“We won’t be separated. I can feel it.” Azul whispered, giving the twins a smile.

Floyd silently wept into Jade’s shoulder, not wanting to be somewhere that wasn’t by their side.

•

The trio tightly hugged each other, their dorm uniforms being smushed in between them.

“We’re together…”

“I told you we’d be together. You two worry too much.” Azul fussed, despite being the most happy.

“Well, no thanks to Floyd, we already have extra duties on top of classes.” Jade said, glaring at Floyd.

Floyd simply laughed, nuzzling his brother.


	191. Hayami Fujimori: Learn to make them for others

“I’ve been waiting for this day since forever!” Hayami cheered, placing the bags down.

“I figured we both had some time, so why not do it today?” Trey chuckled, finding Hayami’s childish side cute.

“So, what are we making? Chocolate cake? Red velvet? Birthday cake flavored cake? Cupcakes?”

“Whatever you want to make, but limit it to two things.” Trey said, not wanting to go back out to buy things.

Hayami flipped through Trey’s recipes before deciding on one. A red and blue velvet two tiered cake. Trey hadn’t made it in ages.

“I don’t want it like how it’s shown. I want both tiers to be both red and blue.”

“Then it’d make it a purple velvet…”

“No I meant like, half is red and the other blue.” Hayami explained, giving him a little visual.

“Ah, interesting. I think that can be arranged.”

Trey instructed Hayami with making the batter for the red velvet while he did the blue velvet. Things were progressing smoothly. Hayami smiles happily, his fangs showing.

 _“Cute…”_ Trey thought, wondering how this fae was this cute.

Malleus wasn’t even that cute. Their peaceful moment was interrupted by a peppy yet annoying voice.

“Trey! And my fave fae, Hayami!”

Hayami side stepped the tripped Cater.

“Don’t touch me.”

Cater rubbed his nose as Trey laughed.

“Why’d you do that!? I was just going to give you a hug…”

“Yeah and then upload a selfie of us on Magicam.” Hayami spat, taking his mixture and moving.

“Oh, what are you both making?”

“Hayami here wants a red and blue velvet cake. His vision for it is simply amazing.” Trey admitted.

“I didn’t really do much. It’s all thanks to my little friend Idia helped me make.” Hayami smiled, a small robotic animal revealing itself from behind.

Cater reached out to touch it, quickly pulling back as it almost bit him. Even his little pet despised him. Hayami giggled, watching his little robo friend help with the mixture by adding in the food coloring.

“Cater, how long are you going to hang around? Either help out or get out.”

“I’ll help!”

Hayami moved away. Looked like he was helping Trey. Cater created an apron, putting on and helping Trey.

“Why did you really come here?” Trey whispered.

“Yami.”

He should’ve known. He was going to try and act like they were cool with each other and post on Magicam. Shameless.

“You know no matter what you try, Hayami isn’t going to let you.”

“We’ve been at this for over a year now. It’s more than that.”

Trey raised an eyebrow, wondering what he meant. Hayami excitedly hurried over to Trey, showing him the perfectly mixed batter. He smiled happily at Trey’s praise. Cater watched with interest.

“Stop staring.” Hayami growled, looking at Cater.

“I can’t help that you have such a nice face~” Cater chuckled.

Hayami rolled his eyes, having Trey help him with the next steps. Trey guided Hayami’s arms, showing him how to properly cut fruit for cakes. Cater stopped working, watching them. He could do that too.

“I don’t want fruit though. Chocolate!”

“Hayami! I could help with that.”

Hayami moved his finger around before Cater found himself drenched in water. Trey turned around, not wanting Cater to see him laughing. Hayami searches online for the best way to infuse chocolate since Trey wasn’t able to help at the moment.

Cater used magic to change outfits. The robo creature stared at him, daring him to do something while its master wasn’t paying attention. Trey calmed down, having Hayami put his tablet away.

“Hayami, do you want chocolate in this one too?”

“White chocolate.”

Cater nodded enthusiastically. His only problem was, how did he make white chocolate? He did a quick search while pretending he was posting on Magicam. Trey walked over, wondering what Cater was doing.

“Are you seriously trying to impress Hayami? You don’t even like sweets.”

“Just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean I can’t learn to make them for others.”

Trey sighed heavily. Cater really couldn’t see his efforts were useless. Hayami wasn’t going to like him.

•

Trey frosted the cake with Hayami, watching Cater being kept at a distance.

“Come on. I wanna frost too~”

“You can’t eat our cake.” Hayami stated.

“I’m not. I don’t like sweet things…”

Hayami huffed, adding on chocolate chips and sprinkles. It was beautiful. He couldn’t wait to dig in. Trey gave Hayami his piece, walking over to Cater while he was distracted.

“Told you.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“But you-”

“I won’t repeat myself twice~”

Hayami smiled wide, his fangs showing. The duo felt their hearts stop.

Cute.


	192. Kingscholars: Uncle!

Farena watched as Cheka captured yet another rodent. Cheka placed it in his container. Farena felt like a proud father, seeing him catch another. Cheka ran over to Farena, showing him his captures.

“You’re getting better at hunting.”

“All thanks to Uncle’s guidance!”

“And Daddy too, right?”

“Mhm.”

Mhm. All he got was an “mhm”. That wasn’t a good sound.

“Do you wanna play games with Daddy?”

“Sure!”

That was more like it.

•

Cheka laughed in delight, enjoying the game. Leona had come home as he had something important to do. He’d head back to Night Raven once he was done. The moment Leona passed by the room, Cheka had completely forgotten the game.

“Uncle!!!”

Leona ran and Cheka gave chase. Farena put his head in his hands. Things were getting good too.

“Cheka, come back so we can finish the game!” Farena roared down the hall.

Nothing. Farena sighed, unbelieving. It couldn’t be true. He was liked more, not his little brother. He was the cool one. He had to prove it.

•

Cheka sat in a chair, wondering what was going on. Leona wanted to know too. Farena sent Leona to the kitchen. He was going to have Cheka guess whose dish was whose. Cheka was blindfolded.

The first dish came out. Cheka sniffed them, taking a bite from each.

“Uncle’s!” Cheka exclaimed, holding up the vegan dish.

He was correct. The second dish came out. Cheka guesses right again. The final dish came out. Just like the last two times, Cheka guessed right, only calling out Leona.

Farena sighed.

“Can I go now?”

“No.”

He had another plan.

•

Cheka stood in the middle as Farena held his favorite things while Leona had nothing. Cheka ran to Leona.

“Can I go-”

“No.”

Farena started up a 2vs2 game, seeing who Cheka would side with. Cheka chose Leona.

“Can I-”

“No.”

Farena took them to room. Cheka choose Leona. He took them to another room where he chose who he’d rather be saved by. Cheka chose Leona.

“Can-”

“Yes. Go.”

Leona ran out the room. Farena sat Cheka down, wanting some questions answered.

“Cheka, who would you prefer made you dinner? Me or uncle?”

“Uncle.”

“Who would you prefer took you to an amusement park?”

“Uncle.”

“Shopping for clothes…?”

“Uncle.”

“Visiting family?”

“Uncle.”

“Helped with schoolwork?”

“Uncle.”

Farena was at a loss. Somehow Leona stole his child. And he didn’t even want to be around him. How did this happen? Did Cheka not care about him anymore?

“I’m guessing you’d want your uncle to be your father.”

“No.”

Farena raised an eyebrow.

“I want Daddy to be my father.”

“Cheka…”

Cheka patted Farena’s head, watching him weep into his hands. His father could be such a crybaby sometimes.


	193. Rudia: You’re as pretty as a rose

Ruggie purposefully left class, hearing a certain third year’s class was having their own lecture down the hall. Ruggie peeked through the door window, searching around. His tail wagged feverishly, spotting the one he was looking for. Ruggie panted, continuing to stare. He was so delicious looking.

He ducked down, seeing the teacher was about to turn around. His tail was still wagging like crazy. The things he’d do to have that man in his arms, lovingly licking his face, marking him as his, playing games with him. Ruggie was on cloud nine. He was startled out of his zone, hearing the bell ring. Ruggie quickly positioned himself as if he was just coming by.

_“Wait for it… now!”_

Ruggie bumped into Idia, picking up the single object he dropped.

“Oh, t- t- thanks…” Idia whispered, hiding behind his hair.

“No problem! Actually, do you have time to chat?”

“Um… n- n… no… I- I want to… to my room…” Idia whispered quieter, trying to disappear.

“It’s about games. You know, mmos, rpgs, f-”

“Well why didn’t you say so!?” Idia exclaimed, coming to life.

Ruggie chuckled, seeing his research was definitely going to be worth it.

•

“Oooh, so that’s why. It makes so much sense!” Ruggie said, impressed by how much Idia knew about games.

“Right.”

“Hey, maybe you and I can play Helios together? I’m a newbie though.”

“We can play right now.”

“I’d love to do a dungeon with you~” Ruggie said suggestively, winking at the same time.

“How newbie are we talking though? That affects where we can go.” Idia asked, completely focused on the game.

Ruggie sat at the computer next to Idia as they logged in. He had to amp up the flirting. And he could do so with his character.

“Where are you right now?” Idia asked.

“Uh, it says Ghastly Gorge…”

Idia mumbled to himself before telling Ruggie to stay put. Ruggie did as he was told. He couldn’t believe it. He was playing an mmo with Idia. His tail had never stopped wagging fast.

“What’s your name?”

Oh shit. He forgot what he made his name to be. Maybe he wouldn’t notice.

“It’s… bluefiresimp.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool actually. Ah, I see you.”

Ruggie discreetly sighed. He was safe. Ruggie’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. For starters, Idia’s character was female. He was at max level, all sorts of exclusive armor and weapons on him, an insane maxed mount, huge ass wings and a maxed out pet.

“Damn…”

“Huh?”

“You worked real hard to get to this point haven’t you? I’m extremely impressed. Teach me your ways, Idia sama.”

Idia became flustered. It wasn’t often he was called sama. His face turned red.

_“Success!”_

“So, you’re level ten… that is pretty newbie. Don’t worry, I’ll create the team which will allow you to enter harder dungeons. Don’t die and you’ll gain a lot of exp.” Idia explained, his face cooling down.

“Aye, aye sir!”

Ruggie couldn’t help but watch as Idia fingers expertly moved on his virtual keyboard. He quickly turned his attention back to his screen, seeing he was about to be attacked. Idia’s character saved him. Ruggie had his character blow a kiss. Idia’s character simply moved on ahead.

•

Both were unaware of the fact that classes had started five minutes ago.

It was just like Idia said. He went from level ten to thirty just like that. He could see why Idia had fun playing these kinds of games. Ruggie glanced at Idia before having his female character do a romance gesture to Idia’s. Idia declined it.

“Oh no.”

“Oh no what?”

“I’m late for class… but I really want to keep playing…” Idia mumbled, watching the game auto save.

“Then let’s skip and keep playing. I want to try some other games you recommend.”

Idia shook his head. As much as he didn’t want to, they had to go to class. Ruggie wasn’t too upset. Just two classes before lunch time.

“Hey, are you eating in the cafe today?”

“No… too crowded.”

“Where do you usually eat? I’ll meet you there.”

Idia told him before leaving. Ruggie did the same. He needed to flirt more. He loved that flustered face he made earlier. His little hyena boner needed more too.

•

Ruggie exhaled, thankful class was over. Now he just had to survive the afternoon ones. Ruggie hurried to the cafeteria, getting lunch that he could take with him to eat with Idia.

The thought of eating lunch with Idia was immaculate. But the greatest honor would be having access to his room. Ruggie shook his head. One step at a time. First they had to become more friendly.

Ruggie spotted Idia sitting by himself as he read a gaming and programming magazine.

“Hey.”

Idia jumped, forgetting Ruggie was going to eat with him.

“Um, hey… You actually came…”

“Reading about programming? I bet that mind of yours is full of useful knowledge. What a sexy brain.”

“Ah…”

Idia kept reading, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“May I read the gaming one?”

Idia handed it over. Ruggie flipped through it, seeing it provided tips and tricks as well. He wouldn’t be surprised if Idia knew all of them already.

“Hey Idia, your zipper is a little low. I’ll get it for you.”

Idia thought he meant to his jacket, not his pants. Ruggie “accidentally” copped a feel, apologizing as if he didn’t mean to do it. Of course he meant to do it. They went back to eating and reading the magazines.

“Hm, they say gamers are usually dudes with ugly faces. Guess they haven’t seen you. You’re as pretty as a rose.”

“Hm, they’re right about that, but girls actually pretty close in number to guys. I don’t really read that magazine since they’re misogynistic.” Idia replied, finishing his magazine. “They were the only one left so I borrowed it.”

Ruggie blinked. Wow. He was impressed by Idia, especially being completely ignorant to the flirt.

“Oh, there’s something I want to show you.”

Ruggie was up on his feet.

They were back in the library. Idia typed into the search bar before showing him.

“Helios is having an event tonight. You don’t need two players, but it’s recommended.”

“Why don’t we do it together?” Ruggie suggested.

Ruggie noticed Idia was busy typing on his phone.

“Sorry. I have someone else already…”

“Oh… okay.”

More typing.

“We can include you. So do-”

“Yes!”

“Great. Stop by the lounge tonight then.”

Ruggie was screaming internally. This was a date. Or was it? He didn’t care. He was going to be with Idia tonight making memories.

•

This wasn’t what he was expecting. Idia and his friend talked nonstop. He couldn’t get a word in. He could barely keep up with the gamer slang. They were literally carrying him through the entire event dungeon. His level was steadily increasing.

They had finally stopped talking.

“Idia, I need some help understanding…”

“Hm? Didn’t I text you?”

“No.”

“Oh! Now I see why he asked. My fault.”

Ruggie received Idia’s text.

“You know Idia, you really are delicious… I mean, cool!”

Idia didn’t even react to it.

“Idia?”

“Huh? Oh, I was planning our next moves. Since you’re a higher level, help us out.”

“Of course, Idia sama.”

Idia threw his headphones. Ruggie was confused.

“Oh. He just… Inappropriate. Haha…” Idia mumbled, hiding his face.

Ruggie was mad. Whoever this guy was was trying to get in his way. Idia started up exploration, causing Ruggie to sit down and catch up.

•

They were pooped from gaming. It was two in the morning. Ruggie was half awake.

“You should head to sleep. You can stay in the lounge.” Idia suggested.

“Not without your hot cakes.”

Idia blinked. His hot cakes? He didn’t had any.

“Ruggie, I’ll log you out.”

“Gimme hot kisses you walking ball of fire.”

Idia wasn’t sure what Ruggie was going on about. Crimson Muscle however, did, finding amusement out of what he was hearing.

“Idia you oblivious idiot. He’s flirting.”

Idia got Ruggie to lay down before bringing blankets and a pillow. Ruggie did seem a little cute with that sleeping face. Idia gathered his things, wanting to let Ruggie sleep.


	194. Hayami Fujimori: Magic woods

Hayami hugged trees as the third years trekked through the woods on a trip. He loved nature. It was extremely relaxing.

“Yami, you’re being weird…” Idia whispered, seeing other third years were looking at him.

“They just don’t get me.” Hayami pouted, climbing a tree.

“Yami!”

Hayami climbed to the top looking out. The woods were so thick. It reminded him of the woods back home. Though, it was rare to see woods back where he used to live before they moved.

“Yami.”

Hayami jumped, not expecting to see Malleus. Malleus caught him, helping him back up.

“Mal! I thought you were with the others.”

“I was, until I saw you were missing.”

Hayami chuckled nervously, scratching his cheek.

“It’s just been so long since I’ve been in this much nature. I want to take it all in.”

“I understand, but please, let’s catch up with the others.”

Hayami pouted, sliding down the tree. He followed behind Malleus as he led the way. The trees moved discreetly. Hayami looked, hearing the leaves rustling.

“M-”

He was gone.

“Mal!? Mal!?” Hayami called out, panicking.

Hayami backed up against a tree, seeing it’d do him good to stay put. Someone would come find him. He jumped, hearing footsteps and rustling leaves. Hayami took out his magipen, readying at fight.

“I told you these are magic woods.”

“No it’s not. The magic woods is the next place over.”

“Then why can’t we find our way out!?”

There were voices. Three pairs of eyes were now on him.

“You’re from…” they said in unison.

“Are you lost?” Hayami asked.

“Yes. Don’t listen to them.” said the rabbit, approaching him. “I’m Lepus. You are?”

“Hayami…”

Lepus sat next to Hayami, sighing heavily.

“How did you get lost…?”

“Our darling little Lae decided it’d be fun to run into the woods while we’re on a trip. And now we’re stuck in these magic woods.” Lepus explained, glaring at Lae. “The trees move however they wish. Our best bet is to keep still until a teacher comes. Unless one of you happens to have a candle?”

“A candle?” Hayami questioned.

“My gramps told me if you ever get stuck in magic woods, always have candles. You can tell which way they’ll move in to help you find your way. That is, if you already know the way out.”

“Well, I don’t and they don’t seem to know. Do you know?”

“Not for these. The ones back home I’ve ventured quiet a lot.”

They sighed in unison. Hayami looked around, feeling strong magic.

“Hayami, what is it? What’s with that look?”

“Mal!? Is that you?” he shouted looking around.

Instead, something else popped out. Law sought shelter behind his seniors as they stood ready to protect him. Lepus’ magipen started to emit magic sparks when Hayami stopped him and Haema.

“It’s not dangerous.”

“Are you sure? It looks angry.”

Hayami walked over to it, speaking in wolf. Lepus understood some of it while Lae and Haema were at a loss.

“It’s okay guys. She’s not going to hurt us anymore. I think Hayami is explaining how we got here.” Lepus said, seeing the creature didn’t look as angry.

“She’ll help us out. But she’ll only help if you link arms.”

They quickly linked arms. Hayami had them walk ahead, translating the beast’s words.

They rejoiced in happiness, seeing they had made it to one of the checkpoints. Hayami thanked the beast before watching her off.

“Wow, you spoke so fluently…” Lae said, really amazed.

“Yeah! I’m part fish and even I can’t speak all fish languages fluently!” the pale one exclaimed.

“Thanks for helping us out back there. We might’ve attacked without giving it too much thought.” Lepus confessed, putting his magipen away. “I guess not all students at Night Raven are rotten.”

“I didn’t know Royal Sword students jumped in head first.” Hayami chuckled.

The pale one sent up a distress signaling, hoping their respective school would see it. Hayami did the same as well.

Malleus immediately came, extremely worried. A few RSA students ran over, seeing they were okay.


	195. Hayami x Yuu: And stay up there!

A cat meowed loudly, having gotten itself inside Ramshackle dorm. It wanted food. It continued to meow, making its way upstairs.

Grim groaned, having a nice dream about tuna and being the greatest magician ever. His dream was soon disturbed by a loud meow.

“Gyah! What’s that god awful sound…?” Grim muttered, looking around.

He spotted the cat sitting near the bed. That was the culprit.

“Hey, get outta here! You’re disturbing my sleep!” Grim complained.

Meow.

“Don’t you understand me you cat?”

Meow meow.

Grim blew fire at it, the cat scurrying away in fear. The sound of the cat’s nails scraping the floor was enough to wake up Yuu.

“Grim? Why are you up? Grim!?” Yuu questioned watching Grim rin our the room.

Yuu quickly followed, seeing Grim blowing fire at a defenseless cat.

“Grim! Stop that!”

“Nyo! He ruined my fantastic dream and he’s gonna pay!”

The cat scurried up a nearby, Grim cheering at its defeat.

“And stay up there!”

Yuu smacked Grim on the head, scolding him. The poor cat was frightened by how much it was shaking.

“Hey, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you…” Yuu said, trying to get the cat to jump into his arms.

Yuu shooed Grim away, hoping that would get the cat to come down. It didn’t. He sighed heavily, wondering what he could do. He then had an idea. It was going to be a long walk, but it’d be worth it.

Yuu had only gotten as far as the alchemy building when he noticed a familiar face.

“Yami!” he excitedly called out, running to him.

“Yuu? What are you doing up so late?” Hayami asked, worried about his health.

Yuu explained evetything, leading him back to Ramshackle. They arrived in front of the tree the cat had climbed. Yuu looked to Hayami with concern and worry.

“Ah, don’t give me that look…” Hayami muttered, his cheeks flushing.

“You look adorable with red cheeks. Oh! We’re getting off topic. Can you speak to the cat?” Yuu asked, holding his hands. “Please?”

“Of course.” Hayami replied, ruffling his hair.

Hayami stood by the branch, meowing and making motions. The cat wasn’t scared anymore, easily responding to Hayami.

“She says she can’t get down. Hurt her leg. Maybe…” Hayami said before muttering.

Yuu watched as Hayami used magic, creating a slide for the cat. Wow, his boyfriend was truly amazing. The cat was hesitant. Hayami places a pillow at the end, reassuring her.

“Wait, Grim called the cat a he though…”

“She’s a she. Grim is just an idiot.”

The cat slid down, bumping against the pillow. Hayami carefully picked her up, asking her which leg it was.

“Hey Yuu, is it okay if I treat her in Ramshackle?”

“Only if I can help.”

“You know I wouldn’t turn down help.”

Yuu happily stuck close to Hayami who helped him communicate with the cat. He knew he already said it before but, wow. Hayami really was amazing.


	196. Rellek x Beont: But I Love Him

Ulysse walked around, shivering as the rain beat down. At this rate he was going to catch a cold. He stumbled upon a gate, seeing a castle looming behind it. Maybe someone was home. He pushed it open, sneezing in the process. He seriously needed to get out of the rain.

Ulysse pushed open the doors before closing them behind him. He stopped walking, hearing voices. He picked up the candle holder on the table, looking around.

“Sir, where are you looking?”

“Huh?”

“In your hand.”

Ulysee quickly dropped the candle, hearing a pained grunt come from it.

“That wasn’t very kind of you, good sir. Please be gentle next time.”

“A talking candle holder… Now I’m hallucinating.” Ulysse muttered, concerned about his sanity.

“Ah, indeed I am. You, come here and introduce yourself.”

“I’m telling you, he’s going to rage.”

“Not if we hide him while taking care of him. Look at the poor man. He’s shivering.

“And now there’s a talking clock…”

“Come good sir, we’ll get you by a fire and something warm to drink and eat.”

He wasn’t sure if that was a smart choice, but he didn’t care at this point. He just wanted to warm up and sleep. He sat by the fire, an assortment of house objects taking care of him. As crazy as it was, they were very caring and kind.

“Stay the night to get out of the rain.” the candle holder suggested.

“Absolutely not! The master will definitely get mad!” the clock exclaimed, hitting the candle holder.

“What he doesn’t know won’t kill him.”

“You know, you all aren’t so bad.”

The door swung open, putting out the warm fire that he was loving. The house objects quickly fled. Ulysse could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising. He slowly turned around, his face going pale. An extremely tall creature loomed over him, clearly very angry.

“What are you doing here?”

“I-”

“Get out!”

“But I just need a place to stay! At least until the rain settles!” Ulysse cried out, wrapping the blanket around him more.

“So you won’t listen, huh!?” the creature roared.

“I-”

The creature picked him up, carrying him out the room.

“Then I’ll keep you prisoner.”

“No! Please! Spare meeeeee…!”

-+-

Rook found his peaceful reading being disturbed by a ring of his bell. He peeked, seeing who it was. He rolled his eyes, opening the door.

“Yes, Vil? How may I help you?” Rook asked, watching him waltz in like he owned the place.

“You’re a bright fellow, Rook. You should know why I’m here.” responded Vil, looking at the book that sat on the table. “Books again? You don’t need these.”

“Right… So, pitch it to me.” Rook stated, picking up the book Vil had tossed.

“It’s simple. Marry me. You won’t have any worries about a future. Everyone knows how fabulous I am.” Vil said, flipping his hair.

“That’s nice.”

Rook found Vil getting up in his face. Oh boy.

“You seem to think I’m joking around. I meant it, Rook Hunt. You life would be so much easier if you just submit to me. I’ll take care of you. It can only be you.” Vil said, backing Rook against the door. “So, what do you say?”

“Wow Vil, I’m at a complete loss for words…” Rook said, letting Vil stumble out the door before shutting it and locking it.

Vil grumbled. Rook was being unnecessarily difficult. Everyone liked him, so what was his deal? Didn’t he want to be married to an amazing person such as himself? He definitely would. Vil walked away, seeing he needed to devise a better plan.

Rook looked out, seeing Vil had left. He walked out, complaining to the animals about his narcissism. He didn’t want to be tied down and forced to live a certain way. Rook noticed something heading towards his home.

“Stage?”

He hurried over, seeing Stage returning without his father. This couldn’t be good. He released Stage from the cart, mounting him as he had him take him back to where he left his father. Rook called out, hoping his father was at least safe enough to respond. Stage stopped in front of the gate. Rook squinted at it, wondering what a castle was doing out in the woods.

He entered, seeing his father’s hat. He definitely came in here. Stage was completely against Rook going in, sensing something sinister inside. Rook headed inside, needing answers. He looked around, calling out to his father. Where in this huge place could he be?

“He-!”

“No, no, no. No more bright ideas. You saw what happened to the last guy.”

“Father!?” Rook called out, looking into rooms. “If you can hear me, please respond!”

Rook heard a sound, heading towards it. In the process, he found stairs leading down. He took a torch, seeing he’d need it since it didn’t seem well lit further down. Rook continued to call out for his father, hoping for some response.

“Rook!? Is that you?”

Rook bolted down the stairs. He looked around, trying to find his father. He heard coughing coming from his side.

“Father!”

“What are you doing here, you idiot? Get out as fast as you can!”

“Not without you. How do you open this thing…”

“Listen to me child!”

A loud roar startled the both of them. Rook turned around, seeing a figure looming not too far away.

“What are you doing here?”

“Saving my father.”

“No! He’s my prisoner!”

The torch was knocked away. Ulysse held his son, fearing what the beast would do to him. He coughed harshly.

“Please, let him go. He’s sick…”

“No!”

“Don’t be so heartless!”

“He trespassed on my property!”

“I’ll do anything if you’ll set him free…” Rook said, looking at the figure.

Both the creature and Ulysse looked at Rook. What in the world was his son thinking!?

“You can’t give me what I want. Stop trying.”

“Then I’ll switch with him.” Rook declared. “That’s a fair trade isn’t it?”

“Sure, but you’ll be my prisoner forever.”

Forever. Rook looked at his father, pursing his lips. He wouldn’t get to see anyone again.

“Don’t you dare agree!” Ulysse warned. “Just go while you still have the chance!”

“I’ll do it.”

Ulysse was soon freed, instantly shaking his son by his shoulders. He started coughing, too weak to properly beat him. The creature snatched up his father, not even giving him a chance to say goodbye.

-+-

Rook followed behind the beast, everything feeling hopeless. He already missed his father.

“You’ll like it here.”

Rook looked away. The beast frowned.

“This will be your room. You can go anywhere except the west wing.”

“What’s in the west wing?”

“None of your business.”

Rook narrowed his eyes before stepping into the room. It wasn’t all that bad.

“You.”

“I have a name. It’s Rook.” he snapped.

“You’re joining me for dinner. I’m not requesting, this is an order.”

The door was slammed shut. Rook sat down on the bed before letting his tears fall. This was the worst. If there was any silver lining, he wouldn’t have to deal with Vil anymore. Rook sighed, wiping his cheek.

“Hey. Rook”

He looked up. The dresser was talking. The dresser was moving and talking.

“Hello. You talk.”

“Yep. And so do others. Please don’t think badly of our master. He’s just… a little difficult…”

“A little? He locked my father up despite being sick! Not to mention keeping me here as prisoner forever!” Rook yelled, crossing his arms. “This isn’t fair…”

“Hey, buck up a little. You have me and others to talk to.” they said, nudging him. “Why don’t we pick an outfit for tonight while we’re at it, hm?”

Rook looked to where she was gesturing. There in the doorway sat a candle holder and a tea pot. They hopped over to him, introducing themselves. A chipped tea cup appear from behind the pot. They were really nice, unlike that beast.

The teapot and the cup hopped off, having things to tend to. A clock had walked in.

“Monsieur Rook, I presume you’ll be dining with our master tonight yes?”

“No.”

They all looked at him. He wasn’t serious… right?

The clock arrived in the dining room where the beast waited.

“So, when is he coming?”

“Well, Leona sir… See, he’s a little… He’s not coming.”

“WHAT!?”

The clock spun around as his master ran past him, heading upstairs. The objects followed him, trying to keep him from losing his temper. Leona harshly knocked on the door, demanding Rook join him for dinner. Rook refused.

“Come on… be nicer.” the candle holder hissed.

“Would you please consider joining me?”

“No.”

Leona pointed to the door, close to blowing his top again.

“I’ll ask once more-”

“No.”

“Fine! Then starve! You won’t get to eat unless you eat with me!”

They winced as a door had been slammed. Things really weren’t going well. At this rate…

-+-

Rook stepped outside his room, feeling a little famished. He searched around the place, hoping to find the kitchen. He poked his head into rooms before finding it.

“My, you’ve come out of your room.”

“I was feeling a little hungry. Is there anything to eat?” Rook asked, looking at the teapot.

“Anything to eat? Of course dearie!”

Rook found himself being ushered into the dining room, a chair pulling itself out for him.

“Ma chere Monsieur, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents- your dinner! Be our guest! Be our guest! Put our service to the test! Tie your napkin ‘round your neck, cherie. And we’ll provide the rest.”

Rook watched in awe as an assortment of kitchenware moved around with free will, dancing in delight. He couldn’t help but clap along.

“Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Get your worries off your chest. Let us say for your entree we’ve an array; May we suggest: Try the bread! Try the soup! When the croutons loop de loop, it’s a treat for any dinner! Don’t believe me? Ask the china. Singing pork! Dancing veal! What an entertaining meal! How could anyone be gloomy and depressed? We’ll make you shout “encore!” and send us out for more. So, be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!”

The food really seemed like it was dancing on it’s own. They were putting on such a spectacular show and all for him. They were right. It was hard to be gloomy or depressed when such an awe striking show was going on right in front of him. He didn’t feel as bad as he used to.

“He’s our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Our command is your request. It’s been years since we’ve had anybody here. And we’re obsessed with your meal, with your ease. Yes, indeed, we aim to please. While the candlelight’s still glowing, let us help you, We’ll keep going., course by course, one by one ‘til you shout, “Enough! I’m done!” Then we’ll sing you off to sleep as you digest. Tonight you’ll prop your feet up, but for now, let’s eat up. Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Please, be our guest!”

Rook applauded in utter delight. They were simply marvelous. He was definitely stuffed to the brim. Since he was out, it wouldn’t hurt if he looked around, right?

“So, what did you think?”

“It was amazing. I’m going to need to walk off what I just ate.” Rook chuckled, smiling softly. “I’d like to look around if that’s alright. Does anyone know the layout of the place?”

“I naturally do.” the clock said.

“Oh? Then lead the way, monsieur~”

Rook followed them as the clock described spots within the castle. Rook moved aside as a footstool ran past, barking. This place was certainly strange, but they were all kind to him. He really liked that part. He noticed a flight of stairs leading up. He moved towards them only for his company to block his path.

“You can’t go up there.”

“Why not?”

“It’s… It’s definitely not where you were forbidden to go.”

The candle holder hit the clock as Rook had a thoughtful look. So this was where the west wing was located. He started to go up, only to have his path blocked again. They started naming other places they could visit.

“What about the library?”

“You have a library?”

“Yes! It’s really big too!”

“Then let’s go.”

The objects went on ahead, unaware of Rook sneaking up the stairs. He looked, seeing things were broken or torn. What happened here? He stood before a door. He opened it, curious as to what lied behind. He was horrified by what he saw. Things were utterly destroyed, almost unrecognizable. Rook walked around, bumping into a little table. He noticed a picture hung up that was torn. He ran his hand over it, looking at what it used to be.

Rook turned around, seeing a flower covered in glass. Why was it glowing? His curiosity got the best of him. He removed the glass, wanting to touch it. What was it made of? He pulled away, not expecting to see the beast in front of him.

“Don’t touch that! What are you doing in here!?” Leona roared, putting the glass back over the flower.

“I was-”

“I told you not to come in here!”

“I’m sorry! I was just curious…”

“Get out!”

Rook ran as the beast started destroying things around him. Leona roared in anger before seeing what he had done. This wasn’t right. He wasn’t supposed to drive him away.

Rook ran as fast as he could. This creature was impossible. He knew he promised, but this was too much. He couldn’t live like this. Rook mounted Stage, having the horse take him away.

They hadn’t gotten far as hungry wolves made themselves known. Rook kept Stage as calm as possible while trying to avoid the wolves. They veered off track, trying to escape them.

“Stage, calm down!” Rook said, trying to get him out of the water.

They were soon surrounded. Stage rose onto his hind legs,throwing Rook off. Rook quickly grabbed the nearest thing to use as a weapon to protect himself and Stage.

“Give… up… already!” Rook fussed, seeing the wolves wouldn’t back down.

They attacked all at once, sending Rook stumbling into the snow without his weapon. They growled hungrily, ready to feast on the human and it’s horse companion. Rook said a little prayer, seeing the wolves jump at him. A hurt whine could be heard. Rook opened an eye, seeing the wolves no longer circling him. It was the beast. He was fighting off the wolves. Rook clung to Stage, watching it all happen. The wolves finally turned tail, running off in a panic.

The beast fell into the snow. Rook looked away before looking back. He did all of that for him. Rook slowly approached, kneeling beside him. The beast saved him.

Rook had Stage carry him back. He often looked back, making sure he wasn’t slipping off. He was still in shock at everything. It all happened so fast. He really would’ve been a goner if it wasn’t for him. He…

Rook dipped the cloth in hot water before pressing it onto the beast’s hurt arm. Leona roared, it being extremely painful.

“That hurts!”

“Well if you stop moving…”

Rook did it again, Leona roaring once more, but much quieter. Rook continued to treat his wound, the words sitting comfortably on his tongue.

“To think you got this because of me…”

“Maybe if you didn’t run…”

Rook opened his mouth to fight back before closing it. None of this would’ve happened if he hadn’t gone into the west wing. 

“I’m sorry… and thank you. For saving me.” Rook said, looking at the wound.

“…You’re welcome.”

Rook met his gaze, feeling his sincerity.

“I’ve been calling you beast this whole time… Is there a name I can call you by?”

“It’s Leona…”

“Thank you again, Leona.”

Leona looked away, letting Rook bandage his arm.

-+-

Leona watched Rook walk around outside. He sighed, resting his head against his arms.

“I want to do something for him… He’s… he’s different… and beautiful…”

“Well, there’s a number of things you could do.” the clock said before listing things.

“Or, you could…” the candle holder said, whispering into Leona’s ear.

Leona’s face lit up. Would he really like it? Rook looked up, seeing they were watching from above. He waved, not expecting a wave back from Leona. Leona was being pretty friendly these days. Rook liked it.

“Hey, Rook, there’s something I want to show you!”

Rook tilted his head, wondering what it was. He gave Stage a brief hug before heading inside after Leona. He found himself being blindfolded. Rook felt nervous before feeling Leona take his hands. Rook allowed Leona to guide him, mostly because he didn’t know where he was going. He heard a door opening.

“Stay right there. No peeking.”

“Not even a little one?”

“No.”

Rook sighed, trying to see if he could tell by smell or touch. He heard something else being opened. The blindfold was removed. His eyes widened as he looked around. No way.

“No… way… this is…”

“Do you like it…?”

“Like it? I love it! There’s so many books here! I could spend eternity in here!” Rook exclaimed, running over to one of the shelves. “Witches, demons, gods, and more! This is heaven, Leona…!”

Leona felt his chest tighten, seeing Rook’s happy face. What was this feeling? Rook ran over to him with a book, showing it off. His chest continued to tighten.

“If you love it then… I’ll give it to you.”

“Really…?”

Leona nodded. He didn’t really have a use for it. Rook hugged him, startling him. Leona hugged him back, seeing it as the appropriate response.

“Thank you… This means so much to me…” Rook whispered, burying his face into his fur.

-+-

Rook and Leona sat on opposite ends of the dining table, getting ready to enjoy a nice breakfast together. Rook happily started to eat before looking up, seeing Leona eating in… a not so great way. The objects face palmed. Rook watched as he struggled to use a spoon.

“Wait, I think I got it…” Leona said, dropping the food. “I can do this…”

“Leona.”

Leona looked up, seeing Rook placing his spoon off to the side. Rook sipped from the bowl.

“I don’t…?”

“You don’t.” Rook replied, giggling in delight.

Leona picked up his bowl, sipping from it as well. They both laughed at each other, pointing out their staches.

“Ah, they’re getting along so well. To think not too long ago they hated each other…”

“Yeah. We’ll be free at this rate.”

Rook ran out the door, Leona chasing him as they laughed in delight. Rook put on a coat, heading outside with Leona following. Rook stopped, seeing a few birds searching around the snow. Rook headed back inside before coming out with seeds for the birds. The birds happily flocked over to him as he held out seeds for them to eat.

Leona watched, completely amazed. Rook was just amazing. Rook looked back, seeing Leona wanted in too.

“Come on, don’t stand there looking pitiful.”

Leona crouched down, scaring the birds. Leona frowned. Why didn’t they like him? One bird came back. Rook put some seeds in his hands before leaving a trail to them. The bird ate from the trail before seeing there were a lot more up ahead. It flew into Leona’s hands.

“I- I- I have one in my hands!” Leona exclaimed, looking at the bird wide eyed.

Rook giggled, finding his reaction simply adorable. They finished feeding the birds, deciding to take a little walk around. A bird came back, having Rook follow him. Leona watched, the pain in his chest growing.

This feeling… it was something different. Something he couldn’t describe when he looked at Rook. The memories of when Rook wouldn’t even look at him were replaced with all of his smiles and excited looks when he found an interesting book.

“I want to treasure this…” Leona thought, clutching his heart.

Rook’s eyes met his. Rook ducked behind a nearby tree, feeling strange. Leona was looking at him with gentle eyes. That was something he was getting used to. Was it okay for him to feel this way? For him? His captor? Rook stepped out, deciding to think about it later. He soon received a face full of snow.

“So you wanna play like that huh?” Rook said, making his own ball and throwing it at Leona.

Leona gathered up a lot of snow, a huge snowball in his hands. Rook ran, knowing he’d definitely get snow in places if he didn’t. The two continued their snowball fight before heading inside to warm up.

Rook sat by the fire, reading one of the book from the library. Leona sat down beside him, a blanket now covering the both of them. Rook read the story aloud, leaning against Leona ever so slowly. Leona shifted some, giving Rook a more comfortable position.

“Leona, why don’t you read this chapter?” Rook suggested.

“Well… I could…”

“Why do you sound so hesitant?”

Leona pursed his lips, looking away.

“Leona…?”

“I can’t read well.” Leona confessed, his ears bending. “It’s been so long…”

Rook chuckled, flipping a few pages.

“I’ll help then.”

Leona paid attention as Rook helped him relearn. Rook glanced up at Leona, feeling a beating in his ears. This feeling…

-+-

“You look superb master Leona.”

“Flattery isn’t going to get you anywhere.” Leona snapped, being groomed by his servants turned objects.

“Rook will be so pleased. How are you feeling?”

“Stupid.” Leona growled, undoing the curls.

“Give him a more natural look.”

Rook waited, wondering what Leona had planned. His door opened, revealing a spiffy Leona. He didn’t think he could look any better yet here he was. Rook took Leona’s extended hand, being led.

Rook’s eyes widened, seeing they were entering a rather large ballroom. He felt Leona place his hand on his hip while the other held his hand. Rook felt his face flush as they started to move around the floor. Why was Leona looking at him like that? Rook looked down, embarrassment taking over.

“Hey, look at me…”

Rook slowly raised his head, his blush becoming more noticeable.

“I want to see you.”

“Leona…”

This feeling… was it what he thought it to be? Did he really? Rook let his head rest against Leona, his heart not slowing down in the slightest.

The servants watched, their hearts melting. This was a moment they’d always remember. The two had walked out onto the balcony, the starry sky overhead. Rook sat on the edge while Leona stood by his side.

“You don’t look happy…”

“I am. It’s just… I miss him. My father. I wish I knew how he was doing…” Rook muttered, rubbing a leaf with his fingers.

Rook found himself being lifted to his feet by Leona before led somewhere. They were headed for the west wing. Leona had picked something up before handing it to him. It was a mirror.

“It’ll show you anything you want.”

“Then… May I see my father?”

The mirror revealed Ulysse practically crawling himself back to the castle. Rook frowned, causing Leona to frown as well.

“He… he collapsed.”

“He what?”

“Leona, please. Allow me to go help him at least.” Rook pleaded.

Leona looked away before meeting his eyes again.

“I’ll free you instead.”

“You… you’re freeing me…?” Rook questioned, his eyes widening. “Thank you… Thank you so much!”

“Take the mirror with you. Something to remember me by…”

Rook nodded, running out the room. Leona sat down, gazing up at the wilting flower. He was so close, but now… Leona sighed, looking out the window. There Rook went, heading off to his father.

“I’ll miss you…” Leona whispered, looking away.

-+-

Ulysse woke up, seeing his son. How did he get free? He moved to sit up but Rook lied him back down.

“How did you escape…?”

“He let me go. He’s… he’s a really great guy.” Rook said, a twinge of sadness in his tone.

“I’m just glad you’re safe, my child.”

They were startled out of their serenity by someone knocking on their door. Rook opened it, not expecting to see him.

“We’ve come for your father.”

“Eh? What for?”

“He’s a loon!”

“Yeah. Going on and on about a beast!”

The townspeople continued to talk bad about his father. Ulysse had come out, explaining it was all true. Rook watched as they picked up his father, taking him towards the wagon.

“You can’t do this!”

“Ah, my precious little Rook…”

Rook frowned heavily. Of all times for him to show up.

“What? Can’t you see they’re taking my father away? Vil, you know he’s not crazy…”

“Really? Well, I could help you solve this problem…” Vil stated, running his fingers through Rook’s hair.

“What…”

“Marry me.”

“Even now you only think of yourself!” Rook grumbled, hurrying back inside. “Wait, I can prove his existence! Look!”

Everyone gasped. Vil narrowed his eyes. He snatched the mirror, looking at Leona.

“What a beast! Imagine this creature escaping into the night and injuring us all!”

“He wouldn’t! He’s kind!” Rook exclaimed, only to be pushed out the way by Vil.

“Don’t tell me you have feelings for this thing! We shouldn’t let such a hideous thing roam this earth any longer. What do you all say?”

The townsfolk agreed. Rook found himself and his father being trapped in the cellar while the townsfolk went off to hunt down Leona.

“I only wanted to help you and made things even more complicated…” Rook whispered, putting his head in his hands.

-+-

The servants caught wind of the townsfolk coming. They frantically moved around, getting ready to defend their home.

“Master Leona, the castle is under attack.”

“It doesn’t matter. Time is just about up anyway…”

“Sir, don’t give up…”

“He’s gone. He’s not coming back. I was too hopeful, foolish!” Leona cried out, his chest paining him. “I’m better off dead…”

The servants down below fiercely fought, keeping their home and master safe from the angry mob. Unfortunately, Vil had gotten past them. Vil checked in rooms, his daggers ready.

Vil burst into Leona’s room, seeing him sitting. He showed no signs of malicious intent. Leona glanced at him before looking away. Vil attacked him without warning, taking the fight outside as Leona’s body was sent flying through the window.

“Get up and fight you disgusting creature!” Vil shouted, Leona slowly rising.

He soon found himself being pushed off the balcony, landing on the roof. This person was seriously ticking him off. Vil followed Leona as jumped around, dodging his attacks.

“How dare something as repulsive as you take my dear Rook’s heart? You aren’t worthy of his love!” Vil snarled, looking around as Leona hid. “Come out and fight me!”

Rook and Ulysse arrived on the scene, having freed themselves with a creation they made. Rook looked up, seeing Leona and Vil fighting. He ran towards the castle, needing to stop them.

Leona snuck up on Vil, landing a clean hit before Vil swung at him with a self made blunt object. Leona backed up, seeing he was nearing the edge. Vil continued to attack him until he found himself being held by his neck, Leona growling angrily.

“Wait, let’s be rational here…” Vil wheezed, looking down. “I’ll be good…”

Leona narrowed his eyes before backing up. he dropped Vil, seeing he’d spare his life.

“Leona!”

Leona looked back, seeing Rook extending his hand towards him. Leona’s pained chest grew warm, his heart beating fast. Rook came back. He couldn’t believe it. Leona started scaling the roof, wanting to get to Rook as fast as possible. Rook was really here.

They held hands before Leona cried out in pain. Rook saw he was tipping back, so he pulled him forward, unknowing of Vil falling to his death. Rook laid Leona down, seeing Leona was in a a lot of pain.

“You came back…”

“Of course…”

“Ah, I can rest easy I guess…”

“Rest easy? What do you mean? Leona?”

Leona caressed Rook’s cheek, smiling softly.

“I’m glad I got to fall in love with someone as amazing as you…”

“Hey, stop talking like that… Leona…”

Leona’s hand started to slip.

“Leona! Don’t do die on me!” Rook wailed, holding his hand tight. “Please… I… I love you so much…”

Rook began to weep, Leona’s breathing having stopped. The final petal fell. Rook tightly held Leona, his tears coating his shirt.

Rook slowly opened his eyes, seeing a bunch of lights surrounding them. Leona left his arms. He watched with watery eyes as Leona started to change before his eyes. Leona was placed back in his arms and looking… smaller than before.

“Leona…?”

His body twitched before his ears and tail started to show signs of life. Leona opened his eyes, looking up at Rook. He was alive?

“Rook…”

“I’m so glad… you’re okay… And smaller…”

Leona sat up, looking himself over. He was… he was back to normal. The spell.

Leona surprised Rook with a kiss, simultaneously breaking the spell on his entire castle. Rook wrapped his arms around Leona, tears streaming down his face. He couldn’t describe in words how happy he was to have Leona in his arms and alive.

[Later that day…]

Rook excitedly ran down the stairs, looking straight ahead at Leona. They bowed to each other before Rook took his hand. Leona chuckled, seeing Rook was impatient. The servants laughed, seeing Rook leading the dance.

“Leona, I love you and I want you to know that…”

“I love you too, Rook… I’ll never let you go again.”

“Never?” Rook questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“You know what I mean.”

Rook smiled widely, giving Leona a kiss. He loved him, whether he was a huge beast or half animal. And he was going to love him for the rest of his life.


	197. Film: Pretend you’re ordering

Kalim happily ate with Silver and Jamil, loving today’s lunch.

“There’s someone missing.”

“Hm?”

Clunk.

“Sea otter~”

“There it is…” Silver whispered, earning a nod from Jamil.

“Floyd! I thought we weren’t eating together today.” Kalim questioned, looking at him with his big eyes.

“Ah… I like you better.” Floyd laughed, taking some of Kalim’s lunch.

“Hey!”

“Otter, say ah~”

Kalim blinked before opening his mouth. Floyd laughed more, moving the food away before eating it. Kalim pouted.

“Okay, I’ll feed you seriously this time.” Floyd stated, scooping up some food.

He tricked Kalim again. Silver and Jamil saw it coming from a mile away. Kalim was so easy to fool, it made them wonder if Floyd tricked him into dating him. And Kalim being Kalim, going along with it.

Floyd finally fed Kalim, a serious look on his face. Kalim wore an innocent look as he looked up at Floyd.

“My sea otter…” Floyd mumbled, running his fingers through Kalim’s hair.

Kalim smiled with his eyes closed, loving the feeling. Ah. He loved Kalim so much. How was it possible he could hold the sun in his arms? Silver and Jamil had long since moved tables, wanting to give the couple their space.

“They look happy.”

“I don’t know how. Floyd is evil incarnate.” Jamil spat, looking at the fish man tickling Kalim.

“I wouldn’t go that far…” Silver muttered, watching Kalim tickle Floyd back.

•

The couple walked side by side, heading to Mostro’s. Floyd held Kalim’s hand, not really wanting to help out. But Kalim promised he’d stay the entire time, so it didn’t sound too bad.

“Sea otter?”

“Hm?”

“I want a kiss.”

Kalim moved to give him kiss only for Floyd to move out of his reach. How was he supposed to kiss him if he wouldn’t bend. Kalim stood on the tip of his toes, still not reaching. Floyd was laughing.

Kalim sighed, giving up. Floyd pursed his lips. He was giving up? Already?

“Hey, I still want a kiss…”

“But you’re not making it easy…”

“That’s the point though, sea otter.”

Kalim looked away, going on ahead without him. Floyd easily caught up with him, pressing a kiss onto his cheek.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Kalim smiled warmly.

Floyd returned his smile, glad to see he was back to himself.

•

Kalim sat at his reserved table, watching Floyd work. Azul readily agreed to letting him stay as long as he wanted for the price he had given him. A few students waiting in line saw this as a major inconvenience to them, wanting to sit and dine already.

“He’s cuter when he’s serious…” Kalim whispered, watching Floyd focus as he balanced trays.

Kalim smiled happily, watching Floyd come over to his table.

“Quick, pretend you’re ordering.” Floyd whispered, taking out his notepad. “Sea otter, these customers are getting in my nerves.”

“Well, have you been nice to them?”

Floyd was quiet.

“See. Be nice and they’ll be nice back.” Kalim said, having him hold his hand. “Don’t threaten to squeeze them if they do something you don’t like.”

Floyd reluctantly agreed. Kalim giggled softly, Floyd booping his nose. Kalim did it back.

“Floyd, stop flirting and get to work.” an angry Jade said with the sweetest smile.

Kalim apologized, ordering a drink. Jade gave him a little bow before walking away. Kalim continued to watch Floyd work.

•

Kalim entered the library, Jamil suggesting he tried doing research on his own. It sounded fun, so he figured he might as well.

Kalim was able to find most of the books he needed, but there was one he couldn’t seem to find yet the librarian said it hadn’t been checked out. Kalim started to look high and low before seeing it. He stretched, not making it.

It was too much work to go back and get the others in hopes of adding height, and they’d only add so much. Kalim started to jump, trying to reach it.

A fair toned hand picked up the book he needed.

“I found you, sea otter hehe~”

“Oh, Floyd!”

“You want it?”

“Yes! I need it for my project.”

“Jump and get it.”

Did he not just see him jumping for it before? Even then, he tried jumping for it. Floyd laughed in delight, loving watching Kalim struggle.

“Bet you can’t reach it!”

Kalim jumped, missing the book. He landed on a book that had fallen, stumbling back into a bookcase. The bookcase started to tip.

Everyone looked, hearing a loud thud. The librarian hurried over along with a few concerned students. They lifted the bookcase, seeing a student surrounded by books.

“Floyd Leech! How many times have I told you not to play around in the library!?” the librarian fussed before hearing faint sobs.

The students moved the books, seeing Kalim underneath Floyd. Floyd finally tipped over, scaring Kalim more.

“Why’d you do that you big dummy!?” Kalim wept, trying to reach him but his blurry vision preventing him.

The librarian deemed Floyd was mostly okay, seeing he’d at least have a concussion. Kalim followed the librarian, not wanting to leave Floyd’s side.


	198. NSFW Epel White and The Seven “Dwarves”

“Magic mirror on the wall, tell me… Who is the fairest one of all?”

“You are indeed very fair, but one in particular is more fair than thee.”

“Who? I demand an answer.”

“Lips as soft as silk, hair as beautiful as lavender, and skin as white as snow.”

Vil narrowed his eyes. That damned boy.

Epel quietly cleaned around outside, wiping his forehead. A few birds hung around, finding his presence relaxing.

“Ah, it’s such a nice day out.” Epel muttered, the cool breeze blowing around him.

The birds chirped in agreement. He started to hum, seeing it made things go a little faster. A bird started to chirp, trying to signal he was out of water.

“Ah, I’m out.” Epel gasped, picking up the bucket.

The birds followed him, landing on the other edge of the well. Epel continued to hum as he plunged the bucket in before pulling it back up.

“When you’re standing by a wishing well, make a wish into the well. That’s all you have to do. And if you hear it echoing, your wish will soon come true.” Epel sang, smiling at his feathered companions. “I’m wishing…”

“ _I’m wishing…_ ”

“…for the one I love. To find me…”

“ _To find me…_ ”

“…today.”

“ _Today._ ”

“I’m hoping…”

“ _I’m hoping…_ ”

“And I’m dreaming of. The nice things…”

A man on horseback passing by couldn’t help but hear someone singing not too far away. He led his horse towards the sound, wanting to figure out who or what it is.

“ _The nice things…_ ”

“…he’ll say.”

“ _He’ll say._ ”

The man peered over the wall, watching Epel with interest. Epel began to vocalize, listening to his echo in the well. The man couldn’t help his curiosity regarding Epel, climbing over the wall. He wanted to know more, mildly entranced by his wonderful voice.

“I’m wishing…”

“ _I’m wishing…_ ”

“…for the one I love. To find me…”

“ _To find me…_ ”

“…today!”

“Today!”

Epel jumped back, not expecting to see another person in the well.

“Hello.” the man said, giving Epel a proper greeting.

Epel ran. He didn’t know this man. Who knew what he wanted to do to him?

“Wait! Don’t go!” he called out, watching Epel run inside. “Maybe I came on too strong…”

The man cleared his throat, hoping a little song would sway him.

“Now that I’ve found you, hear what I have to say. One song, I have but one song. One song, only for you. One heart, tenderly beating, ever entreating, constant and true.”

Epel poked his head out from behind the curtain on the balcony, intrigued by this man’s breathtaking voice. Where’d he get such strong pipes from? He eventually came out onto the balcony, watching the man approach.

“One love… That has possessed me. One love… Thrilling me through. One song, my heart keeps singing… Of one love, only for you…”

Vil had watched the whole thing. Who was this person trespassing onto his property? And singing to his dearest Epel at that! Vil angrily left the window, needing to nip this in the bud.

“Who… Who are you…?” Epel asked, his heart swayed.

“I’m Prince M-”

Epel felt something grab him, pulling him back inside.

“V- Vil!”

Epel looked back, wishing he at least got the rest of his name.

•

“S- Stop!” Epel cried out, panting heavily as he weakly tried to escape Vil.

“Hush little one. You’re mine and mine alone. Everyday your beauty grows… I can’t let others see you.” Vil spoke, feeling Epel quivering in his arms. “They’ll want to do such lewd things to you…”

“But… but… you!” Epel whispered breathily, unable to stop himself from moaning.

“Look at that beautiful face… and it’s all for me…” Vil whispered, having Epel look at himself in the mirror. “That damned man can’t have you! No one can!”

Epel threw his head back, coming all over Vil’s hand as he breathed heavily.

“Don’t relax just yet my beauty… I haven’t had my fun yet.”

“Vil, please!” Epel wailed, feeling Vil putting himself in. “I don’t… aahh… aaaaaahhh…”

Vil kissed along Epel’s neck, seeing he had stopped protesting.

“What a good boy…” Vil whispered softly, using magic and having a feather tease Epel.

Epel couldn’t speak, overcome with pleasure. He looked at himself in the mirror, feeling disgusted with himself. He didn’t want a life like this. Vil didn’t care about him at all. Tears streamed down Epel’s face as he felt Vil come inside him.

He wanted true love.

•

Epel got dressed, trying to make as little noise as possible. He was going to get himself out of this place. He quietly closed the door to his room, sneaking down the hall. He hid himself, seeing a few guards down below. Epel didn’t have to do much, the guards distracting themselves. He quickly moved, seeing he was almost home free.

Epel pushed open the door before running as fast as he could. He was finally out. He knew of woods nearby, hoping he could hide within them. That man came to mind again, making his heart swell. He wanted to see him again.

•

He moved out of the way as Vil threw things, turning over tables and smashed objects.

“Why wasn’t anyone guarding his door!?”

“I wouldn’t know, your highness.”

“Don’t give me that! Why weren’t you taking over their duties then?”

“You sent me out on a different quest. I didn’t arrive back here until early morning.”

Vil exhaled loudly, fixing his hair. This could be solved.

“Rook, go and find that boy. Bring him back to me, alive. I don’t care if you have to sacrifice your life in the process!” Vil said as calmly as he could.

“Yes, your highness.”

Vil sat down on his throne, massaging the side of his head. That damned boy. How dare he escape in the night? He was protecting him from vile people! Was he not providing enough satisfaction?

Rook set out, checking for anything that could be a trail. He spotted a few tiny holes in the ground. Epel’s heels. Rook followed them, seeing they led to the woods.

Epel yawned, not having slept. He didn’t know where he was. He was hungry at that. He sat on a rock, feeling hopeless.

“Prince M… Where are you?” Epel whispered, willing himself not to cry.

Epel quietly sobbed into his hands. He didn’t want to go back home. Vil forced him to do things he didn’t want to. He was disgusted with himself for letting it happen.

“Prince Epel.” a voice called out.

Epel looked up, knowing who. It was the huntsman. Vil’s huntsman. Epel only got so far before Rook picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

“Put me down! I don’t want to go back!” Epel cried out, hitting Rook with every body part he could.

“Sorry, It’s Vil’s orders.”

Rook listened to Epel cry. Was it really that bad, going back home? Didn’t Vil treat him with the utmost respect? The boy was exaggerating.

•

Epel sat in his room, not touching his meal. He wasn’t going to eat anything made by Vil or his servants. But he was starving. Tears fell from his eyes as he felt conflicted. The windows in his room were barred and there were a bunch of guards standing outside his door.

He hated this. This isn’t respect at all. He was keeping him like a slave. He deserved better than this. He deserved…

“Prince M… He was so… charming.” Epel whispered, poking his food. “He sang so nicely… And looked at me so kindly…”

Epel felt his heart race. No one had ever looked at him like that. Like he was a precious treasure. Epel found some strength, seeing he wouldn’t be able to see him again if he didn’t eat. He ate, believing he’d see him again. Somehow.

Epel looked up, seeing Vil walking into his room hours later. What did he want?

“I see you ate. Smart choice.”

“I didn’t have a choice…”

Vil sat on the bed, Epel moving away from him.

“Epel dearest, don’t think ill of me. I’m doing this for your own good. Such horrid people live outside these castle walls. They’ll have their fun with you then treat you like you’re worthless!” Vil explained, holding Epel’s hand. “I want to protect you.”

“No you don’t! You’re just like the people you’re describing!” Epel shrieked, moving away again.

“I treat you like a princess!”

“You treat me like a pet!”

Vil took a deep breath, controlling his temper.

“Epel, that man did something to you. You were never this defiant.”

“You’ve been turning a blind eye this whole time to my feelings.”

Vil sighed, watching Epel turn his back to him. Epel gasped, feeling Vil touching him. Epel fought him, only getting himself pinned down to the bed.

“I’ve never turn a blind eye to you. I want to give you the best of everything, but I can’t do that if you’re thinking of other people.”

Epel continued to squirm around, feeling Vil attacking his body with his tongue. Tears left his eyes as Vil tightened his hold on him. Epel relaxed, allowing himself to imagine it being someone else. Prince M.

Vil was surprised to see Epel calm and responding positively. This was different. Was he finally accepting him? Epel let himself go, his mind going wild with thoughts of Prince M.

“Aahh… Pruh… Prince M…” Epel moaned unintentionally.

Vil stopped, glaring at the boy he was fucking.

“Excuse me?”

Epel knew it was over now. Or so he thought. It only made Vil fuck him harder, uncaring if he hurt him.

“I’m going to make you forget him!”

Epel was a moaning mess, his mind still fixated on his dashing prince.

•

Rook sidestepped, avoiding a flying chair. Epel had escaped again. He had heard from the guards what had happened. Vil was fucking the young prince against his wishes. He dodged another chair before Vil finally sat down.

“Bring him back here this instant, Rook!”

“Yes, your highness.”

Rook left the castle. Was he sure that was the right thing to do? Epel wouldn’t run away if he liked what was going on. Epel had once more left a trail for him to follow. Rook quietly deliberated his choices as he followed.

Epel leaned against a tree, feeling weak. He had gone further in this time. He didn’t know where he was going, but anywhere was better than being home. Epel dragged himself along before hearing footsteps behind him. It was Rook.

“I give up… Just take me…” Epel muttered. “I’m too weak to fight back.”

Rook could see the pain and sadness in his face.

“Prince Epel… I…”

Epel looked, seeing Rook produce food from his satchel.

“Please, eat.”

“But isn’t this yours…?”

“My health isn’t nearly as important as yours. I won’t bring you back. As soon as you finish, run as far away as possible. Somewhere Vil won’t be able to find you.” Rook said, holding Epel by his shoulders.

“Rook… Thank you… Thank you so much…” Epel weeped, wrapping his arms around himself.

Rook watched Epel run off farther into the woods. He couldn’t return back without Epel and going with him would probably put him in more danger. Rook cleaned up, running away himself.

“ _May we meet again, Prince Epel…_ ” Rook thought, expertly navigating the woods.

Epel wheezed, using a tree as support before seeing a house in the distance. Maybe someone lived there. He hurried over, ignoring the pain in his legs.

“Hello? Anyone home?” Epel called out, knocking on the door. He tried the knob, finding it open. “Excuse the intrusion…”

Epel looked around. It appeared as if people lived in this place. Seven whole beds and seven meals at a table. Epel had already eaten, but his body was extremely weary. He curled up on the biggest bed, instantly drifting off to sleep.

Seven people had entered the home before one spotted Epel sleeping on the biggest bed.

“I uh, I think there’s a person on your bed, Jack.” one said, scratching his head a bit.

“My bed!? Why is he sleeping in my bed!” Jack growled.

“Now, now. Let’s not wake the small thing. We can ask questions later.” another said.

“Ever reasonable Jamil. You truly are the best!” one more said, clapping in delight.

“At least our meals are untouched.” yet another said.

“Let’s sit down to eat, boys. Let’s do roll call. Jack.” Jamil said, looking at them.

Jack grumbled.

“Kalim?”

“Here!”

“Ace?”

Ace yawned.

“Deuce?”

“Ah…I’m… I’m here…”

“Sebek?”

“Here.” Sebek sneezed, blowing his nose.

“Ortho?”

“Here!” Ortho cheered.

They said a little prayer before eating. Epel yawned, having had a good rest. His eyes widened, seven pairs of eyes on him. He quickly got up, apologizing profusely.

“Who are you and why were you in my bed!?” Jack growled.

“Calm down. Hello young one. I’m Jamil. May I know your name?”

“Epel White…” Epel mumbled, still fearful of the huge guy behind Jamil.

“My, aren’t you simply stunning! But I’m afraid we can’t house another.”

“You can’t…? Please, let me stay. I have no where else to go. I’ll do housework!” Epel begged, not wanting to traverse the woods again.

The seven huddled together, most likely deciding what to do with him.

“You can stay as long as you do housework then.” Jamil said. “Also, this big guy is Jack, that white haired one is Kalim, the one falling asleep is Ace, the one peering from behind his plate is Deuce, the one sneezing is Sebek, and the small blue haired one smiling is Ortho.”

“Hello. Nice to meet you all.” Epel said, giving a little bow. “I’ll keep to my promise. Thank you so much for letting me stay.”

They all softly gasped, looking upon the radiating beauty before them. Epel White was breathtaking.

•

Epel cleaned around the home, small animals joining in. Epel sung a song, seeing the animals liked it. They were startled out of their serenity by a knock on the door.

“Hello? Is anyone home? I’m a bit lost…” a voice called out.

The dwarves had warned him about Vil eventually learning of his whereabouts and coming for him, but this person didn’t sound at all like him. The least he could do was help out. Epel opened the door, letting the man in.

“You say you’re lost. What place are you looking for?” Epel asked, pouring him a cup of water.

“I’m looking for the castle that the rumored fairest Snow White lives in.”

Epel briefly froze. He handed the man the cup before giving him a smile.

“I hear it lies just on the other side of the woods.”

The moment Epel turned his back, he felt his hands being pressed behind him.

“Really? Are you sure it isn’t… you?”

Epel struggled, feeling the man slipping his hands into his pants.

“Stop!” Epel shouted, trying to get away.

The man’s form changed, revealing Vil. Epel was devastated. He had been tricked.

“You have nothing to blame but your selfless self.” Vil chuckled, watching Epel squirm. “To think you thought you could escape me was your first and last mistake, dearest Epel.”

Epel couldn’t get free. This was it. Vil was going to take him back after he had his fun. The door swung open, causing them to look.

“You!” Jack roared, charging towards Vil.

The dwarves threw Vil out, Ortho and Deuce checking on Epel, listening to him explain.

“I know… I’m foolish.” Epel whispered, tugging on his hair.

“Not at all. You can’t help what’s in your nature.” Sebek said before sneezing into a tissue.

“Just be more careful next time. Don’t open the door for anyone who’s supposedly lost.” Jamil warned.

Epel nodded, receiving comfort from the seven of them.

•

Epel was cleaning up again with the animals when a knock could be heard along with a voice. Epel didn’t respond.

“I’m a relative of one of the dwarves! I told him I’d be stopping by today!”

“ _A relative? Well I can’t just turn him away… and he’s not lost…_ ” Epel thought, looking to the animals. “Which dwarf?”

“Sebek.”

Epel opened the door, letting him in. He certainly did have similarities to Sebek. Epel was a gracious host to him. He joined Sebek’s relative on the bed before finding himself being pinned down. He was fooled yet again as the potion revealed the relative’s true form.

Epel kicked and shouted, trying to get Vil off of him. Epel started struggling more, seeing Vil was going for anal penetration.

“Stop!”

“No! You’re mine and I can do as I please! I won’t let anyone have you!” Vil scoffed, positioning himself to enter Epel.

The door opened, seven pairs of eyes on them. Vil was thrown out yet again, Epel crying about how stupid he was. They comforted him, assuring him he couldn’t help it.

“Don’t open the door for anyone no matter who it is.” Jamil warned.

“I understand. I’m so sorry for causing so much trouble…”

“It is troublesome!” Jack huffed. The others glared at him. “What? I’m not wrong…”

•

Epel sighed, tidying up the beds. Vil hadn’t come which was extremely relieving. He looked up, seeing a shiny red apple sitting on the windowsill. When did it get there? Epel picked it up, looking it over. It was really pretty and delicious looking.

“Eat it! Eat it!” Vil whispered from afar.

Epel found himself wanting to take a bite of it, several to be more exact. It was just that alluring. The animals with him watched as Epel took a bite. They scattered, watching his body fall to the floor, the apple rolling slowly before stopping. Evil laughter could be heard as Vil approached.

“You continued to refuse me again and again… So be it! I’ll make sure no one can have you!” Vil yelled, looking in through the window. The animals scurried, needing to warn the dwarves. “Even like this you still look as fair as ever, my dearest Epel…”

Vil had started making his way back, just as animals attacked him, causing him to step back towards the house. They had to delay him until helped arrived.

“Move it you sickening creatures!” Vil hissed, swatting at the birds. “You’ll ruin my face!”

The dwarves arrived on the scene, seeing Vil being attacked by woodland creatures. The animals dispersed, allowing them to deal with Vil. Vil ran, the seven giving chase. They chased Vil up the mountain, watching him climb up.

“You’re gonna be in a world of pain when I get my hands on you!” Jack barked, moving the fastest after Vil.

Vil saw there wasn’t anywhere left to climb to and the seven were hot on his heels. He noticed the boulder beside him, If he could just get it to move…

The seven watched as Vil was attempting to dislodge the huge boulder. Vil felt his foot slip before the ground gave way beneath his feet from added weight and the boulder being moved. The seven watched as Vil fell. They didn’t have time to worry about him. They hurried back to their home, needing to check on Epel.

They tried everything. Epel wouldn’t wake up. Jack pursed his lips, trying not to let his tears fall. He started weeping into Jamil’s arms. Jamil patted his back, feeling they should’ve done more for him.

•

They couldn’t find it in their hearts to bury Epel. Not when he still looked so beautiful and radiant. Deuce stood by Epel’s glass coffin, placing his hand against it. How long had it been since they last saw him move? The others soon joined him, it being close to the time they usually paid their respects. The woodland animals appeared, seeing it was that time of day again.

A person watched this from afar, having searched far and wide for the rumored maiden in a glass coffin. He approached before the seven stood on alert.

“Who are you?”

What are you doing here?”

“I’ve heard rumors about a maiden in a glass coffin. And it seems it’s true.” he said, removing his hat. “I… I know him…”

They reluctantly allowed him to pass. He stood beside Epel, tenderly caressing his cheek. His darling had passed without him knowing. He squeezed his eyes shut, his heart paining him. Just once he wanted to hold him in his arms, compliment him endlessly and give him all the love he had. He leaned down, pressing his lips against Epel’s before kneeling by his side.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you, my fairest…”

The animals were the first to notice movement coming from Epel. The others noticed after hearing all the animal chatter. Epel looked around before spotting the seven and..

“Prince M!”

Prince M caught Epel in his arms as he held him tight.

“I never thought I’d see you again…” Epel whispered, letting his tears fall…

“It’s Prince Malleus. I never got your name.”

“Epel White…”

Malleus lifted Epel into his arms, spinning him around while the seven and the animals celebrated. They shared a kiss before Epel rested his head against his shoulder.

“I know this is sudden but, may I have your hand in marriage?”

“Yes! I accept!” Epel exclaimed, snuggling against him.

Epel waved to the seven as Malleus sat him on his horse. They waved back, sad to see him go, but happy to see he was going to get his happy ending.


	199. Hayami Fujimori: You can’t freeze up again

“Yami, calm down.”

“But he’s so cute!? I- I don’t know if I can control these feelings.” Hayami muttered, watching Yuu walking outside with Jack and Deuce.

“You haven’t changed in the slightest.”

“Don’t laugh at me Mal. At least no one avoided me.”

Hayami silently apologized, knowing it’s a sore spot. They watched Yuu before they couldn’t anymore.

“What should I do…? I can’t be direct about it…”

Hayami looked up at Malleus with watery eyes. The sheer thought of confessing face to face was enough to scare him shitless.

“Why not write your feelings down? Writing always helped you through things.”

“Writing… I can do that…”

“You’re a magnificent writer, even though nothing makes sense.”

Hayami chuckled, not entirely sure. They looked, seeing Yuu enter the library with Deuce and Jack. Malleus turned, seeing Hayami pressing himself against the wall.

“Yami, you need to get writing.”

Malleus sighed, rolling his eyes as he dragged Hayami back to their table. He was a shaking mess. His face was red and it looked as if he was sweating. None of this phased him, remembering his other crushes from years ago.

“Hey!”

Hayami looked up, his symptoms worsening. He couldn’t speak. Yuu tilted his head, wondering if Hayami was feeling unwell.

“Uh, give us a moment.”

Malleus led Hayami away before he started to cry. He held Hayami close, knowing that rubbing his horns was soothing to him. Yuu peeked into the aisle they went in. His heart twisted, seeing the scene.

“So that’s how it is…” Yuu mumbled, involuntarily shedding tears.

Jack and Deuce watched as Yuu ran out the library.

Hayami wiped his eyes, feeling better. How was he not to feel so afraid, Yuu being so close to him?

“Ready? You can’t freeze up again.” Malleus warned. “This’ll seem suspicious to him.”

“I know…”

They walked back over, not seeing Yuu. They looked around before understanding Yuu left.

“There you are! Jack told me to stay behind and let you know Yuu just suddenly left… I don’t really know why either.” Deuce said, having stopped them.

“Do you know where they went?”

Deuce nodded, having been given updates from Jack. They followed Deuce, their curiosity at a high.

•

Jack patted Yuu’s back, his tears finally stopping.

“Are you sure it was romantic? Did you ask?”

“Ask? I saw it with my own two eyes! That was nothing but romantic!” Yuu wailed, clutching his chest.

“Yuu!”

They looked up, seeing the trio approaching them. Yuu had mixed feelings, half full of love and the other completely devastated.

“Why did he run…?” Deuce whispered, hoping Jack could provide an answer.

Jack whispered back as Yuu avoided eye contact with Hayami. Deuce nodded, wondering if it was true.

Hayami was at a loss for words yet again. He then remembered the letter he had messily written on his way over. Hopefully it was it legible enough.

“Y- Y- Y- Yuu… I umm… I… Here!” Hayami squeaked, roughly placing it in his arms before running.

“Yami! You can’t just…” Malleus fussed, seeing he was too far to hear him. “I’ll try bringing him back.”

Yuu unfolded it, instantly noticing how messy it was. Did he write this while running? Yuu’s eyes scanned the words, the darkness over his heart parting. They noticed he was crying again. Now what was the problem?

“He likes me… He likes me, guys…”

They read it over, cooing at how sappy it was. Yuu held the letter close, wanting to answer him right away. He didn’t have to go far, Malleus dragging a fussy Hayami back.

“There we go. Now don’t move and wait for your answer.”

Hayami covered his face. How pathetic he must look. He felt someone move his hands before he was kissed. Hayami nervously kissed back, feeling completely unsure of himself.

“I really like you too, Hayami…” Yuu said, embracing him tight.

“Yuu…”

Hayami lovingly kissed his cheek, resting his head on his shoulder. Words couldn’t describe how happy he was.

[A few days later…]

“Hey, Yuu…”

“Hm?”

“Where would you like to go for a date?”

“A lunch date sounds nice.”

“I was thinking that too!”

Yuu smiled happily, making Hayami go red in the face.

“Ah, how unfair…” Hayami thought, wishing Yuu would go red in the face too.


	200. Rook: Les poissons

He’s had a feeling of being watched closely. He turned around, not seeing anything. He continued to work, keeping his senses sharp. He turned around, seeing a cup of tea sitting on the table behind him. Suspicious.

Clearly he wouldn’t drink it. He picked it up, getting a whiff of it. He fell unconscious to the floor, the cup falling, cracking and its contents spilling onto the floor. A figure entered the area, dragging the body away.

•

He found himself tied up to a table in a unfamiliar room. His eyes widened, seeing a bunch of instruments off to the side. What in the name of Poseidon!?

He heard footsteps before a figure came into view.

“Greetings, Monsieur Joyous Offender.”

“Rook…?”

“Oui!”

“Why am I tied up?”

“I want to know how you work, little eel. And in order to learn, I must cut.”

“Cut? Whaddaya mean…”

“What that means Floyd…” Rook said, picking up a rather sharp object. “I have to slice you up.”

“What!?”

Floyd started wiggling around, trying to get free. Rook had tied him down tight.

“Jade!” Floyd cried out, hoping there were somewhere someone could hear.

“Les poissons, les poissons! How I love les poissons! Love to chop and to serve little fish~ First I cut of their heads zen I pull out their bones! Ah mais oui, ça see'est toujours delish.”

Floyd watched as Rook danced around the table he was tied to. As much as a he hated the song, he was thankful it was keeping him alive much longer.

“Les poissons, les poissons~ Hee hee hee, haw haw haw! With the cleaver I hack them in two! I pull out what’s inside and I serve it up fried. God, I love little fishes, don’t you? Here’s something for tempting the palate. Prepared in the classic technique: First you pound the fish flat with a mallet, then you slash through the skin, give the the belly a slice then you rub some salt in ‘cause that makes it taste nice!”

Floyd looked and saw Jade and Azul hiding not too far away. He didn’t know how they found him but he didn’t care. He just didn’t want to end up like the fish in Rook’s song.

They carefully moved about, trying not to alert Rook who was singing.

“Zut alors! I have missed not one, but two! Sacre bleu, what is zis?  
How on earth could I miss such sweet, little succulent eel and octopus?”

Jade found himself being pulled out of hiding and tied to another table. Where did it even come from!? Azul tried running, only to be caught. He too was tied to a table and stripped of his magipen.

“Tout à l'heure, mon poisson! Au revoir!”

The trio looked at Rook who happily looked at the knife in his hand. They collectively screamed. They knew Rook was crazy but not to this extent.

“Let us start with my first find, Monsieur Joyous Offender fufu…” Rook said lowly, walking over to the wiggling eel.

“Nooooooooo……!”


	201. Diasomnia: Did You Know That Your Baby Boy…

Lilia entered the room for club meeting holding a book, seeing Cater was already there. Kalim was nowhere to be seen.

“Did you bring more of that gross licorice…?” Cater asked carefully.

“Why? I thought you don’t like it?”

“Well, I felt like maybe I can try pairing it with something.”

Lilia handed him some licorice, watching him eat it with something else. Kalim had finally came, cheerily greeting everyone. They sat down together and talked, planning for their performance for next year.

“You know, this is off topic but, what’s that book?” Kalim asked, noticing the book by Lilia’s side.

“Ah, this little thing? It’s just a photo album.” Lilia chuckled, enjoying his licorice.

“May I see?” Kalim stated, mimicking movements.

“Me too, me too~” Cater cheered.

They flipped through, seeing it was baby pictures of Silver.

“Would you two like to hear a story? Of how I came across this defenseless baby?”

They nodded enthusiastically.

“Well, over seventeen years ago, I was traveling around as I usually do. I happened upon an area where it seemed like a ghost town. Naturally I explored it, pretty intrigued. Though, turned out to be a waste of time. So I left. I had heard there was another town nearby, so I started making my way there.” said Lilia, setting the tone. “The little place was lively. Made a person wonder what happened to the other place. So I was wandering through when I heard strained crying. I followed the sound and there it was lying on the ground, completely bare. No clothes, no blanket, no basket, nada.”

He didn’t think the two of them would be this hooked to the story. It was nice seeing some youngins appreciated a nice story.

“So I did what any sensible person would, search for his parents. Everyone claimed they’ve never even heard of someone being pregnant in town. Needless to say, the baby was vulnerable and parentless. I couldn’t care for him, I was a traveler and babies his age needed constant attention and love. I felt I couldn’t provide that. But it was one little action that convinced me to settle down and raise him.” Lilia said, leaving it on a cliffhanger.

“What?” Kalim pressed.

“I’ve got to know! I hate suspense!” Cater demanded.

“Well… he held my hand, at least, the best he could at that age. He was looking at me with such droopy eyes full of wonder and curiosity… I couldn’t stand it. I had to take care of him. I bought things, giving him something warm to wear and some cloth I used to tie him to me. While I was making my way back to Draconia castle, I started thinking of names for him. In that time frame, he had caught a nasty cold from being left out the way he was. Walking wasn’t a good choice anymore, so I hurried back by broom. I did everything I could for him, only left to hope and pray his cold went away.” said Lilia, remembering as if it were yesterday. “I was so worried I slept by his bedside that day. When I had awoken, his temperature had gone down significantly and he wasn’t a crying mess. He was getting better. At this time, Malleus had gotten word that I brought a baby home. He was so taken with him, it was a shame he didn’t take a liking to him at first.”

Their eyes were practically sparkling. Was it really that good of a story?

“After a few days of raising him in the castle, I had decided on a name for him. So I picked him up, swayed him around a little and said his name for the first time… Silver. At first he didn’t give much of a reaction, and that’s understandable considering his age. But then he let out the cutest giggles and blubbering I’ve ever heard. He liked his name. I know for a fact I cried at that moment. I never thought I’d feel so much from a baby that wasn’t related to me in the slightest. I wanted to protect… him…” Lilia said, feeling tears prick his eyes. “I knew from that moment I… I…”

Kalim and Cater patted Lilia’s back, hearing him sob softly.

“I was going to be the best father I could ever be…” Lilia choked out, breaking down into tears. “I was going to give him all the love, affection and attention I could muster with this body of mine…”

“Lilia…”

“I’m sure Silver appreciates everything you’ve done for him, even now as you watch over him making his own life choices.” Cater said, hoping he’d cry a little less.

Lilia wiped his face, seeing he had to finish the story.

“I had helped raise Malleus before, so I figured it wouldn’t be all that different with Silver. I was painfully wrong. Human and non human babies are very different. I learned that the hard way. I’ll never forget the day Silver had such bad diarrhea…” Lilia said, shuddering at the memory. “Poop was everywhere. But, as you can see from these pictures, we had a lot of good times.”

“Aw… Look at Silver playing with blocks.”

“That have concerning symbols on them…” Kalim muttered, knowing for a fact those weren’t kiddie blocks.

“Or the stackable rings!”

“That looks suspicious too…” Cater muttered, seeing it looked like you were choking something.

Lilia smiled happily, a part of him wishing he could go back in time and relive some of the happy moments.


	202. Epel + Vil: It sucked so much…

Vil patrolled around the dorm, making sure everyone was asleep in bed. Third floor? Check. Ballroom? Check. Second floor? Check. First floor? Check. Kitchen? Check. Lounge? No check.

He squinted, seeing something sitting in one of the chairs. He moved closer, seeing it was a student.

“Epel Felmier. You know you aren’t supposed to be out of your room after the set dorm curfew.”

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to disturb my roommates…” Epel whispered, wiping his eyes.

Vil frowned. It was still no excuse to disobey the rule. Though, he seemed really upset. Vil sat down beside him, putting the ball of light under a glass and illuminating the area. Epel looked in awe.

“Why are you crying anyway?”

“Ah, it’s nothing serious… Well, to you it’s not.” Epel muttered, rubbing his arms.

“Why wouldn’t it be serious to me? I’m the dorm leader here and it’s my duty to look after you grungy potatoes, helping you become high quality potatoes.” Vil stated, making a little pose.

“I’ll head back to my room. Just give me whatever punishment for breaking the rule.” Epel said, getting up.

Vil sat him back down.

“Talk to me child.”

“But-”

“Talk. To. Me. Are you going to disobey your dorm leader on top of breaking the rule?” Vil questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Epel sighed heavily. He didn’t want another punishment.

“I don’t have enough money for chicken nuggets.” Epel said.

Vil blinked. What?

“I was really in the mood for chicken nuggets and I was going to buy some from Sam’s, but I didn’t have enough.” Epel explained, putting his head in his hands. “My day just… it sucked so much…”

He was crying over chicken nuggets. Here he was thinking the others were bullying him or his grades were slipping, but no. Chicken nuggets. What the fuck.

“Well, I can lend you some money. If you want.” Vil suggested.

“I won’t get my allowance until next month though…” Epel said.

“And next month is what? A week away? Plus, it’s not like I said you owe me.”

“But I’m borrowing-”

“You don’t owe me, Epel. I’m a global pro model. I can afford to spare cash for chicken nuggets.”

Epel looked at him with sparkling eyes. To think Vil would be this generous for something so small. Where was this kind heart ages ago?

“Thank you, Vil…” Epel said, feeling better. “You can actually be nice…”

“Excuse me?”

There was demon Vil again.

“Nothing…”

“Come. Let’s go give you some money.”

He couldn’t believe it, but it was really staring him in the face. Vil really could be nice. Then why was he mean all the time?


	203. Vanrouges: Bocky!

Lilia waved, seeing Silver looking at him with misty eyes, clearly ready to cry the second he left.

“I’m so sorry Malleus…”

“No, it’s fine. You have things to do and I’m mostly free. Silver and I are tight. Right?”

Silver’s attention was fixated on Lilia’s head poking out and speaking to them.

“If anything goes wrong, call for me.”

Lilia slowly backed up to close the door, only to hear Silver burst into tears. He desperately wanted to go back in but he couldn’t. He closed the door, running away as fast as possible.

“Hey, it’s okay. Daddy will be back. Don’t you want to have fun with Uncle Malleus?” Malleus asked, trying to calm Silver.

Silver wasn’t having any of it. Malleus panicked before having a thought. He quickly created fabrics and thread, getting to work. Silver continued to cry, wanting Lilia back.

“Silver, look!”

Silver looked before quieting down.

“Do you want it?”

“Dolly.”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Pease.”

Malleus gave him the doll, glad to see it calmed him. Thank god he learned sewing when he did. Silver squealed in delight, running around with the Lilia doll.

“Silver, why don’t we go play in your room?” Malleus suggested, holding his hand out.

Silver instead ran off towards his room. It was a work in progress. Malleus closed the door behind him, seeing Silver was really into the Lilia doll.

Silver was talking, about half of it completely incoherent.

“Baby needs sleep!”

“You’re putting the doll to sleep?”

“Yeah!”

Malleus watched as Silver tucked the Lilia doll into bed. This was too cute. Malleus took this as an opportunity to check over the schedule Lilia left. In a few more minutes it would be time for Silver’s first snack of the day which was usually fruit. Silver usually ate lunch later since he woke up later than expected.

Malleus decided to get his snack ready while he was busy playing parent. Malleus checked the schedule again. After a few hours he ate lunch and right after lunch he was due for a nap. He hurried back, not wanting to think of what Silver could’ve done in the short time he’s been away.

What he wasn’t expecting was to see Silver lying on the floor unmoving. He dropped everything, rushing over to him.

“Oh, he’s sleep…” Malleus muttered.

Did Lilia know about this? He tried waking him up but Silver wouldn’t budge. Well, it looked like snack time wouldn’t happen, meaning he’d be extra hungry come lunch. Malleus kept the cup of fruit on the table just in case.

Silver was still asleep and it was getting close to lunch time. Would he not wake up?

A minute before lunch time. He was still sleeping. It was time to call Lilia. He moved to call for him only to see Silver sit up, rubbing his little eyes. He woke up just in time for lunch.

“Silver! Are you hungry?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go have lunch.”

Silver got to his feet, taking Malleus’ hand. Silver didn’t seem the least bit phased by the fact he had slept for hours despite only having been awake for two hours. He was definitely going to tell Lilia.

He got Silver situated for lunch, watching him stab his food with his right hand before eating. He sighed softly, loving the adorable scene. Silver babbled to himself, starting to play with his food. Did Lilia allow that? He didn’t do anything, not entirely sure.

“Turkey!”

“Yep. That’s turkey.”

“Cheese!”

“It’s mac and cheese.”

“Mah and cheese.”

Close enough.

“Bocky!”

“It’s broccoli Silver.”

“Boc- Bocci- Brocky- Bocky!”

One day. Silver laughed, eating his lunch. Human children really did have a charm to them. Silver drank his water, unphased by Malleus touching his head.

Malleus cleaned up, having sent Silver back to his room. It was nap time. Would Silver resist sleep or be easy?

Silver was already in bed when he opened the door. Was all his nap times like this? He was even holding the Lilia doll close.

“So, does Daddy read you a story?”

“He sings a lullaby. It’s really loud.”

Ah. How Silver managed to fall asleep to that was beyond him.

“Would you like me to sing one?”

“You know lullabies?” Silver asked.

“I do. How about a soft one for a change, hm?” Malleus suggested.

Silver snuggled under his covers, holding his Lilia doll.

“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam.”

Silver yawned, feeling tired. Malleus gently stroked his hair, hoping it’d help.

“Yet I know it’s true that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you I know what you’ll do, you’ll love me at once the way you did once upon a dream.”

Malleus started to hum, not wanting to wake him with the vocalization part. Silver was on the edge of sleep, completely lulled by Malleus’ song.

“But if I know you, I know what you’ll do. You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream.”

Silver was knocked out. Malleus chuckled softly, deciding to finish the song.

“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. And I know it’s true, that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you I know what you’ll do, you’ll love me at once the way I did once upon a dream.”

Malleus kissed his head, drawing a few of the curtains to make it darker in the room. He watched Silver a bit longer before quietly closing the door behind him.


	204. Ace x Deuce: You weren’t doing well

“Remember. Test tomorrow. Cramming tonight won’t help you.” Crewel said as his students left.

“Ugh, I’m tired of tests.” Ace groaned, grimacing.

“I know how you feel, but if we don’t start getting serious, we won’t get where we want in life.”

Ace looked at Deuce who flipped through flash cards. Deuce had suddenly started getting serious about his studies some months ago. Safe to say after the whole Scarabia fiasco. He knew he’s been wanting to be an honor student for his mom, but this change was pretty surprising.

“I wish I could get serious like you…” Ace sighed, putting his arms behind his head.

“I could help, but you have to focus. No games or tricks. Just straight studying.” Deuce said, giving Ace a serious look.

“No breaks?”

“Of course breaks. So, you in?”

“I get to spend more time with you.” Ace winked.

Deuce let out a small gasp, looking away as his face turned red. Ace chuckled, wrapping an arm around Deuce’s waist as he pressed a kiss to his cheek. Deuce became more flustered and red, hiding his face from sight.

“You’re so adorable.”

“Stop it…”

“Ah, I’m in the mood for some sugar. Can we stop by Sam’s before our next class?”

Deuce gave him a kiss, surprising him. Deuce grinned before running away. Ace chased after him, his cheeks just as red. Deuce stuck his tongue out, making Ace pick up his pace.

Sam’s eyes widened, his door being swung open and two youths running inside. He smiled, loving their high energy.

“Welcome my little demons. What can I do for you? A charm to boost your intelligence? A drink that gives you a green thumb? A ring that turns you invisible at random?”

“Nah. Wait, you said a charm that boosts intelligence?” Ace asked with interest.

“We just came for a sugary treat.” Deuce said, asking for a few personalized candies.

“You got it~!”

Deuce waited while Ace searched around for Deuce’s favorite snack. Wouldn’t hurt to surprise him once in awhile. Deuce had paid for the candies before calling for Ace.

“I know we’ve got time, but I’d like to take my time walking to class.” Deuce said before heading out.

Ace quickly purchased the snacks before heading out after Deuce. Deuce tried getting Ace to show him what was in the bag but he wouldn’t.

•

Lunch time had rolled around, the other first years joining them. As usual, Jack and Sebek teased them, Epel scolding them. The couple naturally sat side by side, Deuce wanting to get their lunches and ended up bickering with Ace about who would get lunch.

Deuce ended up getting lunch anyway.

“You two look like you’re made for each other.” Epel said, smiling happily.

“Eh? I wouldn’t say so…”

“Hm? Are you saying you’re killing time with him?” Jack asked curiously.

“W- What!? No! I really love him!” Ace declared, a faint blush on his cheeks. “I mean, I really like him…”

“You love him?”

“N- No. No I don’t! As if I’d fall in love with him.” Ace pouted, his face getting redder.

“Ah, I see.”

Ace quickly turned around, seeing Deuce setting their lunches down. Crap. Now he was going to think he’d never love him. How could he fix things?

“I hope I got your favorites.” Deuce said with a smile.

“Hey, let’s talk later, okay?” Ace whispered, holding his hand and giving it a squeeze.

Deuce nodded, eating his lunch. The trio looked at them, not used to them being so quiet. Deuce smiled softly, feeling Ace lean against him.

“So, we’ve got joint P.E with the second years…” Jack piped up, not liking the silence.

They all started to talk, sharing their experiences with joint class with their seniors.

They finished their lunches, heading out to the courtyard to horse around. Surprisingly, Deuce sat on the sidelines, going through his flash cards. He was really serious about studying. They decided not to bother him, but Ace couldn’t help but wonder if he was partially at fault after what he said.

•

Ace sat down with Deuce, ready to study.

“So what are we starting with?” Ace asked, looking at Deuce with hopeful eyes.

“We’re starting with mathematics, his worst subject.”

Ace snapped his head up, not expecting to see Riddle. No. No fucking way.

“Hm? Why are you making that face? I thought you were going to be serious, Trappola.” Riddle sneered, looking down at him.

“I was until I learned you were helping.”

“Ace, you said you were going to get serious too.” Deuce stated, frowning heavily.

“There’s no way I’m studying with this tyrant! Since he can’t be a tyrant with rules, he’s moved onto studying and grades!”

“Ace, you’re going to flunk out of you don’t get a little serious.”

“I’d do anything that doesn’t involve Riddle.”

“Alright then. Get out of our study session.” Riddle said as blunt as possible. “I’m not here to listen to babies who cry over who teaches them. It’s that disgusting little pride and attitude of yours that’s going to get your ass kicked out of Night Raven.”

Ace lowly growled, snatching up his books before leaving. Deuce sighed, closing his books as well.

“Deuce?”

“I’m sorry, Riddle senpai… I know I won’t be able to focus and I don’t want to waste your time.” Deuce said, standing up.

“I see. I’m sorry he wasted precious study time for you.”

Deuce headed back to their room, expecting to see Ace curled up in his bed. He wasn’t. He placed his books aside, looking outside the window. He caught a glimpse of Ace leaving Heartslabyul.

Ace came to a stop, seeing he was far enough. Who did Riddle think he was, throwing around insults like that? Just because he consistently got high grades didn’t mean he could put others down. He was trying.

Ace took a deep breath, seeing he had ample space to practice his magic. He sent multiple spells at once, checking how much blot accumulated after each. It was getting better. Now that he was warmed up, he could start with the heavy hitter: his unique magic.

He needed someone else though. He looked around, hoping to find someone else practicing magic. He spotted a few students, seeing they were practicing a few advanced elemental spells.

“Let’s hope this works…”

The success rate would be higher if he clearly and perfectly imagined what he wanted to happen.

“Don’t Mind If I Do…” Ace said, his magic crystal glowing.

A student noticed his magic wasn’t coming out. He was relieved to see it came back. It didn’t work. Ace checked his crystal. He had a bit more time left before he needed to call it quits.

“Don’t Mind If I Do.”

Another student couldn’t use his magic. Was it working this time? Ace tried using it himself. Nothing happened. He tried a few more times before having to call it quits.

He stopped by the cafeteria for a quick bite, needing to refuel. Some blot disappeared, his body being nourished. Tomorrow he’d perfect it. If his brother could perfect his in his first year, so could he.

•

Ace received a phone call from his brother. He excited picked up, moving away from Deuce so they could talk.

“Black*! It’s so nice to hear from you.” Ace exclaimed, his eyes shining.

“Hey. I talked to Mom and Dad recently. They said you weren’t doing well in school.” he said, crossing his arms.

“That’s one way to put it. I call it enjoying my freshman year. Just like you!” Ace exclaimed.

“Yeah, I did enjoy my freshman year AND wasn’t even remotely close to flunking out.”

“I’ve got everything under control, big bro. I’m studying. And stuff.”

“Ace, I keep telling you, you don’t have to be me. Be your own person.”

“But you’re so cool and amazing and-”

“Ace, listen to me. Stop causing our parents unnecessary worry because you want to put me up on a pedestal, idolize me even. It’s fine to look up to me, but be you.”

“Big bro…”

“Look, I called because Mom and Dad think I could get through to you better, and now I see their point. Ace, shape the fuck up. You aren’t a little kid anymore. Ever since you stepped into high school, you’re responsible for your choices and how they’ll shape your future.”

Ace was instantly hung up on. He couldn’t believe it. Black was scolding him. Why? He wasn’t doing anything wrong? He tried calling him back, wanting to explain himself. Black wouldn’t answer.

Deuce wondered if everything was okay with Ace. Ace suddenly ran off. He quickly got up, running after him.

“Ace!”

Deuce fell back, a decent sized wall in his path. Did Ace just push him away? He didn’t know what to make of it. He looked around the wall, seeing Ace was gone. He looked so happy when he got the phone call. What happened in between?

•

Ace was missing classes. This was definitely going to be told to Riddle who was going to chew Ace out. Ace never missed classes, no matter how boring they were. He couldn’t leave himself. He was already behind in classes.

Deuce quickly fled the classroom once class was over. Where would Ace go? Usually his bed, but that didn’t seem like an option as Riddle would’ve caught him. The courtyard was too open. He started at Sam’s. It was a good place to hide out.

He wasn’t with Sam. He checked the library. No Ace. He entered the gardens, checking each individual one.

“Ace!”

He was drenched, hunched over a flowerbed. Deuce stripped him of his jacket, vest and shirt and cover him with his own jacket.

“Love, what’s going on…?”

“Leave me alone.”

“But-”

“I said leave me alone!”

Deuce had his jacket thrown in his face, Ace walking off with his wet ones. This wasn’t like Ace. He couldn’t just leave him alone. He hurried after Ace only to be knocked down.

“Did you just…?” Deuce whispered, covering his nose.

Ace showed a brief glimmer of fear before running.

Deuce wasted no time in running to Riddle’s class, knowing he could help.

He didn’t know that’d only add more fuel to the fire.

•

“I can’t believe you! Skipping classes then hurting someone who clearly wanted to help you!? Are you insane!?” Riddle seethed, seconds away from strangling Ace. “How dare you shame Heartslabyul, after everything I’ve built up!”

Riddle more than just angry. Queen of Hearts mad was the perfect description.

“Not to mention you’re failing classes and close to flunking out! Your brother would be ashamed to be related to you! Smudging our good name, I ought to behead you!” Riddle shrieked.

This wasn’t helping. Maybe he should’ve went to Trey. As if answering his prayer, Trey came in. By that time, Ace was running, taking advantage of their confusion and bickering.

“Guys, shut up!” Deuce shouted, earning a nasty look from Riddle. “Ace is gone!”

Riddle had created a search party to hunt Ace down. He wasn’t through with him yet. Deuce was just more concerned about Ace’s emotional well-being. He’s been off since yesterday. Did it have to do with the phone call he received?

•

Deuce heard faint shrieking in the distance. What was going on? He squinted, seeing a dark area around a certain part of the school. The courtyard. Deuce ran, wondering why the darkness in the sky looked so familiar.

His jaw dropped. No wonder it was familiar. Student lied on the ground, barely able to move. What was going on? He couldn’t deal with this alone. And he didn’t have to. The search party had arrived.

“Get him!” Riddle shouted, his anger clouding his judgement.

“Riddle, wait-!”

The students all fell to the ground, barely able to move like the others.

“Riddle, calm down. We have to think this through. Students are suddenly falling to the ground. Does it only apply if we’re close…?” Trey muttered.

Deuce sent a fireball towards Ace, watching it vanish at a certain point. Trey and Riddle did the same. Same result.

“It’s safe to assume that beyond that point, is a dangerous spot.” Trey stated.

“Woah, Ace is in evil berserker mode?” Cater exclaimed, taking pictures.

Deuce snapped his phone out of his hand.

“Don’t just stans there and take pictures! Help me save him!” Deuce shouted, Ace trudging along away from them. “We don’t know how long he’s been like this…”

“Deuce is right. We have to come up with a plan.” Trey said.

“Judging how far we were from the danger zone…” Riddle said before laying out numbers and distances. “That’s how close we can get with ending up like them.”

“I’ll-”

“I’ll get backup. You go with them, Cater.” Trey said, calling and texting everyone he could.

“Damn…”

Deuce kept his distance, circling around Ace. It was weird. He didn’t have a dark spirit like the others.

“Ace, you’ve got to snap out of it! You’re going to die!”

Silence. It was like he couldn’t hear him. Deuce backed up, unaware of the zone steadily growing. More students continued to collapse to the ground, Deuce unable to warn them all. He then had an idea.

“Riddle!”

“Did you figure something out?” Riddle questioned. Deuce explained his plan. “I have my doubts, but we can try it.”

“Off With Your Head!” “Split Card!”

Deuce certainly didn’t miss Riddle’s collar, but it was his one shot at getting close to Ace. The copy Cater followed him, helping him get as close as possible before disappearing.

Ace kept moving despite Deuce holding him from behind.

“Ace, please, stop! I don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re seriously hurting the others! Look at them!”

Students were dropping like flies, the danger zone still expanding.

“Come on, Ace… You can’t go like this… It’ll…” Deuce said, feeling his energy leaving him. “It’ll… be…”

“Deuce!”

Cater held Riddle back, using a copy of himself to test the distance. One more step and Riddle would’ve been toast.

Deuce weakly clung to Ace’s outfit, being dragged along. He used the last of his energy to press a weak kiss onto Ace’s lips before blacking out. Riddle and Cater were filled with mixed emotions. Cater had copy after copy drag Deuce out of the danger zone.

“Wait, it’s receding!” Cater exclaimed just as Trey came back with help.

They all watched as Ace fell onto his side, landing pretty harshly. Everything returned to normal, those who collapsed coming back to life. Deuce sat up, uncaring of his own health, more concerned about Ace. He held Ace in his arms, seeing tears running down his face.

“I’m here, love. I’ll always be here…” Deuce whispered, planting kisses all over Ace’s face.

He squeezed his eyes shut, holding Ace close to him. He was scared he’d lose him, his friend, his best friend, his partner in crime, his lover, his…

Soulmate.


	205. Lilia + Leechs: Two words boys

They had an intense stare down before laughing like crazy.

“To think we’d end up pranking the same person with the same prank.” Lilia said, looking at the two eels. “You two are men of culture.”

“We feel the same.” Jade said, chuckling heartily.

“You know. I could use you two. And you could use me. I’ve got the magic needed to execute things, and you two are twins. Can easily pull off things.” Lilia said, formulating plans. “How about a little name switch? But first we’re going to have to style you the same. A perfect balance of your proper and your sloppy.”

Jade and Floyd exchanged looks, completely on board.

•

“Remember, you can’t act like yourselves. Floyd, gimme Jade.”

“I’m terribly worried about my mushrooms. Is that good?” Floyd said, laughing.

“Perfect. Jade, gimme Floyd.”

“Ahem… I don’t wanna do this. It’s no fun. Ah, it’s striped beakfish!” Jade said before smiling. “Is that good?”

“You’re just like me!” Floyd squealed, hugging Jade.

“This is great. We’ll spend half of the day today with that prank. In the meantime, I’ll keep you both posted for the next big one.” Lilia said, pumping them up. “Now go get'em!”

They nodded, going to each other’s class.

Floyd sat in Jade’s class, Riddle sitting next to him as he always did with Jade. Riddle and Jade’s classmates didn’t suspect a thing. Was it really this easy to be Jade? Maybe he should pretended to be him more often.

“Hey, did you change your hairstyle? And your eyes… One of them isn’t golden anymore?” Riddle pointed out.

“Oh? So you’ve been staring at me intently for a while haven’t you?” Floyd said lowly, leaning close to Riddle.

Riddle turned a bit red, becoming a stammering mess. He quickly left. Floyd laughed, love getting to mess with his goldfish.

Floyd continued to tease Riddle throughout the day, continuing to keep up his Jade persona. Lunch time had finally arrived. Jade and Floyd met up, eager to exchange stories as they headed to a classroom to meet up with Lilia.

Lilia was already waiting for them.

“Two words boys. Constipation pills.” Lilia said, hopping off the desk.

“Ooo, fun!” Floyd clapped.

“How evil. Who are the targets?”

“Well, this is where it gets fun. Everyone’s a target but, everyone has a different point value AND you only get 5 pills.” Lilia explained, showing them a list of who was worth what. “The background students are worth half a point.”

“Malleus is at the very top… 10 points!?” Floyd exclaimed.

“Yep. He’s the hardest person to trick. I would know.” Lilia said, having a flashback.

“So, you ready?”

The twins exchanged looks, Lilia’s sameness spell wearing off.

“Ready.”

The trio innocently flitted around, dropping crushed pills into lunches. No one suspected a thing by how nimble they were. A few students had suddenly gotten up and fled the cafeteria.

They gathered together in a corner, having marked off who they pranked.

“Ha! I win!” Jade said triumphantly.

“Woah… you got Vil? Amazing!” Floyd said in awe.

“So no one tried with Malleus?”

They shook their heads.

“Damn. Well, whatever. We got our victims.”

“So, what’s next?” Floyd asked, extremely curious.

Lilia had them lean in, whispering his grand plan.

•

A few students looked from the corridor as loud sounds could be heard outside. Floyd laughed in delight, flying through the halls as fireworks went off from his magic crystal.

Students started screaming in fright by how close the fireworks were. A student freaked out, his pants leg having caught fire.

Lilia and Jade were terrorizing other parts of the school building. A few students had reluctantly called the headmaster for help.

As expected, Crowley was slow moving to dispel what was going on. Lilia continued on, being nearly impossible to catch, infuriating Crowley further.

“Vanrouge, stop this instant before I get forceful?”

“Please, I’ve served in many battles. You can’t outwit me bird man.”

Crowley’s feathers were ruffled the wrong way now. Students watched as Lilia practically played around with Crowley. Some couldn’t resist laughing. To think one student would give him so much trouble. What a headmaster he turned out to be.


	206. Vil + Epel: Rotten onion

Vil silently walked around, inspecting the students of Pomefiore. Slap. A student immediately straightened up. Slap. A student immediately fixed his hand holding a cup. Slap. A student fixed their sitting position. To think he constantly had to remind them how to act. He was going to drive it into their minds to the point it was all they could think of.

Epel entered the building, ready to get in the shower and rest. He didn’t get far before he found himself dave to face with a horrible villain: Vil. He could only imagine what Vil had to say.

“Are you serious right now?” Vil asked in a calm voice.

“No, I’m feeling pretty happy.” Epel responded.

“That’s… never mind. How dare you step into these beautiful halls looking a sad ass carrot left out in the sun and covered in dirt? Not even the other first years have the audacity!” Vil fussed, taking in Epel’s look.

“Sun dried carrots aren’t all that bad actually…” Epel muttered. Vil glared at him. “I’m guessing that’s not what you were talking about…”

“Take a guess.”

“Well, what’s the problem? I was going to go take a shower.”

“What’s the problem? As a student of Pomefiore, we maintain our beauty even while participating in… unsanitary activities. And you, Epel Felmier, have not.” Vil said, crossing his arms. “Think about your appearance more. You are a selected child of this dorm.”

Epel walked off. Did it really matter that much how he looked? It wasn’t like a nice shower wouldn’t get rid of the dirt. Vil was too extreme about things.

•

Vil looked around, feeling satisfied. He didn’t have to dish out slaps. He counted his blessings too soon. Students whimpered, feeling Vil’s hefty slaps. He was too serious. He wasn’t even slouching! Or was he?

“Ah, he’s at it again isn’t he…” Rook muttered, watching Vil correct students.

Rook looked up, hearing the door open. He wearily sighed, seeing he wasn’t properly dressed. Vil was definitely going to have a cow.

Epel innocently walked towards the showers, only to be blocked by someone taller than him. Not again. Two days in a row?

“Epel Felmier, it seems you aren’t listening. I will have to give you private lessons in being a picture perfect beauty.” Vil sighed, extremely displeased. “Your hair is a mess, look at those scratches and scrapes! You don’t even care about your skin. I’ll give you extra skin care lessons too. And have you not been washing this uniform!? There’s so many gross stains!”

“I was going to wash it today… but someone decided to stop me…” Epel mumbled, not liking being picked apart.

“Why do you insist on looking like a rotten onion?” Vil asked, truly appalled.

“Are you saying I smell!?” Epel said loudly.

“Indeed. I don’t want to see you come in here again looking so shabby. I was going to lecture you about your sloppy way of dress but I’ll save that for later.” Vil said before walking away.

Epel growled lowly. To go as far as to say he smelled…! Epel angrily marched off to the showers before seeing Vil had a point.

•

Rook sipped on tea, seeing Vil was at it again. At this point it would become routine. It was also close to the time Epel was to come back. Would he finally look proper? He had his doubts.

Epel entered the dorm, quickly making a break for the showers. He soon felt himself running on air. Crud.

“For the love of the Beautiful Queen, Epel Felmier!”

“Why do you always pick on me the most!?”

“I wouldn’t have to if you stopped acting so animalistic!”

“I keep telling you, I don’t belong here! I was raised on a grubby farm and I have absolute no interest in this beauty bullshit!” Epel shouted before covering his mouth.

“Excuse me?” Vil said, stepping closer to the floating Epel.

Rook quickly got up, getting Vil to calm down.

“I’m not like you prissy people. I like getting down and dirty. It’s literally what I’ve been doing all my life.” Epel muttered, crossing his arms.

Rook looked to Vil, awaiting his response.

“Fine. Then use the backdoor from now on so I won’t see you.” Vil said, dropping Epel. “If I catch you, it won’t end nicely.”

Epel rubbed his tush, watching Rook walk away with Vil. It felt pretty indirect but, did Vil just give him permission to be himself?


	207. Pomefiore: I’m Wishing

[Flashback]

I wasn’t really scared by things as a child. Monsters under the bed or in the closet? Nonexistent. Thunderstorms? Lullabies. Insects? My little friends. But there was just one thing for the life of me I could never get used to.

Being alone.

Sounds dumb, doesn’t it? It made falling asleep hard. My parents tried their best to console me, but none of it really worked. At least, until one night.

“Epel, are you still scared?”

“Yes, Mama.”

“Mama and I have been thinkin’ ‘bout somethin’ that could help ya.”

“What?”

“Yer meemaw used ta sing to yer uncle when he'ad trouble sleepin’. Havin’ shared a room 'n all, I learned tha song.”

I wasn’t really fond of music, but I wanted to give it a try at least. I didn’t know how much that song would mean to me later on.

[Flashback - End]

Epel quietly worked in class, the class having been given classwork to finish. Being in Night Raven was supposed to be a dream come true. Yet he was put in a dorm he didn’t like. They say the mirror never makes a mistake, but it clearly did.

He didn’t belong in Pomefiore. Epel quietly sighed, trying to finish his classwork, turning the various objects into what was listed. He wanted to go home, back to where everything made sense. His stomach churned a little. We’re his parents doing okay? Did meemaw need help moving?

Epel dug his magipen into the table. He missed the apples trees that he’d become friends with. Even the animals he never understood. He was having doubts about his choice. Maybe he should’ve stayed. The bell rang, signaling class was over. Epel quickly transformed the objects before handing in his work.

•

His tiring day of classes had finally ended. There wasn’t any club practice, giving him time to himself. There wasn’t any place in particular that he wanted to be, so he wandered. He looked at students who formed their groups of friends. He didn’t really have anyone.

Epel shook slightly. He shouldn’t think about it. He couldn’t help it. It was right in his face just about everywhere he looked. He didn’t belong in a place like this. He belonged at home amongst his family and apples. Epel felt himself bump into something.

It was the well in the courtyard. Epel ran his fingers over it before sitting on the edge.

“When you’re standing by a wishing well, make a wish into the well. That’s all you have to do. And if you hear it echoing, your wish will soon come true.” Epel sang quietly, thinking of home and how his parents sang it for him. “I’m wishing…”

No echo. Epel sighed before continuing.

“…for the one I love. To find me…”

He didn’t expect an echo this time either. His wish wouldn’t come true, would it?

“To find me…” Epel whispered, his tears falling. “…today.”

“I’m hoping…”

Epel looked up, hearing another voice. It definitely wasn’t his.

“I’m hoping…”

They were being echoed. Epel turned around, not expecting to see his seniors.

"Do go on. You have such a lovely voice.” Rook said with a smile.

Epel thought about it.

“And I’m dreaming of. The nice things…”

“The nice things…”

“…he’ll say.”

“He’ll say.”

Epel smiled a bit. It was a bit funny hearing Rook echo him and Vil. Epel began to vocalize, remembering how his mother used to do it. His seniors were impressed.

“I’m wishing…” Epel started again.

“I’m wishing…”

“…for the one I love. To find me…” Vil continued, expecting Rook to echo on cue.

“To find me…”

“…today!” they sang in unison, Epel finding himself smiling again.

“Our beautiful crab apple, why did we hear you singing in such sorrow earlier?” Rook asked, sitting beside Epel. “You’re much too beautiful to have tears.”

“It’s nothing.”

“If it was nothing you wouldn’t have cried.” Vil stated. “Clearly you don’t want us to know. I wouldn’t understand why.”

“We care about you, our sweetest.”

Epel looked away from them. They wouldn’t understand. They’re eccentric.

“Epel, brooding over it by yourself is only going to make you uglier. Out with it.” Vil said, placing his hands on his hips.

“I want to go home.”

“Why? Are you not having fun?” Rook asked.

“I just do.”

“And what’s at home that you absolutely need right now? You have tests coming up don’t you? You can’t possibly go now.”

“See, I knew you two wouldn’t understand!” Epel shouted, running off.

Vil sighed, levitating Epel back over to them.

“Epel dearest, are you homesick?” Rook asked, cupping Epel’s face.

Epel was quiet. Rook stepped aside, letting Vil take over.

“You’ll miss out on things if you keep thinking of how much you wished your home. You’ll only make your school experience worse that way.” Vil said. “Comparing your home to school isn’t smart. Of course this prestigious school is nothing like that place you’ve come from. I’ve been homesick a few times.”

“Me too. Ah, I missed the wide open space I grew up in.” Rook said while dramatically posing. “But I found things here I never saw back home and things that interested me. Life here became tons of fun.”

“But… I know everyone back home… I don’t have to look like a lonely loser…”

“You can’t always wait for someone to approach you, our darling crab apple. You’ve got to seize it!”

“Much to my dismay, I have to agree with Rook.” Vil sighed, shaking his head.

Epel looked down at the ground, taking in their words. Find new things, find things that interested him, seize friendships… It all sounded nice in theory but…

“Don’t look so troubled! You have seniors for a reason.” Rook piped up, picking Epel up and swinging him around. “We’ll take good care of you.”

“Yes, we shall. Let’s start with new interests.”

Epel wasn’t sure what to expect from them but, this felt nice.


	208. Leona > Rook < Vil: That’s more Jade’s thing

Rook silently watched Leona as he usually did, but as of late, Leona started doing things he’s never done before. For example, unbuttoning his shirt all way, like now. Another example would sometimes be humping the floor or ground beneath him. He wished he could write it off with him being in heat but, it wasn’t that time of year.

He had to take a break from stalking Leona. His actions were becoming too much. He had his limits with things and Leona was going past that line.

If anyone was being extremely weird, it was Vil. It was like he forgot how to insult him. Not only that, he was being very generous towards him, letting him borrow his things and even joining him for evening tea. Vil always had evening tea alone. Not to mention how upset he’d get if someone as so much left a scratch on him.

So he started avoiding Vil too. To think the two people he was constantly around he was now avoiding because they were being so weird. He liked weird but to a certain degree.

Rook sighed heavily, putting his brush down. He wanted to know what was going on with them, so who better to ask than Cater, the information source, himself? He heard a knock on his door. Oh no.

“Rook-!”

Rook closed the door in his face. It looked like he was going to have to leave through his window. Again. For several mornings, Vil appeared in front of his door, wanting to do all sorts of primping with him before classes. Rook looked out his window, seeing someone hanging around. Not his escape window. How did Leona even hear about it. He was trapped.

Who would he take his chances with? Both were pretty strong, but he had a better chance against Vil than Leona who was literally half lion. Rook finished his makeup routine before opening his door, Vil still standing there.

“Oh, you’re already finished. No matter, lets go have breakfast together!” Vil said, holding Rook’s hands.

“I guess but-”

“Rook!”

Vil frowned heavily. It was the lazy lion. What was he trying to do.

“Oh, Leona. Oh!”

Leona had pulled Rook away before scooping him into his arms bridal style.

“Hey, where are you going with him!” Vil fussed, trying to get Leona to let go of Rook. “He’s eating breakfast with me!”

“Not today. Or ever.”

Rook had Leona put him down.

“Why can’t we eat together?” Rook suggested, seeing they’d keep going back and forth. “I don’t understand why you’re making it into a fight…”

Rook walked ahead, really not understanding why they were going to fight over who got to have breakfast with him. The tables were big enough for a group to sit at.

•

Rook ate his breakfast while Vil and Leona had long since wasted theirs. Rook looked up, seeing them on their best behavior. The moment he looked away, they were silently fueding. A startled mew and a yelp could be heard, causing Rook to look up from his phone. The duo smiled warmly, acting as if nothing happened.

“Are you two not going to get breakfast? You should at least eat something.”

“Do you want anything while I’m up there?” Vil asked.

“I can get you something too.” Leona piped up, nudging Vil our the way.

“Well, I was thinking about some honey tea-”

The duo took off.

“And toast.” Rook finished, sighing heavily.

Vil came back with tea, Leona with tea and toast. Rook happily accepted Leona’s, seeing he brought toast like he wanted. Leona gave Vil a smug look. It pays to have animal like hearing.

“I’ll win the next one.” Vil lowly growled, grabbing his things and storming off.

Leona happily watched Rook, purring softly. He threw out Rook’s trash, offering to carry him to class. Rook declined, perfectly fine with just walking together. It was nice having Leona being nicer to him, but he liked his feisty side too. It got his hunter blood boiling.

Vil was plotting. He was going to do something grand for Rook that not even that sham of a prince could top.

•

Classes were really the only time he got to himself. He always made sure to sit away from Leona when entering a new class. They never failed to swarm him outside of class. He was worried they’d join him during his restroom breaks at some point. He shuddered at the thought of one of them offering to wipe him.

Labs and P.E were the real dangerous classes, especially if Vil’s class was joining. Both would try so hard to be his partner that Crewel and Vargas would just put the two of them together. He really needed to get to Cater and get to the bottom of this.

Class had finished. Rook bolted, having asked Cater to meet him in the woods behind campus. As expected, Leona was not so subtly following him. Surprisingly, Vil was nowhere to be seen.

Rook panted, seeing he lost Leona and made it to the woods. He finally found Cater.

“You look like you just ran a marathon.” Cater chuckled.

“Considering I was outrunning a lion.. yes.” Rook coughed before straightening up. “I know you’ve got information Cater.”

“Eh, that’s more Jade’s thing. He’s got little details on just about everyone, you and me included.”

“I know, but you know the gossip. I need help. Have you heard anyone talking about Vil or Leona lately?”

“Definitely. They’re at each other’s throats more than ever, constantly distracted, always heading off somewhere. Whatcha wanna know?” Cater asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I need to know why in the hell they’re fighting over the littlest things, mostly concerning me! From who gets to have breakfast with me to wanting to do all of my homework.”

“Hm. You know, it’s pretty easy to figure it out.” said Cater before telling him.

“I feel like an idiot… How could I not have noticed?” Rook groaned, crouching down.

“Haha, this is Magicam worthy~” Cater giggled, posting Rook on his page. “Oh, you might want to run. I just posted your location.”

“No. I won’t run. I want to see how long they’re going to keep this up for.”

“Good luck~”

•

Rook was losing it. The term “me time” no longer existed. They kept on top of him, trying to get him to do things with them or just to keep him from hanging out with the other. Here he thought they’d give up when he showed he wasn’t going to pick one of them.

Rook sat leaned against his desk that blocked the door and his mattress that blocked the window. Neither would rest unless he picked one of them. Wait, he could just turn them both down. He should’ve done this weeks ago. He moved everything back to its place, feeling he had control again.

Rook jumped back in fright, not expecting an axe poking through his door. He opened the door with magic, seeing Vil pulling the axe out.

“Are you serious right now?”

“Well you weren’t answering me and I couldn’t get into your room and no one had seen you leave so I was worried you might’ve…” Vil said quickly, making the Axe disappear. “I’ll have your door fixed.”

“Look, Vil. You’re a great guy-”

“Yes! I win!”

“No, you lose. I’m not interested…”

Vil blinked. Rook was turning him down? After everything he’s done? It wasn’t enough? Vil quietly nodded, walking away with obvious tears in his eyes.

One down. One to go.

Rook found Leona hanging around outside the dorm. He kept Leona at a distance, seeing he wanted to hug him.

“Leona, you’re really breathtaking-”

“Does this mean I’ve won your heart…?”

“No. I’m rejecting you, just like Vil. I’m not interested.”

Leona pursed his lips before walking away. That was easy. He could’ve saved himself a headache had he just rejected them from the start. He totally didn’t feel extremely guilty about turning them down. He really didn’t.


	209. 1st Years: He’s toast

They found Epel, but not in the way they were expecting. Was he dead?

“I don’t know about you, but I think he’s toast…” Ace said, looking through the glass.

“Maybe there are some herbs we could use?” Deuce suggested.

“You all don’t see what’s going on here do you?” Sebek said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“What we know is that Epel is in here dead. You can’t bring back the dead. It’s illegal.” Ace said.

“He’s not dead. I don’t smell rotting flesh.” Jack stated, having sniffed around. “It’s like, suspended animation.”

They collectively “ohed” in understanding.

“It’s like what Sebek says.” Yuu said. “I’m sure none of you know the story of the fairest princess, do you?”

They all shook their heads except Sebek.

“As Jack said, Epel isn’t dead. He’s in a death kind of sleep. True love’s kiss was what woke the princess.” Yuu explained. “So it must be the same here.”

“None of us love him like that.” Ace deadpanned.

“But we should still try. You never know.” Deuce stated.

“Why don’t you do the honors, Yuu?” Jack suggested.

They all moved the glass top, now able to reach Epel. Yuu sighed, wondering how he always managed to get wrapped up into things like this. Crowley needed to be a better headmaster. And when was he planning to find a way home for him? Was he even trying? Yuu calmed down, tucking his hair behind his ear.

They waited with bated breath for Epel to awaken. Nothing. Yuu wasn’t the right one.

“Well, how about we try someone else?”

“I’ll do it.” said Deuce, walking over to Epel.

Deuce gave Epel a kiss. Nothing.

“Two out of five failed. I’m getting a bad feeling…” Ace mumbled.

“If it’s not us, then who?” Yuu muttered, trying to think while Jack went next.

Jack wasn’t the one either. Two people were left. What would they do if none of them could wake him? Would they have to gather just about everyone in school? Yuu worked his brain while Ace went. Epel didn’t move a muscle.

“Yuu, we’re down to our last one…!” Deuce said worriedly.

“I know! I… Our only other option is to have everyone he’s ever interacted with try.”

“That would take forever!” Ace whined, slumping against the wall.

“I suppose I’ll finally try my hand at this.” Sebek muttered, walking over to Epel.

“Please be the one, Sebek. I don’t want to be here with a horde of guys.” Ace groaned.

“Plus I’d like to see Epel moving as soon as possible. This can’t be good for the body.” Jack said, knowing he must be dying to stretch his limbs.

Sebek pressed his lips against Epel’s. They waited. And waited.

“So it was none of us…” Deuce whispered.

Yuu sighed before noticing something.

“Guys…”

They looked, seeing Epel’s body moving. Epel yawned as he stretched out. He looked around, seeing his friends.

“He did it!” they cheered, causing Epel to watch in confusion.

“Wait a minute… Who woke me?” Epel asked.

They stepped aside, pointing to Sebek. Their eyes widened, not expecting Epel to become bashful.

“Ah, so it was you…” Epel whispered, squirming in his seated position.

“Epel, is everything okay?”

He nodded.

“You sure?”

Epel held his cheek, his ears turning redder. He was never one to believe in that romance nonsense, but seeing it brought him back from eternal sleep… maybe there was some truth to it. He glanced up at Sebek, his heart running a marathon.

“Maybe we should get him checked out in the infirmary. I bet that poison he ate affected his brain.” Ace whispered, earning nods from the others.


	210. 1st Years: You can’t control them

Sebek knocked on Malleus’ door, raising an eyebrow at the sight of Silver moving about in the back as Malleus answered.

“Sebek?”

“Oh! I was coming to wake you up and do my duties!” Sebek said, finding himself distracted by Silver.

“Well, I’m ready.”

Malleus noticed Sebek wasn’t moving.

“Sebek?”

“Oh! Let’s go.”

Malleus walked with Sebek, wondering why he was spacey so early in the morning. Did he not sleep well?

“Malleus sama, may I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

Sebek opened his mouth to speak then stopped.

“I changed my mind. It’s none of my business.”

Malleus nodded. Silver was probably cleaning up like he should be.

•

Sebek entered Diasomnia, having had a bunch of fun with friends. He found Silver chilling out with Lilia. He hung around a bit before heading off to get ready for bed and to escort Malleus.

When he came back, Silver wasn’t with Lilia. Lilia informed him he had gone off not too long ago to get ready for bed. Sebek waited until it was time. He knocked on Malleus’ door, smiling bright at Malleus. His eyes rested on something. Silver. Was he cleaning the room again?

“Sebek?”

“Right! Let us go.”

Sebek glanced back. Silver was finally taking his job as guard seriously. Sebek escorted Malleus back, not seeing Silver in the room. He was going to sleep well tonight.

•

Sebek knocker on Malleus’ door. Silver was already in the room. How did he get here so fast? His room was farther than his.

“You keep looking into my room. Do you want to come in?”

“No! I mean, not now. It’s just…” Sebek said, looking at Silver using his phone.

“Do you need Silver?”

“No. Let us go.”

Sebek was feeling a little uneasy. He did want Silver to take his job seriously, but this was a bit much.

•

Sebek talked to his friends about it. They assured him nothing was going on. They even said he was letting his obsession with Malleus make him think unrealistic situations. That wasn’t true. He didn’t have an obsession. He was doing his duty as a guard of the future ruler of the Valley of Thorns.

“Are you sure you aren’t just obsessed, using your position for your own selfish reasons?” Epel said, earning a high five from Ace.

“I am not obsessed.” Sebek growled.

“Right. And Vil isn’t beautiful.”

They cracked up, seeing Sebek getting frustrated. It was always fun teasing him.

“And didn’t you want Silver to pay more attention? I don’t get you bro.” Deuce said.

“I… It’s just…”

“See, you can’t even come up with a sound response. You’re jealous and obsessed.”

Sebek left. They weren’t taking him seriously. He was going to have to ask Malleus directly if all else failed.

•

Night fell and everyone was getting settled into bed. Sebek has been following Silver around everyone since he came back to Diasomnia. Nothing suspicious. He hid, seeing Silver leaving his room. Where was he going when it was close to dorm curfew?

Sebek closely followed, seeing he was headed towards Malleus’ room. Why was he going there? Silver knocked on the door.

“Again Silver?”

Silver silently nodded, holding his pillow.

“I’m not really against it, but why not Lilia?”

“I don’t want to bother him and his gaming…”

Malleus sighed, allowing Silver to sleep with him. Sebek instantly ran over, the door shut in his face. No way. There was no way he was going to let Silver sleep with Malleus! Now it made sense why he saw him in his room these past few days.

Why can’t he sleep with Malleus but Silver can? What made Silver so special? He was just as hardworking and dedicated as that useless narcoleptic guy!

•

“So you’re telling me you want me and the others to help you get Silver to stop sleeping with Malleus because you’re totally not obsessed with him?”

“This isn’t about obsession! It’s highly indecent!”

“Look, if they wanna make love to each-”

“Not that kind of sleeping, Epel!”

“Oh. Well I don’t really get the problem either way. You can’t control them.” Epel said.

“Epel, I will make you help me.”

•

They sat, listening to Sebek pitch his plan. It was stupid to say the least. What was so wrong about them sleeping in the same room? Every time they asked, Sebek would either dodge it or just further prove they’ve been right.

“Okay, we hear you Sebek, but have you considered being a guard and not a stan?” Deuce piped up.

“Did you just call me a stan!?”

“Yeah and I’ll say it again if I have to.”

Sebek was clearly at his boiling point. Even if this wasn’t about Sebek being an extremely jealous fan, the plan was very faulty. Only idiots like Deuce would fall for it. In the end, they decided to help him.

•

“I told you this wasn’t going to work! No one listens to the idiot.”

“So you admit to being an idiot Deuce? Jack questioned.

Deuce immediately fell silent.

"Look Sebek, why don’t-”

“No! I will get him back in his room!”

“He’s really upset that he can’t sleep with Malleus isn’t he?” Ace whispered, earning nods.

“Well, can’t wait to hear your next plan. Hopefully it won’t involve… invisible walls.” Jack muttered, reaching out.

•

“I mean, maybe this could work…?”

“But it’s highly dangerous. Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

“We’re just releasing his deepest fear near Malleus’ room. We do it enough times he’ll be too petrified to come back.” Epel said, holding the container.

“I get that, but they’re poisonous aren’t they?” Ace stated.

“Nope. I got rid of the poison.”

They were looking at Epel for answers.

“It’s… not pleasing to hear. Just take my word for it.”

Deuce alerted them that Silver was coming. They released them, quickly hiding in a room and blocking off areas they could enter. A loud shriek could be heard before quick footsteps. Epel stepped out, collecting them and putting them back in the container. They quickly hid, hearing someone come out.

“It’s Malleus.”

“He’s going back in.”

“I think we’ve done it. Now how many more days of this?” Ace complained, fearing they’ll slip up one day and get poisoned.

“Don’t know but I’m down to hang out with these little guys.” Epel replied, watching them move around.

The things they did for Sebek. He owed them a lot for this.

Sebek angrily got into bed, only to feel an arm draped over him. He turned, seeing Silver starting to drift off again.

“No! Your room, your bed! Not mine!”

Silver fell asleep, his hold now an iron grip. Sebek groaned in displeasure, seeing he was stuck facing him.

•

The four of them cracked up like hyenas, Ace laughing the hardest.

“Wait wait, were you two pressing your lips together when you woke up?” Deuce wheezed, the others going into laughing fits.

“No, no! I bet they were touching each other’s ass!” Epel howled, the others literally dying.

“It’s not funny! He can’t sleep with me! It was awful! He was holding me so tight with such an iron grip…” Sebek wept, causing the others to laugh more.

“I bet you two looked adorable.” Jack cooed, him and Deuce pretending to be Sebek and Silver.

The other two were practically gasping for air.

“Guys, help me get him to sleep in his room, in his bed. Not Malleus, not mine.” Sebek said, seriously desiring their help.

“Sebek, isn’t it better this way? You can keep a better eye on him.” Ace said, shrugging his shoulders.

“It’s a bunk bed, Ace. There’s only so much space…”

“But you’re both slim. It’s guys like me that really have trouble sharing with people.” Jack said.

“Just enjoy it. Maybe you’ll fall in love too.” Epel joked, the others laughing.

They soon scattered, Sebek chasing after them in anger.


	211. 1st Years: You can’t control them (cont.)

“Sebek, you know that your obsession is showing again.” Jack pointed out.

“IT’S NOT AN OBSESSION!” Sebek shouted, other students passing by looking at them.

“Call it what you want but there’s no other way to describe it.” Ace said with a sigh.

“You gathered us for a reason. What is it?” Epel asked, wanting to move things along.

“So the scorpion plan worked. But he’s starting to go back now.”

“No! No more plans!” Deuce yelled, having flashbacks.

“Don’t worry, the plan doesn’t involve any of you. I just need thoughts.” Sebek said, looking them in the eyes. They leaned in close. “I’ll tell him my thoughts directly.”

They blinked, not expecting something so sane and rational to come out of his mouth, especially since it concerned his one true love.

“We are talking to Sebek Zigvolt right?” Ace said, reaching and pulling on Sebek’s face. “It seems we are.”

“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you I don’t know, go with this plan first!?” Jack exclaimed. “It would’ve saved us a shit ton of wasted time!”

“So, when are you gonna tell him?” Epel asked, the only one seriously listening to Sebek.

“Tonight.”

“Good luck.”

•

The entire day, Sebek had thought of how he would approach Silver and what words to use. He couldn’t skimp on details, needing to make sure Silver realized how indecent it was. They were guards, not his lovers.

Sebek sat in his room, organizing his thoughts. He finally decided on his words, ready to cut Silver off permanently.

He went to Lilia’s room, knowing Silver was hanging out in there. He knocked, the door opening by itself. He closed it, seeing Lilia and Silver were gaming together.

“On your right!” Lilia said.

“Uwah! Above, father, above!”

Sebek raised an eyebrow, watching them play. Lili cursed, seeing they lost. He turned around, having sensed Sebek’s presence for a while.

“You’re here. He was looking for you, Silver. I suggest seeing what he wants.”

“Yes. I have something important to say. And I’d like to talk alone.”

Silver followed him out, seeing the were heading down to an unoccupied area.

“Silver, I’m going to be direct with you. How you’re acting towards Malleus sama is simply repulsive! You are a guard, you have no business sleeping in the same room as him! We are not partners. We are not on the same level as him.” Sebek said, voicing his thoughts. “Act like what you are and stop sleeping in Malleus sama’s room!”

“Oh. I mean, I guess…” Silver mumbled, giving him a nod.

Sebek watched as Silver headed back up. He was going to make sure he wasn’t lying to him.

Night fell on Diasomnia, students all tucked in bed and ready to sleep peacefully. Sebek quietly watched from the shadows for any sign of Silver. An hour passed and no Silver. Jack had made a good point. All of it could’ve been solved just by talking to him.

Sebek entered his room, all ready to sleep when someone was already lying in his bed. He would’ve yelled, but his roommates were fast asleep. He pulled him out of his bed.

“Huh…? Oh, you’re back.”

“What are you doing here!? Sleep in your own bed!” Sebek hissed quietly, not wanting to wake them up.

Sebek angrily got into bed, only to feel an arm draped over him. He turned, seeing Silver starting to drift off again.

“No! Your room, your bed! Not mine!”

Silver fell asleep, his hold now an iron grip. Sebek groaned in displeasure, seeing he was stuck facing him.

•

The four of them cracked up like hyenas, Ace laughing the hardest.

“Wait wait, were you two pressing your lips together when you woke up?” Deuce wheezed, the others going into laughing fits.

“No, no! I bet they were touching each other’s ass!” Epel howled, the others literally dying.

“It’s not funny! He can’t sleep with me! It was awful! He was holding me so tight with such an iron grip…” Sebek wept, causing the others to laugh more.

“I bet you two looked adorable.” Jack cooed, him and Deuce pretending to be Sebek and Silver.

The other two were practically gasping for air.

“Guys, help me get him to sleep in his room, in his bed. Not Malleus, not mine.” Sebek said, seriously desiring their help.

“Sebek, isn’t it better this way? You can keep a better eye on him.” Ace said, shrugging his shoulders.

“It’s a bunk bed, Ace. There’s only so much space…”

“But you’re both slim. It’s guys like me that really have trouble sharing with people.” Jack said.

“Just enjoy it. Maybe you’ll fall in love too.” Epel joked, the others laughing.

They soon scattered, Sebek chasing after them in anger.


	212. Trappolas: Back

Ace knitted his brows, stabbing but missing his food. He was getting frustrated. Ace continued to stab at his food.

“Ace.”

He looked up with big eyes.

“Try it like this.”

Ace mimicked his brother, finally gettting food on the fork. He squealed in delight, looking at him.

“There you go.”

“He’s so attached to you, Black.” Mrs. Trappola said with a little sigh. “I wonder why.”

“I wonder why too sometimes.” Black chuckled nervously, Ace staring at him while he ate.

“So, hows school going? I hope you aren’t giving your teachers trouble.”

Ace ate and listened, watching Black. He attempted to leave his seat, forgetting he sat in a raised seat.

“Ace!”

His eyes turned watery as he pushed up off the floor.

“It’s okay. It was just a little fall.” Mrs. Trappola said softly, rubbing his back.

Ace got to his feet, walking over to Black. Ace was clearly crying, but no sounds were coming out.

“Is he okay…?”

“I don’t know. He’s just watching me…” he whispered, glancing at Ace.

Black raised his hand. Ace looked a little longer before raising his hand. He put his hand down. Ace did the same. Mrs. Trappola chuckled, finding the exchange cute.

“Ah, I hope your father gets home soon… It’s supposed to be a nasty storm tonight…” she muttered, feeling worried.

Ace had climbed onto Black’s lap, making himself comfortable. Mrs. Trappola took a picture, wanting to remember this.

•

Ace played with his toys while Black played video games in his room across the hall. Mrs. Trappola often looked in on both boys, making sure they were alright. Ace played make believe while the other two headed downstairs to greet Mr. Trappola.

Ace heard a knocking sound.

“Is that the great Ace I see?”

Ace quickly got up, running over to his father. He gave Ace a tight hug, giving him little kisses. Ace squealed, hiding his face.

“You should’ve seen him during dinner. He was staring at Black like his life depended on it.” Mrs. Trappola mentioned, Ace being set down.

“Back?” Ace said.

“Black.”

“Back.”

“He’ll get his L’s, give him a little time.” Mr. Trappola said, ruffling Ace’s hair.

“Play choochoo?” Ace asked.

“Not tonight little guy. Daddy’s got a lot of work. And it’s almost bedtime.”

Ace was distraught. He wouldn’t get to play train. Stupid work, stupid bedtime. Ace threw a tantrum, wanting to play. He deserved it.

Ace whimpered, being scolded by his parents. He burst into tears, retreating underneath his bed. Mrs. Trappola sighed, telling her husband he could go as she’d deal with it. She had Ace come out from underneath, sitting him on his bed. She kept his from rubbing his eyes, seeing he was sleepy.

Ace’s head bobbed as she dried him off and clothed him before walking with him to his bed. He was fairly easy to put to sleep when he was like this. She could only hope he stayed asleep.

The lights in the Trappola household went off, the thunderstorm finally reaching the Rose Kingdom. Ace slept soundly as the rain pattered against his window. Ace was awakened by a loud sound in his room. He tried going back to sleep, only to freak out at a bright light outside his window. Ace wailed, running out of his room.

“Ugh, stop touching me…”

“Back… Back…”

Black opened his eyes, seeing Ace on top of him. He turned on his lamp, seeing Ace’s face covered in tears and snot. His little brother jumped at the sound of thunder before crying more.

“Hey, hey… Let’s dry this face of yours…”

Ace continued to cry as Black wiped his face. Ace screamed, hearing another thunderclap.

“Ace, it’s okay. Big brother will protect you.”

Ace found himself under the bedsheets next to Black. He looked at him, wondering if he was being protected. Black stroked Ace’s hair, holding him close.

“I’ll be right here the entire time.” Black whispered, giving him comfort rubs.

Ace whimpered, still hearing the thunderclaps but not so much lightning. He felt himself becoming tired the more Black gave him comfort. It was hard to keep his eyes open.

“Black…” Ace whispered, giving into his body’s demands for sleep.

“You got it, little Ace.” he whispered, giving him gentle kisses.


	213. NSFW Pomefiore: The beauty of Pome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: bullying, rape

“Give it back.”

“No.”

“It’s ours.”

“But I paid for it.”

“And?”

Epel tried fighting to get them back, only to end up with bad cuts, a few bruises and bite marks. That was the rest of his allowance. And now he couldn’t enjoy it. He sighed heavily, getting to his feet. He’d just have to wait for next time.

Epel made his way to the infirmary, needing to get his wounds treated. He didn’t tell the nurse the real reason as to how he got them. The nurse didn’t press, knowing how Night Raven boys operated. Epel gently pressed his cheek, flinching at the pain.

Why were they picking on him? He didn’t even know them. It was probably a one time thing. He made his way to Pomefiore, wanting to rest his starting to ache body.

•

Epel chased them down the hall as they played keep away with his magipen. Other students went about their business, completely ignoring the freshman in need.

“Please, I need that!”

“Like I care.”

“What an ugly color. It suits him.”

He liked the color. Maybe not the dorm, but the color definitely. They were really making him mad. They finally stopped running. He could finally get it back.

“Give… it… back…!” Epel demanded, trying to snatch it.

“Jump for it!”

The two high fived, watching Epel struggle. Epel tried getting physical, only to get scratched and knocked down. The two were in hysterics. He saw this as an opportunity to take his magipen back. He charged towards them, only to find himself falling out the open window and clinging to the edge for dear life.

“Hm. Should we help him?”

“Yes!” Epel wailed.

“What about…”

They were making him lose his grip.

“It’s not that far a drop. You’ll live.”

“That’s…!”

They cackled, seeing him trying to climb back up. One threw Epel’s magipen, it landing in the thick bushes.

“We’ll help you get to your magipen free of charge.”

“Happy landing!”

They laughed, walking away as Epel hissed. His leg was definitely hurt. He felt the rest of his body. Not too bad. He slowly got to his feet, avoiding using his hurt leg. He opted for crawling, seeing he had to search through the bushes anyway for his magipen.

The bell rang, signaling classes had started. Epel sighed, still unable to find it. His leg was in so much pain. Did he break it? He pressed against it. It was just a really bad sprain. He started searching again, seeing he didn’t have time to rest.

He finally found it, an entire class having passed. He hissed, seeing his ankle was in no condition to do anything. Epel searched around, trying to find something he could use so he could get to the infirmary.

Epel lied yet again to the nurse. The nurse again didn’t question further. Epel lied in bed, wondering what he was missing in classes. His phone started buzzing like crazy. His classmates were a bit concerned about him. He assured them he was okay. Though he knew he wasn’t. He probably wouldn’t be able to leave the infirmary until tomorrow.

What would he tell the leaders when he goes back tomorrow? He had a stomach virus? That seemed believable. Epel closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep. He could fix this. He just needed to be crafty.

•

Epel ate his lunch, listening to his friends talk. He was feeling a bit paranoid. They haven’t shown their faces at all today. He was a jittery little thing. He jumped at Deuce’s touch.

He didn’t say anything, eating more.

“He’s been acting so weird…”

“Right… He missed classes yesterday…”

“Maybe something’s wrong with him…”

Epel swallowed.

“…acting so weird…”

“…missed classes…”

“…something’s wrong with him..”

Even his friends were talking bad about him. He got up, moving to an empty table. He wasn’t hungry anymore. If anything, he felt nauseous.

“Did we say something bad…?” Deuce muttered, looking at Epel who had his head down.

They watched as Epel ran out of the cafeteria. Should they follow him? Maybe he just needed space.

Epel sprinted to the restroom. As his luck would have it, his personal bullies happened to come out of the one he was going in. He wasn’t given a chance to run away.

“Where ya going? Talk to us.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you can spare time.”

“No…” Epel whispered

“Great! So tell us all about your day.”

A student had gone in, making Epel more uneasy.

“I’ve just been going to classes… excuse me…”

“Don’t give us that. We like to hear details. Start from waking up.”

He seriously needed to get in there. Now.

“Come on, you could at least tell us.”

One of them had taken out their phone, a bit curious as to what Epel would tell them. The moment he pressed record on his phone, Epel had vomited on the floor. They immediately backed up, utterly grossed out.

“Wow… embarrassing.”

“I got it on video.”

“Really? Post that shit.”

“Wait-”

They were already walking away.

The Magicam post went viral. Everyone in school was teasing him. He had enough. It was time to end this.

•

Epel angrily marched over to where a few Savanaclaw students said they’d be. The two were laughing, retelling the story to others.

“Hey!”

They turned around, seeing the small one.

“This ought to be good.”

“I’m tired of your bullying! I’m not going to let you push me around anymore!” Epel shouted, clearly angry.

“Oh?”

“Why don’t we go discuss this with less people around? I’m sure you’re embarrassed enough.”

They were being courteous. Suspicious. They walked ahead of him, showing they meant no harm. Epel looked around, seeing they were near the abandoned dorm. It was still out in the open, making it a decent place to talk.

“This is- Ah!”

They picked up Epel, carrying him into the dorm. Epel stood his ground, showing he wasn’t afraid of them, especially now he had weapons lying around.

“Don’t look so feisty. We aren’t going to hurt you. Speak your mind.”

“You’re going to listen…?”

“Of course. We didn’t expect the puking vid to go viral.”

“Well, I-”

Epel found his arms being pinned behind him as his magipen was plucked from his pocket.

“Please. As if we’d listen to you.”

“To think you were this dumb. This is going to be fun.”

Epel flailed around, trying to get him to release him. His face was soon held, being turned side to side.

“They weren’t kidding when they called you the beauty of Pome. Vil can’t compare to this.”

“Huh? What are you doing!?” Epel barked, still trying to get free.

“What am I doing? What does it look like, Felmier?”

Epel couldn’t turn his head away, being forced to kiss him.

“Hey, don’t hog him.”

“Shut up. We’ve got an hour or so to spare. That said, we shouldn’t waste a second.”

Epel was confused. What were they going to do to him? The half dog one started undressing. The cheetah forced him to watch.

“Now do you understand, you little beauty? We haven’t been satisfied in days and you’re the perfect thing to fuck.”

Fear had taken over his body, his anger having been put out. He had to get away. They started undressing him, making sure he couldn’t fight back.

“Stop!”

“Huh? Touch you?”

“No! Don’t touch me! Let me go!” Epel shouted, his arms being tied behind him.

“We’ll let you go when we’re done.”

Epel tried moving away, only to be pulled back.

“I get his ass.”

“Ugh, why can’t I?”

“Because I came up with the plan? That video just happened to help us out.”

Epel sobbed, feeling the cheetah grabbing his hair and forcing himself into his mouth. Epel’s eyes widened, feeling being entered from behind.

“Stah pit! Puease!” Epel spoke, feeling something dragging against the roof of his mouth and tongue.

“Didn’t your parents teach you not to talk with your mouth full?” the cheetah grunted, grabbing Epel’s hair tighter.

It hurt. All of it hurt. He wanted them to stop, even if it surprisingly felt good. Saliva dribbled from his mouth, the cheetah close to his high.

“You’re gonna be a good boy and swallow everything I give you. Or else there’s going to be problems…”

The dog was still going strong, practically ripping him apart. The cheetah came, filling Epel’s mouth. He pulled out, telling him to swallow.

“I’m giving you five seconds to swallow or else you’ll be in a lot more pain.”

Epel weakly swallowed, his muffled moans now vocal.

“That’s what I want to hear.” the dog muttered, pulling on Epel’s hair and choking him.

Epel ran out of tears to cry. This was horrible. How could they do this? The dog had finished with him, coming into his ass. He was only given a moment to rest on the floor when he was picked up by his hair.

“I didn’t think this would turn out so flawlessly. You really are weak. And to think you want to be in Savanaclaw. You wouldn’t last a day.” the dog said, holding Epel’s face. “What we’re doing is only the surface of what you’d go through daily.”

“Stay your prissy ass in Pomefiore where trash belongs.” the cheetah laughed, high fiving the dog. “We’ll be back with more tomorrow, Felmier.”

They gave Epel a good beating before leaving him tied up naked in the abandoned dorm. Epel simply lied there, his mind blank. This was too much. Things were manageable in the beginning. Then things became more complicated and now it’s just out of control. They were going to hurt him more. They were going to rape him whenever they felt, like he was their little toy.

Epel started to hyperventilate, crying once more. He was so scared.

•

Epel opened the door to the Pomefiore dorm late at night. He had managed to get free thanks to the ghosts that lived there. He needed to stop by his room before he could shower.

“Stop! Who’s there?”

Epel stopped, keeping his head lowered.

“Epel? My goodness, why are you back so late? Curfew started over an hour ago!”

“I’m sorry, Rook senpai…” Epel whispered.

“Sweetest apple, what’s the problem? I didn’t want to bring anything up but as of late… you’ve changed.”

“Rook? Is the lounge clear?”

“Non! I’ve found a little apple instead.”

Vil walked over, looking at Epel who bluntly put, looked disgusting. Dusty clothes, messy hair, messy face.

“You know you’re supposed to be in your room before curfew starts.” Vil stated.

“I told him that. The poor thing looks wounded.” Rook muttered, reaching out to touch him.

Epel flinched, moving away. Vil narrowed his eyes.

“Epel, have a seat. Rook, make some tea.”

“Right away.”

Epel sat, keeping to himself.

“Talk to me.”

Epel shrunk further into his seat. Delicate.

“Epel, as your dorm leader, it’s my job to watch over you budding vegetable sprouts. If there’s a problem, I would like to be notified.”

Epel kept quiet. Rook entered the lounge, pouring the three of them tea.

“Drink something, little apple.”

Epel took the cup, simply holding it and its contents. Rook asked if Vil had gotten any information only to receive a head shake.

“Epel, is there anything you want to do right now?”

Vil was going to protest, but Rook kept him silent.

“…die.”

“Hm? I didn’t hear you.” Rook said, getting a little closer.

“I want to die…”

Rook grimaced.

“Don’t joke about such things. There must be something you’d want to do.” Rook said softly.

“I can’t take it anymore… it’s too much…”

“What is?”

They listened as Epel started to cry, spilling his tea all over himself. They waited, hoping Epel would speak.

“They’re going to keep hurting me… and raping me… it’s never going to end…” Epel sobbed, starting to hyperventilate as memories came back.

“Excuse me!?”

Rook looked, seeing Vil with the angriest look he’s ever seen.

“Tell me, who are the they you refer to?” Vil demanded.

“Vil, calm down a little… He’s still sensitive.” Rook muttered, knowing he meant well.

Epel whispered their names, now starting to cough. Rook helped Epel breathe while Vil stormed off. No one messed with his vegetables.

•

Epel woke up, seeing he missed all of his classes. What was he going to do? He was going to fall behind at this rate. He couldn’t afford that. He couldn’t get out of bed, his body hurting everywhere.

He picked up his phone, seeing a few messages from his friends and a Magicam post. Epel opened it, reading. His eyes widened. Pain shot through his body as he sat up.

So many people like Cater’s post, some had even posted it themselves. His bullies… they were kicked out of Night Raven. Epel fell back onto his bed, more pain hitting his body. They were gone. Tears poured out of his eyes as he looked through the tags.

Vil closed the door to Epel’s room, seeing he’s done his job right. They picked the wrong person to get on their bad side.


	214. Octavinelle: A traditional Valley of Thorns dish

Azul checked himself in the mirror, deeming himself proper. He checked the time, seeing he could have a decent breakfast before class started.

Azul used his phone, scrolling through social media. It was getting close to class but the twins were nowhere to be seen. Were they skipping breakfast? He didn’t think about it much, having his own things to do. He texted them, reminding them to meet him at Mostro during lunch.

•

Azul tapped his foot, seeing neither twin was responding to him. He asked their classmates, hearing they weren’t in classes. Floyd he could believe but Jade? Something was screwy here. He made his way to Mostro, hoping to see them there.

Half an hour passed and no twins. Something was clearly up. Were they messing around with him? Where would he even look for them? Azul pursed his lips, checking the places they frequented first.

Azul had come back to Octavinelle. The last place he could think of were their bedrooms. He started with Jade’s first. He immediately closed the door. He opened it again, searching around. Was Jade keeping some extremely disgusting smelling mushroom in his room? He could hardly stand the smell. He didn’t see him anywhere.

He looked, hearing movement. Did he want to know what it was? Azul noticed the smell was coming strongly from the corner. He locked eyes with it.

“No.”

It continued to stare him in the face.

“Jade, stop letting your brother rope you into stupid things.” Azul fussed, pushing his glasses up.

It continued to stare.

“Jade…”

Silence. Azul left the room, going to see if Floyd was hiding out in his room. He was disgusted.

•

Azul twiddled his thumbs, two little eels flailing around in water. He didn’t have time to babysit, but he couldn’t just leave them to their own devices. He was put in a situation that he truly didn’t want to be in. From what he’s gathered, they were essentially still the same from when they were older. Jade the well behaved and Floyd not. Well, Jade only behaved once he was put in water.

There was only so much time left before lunch was over. He then remembered the two of them haven’t eaten since last night. He carried them to Mostro, figuring they were probably hungry. The moment he pulled out meat, the twins were howling in his ears.

“Both of you, quiet down!” Azul shouted before groaning. “Please, quiet down…”

They were silent for a little while. Floyd started to get fussy, wanting Jade’s meat. Jade happily ate, resting comfortably in his bubble. Floyd happily took the meat given to him, getting comfortable as well. It seemed they were easier to deal with in their eel forms. At least, that’s what he thought.

The twins were howling for more. Floyd was trying to break free from his bubble. Azul gave them more meat. They were quiet. He couldn’t keep this up. He was going to be late for class. Who could he ask that’d be willing to help out?

He asked a few others who eventually pointed him to Lilia. He didn’t believe he could take care of these two eels, especially with their dietary needs. They seemed satisfied for now, but he could only imagine the trouble they’d give him when needing space.

“What seems to be the trouble?”

Azul jumped back, his concentration breaking and dropping the twins onto the floor. Lilia easily scooped them up, seeing Floyd wanted to move around.

“Them. I have classes and I just can’t afford to miss them. Please help me.” Azul said. “I’ll give you anything.”

“Knowing you, you won’t take no for an answer, so I’d like a traditional Valley of Thorns dish.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

“Thank you so much!”

Lilia watched Azul take off. He sighed before seeing the eels disappeared.

“Ugh, I’m no good with hide and seek…”

•

Azul finished his last class for the day. He wasn’t too eager to return back to the twins, but he couldn’t just leave it all to Lilia. Azul hurried back.

Lilia looked, seeing Azul entering the room. Azul backed up. The entire room was full of water yet none of it was spilling out.

“How… Did you do this!?”

“Yep. A simple water spell combined with a few others. Naturally a spell to breathe underwater and we have ourselves a fun living space.” Lilia said, beckoning him in.

“That’s got to use a lot of magic…” Azul muttered, closing the door behind him.

“When you’ve been alive for years, your tolerance grows.”

The twins swam over to Azul, biting him. Jade placed himself in Azul’s arms while Floyd swam.

“I also did the same to Floyd’s room. I’ve been switching locations so they won’t get too bored.” Lilia explained, looking at Floyd settle. “Surprisingly they haven’t cried out for food. I didn’t know moray eels eat infrequently. So feeding wasn’t much of an issue.”

“Really…?”

“Yep. But I could understand your plight of not wanting to bring them to class since they need ample space.”

Azul looked at Jade who chewed on his tie. Here he thought they’d be particularly hard to care for. He really had a lot to learn.

“I’ll keep everything you’ve said in mind.” Azul said, extremely thankful. “Thank you so much for today…”

“No problem. I like little ones no matter the species.” Lilia chuckled, tickling Jade’s side.

“Also, would it be okay if I picked your brain a bit? I’m still in shock over this…” Azul said, gesturing to everything being submerged in water but still grounded.

Not to mention not spilling out when he opened the door. Lilia sat him down, explaining the procedure. Floyd swam over, feeling left out. Jade frowned, seeing Floyd was trying to get into his territory. Floyd was upset that Jade wouldn’t share.

They started to fight. Lilia grabbed Floyd, having him relax with him. The twins settled down, claiming their little territories.


	215. LeoMil: It tingled…

“Jamil! Did you hear!?” Kalim shouted, giving Jamil a tight hug.

“Depends on what.”

“In honor of Valentine’s day, the school decided to hold an event for couples for an entire month. The most favored couple gets an amazing reward provided by yours truly~” Kalim said cheekily.

“What’s this amazing reward?” Jamil questioned, hoping he had nothing to do with it.

“I get to spend the entire day with one person of the lucky couple~ We could go shopping for things!” Kalim said happily.

An entire day with Kalim? He definitely wasn’t interested.

“I’m joking. My family will just find the rest of their school years here. Crowley is also going to pass them for next year.”

Full funding of tuition?

“Just tuition…?”

“I don’t really know. Maybe it’s everything? I just suggested it and my parents were on board!”

The possibility of having all his fees paid for was tempting. Very tempting. But he wasn’t in a relationship. This would pose a problem. Jamil walked off, wondering how he could get through this.

•

Leona yawned, not expecting to see a person crouched near him.

“You’re finally awake.”

“What do you want?”

“Have you heard about the event?”

“What event?” Leona grumbled, wanting time go back to sleep.

“I’ll be brief, the most favored couple has the rest of their school years paid for AND passes a year whether or not they failed.”

Leona’s ears perked up.

“I hear you, but you say couple. Clearly I’m not in a relationship.”

“Neither am I. Which is why I’m here talking to you. Date me.”

“Ha?”

Jamil exhaled, giving him a serious look.

“Fake date me. We both benefit from parts of the prize, don’t we?” Jamil reasoned.

“Look, the idea is a good one, but I’m not all about to get all sappy.” Leona stated.

“I’m not saying we have to 24/7. Just around big groups of people to boost our popularity.”

Leona mulled it over before agreeing. Jamil smiled, knowing coming to Leona was the right choice.

•

“So, more details have been released?” Leona asked, watching Jamil settle on his couch.

“Right. We can enter in person or online. I already did that. Entered couples are required to participate in a little game show. The couple with the least amount of correct answers have their ranks lowered. And if your rank is below the top 30, you will be in the danger zone of losing.” Jamil read, seeing there was more. “So anyone below 30 could get kicked if they do poorly in the game show.”

“Have you been memorizing?” Leona asked, not entirely interested.

“You should worry about yourself.”

They looked away from each other.

“Continuing on… Each couple will be given a photo challenge daily. Doing them helps raise popularity. And that seems to be it.” Jamil finished, seeing that was the end of Cater’s summarized post. “Please make sure you’re on your best behavior. We’re a team so what you do affects me.”

“As if you’re a saint, you demon.” Leona snarled.

Jamil didn’t say anything, simply leaving. Leona sighed, starting to regret this. Passing wasn’t worth the effort he had to put in. He quietly read over the little notes Jamil wrote for him about himself. He felt insulted that Jamil felt the need to include rhymes with some of them. How old did he think he was?

Jamil read over Leona’s notes. They were surprisingly detailed. He truly wasn’t expecting anything from him. Maybe he wasn’t as lazy as he thought. He was learning interesting things about him. He was going to win this event. Even if his family served the Asims for generations, they were still paying for education with their own money.

Kalim called out to Jamil was too busy memorizing Leona to notice him. Kalim frowned, wondering if he was too busy.

•

Jamil entered Leona’s room, making sure at least one person saw him enter.

“It starts tomorrow.” Jamil said, feeling he knew enough about Leona.

“Let’s do the scrunchy nose.”

Snap. Jamil hummed, seeing they were coordinated enough.

“Peace sign: front formation.”

Snap. Jamil shook his head, instructing Leona. They tried again. It came out better.

“And lets do cat ears.” Jamil said, getting in position.

Snap. Perfect. Leona looked over his shoulder, looking at their attempts. They were definitely much better than when they started.

“Did you get my photo?”

Leona showed him his lock screen. Jamil did the same. They sighed, feeling a bit nervous.

“We’re geniuses. There isn’t anything we can’t figure out together.” Jamil said, trying to pump himself up.

“Right. So, which way do you braid your hair?” Leona asked.

“Same way as yours.” Jamil said before remembering. “Don’t lay it on too thick that we’re a thing.”

“I know. You worry too much. Our debut appearance will be at the fountain right?”

“Yep. Tomorrow afternoon. We’ve already created the trail and I know people have been talking.”

“And tomorrow will solidify what we’ve been lying out. Brilliant.” Leona said.

“It feels good having a conversation with an intellectual.”

“I know.”

They briefly smiled at each other before brushing up on info they’ve memorized. Leona walked with Jamil back to the mirror, further letting others know there was something between them. People were definitely talking about them on social media, uploading photos and questioning if they’re dating. Some wondered if they were going to participate in the event.

Jamil laughed to himself, seeing everything was going according to plan. Now he just had to survive the month having to deal with the lazy lion. Jamil looked online before noticing a post buried underneath a few others. There was going to be a special event held for participants on the 14th. It could help tremendously boost their popularity ranking. That is, if they won whatever it was. He wish he knew what it was so he could prepare better. He quickly sent Leona the information before sighing.

•

[Day 1]

All the couples and their rankings were posted online. Students apparently were given permission to send hearts since a few days ago. They weren’t where he hoped to be, but within the top twenty was a good spot for a couple that hasn’t officially stated they were dating.

He saw their challenge for the day. They had to reenact the scene of when the fairest princess was freed from her poison curse. Simple enough.

Jamil met up with Leona, both now planning to eat three meals a day together. They got their preferred breakfast, making sure they didn’t lay it on too thick. A few students whispered, giving them a few hearts. They seemed cute.

“So, our ranking. We’ve got to rise up.” Jamil said, showing him their place and the top five. “We’ve got to beat Vel.”

“That bitch obsessed with looks and his tiny tyrannical boyfriend? Yeah, okay.” Leona scoffed.

“I know it sounds impossible but trust me. I did research on the couples entering. There are five big ones we have to worry about, especially since Vel has been around for over a year.” Jamil said, showing him the information he complied. “Despite being together longer, they’ve always been prone to arguing. So if we can get them to argue a lot, their rank will drop.”

“You’re so cunning. Cute.” Leona chirped.

Jamil rolled his eyes.

“So Jack and Sebek are in this. I know their weakness. Just tell Jack a few lies and they’ll be at each other’s throats for an entire week.” Leona said, writing it in. “They’re serious simpletons.”

“And I’ve observed how Deuce and Silver operate. Silver is surprisingly possessive of Deuce, so if we make it seem Deuce is flirting with others…”

“Silver will snap. Perfect.”

Students quietly watched the two. They looked really cute enjoying breakfast and laughing. They received more hearts despite only secretly plotting downfalls.

“And the last big one is Ace and Epel. They’ll be a bit harder to take down solely because Epel isn’t a priss like Vil. And with his boyfriend Ace of like mindedness…” Jamil said, going through Ace’s Magicam.

“I see what you mean. How long have they been together?”

“3 months. So we’ll probably have the upper hand when it comes to knowing things. We can just win that way.”

They nodded, solidifying their plans. Their first couple to take down was Vel, mostly because Vil had such a high following on social media. Leona picked up their trays, acting like a boyfriend to Jamil as they left. They feigned sadness of having to part before separating. A few hearts were gained.

They sat in their classes, making sure others could see their messages about how much they missed each other. They were moved.

Jamil looked at the time, seeing it was getting closer to their debut. It would be best if they had a big group, but gathering a lot of people would seem suspicious. So he put a plan into motion. Sometimes he was grateful that Kalim was an idiot.

Classes ended and Jamil hurried over to Leona’s class. Leona’s class noticed Jamil hurrying over before asking him if he could meet him by the fountain. A handful were interested. Jamil walked off, seeing their plan was progressing smoothly.

•

Jamil waited by the fountain, noticing a few students were waiting. Leona finally appeared, just like they practiced. A few students passing by stopped, wondering what was going on. Kalim was bringing in a bunch more.

“Leo… I…” Jamil stammered, avoiding eye contact.

“Hey, you can just say it. It’s just us.” Leona responded, lifting his face.

“Then, I want you to have this… Think of me every time you wear it.” Jamil said, handing him a necklace.

“Jami…”

This was the make or break for them, seeing they avoided practicing the kiss. Leona leaned closer, Jamil connecting their lips. Hearts were flooding in, even from Kalim. They pulled apart, having to act as if neither were disgusted. They walked away, before heading to the bathroom.

“God, I don’t want to do that anytime soon.” Leona gagged.

“As if I really wanted to do it in the first place.”

They sighed before Jamil checked their ranking.

“We definitely moved up. Now we just have to make the others look bad.” Jamil stated.

“Let’s get started then.”

•

Jamil and Leona sat together as their round for the game show started. They easily got the basic questions like favorite food or preferred way to sleep. Now came the heavy ones.

“How would your partner react if they caught you cheating? Please lock in your answer.”

Jamil briefly looked at Leona for the answer. B. Jamil asked for a repeat before choosing B.

“So, he would get mad at you and kick you to the curb. Final answer?”

“Yes.”

“Show us what Leona choose!”

It was B. The audience was amazed. They really knew each other. They discreetly high fived. Things couldn’t have gone better.

•

[Day 7]

Jamil checked their challenge for the day. Have someone take a picture of them as they kissed with a romantic background behind them. Sounded doable. Jamil called Leona, needing to see if he was awake.

“What.”

Judging from how he sounded, he just woke him up by calling him.

“Come on, we’ve gotta have breakfast together at least.”

“I just want to sleep… Let me sleep.”

“N~o. Don’t make me come over there.” Jamil threatened.

“Then do it.” Leona grumbled before hanging up.

Jamil rolled his eyes, gathering his things before heading out. He wasn’t too mad, seeing students would see him coming over to see his “boyfriend”.

Jamil entered the Savanaclaw dorm, earning looks from students. A few were curious as to why he was here. Jamil knocked on Leona’s door before entering. Leona wasn’t in bed. Meaning the sound of water coming from his bathroom. Jamil sat on his bed, waiting for him.

Leona dried his hair before hearing giggling. It was that cunning little demon.

“What did you just do?”

“Posted on Magicam. It’ll definitely get people talking.” Jamil said before clearing his throat. “You’re losing your towel.”

Jamil busied himself, reading out their challenge while Leona got dressed.

“So, we’ll finally take down Vel today.”

“Who’s at the top now?”

“Silver and Deuce.”

They left Leona’s room together, hearing for the cafeteria. They quietly discussed their plans all the while looking like a pretty convincing couple. Some students were ultimately fans, giving their daily amount of hearts to them.

•

Leona and Jamil had Kalim take their photo. Unfortunately, they couldn’t agree on a setting.

“I’m telling you, having Kalim manipulate the water behind us would be best.” Jamil stated.

“And I’m telling you doing it in the woods makes it more nature-y and mysterious. Especially if we get some small balls of lights in it.” Leona said, wanting Jamil to see it from his perspective. “Everyone is going to do that same fountain trick or whatever.”

“Okay. We flip a coin since talking isn’t getting us anywhere. You’re heads, I’m tails.”

Kalim flipped the coin. Heads. Leona won. They headed to the woods, trying to find the perfect angle. Jamil leaned against the tree, Leona placing his hand beside his head.

“This looks great already!” Kalim quipped.

Leona used magic, small lights hanging around as they faded in and out alternatively. Jamil looked around before looking into Leona’s eyes. It did feel kind of romantic. He braced himself for the kiss but never felt it. Kalim called out, signaling he got the photo.

They looked at it, surprised how good it turned out. Jamil sent the picture to Leona before uploading his. He glanced at Leona, feeling a bit weird. Why was he expecting Leona to kiss him when it was set up so they didn’t have to? He pushed the thought away, remembering they still had to bring down the other couples. That took priority over anything else.

•

[Day 12]

The “couple” ate lunch together, their rank now within the top ten. Almost half the month was over and done with. Jamil read over information that was posted about the 14th’s event. Classes would be canceled for it, making him wonder what in the world it could be that meant they’d cancel classes.

“Ah, you’ve got sauce on your face.” Jamil pointed out, wiping the corner of Leona’s mouth. He realized his habit of doing it for Kalim came out. “Uh, sorry… Habit.”

Leona didn’t say anything, keeping his eyes fixated on his lunch. He didn’t have to look at him like that when he did it. Was he forgetting they were fake dating? Sure it probably got them bonus points with the students but…

Both ate in silence, having taken down two of the four top couples, working their way with the third.

“So… Valentine’s day is in two days. We haven’t gotten around to planning anything romantic to win more hearts.” Jamil piped up, hoping to dissolve the weird silence between them.

“Ah, I was thinking maybe we stargaze while enjoying sweets? But then I realized most people would be in their dorms.”

“True. Ah, what about we just go the normal route and buy each other chocolate and a gift? We have to focus our attention on the event that day anyway.” Jamil said, earning a nod from Leona.

Now that that crisis was avoided, they were free to focus on other things. Leona noticed Jamil had finished with his lunch. He moved to take his tray, brushing hands with Jamil. They looked at each other, startled. Leona quickly took the trays and walked off.

“It tingled…” Jamil mumbled, touching his hand. “Electricity probably…”

Jamil had finished up before he left the cafeteria with Leona. neither had a class afterwards, giving them time to familiarize themselves with info about each other. Again.

“So, you really don’t like veggies?”

“They’re gross and shouldn’t be part of a lion’s diet.”

“Spoken like a true animal.” Jamil sneered, discreetly laughing.

“Us lions eat you herbivores for snack you know.” Leona growled, having heard him laughing.

“Will you eat me, Leo?” Jamil asked, very amused.

“I can and will if you keep messing with me.”

They blinked, seeing they were rather close. They backed up some, wondering when distance suddenly mattered to them.

“Why don’t we do our challenge since we have time?” Leona said, quickly changing the topic.

“We just have to find an old couple painting, pose like them and upload it. No wait, they gave us one.” Jamil said before correcting himself.

They looked before dying inside. Why was it so intimate? They both decided Leona would be better to have on the bottom. Jamil was extremely reluctant to sit on Leona’s lap, but they needed the hearts if they wanted to win this thing. Jamil sat on Leona’s lap before they referenced the picture again.

“You have to… put your hand in my shirt…” Jamil mumbled, forgetting he had asked Kalim to take their photo.

Kalim arrived, seeing Leona putting his hand in Jamil’s shirt.

“S- Sorry for intruding!” Kalim squeaked, leaving the room.

“Wait, it’s-”

“Oh god…”

Jamil quickly got up, going after Kalim. Jamil brought him back, having explained everything.

“For a moment I thought I was walking in on you two!” Kalim laughed, ready to take an amazing photo.

They got situated again before Kalim took photos from different angles. It was hard to focus, feeling Leona’s hand touching his skin. His body temperature rose the more he thought about it. Leona was struggling as well. Both were extremely relieved to get away from each other once Kalim announced he was done.

“You two are acting like being near each other is a bad thing.” Kalim quipped, causing them to look.

“What makes you say that?” Jamil said quickly, trying to remedy the situation.

“We were just tired from posing so long.” Leona chuckled nervously.

They couldn’t be found out. Not like this.

“That’s true. Hope the photos came out well.”

The fake couple looked at the photos. They were really good. And really intimate. Both were feeling uncomfortable.

“Um, we’ll use this one…” Jamil said, trying to sound natural.

“Sounds good.”

Leona noticed Jamil hadn’t buttoned his shirt back, so he did it for him. Their eyes met before they looked away, clearing their throats.

“I have some things to do. So, see you later?”

“Right. I’m really tired.” Leona said.

They quickly parted ways. Both were praying for the event to end soon.

•

[Day 14]

Leona, Jamil and the other couples found themselves separated within a rather large place. Leona was stuck in some room alone. What kind of sick event was this? Leona searched around the room, seeing the was able to communicate with Jamil.

“Wait, there’s a book in here.” Leona mentioned.

The moment he touched it, he heard Jamil shriek. He pulled away, desperately calling out to him.

“I’m fine it’s just… some bugs came flying from nowhere…” Jamil muttered, feeling disgust.

If his guess was right, it was probably the book’s fault. Maybe there was some pattern or code they had to figure out. They continued to communicate, Leona trying to lead Jamil to him.

“I don’t know if this is your door, but it looks like I need a key. And a specific colored one…” Jamil mentioned.

Leona sighed, seeing he could do much from where he was. He watched as the walls suddenly moved inwards. Leona mentioned it, hoping Jamil could move a little faster.

Leona twiddled his thumbs, not having heard much from Jamil. The walls were still closing in, but at a much faster pace.

“Hey, Jamil?”

“Yeah? I’m still working on the key.” Jamil said, going through bushes.

“I just felt like talking. I don’t have much to do in here. So, how’s locating that key?”

He face palmed. Jamil had just told him.

“I mean, how close do you think you are?”

“Well, if this note card is accurate, maybe one or two steps away? Is everything okay? You sound a little weird.”

“Considering walls are closing in on me much faster than before. I would say I’m itching to get out.”

“Well, the problems are easy to solve. They’re just about us. Oh. Uh, we have a problem.”

“Don’t say that…”

“Do you know the event code?”

“Event code? I’ve been stuck in here with literally nothing since this event started.”

“Without it, I can’t get to the key to get to you.”

The walls were still closing in. Leona searched around the room, feeling the walls for anything etched into them. Nothing. His only option was the book, but did he really want to take that chance again?

“Jamil.”

“Yeah?”

“Brace yourself.”

“Huh- AH! BUGS!!!”

Leona quickly scanned the dusty book, finding the code hidden inside. He quickly told Jamil who ran back to the little chest. It opened.

Leona could see the path to the door almost covered. What would happen after that? The walls suddenly snapped back in place as the door opened. Jamil grunted, not expecting a hug from Leona. Jamil hugged him back, subconsciously petting him.

They both realized, pulling away. They were announced as the first couple to finish. They were guided out, holding hands. It felt weird. Leona looked at Jamil, his chest feeling weird. Why was being near him bothering him so much?

They stepped out of the maze, seeing they were going to be photographed.

“Right, so let’s get a nice kiss in there!”

Both exchanged looks. Could they really fool them, especially since they kept kissing to a minimum?

“Right…” Jamil mumbled.

Leona moved Jamil’s hair some, cupping his cheek. They leaned closer before backing away. The photographer raised an eyebrow. They assured him everything was fine when things were not.

“What are you doing? We’ll be found out.” Leona whispered angrily.

“You did it too!”

They sighed before trying again. They connected their lips, hearing the shutter go off as they held their little trophy together. The photographer had long since finished, the two of them still kissing. Jamil was the first to realize. They quietly apologized to each other, quickly making their way out of the public eye.

“What were you doing!?” Jamil fussed, his heart hammering.

“Why are you blaming me? You kept going too! You’re at fault too!” Leona growled, slamming his fist against the wall.

“You….” Jamil seethed before just walking away.

Leona massaged his head, walking in the opposite direction.

The event really needed to end. Neither were sure how much more they could take.

•

[Day 22]

The two of them were fighting more behind the scenes, blaming each other for extending things beyond their agreed limit. Everything was going to fall apart if they couldn’t get their shit together and soon. There were only six days left of the event, but only four that’s the event. The fifth day was a lightning round to pick the top three couples. The last day was the announcement of the winning couple after more hearts were awarded from awards like who had to most aesthetic photo.

Jamil sat in his room, trying to get his mind off of his fight earlier with Leona. How dare he blame him for touching him beyond the limit? He did the exact same thing yesterday that he called him out on. Was it really so bad if he touched him a bit longer…? If he wanted to hug more? To kiss more?

Jamil’s face flushed. Why was he having thoughts like this? They were fake dating. Fake. Yet the thought of actually dating…

“AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!” Jamil screamed, pulling his pillow over his head.

Students passing by his room looked, wondering if he was okay. Jamil rolled onto his back, looking up at his ceiling with his pillow covering his mouth. It couldn’t be possible to start liking someone you were fake dating. Was it? He moved to call Leona then stopped. He was probably still upset.

“I’m sorry…” Jamil muttered to Leona’s picture. “I’m just confused…”

Leona stared at his phone, continuously letting Jamil’s picture show up on his lock screen. He didn’t like fighting with him. He was just trying to abide by the rules they set. Was it so bad that they touched for a few seconds more? Kissed a second more? Jamil’s face continued to appear and disappear on his phone screen.

Maybe it didn’t matter. The point of doing this was for the prize. When did he forget that? Leona rolled over, knowing he’d reach out to Jamil if he looked at his face one more time.

“Why is fake dating confusing…” Leona grumbled, his ears bent and tail hanging sadly.

•

The fake couple sat together, reading two different books. They were sitting comfortably in second place in the rankings. Getting rid of the first place couple was relatively easy.

Jamil glanced at Leona who silently read. He bookmarked his own book, scooting over to read what he was reading. The two silently read before Leona noticed Jamil wasn’t in his spot. Did he just up and leave him? He turned, not expecting to be inches away from Jamil’s face.

“So this is where you ended up…”

“I thought you would’ve noticed.”

“Right…”

Neither wanted to pull away, wanting to stare at each other a little longer. Jamil leaned forward, pecking Leona’s lips and giving in to his screaming thoughts. Both were more than willing to pull away, faces red.

“Would you look at the time… I got class…” Jamil said, scrambling to his feet.

“But you don’t.”

Jamil froze. Shit. Come up with something quick!

“I have to make up a class I missed. That’s what I meant.” Jamil lied, quickly walking away.

Leona couldn’t focus on reading anymore. All he could think about was Jamil.

•

[Final Day]

It was the last day, the final three sitting on a stage while Crowley happily talked. Everything could change with the awards. Jamil looked at Leona before down at his hands. Everything was extremely confusing. They were still fake dating, right? Then why did it hurt so much knowing Leona didn’t mean any of his actions? He closed his eyes before feeling something touch his hand.

Jamil looked up at Leona, his worries being eased. Leona looked back, feeling his heart beating in his ears. He was regretting this entire fake dating thing. It was such a hassle and he… he…

They looked away, their hearts paining each other. They would go their separate ways after this. It was awful, being in a one sided love. They were brought out of their thoughts by loud cheering. There were lights on them. They looked around before seeing they won.

“Is anything you two want to say?” Crowley said, handing them the mic.

Just this last time, they wanted their words and actions to mean something. Jamil took a deep breath before speaking.

“I never thought I’d fall head over heels for you… And I… I don’t mind that I have…” Jamil said, handing the mic to Leona.

“You, Jamil, are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen… and I never want to take my eyes off of you.”

The crowd started chanting for them to kiss. This would be the last time they kissed, so they wanted it to be special for the other. Ruggie and Kalim both carried out their friend’s wishes, Jamil wanting a flower shower and Leona wanting something a little flashy. The audience “ohed” and “ahed” watching the scene.

They pulled apart, keeping their tears in check.

“It’s time to say goodbye huh…” Jamil muttered, looking at the flowers around them.

“Yeah. We only did this for the prize…”

Yet they wanted more from each other. Both walked off stage before Leona stopped Jamil.

“I know we’re done fake dating but… can we date… for real?”

“Huh?”

“I- Just ignore me…”

“No, I… I want to.” Jamil responded, moving his hair out of his face.

Leona picked Jamil up in his arms, spinning him around in delight. They shared another kiss, this time as a real couple.


	216. Ace: They’re called unique magic for a reason

“Hiyah!”

“No fair! Take that!”

Ace chuckled, watching Epel parade around in baggy clothing. He continued to horse around with the others until Jack had transformed, wanting to get a little more rowdy. Everyone watched as Ace did the same.

“Uh. Maybe it’s not so unique Jack.” Sebek said, taking one for the team.

Ace looked at them before moving to check himself. His arms were orange. And extremely hairy.

“Guys?”

“Don’t look at us. You’re the one who transform!” Epel said.

“He looks like Jack except well… different eyes and fur and fur tuft.” Deuce said, petting Ace’s side.

Ace growled, sending Deuce back over to Jack.

“How did you do that though…?” Jack asked, sniffing Ace. “I don’t smell any foul play…”

Ace truly didn’t know, but he felt pretty strong now as a large wolf. Ace happily rolled around, receiving belly rubs from his friends. Jack had transformed back, feeling unnerved. It was called unique magic for a reason yet Ace could somehow do it too?

Ace went up in smoke, his natural human form having returned.

“I’m back to normal!” Ace said before looking at Jack. “Maybe next time it happens, we can wrestle!”

They watched as Jack walked away in low spirits. Sebek and Deuce went after Jack to cheer him up.

“What’s wrong with him…?” Ace muttered.

“Considering you used magic just like his unique magic…”

Ace gasped before guilt settled in. Jack must feel awful. He scrambled to his feet, wanting to apologize. Epel followed, not wanting to be left behind.

•

“You say Ace was able to use ‘Unleashed Beast’ like Jack? Impossible. They’re called unique magic for a reason.” Riddle said, unbelieving of what Deuce was telling him. “Get your head out of the clouds.”

Ace practiced magic with his seniors. A few of them used advanced spells. Ace sighed, wishing he could do the same. Ace simply thought, a strong stream of lightning crashing down in front of him and sending him stumbling back.

“Are you okay!?”

“How did you even do that… and so strong!?”

“I… I don’t know…” Ace mumbled, seeing it was just like Jack all over again.

Riddle had come running out, hearing something that sounded concerning.

“What’s going on out here?” Riddle demanded.

“See, we were practicing and suddenly Ace was able to use an advanced spell! He took out the table as you can see…”

Sure enough, the table was charred.

“Show me.”

Ace thought while casting. Nothing came. He tried a few more times. Nothing. It couldn’t have been an illusion. It was too real to be one.

“Deuce here was telling me you were able to use someone else’s unique magic.”

“It’s true! I was a giant orange wolf!”

Riddle couldn’t believe it. This was nonsense.

“Are you two going to sit here and lie to me? Do you want your heads chopped off?”

“No!” Ace yelled.

Clink. Everyone stared. Ace opened an eye before his mouth fell agape.

“Ah, now you’ve done it…” Cater muttered, seeing Riddle visibly shaking.

“Trappola!” Riddle shrieked.

“Run! I’ll keep him back!” Cater said, using his unique magic to hold Riddle down.

Ace and Deuce had fled to Pomefiore, knowing they’d be safe with Epel.

•

Ace sat by the window while the others had called an emergency meeting.

“He what!?”

“It came off by itself, don’t worry too much. But now he can’t go back to his room for a while.” Deuce said, remembering how pissed Riddle looked. “What’s going on with him…?”

“To think it’d get to this degree…” Sebek muttered.

They were aware that Ace had been copying small spells but they were pretty harmless. They underestimated its range. Now he was copying unique magic.

“Hey… when did all of this copying start?” Jack whispered, glancing back at Ace.

“I think after Ignihyde’s overblot problem…” Deuce whispered back.

“Could it be from when he got whacked?” Epel guessed.

“Maybe… but…”

“Hey. Do you think-”

“Guys.”

They looked at Ace. What was he going to say?

“I thought about it… It’s my unique magic.”

They all blinked. What?

“When Jack transformed, I thought it’d be cool if I could turn into a wolf too. And not long after, I was. Then when Riddle threatened to behead me, I didn’t want that so I wanted to seal his magic. And I did.” Ace said, sharing his thought process.

“Well, when you think of it like that, doesn’t it make more sense?” Epel said.

They all nodded. They congratulated Ace on finally having a unique magic. Deuce sat on the sidelines. He was the only one without one. He felt like an outcast. He quietly left the room, heading back to Heartslabyul. They probably wouldn’t even notice he was gone.

•

Deuce watched as Ace showed off his new magic. Imagine how lame he’d sound saying he could make cauldrons of varying sizes now.

“Deuce, what happened to you the other night? We suddenly couldn’t find you.” Jack said, following Deuce.

“You were having so much fun without me. So why would I disturb that?”

“But how would you? We’re all friends.” Jack said in confusion.

“I’m the odd one out Jack!” Deuce yelled, slamming his tray down and walking out the cafeteria.

“Deuce…”

•

Deuce tipped the cauldron over, putting his head in his hands. What was it? How did one figure out what their unique was supposed to be? Everyone had such cool ones and yet here he was, knowing basic spells and cauldron sizes.

“Deuce. Deuce.”

Deuce looked up before glaring.

“Get away from me. Don’t you have magic to copy?” Deuce grumbled, turning away from Ace.

“I’m worried about my best friend.”

“I said get away.”

“Not until you’re happy.”

“I won’t be until I get my unique magic or you lose yours!” Deuce said angrily, getting up and walking away.

How was he going to act all nice like they were on the same level? The moment he recognized it as his unique magic was the moment they were worlds apart. They’d never be the same again.


	217. Pomefiore: Lovely little apple

Epel hummed as he took care of a family heirloom. His parents had given it to him to remember home and to never forget she was always watching. He heard someone knocking, so he beckoned them in.

“There you are little crab apple.”

“Hey.”

“What’s that you got there? Looks like an apple with a bow wrapped around it.” Rook spoke, watching Epel place it on his side of the dresser.

“It’s a family heirloom. It’s not a real apple or bow.” Epel explained, hopping out of bed. “Vil sent you to fetch me didnt he?”

“Sharp as always little one.” Rook before noticing. “There’s a bite taken out of it?”

“Mhm. My parents told me that my grandparents told them that our ancestors made that ceramic in honor of the fairest princess.”

“How wonderful.” Rook said before coming to a realization.

Epel watched as Rook slid down the banister, blocking his path. Now what?

“You…”

“What? Did I say something weird?”

“Your ancestors knew the fabled fairest princess?”

“Yeah? Considering the one who made it was her child.” Epel said, going around Rook.

Rook felt faint. Epel looked back, seeing Rook was using the wall for support before dramatically sliding down it. Oh boy.

“To think our little apple is related to one the Beautiful Queen gave pity to!” Rook cried out, rising to his feet. “I have no words.”

“Yet you said too many…”

“Why is it so noisy over here?”

“Vil! I have learned such interesting news!”

Vil sidestepped Rook, dragging Epel down the hall for the meeting.

“We’ll talk later. Meeting first.”

•

Vil dismissed everyone before being approached again by Rook.

“What is it? Have I gained weight?”

“Oh not at all our beautiful queen! It has to do with our lovely little apple.”

Epel was making his way out the dorm when he suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground. His feet weren’t touching the ground yet no one was touching him.

He found himself being turned and sat in a chair.

“Rook tells me you’re related to that insufferable fairest princess. Say it isn’t so. This dorm is founded on the Beautiful Queen’s magnanimous efforts. That spoiled child…” Vil said, clearly not happy with the news.

“Well-”

“Let’s keep things civilized, hm?” Rook said, having Vil retract his fangs. “Isn’t it a little interesting, having a little descendent of hers?”

“Well, I suppose it is a little intriguing, seeing this is a dorm founded on our wonderful Beautiful Queen and yet her descendent is here, learning about the queen and her amazing feats.”

“Right, right? I knew she’d have to have a few bad apples in that apple tree.”

Epel blinked, listening to them happily converse. So, was he free to go? He moved to leave but Vil sat him down.

“Tell me, was the allure of the Beautiful Queen extremely tempting? And that’s why you came here?”

“I-”

“Have any of your other relative attended Night Raven?” Rook pressed.

“Uh-”

They continued to badger him with questions he didn’t know the answers to. Epel ran, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“He makes its sound like we’re harassing him.” Vil mumbled, watching the vegetable run upstairs.

“Let’s give him a little time. Maybe he’ll find some answers later.” Rook said happily.


	218. Silver: Important icon

“I can’t really say. I didn’t know you were a descendent until now…” said Aurora, reaching out to him. “Your eyes look just like mine. You seem to be the first of my descendents”

Cater happened to be passing by with Vil when they overheard a sweet and melodic voice speaking. They looked, Cater showing the most emotion.

“You see that semi transparent woman too… right?” Cater whispered, glancing at Vil.

“I do. Blonde hair right?”

“Right. And she’s talking to Silver… And didn’t she just say descendent!?”

Vil squinted, moving to get a better look at here. She looked strangely familiar.

“I don’t know know… But I would love it if we could talk again. There’s so much I want to tell you.” Aurora giggled, her hand hovering over his head as if she was giving him a head pat.

Vil gasped, pulling Cater over. He knew this woman.

“What?”

“That’s the sleeping princess…”

“HE-” Cater shouted, Vil pressing Cater down as he covered his mouth.

“We stumbled upon something quite interesting…”

Cater waved his phone, having gotten evidence.

•

Silver woke up the next morning feeling good about himself. He knew his origins after over a decade. He finally had a place to call home. He finally felt like someone, like he finally had worth.

Everyone in Diasomnia could clearly see his change. They’ve never seen him look so… present.

Everyone who had notifications on for Cater were the first to learn the truth about Silver’s new change. Word of the sleeping princess’s appearance started spreading like wildfire, Cater’s Magicam post getting a lot of attention.

Silver felt Kalim tap him, a concerned look on his face.

“What’s-”

“Why am I just finding out you’re related to such an important icon in Twisted Wonderland!?” Kalim whined, shaking Silver. “Aren’t we besties?”

“I would say good friends at most… Wait, what do you mean? How do you know!?”

“Oh, Cater posted about it.” Kalim said, showing him.

Sure enough, there was video evidence. Everyone in school probably knew by now. He felt a few not so nice glares on him. Silver couldn’t exactly hide since they were in class. Kalim wrapped an arm around him, asking him questions about his newfound origins.

•

Silver couldn’t relax, a bunch of students not even bothering to hide their malicious intent. Maybe now would be a good time to travel home and reconnect with family.

Silver and Kalim sat together for lunch when two hands slammed against their table.

“I KNEW YOU WERE SHADY FROM THE START!”

“Ugh, my ears…” Kalim grumbled, hoping he still had hearing.

“Hello to you too, Sebek.” Silver said, used to his loudness.

“Even as a baby I knew there was a reason I didn’t like you! You aren’t one of us. You’re a human of light!” Sebek yelled, extremely angry.

“Yeah, and?”

“‘Yeah, and?’!? Don’t give me that crap! How dare you-” Sebek fussed, only to be dragged away by Jack and replaced with other first years.

“Hey, what’s it like being the descendent if someone famous?” Epel asked.

“I’ve only been for less than half a day. Ask Malleus if you’re curious about that.”

“Was she really beautiful up close?” Deuce asked.

“Well, yeah.” Silver responded.

Soon Silver and Kalim’s table were surrounded by curious students of all years. Kalim changed his seat, knowing there were people out to get him.

•

“I’m sure you saw the news.” Silver mumbled, flopping onto Lilia’s bed.

“I have.”

Silence. Was Lilia mad at him? Would he have preferred being told in person?

“I-”

“I’m happy that you know where you’re finally from. It’s been my greatest wish ever since I took you in. And it’s finally been granted.” said Lilia, taking a seat next to Silver.

“But I’m not a creature of darkness like you and Malleus… don’t you hate me…?”

“Silver, you know I’d never hate you. I’d never hate my child for who he is. It may not sit well with others, but I’m fine with it. Though, I wasn’t expecting you to be of royal blood…”

The door opened, Malleus having come in to ask Lilia about Silver’s whereabouts. He no longer had to.

“Have you come to behold this human of light?” Lilia chuckled, stroking Silver’s hair.

“I hope you do not think ill of me now that you know yourself. I would like to remain good friends.” Malleus said.

“As if I could ever hate the other person who raised me…” Silver mumbled, giving Malleus a hug. “Do you hate me…?”

“No. What happened in the past has very little to do with us. I’m really happy for you, Silver.” Malleus said with a warm smile. “However, you never appeared to be someone if royal blood to me…”

“Right? Look at him. He looks like a high class citizen.” Lilia said, squishing Silver’s cheeks.

Silver sighed, smiling softly. Even if he had a biological family now, he’d never forget the two people who gave him a second chance at life.


	219. Vipers: Kalim isn’t any good either…

“Welcome home.”

“Thanks.”

They went their separate ways in silence. She slowly stirred the contents in the pot, having to keep an eye on it constantly. Judging from Jamil’s movements and the way he changed his shoes, Kalim gave him a hard time. The Asim children were forces to be reckoned with. You’d think you have them figured out and they suddenly pull out more things.

“Shriyal*.”

She looked back, seeing Jamil in more comfortable clothing.

“Mom and Dad went with the Asims yesterday. They won’t be back until next week.” said Shriyal, adding in more seasoning.

“That explains why Kalim was shouting ‘I’m in charge’ like some five year old being told they could have dessert.” Jamil muttered, sitting down at the table.

He soon had a hot meal placed in front of him, his sister sitting across from him. They gave thanks for the food before eating.

“How has Kalim sama been this month?” she asked as she usually would over text around this time of the month.

“He hasn’t changed. One day someone’s going to open his eyes. I prefer sooner rather than later. Especially if he really plans to take over. His father’s job is no easy task. Even I struggle with some of it.” Jamil said before eating another mouthful.

“I see. I’m still in awe of how he never takes anything seriously. He’s only gotten this far because of your guidance at this point.” Shriyal said, seeing the clear noodle dish turned out well.

“You’re hiding your face today. Did little Laynia give you trouble?” Jamil asked, having noticed since he entered.

She poked at her food.

“Yeah. You can say that.”

“Shri, you know everything stays between us. Plus our parents aren’t around so you can be as loud as you want.”

She sighed before moving her hair out of her face.

“Laynia works hard as always, but I feel she relies on me too much to help her. I can’t. I’m not a genius like you. And she’s always touching me like I’m some plush toy. Sometimes I just want to yell at her.” Shriyal complained, pushing her meal around. “Recently she’s wanted me to show off my… talent… to her friends. And I’ve hinted many times that I don’t like showing it.”

“Hm, but you’re really good at it. There’s nothing shameful about it.”

“Yeah, but… It’s not feminine…”

“And? You honed your skill because you liked doing it, didn’t you? But I do understand not wanting to while Laynia is forcing you.”

Shriyal smiled softly, loving it when Jamil complimented her. It’s not everyday a genius tells you you’re great. They finished their meals, giving thanks yet again.

“So, how long will you and mighty terror be here for?” she asked, cleaning up.

“Just two days. We’ve got school Monday.” Jamil said, helping her. “Has Laynia dome anything else?”

“Well, no. Wait. You know how she loves singing, right?”

“Right. What about it?”

“She forced me to sing the entire time with her… And every time I’d try to escape, she’d bring me back! It was torture. She can’t sing!” Shriyal complained, slamming a dish.

“Hey, the dishes.”

“Sorry… I’m just so mad. Why can’t she realize that she’s not talented like Kalim? She’ll never be as good as him in anything. Then again, Kalim isn’t any good either…”

Jamil chuckled, ruffling her hair. She pouted, puffing our her cheeks. She didn’t know how her brother could keep his cool, having to serve Kalim.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, at least you didn’t watch Kalim try cooking food in a microwave and proceed to blow it up because he forget water. Water, Shri.”

Shriyal snorted before laughing. She handed him the last dish to dry. Their masters were extremely troublesome, but it’d give them funny stories to share with each other.


	220. Hayami x Yuu: I’ll try my best

Hayami hugged Yuu tight, loving his adorable boyfriend. His day couldn’t get any better.

“Yami, there’s something I want to ask…”

“Hm? Ask!” he said cheerfully.

“Ah… I uh, need help with um… animal languages. Cat.” Yuu said, his eyes darting around.

“I don’t mind. Shall we head to Ramshackle?”

Yuu nodded, taking Hayami’s hand. His cheeks flushed, often glancing at Hayami who hummed happily. It wasn’t a complete lie. They did have animal language homework due in two days.

“Hey, quit staring… it’s embarrassing…” Hayami mumbled, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“O- Oh! I’m sorry…!” Yuu squeaked, turning even more red.

How did he not realize he was staring. Was he making a weird face? He hoped not. That would be mortifying.

Yuu led Hayami upstairs, not expecting to see Grim in the room. Hayami greeted him, making things a little more complicated. Hayami pulled out the animal language textbook, waiting for Yuu to show him the work.

“Yuu?”

“Yes? Ah, um, Grim! Can we talk…?”

Hayami tilted his head, wondering what was going on. Yuu came back without Grim.

“He’s not going to learn with you?” Hayami asked, sitting at the table.

“No. He… had other things to do.” said Yuu. “Let’s start.”

Hayami underlined and circled words, explaining the differences. Yuu nodded along, finding himself distracted often by getting lost in his boyfriend’s eyes. He had to pay attention.

“Did you get that?” Hayami asked, looking at Yuu.

“Um, I think so…” Yuu replied, hoping it went well.

Yuu found himself staring at Hayami again who got up to stretch. Yuu’s eyes rested on his torso before traveling downwards. He tore his eyes away. Why was he looking down there? Yuu froze, feeling it.

“Yuu, is everything okay? Do you need another explanation?” Hayami asked, moving to sit next to him again.

Yuu’s mind exploded, a little press felt against his pants.

“I’m okay… Just a bit tired.” Yuu said before regretting it.

“Then we can do this later or tomorrow. It’s no rush.”

“Wait, don’t go…”

“Hm? Do you feel like tackling it again.”

“I wanna tackle you…” Yuu whispered before shaking his head. “I just want to spend a little more time together. That’s fine, right?”

Hayami nodded, sitting beside Yuu. Yuu quietly stared at him before looking away. His heart was racing.

“Anything you wanna talk about?” Hayami asked curiously.

Now’s your chance! Ask him the real thing!

“Well… I…”

Don’t take too long!

“You what?”

“I want… I want to take the next step with you…” Yuu stated, squirming in his seat.

“Meeting parents?”

“No, like…” Yuu said before picking up his pen and licking it.

“Oh. Oh… Oh…” Hayami said, his face red. “You want to do that…?”

“I do but if you don’t want to that’s fine! Don’t feel pressured…” Yuu said quickly.

Both were blushing messes.

“I want to…”

Neither were sure what to do next. Yuu awkwardly stood up, nervously taking off his clothes. Hayami turned redder, seeing Yuu taking his pants off. Was he to look or look away?

Hayami started to strip as well, knowing they had to at least do that much. They sat down on the bed, unsure of what to do.

“Um, maybe I can…” Hayami said before falling silent.

Yuu was giving him such an innocent look. His heart contracted. So cute. Hayami had Yuu lean against the backboard before wrapping his hand around his shaft. He slowly moved his hand, gently playing with Yuu’s sacks.

“Is this okay…?” Hayami asked worriedly.

Yuu nodded, letting sighs escape from his lips. Hayami continued to play around with him before Yuu moaned. They both looked, Yuu extremely red in the face. He peeked from behind his hands, seeing Hayami smile.

“I like that sound. Maybe…” Hayami muttered, continuing and earning another moan.

Yuu couldn’t hold himself back as Hayami added a little more pressure and increasing speed. He wanted to experience it at least once, getting blown by Hayami. Would he be on board with it?

“Y- Yami…”

Hayami stopped, seeing Yuu wanted to speak.

“Um, only if you’re okay with it… I’d like a blowjob…” Yuu mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll try my best.”

Yuu watched Hayami lie down, gently licking and kissing his shaft. Yuu groaned and sighed, wanting to feel more. He craved more. Yuu tossed his head back, feeling Hayami taking him into his mouth. It felt good.

Hayami had seen how it was performed, but he couldn’t quite get his tongue to move the way he wanted. If Yuu wasn’t bothered by it, then he’d let it go. Hayami felt something grab his horn, startling him.

“Oh, I…”

“Sorry…”

Hayami lied back down, alternating between sucking and licking. Yuu couldn’t take it, needing more of Hayami. Hayami felt Yuu moving his hips, rubbing himself against his tongue. Yuu unexpectedly came, getting semen on Hayami’s face. Yuu slowly opened his eyes, looking at Hayami wiping his face.

“I came on you? I’m so sorry, I-”

“It’s okay! I’m really glad I got to please you.” Hayami said, giving Yuu a passionate kiss.

Yuu glanced down before moving closer to Hayami. He kissed him, wrapping his hand around Hayami. He was going to make him feel just as good as he made him feel.

“Yuu…”

“Shh… Just relax. It’s your turn.” said Yuu, swapping spots with Hayami.

Hayami drew a sharp breath feeling Yuu going straight in for the blowjob. He tightly gripped the sheets, panting like a dog. Was this how Yuu felt when he was doing it to him?

Hayami kept his hand to his mouth, embarrassed by how he sounded.

“Hey, you heard me moan. I want to hear you…” said Yuu, moving Hayami’s hand.

“No it’s… Aahh…”

Yuu blinked before giggling. It was so cute. Hayami covered his face, wanting to hide away. Yuu continued to please his boyfriend, basking in the high pitched moans he made. Hayami could feel himself getting closer to his high.

“Yuu, wait… I… I… aahh… hhnnnggh…!”

Yuu felt Hayami release into his mouth. Hayami was panicking. He didn’t mean that. Yuu looked him in the eyes before swallowing. Hayami’s eyes went wide before turning extremely red. Realization settled in, causing Yuu to blush as well. He just swallowed cum for the first time and looked Hayami in the eyes while doing it. What was he thinking!?

Both calmed some, finally able to look each other in the eye. Yuu hid his face in Hayami’s chest, still embarrassed from his bold move.

“It was great, Yuu…” Hayami said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah…” Yuu muttered, taking in Hayami’s scent. “I’d love to do it again…”

Yuu gasped before trying to hide more. What was he saying!? He calmed some, feeling Hayami rub his back. Maybe it wasn’t so bad speaking his mind sometimes.


	221. NSFW Hayami Fujimori: Things I’d want you to do

Hayami sat in his room, browsing the web on his digital screen. It was one of those boring weekends. Idia was holed up his room, designing new parts for Ortho and all his other friends had made plans. Even Malleus. He was a bit peeved Malleus didn’t ask if he wanted to head back with him to the Valley of Thorns. Hayami puffed out his cheeks, starting up a video game.

Hayami was deep into his game when he got a message from someone. He saved his game before checking. A faint blush dusted his cheeks as he timidly replied.

  
Hayami was freaking out. Was his room clean? He quickly cleaned up the little mess, his room spotless. Did he smell nice? He gave himself a sniff, seeing he was okay. Anything embarrassing on display? He immediately threw a few things into a bag and hid the bag somewhere. That should be everything.

Ruggie knocked on the door, the door sliding open. Hayami waved, trying to act normal. He had already set up a game, simply waiting for a chance to bring it up. He finally got his chance. They started to play, Hayami flexing his gaming skills. Ruggie had to admit, it was cute seeing Hayami get this excited. It reminded him of the happy looks of kids from the slums when he brought food.

“I’m really happy you came over!” Hayami said, an invisible tail wagging behind him.

“It’s nice being with you. I can be myself.” Ruggie exhaled, spreading out on Hayami’s bed. “You’re a cool dude.”

Hayami’s insides melted. They happily talked before Ruggie got a message. Hayami took note of his expression.

“I gotta go. The lazy lion wants me to play fetch it boy for him.” Ruggie complained. “Maybe I’ll stop by if I’m not tired from running about.”

Hayami waved before falling onto his bed. Ruggie lied on his bed. He gathered up the sheets, rubbing against it. If only Ruggie knew how much he wanted to be his special person, his boyfriend, his whatever word or words you wanted to use. Hayami looked at the sheets with half lidded eyes, his thoughts going wild.

Imagine Ruggie lying on his bed, watching him strip off his clothing. Ruggie telling him he liked what he was seeing, being told to touch himself. Hayami subconsciously started palming his crotch, having more lewd thoughts.

He soon came to his senses, seeing he had pulled his hard erection out of his pants. Hayami kept going, lifting his shirt to tease his nipples. They were so sensitive. Would it feel like this if Ruggie was touching him? Would it feel better? Hayami couldn’t hold himself back, allowing lewd sounds to escape his mouth. He moved from his nipples, playing with his sacks as he pumped himself.

He knew Ruggie could do it so much more better. The thought of him purposefully teasing him with his tongue was too much. He found himself softly moaning Ruggie’s name, sticking his fingers in his ass. Ruggie would definitely tear him apart. That beastly, animalistic side coming out. Hayami couldn’t stop moaning. Ruggie biting every inch of his body, marking him as his.

Hayami was bucking his hips at this point. He desperately wanted Ruggie claiming him, fucking him senseless like a wild beast. Hayami’s toes curled as his body tensed, feeling himself orgasm. He panted heavily, looking at the cum that sat on his stomach and hand. He let his head fall back, quietly cleaning himself up after having a moment to breathe.

“The things I’d want you to do to me…” Hayami whispered, looking at his limp dick. “…my precious Ruggie…”

image


	222. Dorm Leaders: Who do? You do with Voodoo!

“There’s got to be a catch. Knowing this school and all.” Yuu muttered.

“No catch my little demon. They’re simply dolls I wish to share.” said Sam cheerily.

“Look, we get pushed around enough by bird man. These better be regular dolls!” Grim fussed.

They walked out with the dolls along with their purchases. The moment they stepped out of the shop, the dolls were infused with magic. They made their way back to Ramshackle, needing to start working on cleaning up the lounge.

•

“Hey, do you think I’ll ever get home?” Yuu asked despite knowing Grim knew as much as they did.

“I’m sure there’s a way. Maybe you could ask Sam. He’s got everything!”

Yuu accidentally bumped the couch, seeing Riddle falling off.

“Oops.” Yuu muttered, slapping his cheeks free from dust and dirt.

[Meanwhile in Heartslabyul…]

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Riddle had not only fallen out of his seat, but was repeatedly slapped. All was silent as Riddle sat on the ground in a daze.

[Back in Ramshackle]

Grim swept, accidentally poking Malleus in the stomach multiple times.

“I finished!” Grim said proudly, unaware of Malleus’ doll being flung in the air, landing harshly on the floor.

“Hey! Be careful.” Yuu fussed, seeing the Malleus doll had dust on its side. “Let’s just brush this off…”

[Meanwhile in Diasomnia…]

“Someone catch him!” Lilia shouted, watching Malleus flying through the air.

A bunch of Diasomnians caught him, helping him stand up. Malleus hissed, feeling something hitting his side.

“Malleus, what was that…” Lilia muttered, hurrying to his side.

“I don’t know, but it reeked of sinister magic…” Malleus mumbled, remembering the awful smell.

[In Ramshackle]

Yuu carried the dolls up stairs, accidentally dropping Vil who tumbled down them. Yuu handed the others to Grim who in turn dropped them all. They quickly picked them up, unaware of the chaos going on.

“I think this is a good spot.” Yuu said, smiling. “So now we have our room clean and the lounge. Why don’t we work on another room later?”

“That’s too much work. I don’t wanna.”

“I’ll buy you tuna.”

“Let’s start now!” Grim cheered.

Yuu chuckled, telling him they could rest before starting. They looked, hearing their door about to be busted down. They hurried downstairs, opening the door.

“You all…?”

“Our dorm leaders are acting weird!” they said in unison.

“How is that news?”

“No like, it’s like Ruggie’s ‘Laugh With Me’ but it’s not him!” Ace said before laughing. “Riddle fell out of his chair and was slapped!”

Deuce started snickering too.

“Malleus went soaring in the air! It was scary.” Sebek mumbled.

“Vil was rolling around on the floor. He never does that!”

“Leona was rolling too!”

Yuu looked between them, listening to them chatter.

“Okay! Quiet! How is this any of my concern? It sounds like to me they’re just clumsy.” said Yuu, Grim nodding in agreement. “I’m not dealing with another person’s problem. That’s all people seem to ask from me.”

“But…”

Yuu caved, having been given puppy eyes. They entered, noticing the lounge was cleaner than they remembered. Yuu explained they did some much needed cleaning.

“So, they’re just doing things like falling and rolling? Sebek, I know your concerns about Malleus but, he can levitate himself you know.” said Yuu, earning nods from the others. “Vil sounds like he’s in trouble. He’d never do something so dirty.”

“Right?”

“When did this happen? Yesterday? Today?”

“Today about fifteen minutes ago.” Epel said.

“Fifteen minutes ago? Weren’t we heading upstairs with those dolls?” Grim mentioned.

“You two have dolls?” Jack asked.

Yuu led them upstairs, showing the dolls Sam had given them. Each picked up their dorm leaders. Ace and Deuce took turns playfully punching the doll before playing catch with it. Jack looked Leona’s over before massaging his ears, something he’s secretly wanted to do. Sebek tightly hugged Malleus, knowing he never could in person. Epel looked at Vil’s before pulling on all of its limbs, messing up its hair as well. Simple payback for making him do things he never wanted to.

“You all seem to be having fun with those dolls.” Yuu said, holding the three in their arms.

“I mean, we could never do this stuff to them in person.” Ace said.

They looked, hearing the door being knocked on. Yuu placed two dolls down, heading downstairs.

“Kalim? What’s up?” Yuu asked.

“Oh, mini me! Oh rught, um, Riddle texted me to go seek your help. Something strange is going on with his and the other dorm leader’s bodies. Azul and Idia are okay.” Kalim read from his phone. “So, could you help us, well, them?”

“Look, I’m not free therapy here.” Yuu complained, squeezing Kalim’s doll tighter.

Kalim clutched his sides, feeling as if he was being squeezed.

“But… this seems… dire…” Kalim said.

Yuu squeezed the doll tighter, Kalim gasping for air. Yuu had stopped squeezing, unaware they were the cause. Kalim coughed, wondering what was going on. Yuu dropped the doll as they moved to check on Kalim, only to watch him fall to the ground suddenly. Yuu started connecting the dots. They helped Kalim to his feet while picking up the doll.

The first years watched as Yuu made the Kalim doll do all sorts of things, making the real Kalim do them too.

“Oh no…” Yuu muttered. “That businessman tricked us!”

“We can control our dorm leaders? Hell yeah!”

Yuu watched the five of them run off with the dolls. This was going to be problematic. If only they refused Sam in the beginning.

“Kalim, we’ve got to warn the other dorm leaders.” Yuu said.

Suddenly Kalim’s doll was snatched, the first year making Kalim drop his phone before walking away with him. Another first year swiped Kalim’s phone before Yuu could.

“I got the others!” Sebek shouted, running away with Azul and Idia’s dolls.

“What has Sam unleashed…” Yuu groaned, tired of dealing with problems.

•

The dorm leaders couldn’t sleep. All day their bodies would move on their own, making them look like complete fools. They were trending on Magicam. Vil was the most distraught, his image being ruined. Kalim had never gotten back to them on whether he secured help or not. At this point they had to say he failed.

They found themselves jumping at every little sound, not knowing when it’d strike again.

The first years were fast asleep, their dolls simply sitting idle.

Morning rose and a few dorm leaders hadn’t slept a wink. Nothing seemed to be happening yet. The terrors started once again. Riddle had his head repeatedly dunked in water before snipping off some of his hair. He was mortified. Leona was forced to chase his tail around and was quickly growing tired. Idia was forced against his bed, unable to a thing. He couldn’t live without his games. Malleus was consistently hugged and kissed, sometimes even nuzzled. Vil was forced to put on makeup, causing him to scream at the horror.

The terrors continued throughout the day, then getting in trouble with teachers. The first years were in giggling fits. The dorm leaders didn’t want to believe this was their lives now. Something was going on.

•

Vil looked at everyone discreetly, searching for anything suspicious. His hair was messed up again, but he didn’t see anyone make even a slight movement. He decided to discuss the matter in private with Rook, knowing he had good eyes. Vil stopped by Epel’s room, noticing he spent a lot of time in it.

Epel had been caught. Epel noticed the doll being levitated out of his hands and into…

“Vil!? It’s not what you think!”

“This doll. It controls me doesn’t it? You have three seconds to tell the truth.”

“N-”

Vil had the doll bow, making him bow. Epel couldn’t get out of this. He quickly alerted his friends, knowing Vil was going to tell the others. Unfortunately, it was already too late for Sebek and Jack.

•

Riddle kept an extra eye on the first years, heeding the other dorm leaders’ advice. If his guess was correct, it had to be those two. He just had to get it away from them and chop off their heads. He could easily do it in their sleep, but did he want to wait that long? He needed to enlist help.

Ace and Deuce snuck off, getting ready to mess with Riddle when Cater called out to them.

“Hey, that’s a really cute Riddle doll. Didn’t think you two liked him that much.” Cater chuckled.

“He’s such a great leader.” they lied.

“May I see? I promise I won’t take it.”

They handed it over, seeing he kept true to his word. Just as he was handing it back, the doll was being levitated over to Riddle. Crap.

“So this is the doll huh? Not very flattering.” Riddle said, beheading the first years. “Thanks Cater.”

“Wha- You were in on this!?” Deuce asked in disbelief.

“Yep. You too are so easy~” Cater chuckled, taking a photo. “Later.”

The dorm leaders entered Sam’s store, demanding that he remove the voodoo. Sam obliged, seeing they were clearly upset. All he wanted was to cause a little trouble on the peaceful grounds of Night Raven.


	223. Ignihyde: ‘Human Gear’

Ortho silently watched Idia sketch. It looked really nice, but he didn’t understand its purpose. It didn’t have any battle parts or things used for healing. If anything, it made him look… naked. Well, as naked as a robot could get. Ortho got closer, brushing cheeks with Idia. He was still laser focused.

“Big brother, what are you making?” Ortho asked, tracing his fingers over the lines.

Idia finally snapped out of his zone just as he finished.

“Huh? Oh, you’ve been here the whole time? It was supposed to be a surprise…” Idia said, sighing heavily.

“I can erase it from my databank.”

“Don’t bother. I’ll be busy for a few days, so don’t let anyone in. Unless it’s Ruggie. He’s got nimble fingers that I need…” Idia muttered, hoping requesting Ruggie’s help didn’t cost too much.

“Roger!”

Idia smiled softly, patting Ortho’s head. He couldn’t wait to finish the new design. He only hoped it worked properly.

•

Ortho often pressed his ear to the door, trying to see if they were finished. Most of the time it was Idia instructing and Ruggie going “I’m not stupid”. It was nice hearing his brother had a friend besides him. All sounds stopped. After a few days, there was no sound from Idia’s room.

Ruggie came out counting madol before noticing him.

“Your brother really outdid himself this time. Though, I have no idea what it’s for. But he said once it was on you I could be the first person after him to touch so… get in there.” said Ruggie, pushing Ortho in.

Ruggie laughed in delight at how much he made while Idia exchanged Ortho’s parts. Ortho’s body rebooted, downloading the new body parts information and configurations.

Ortho looked himself over, noticing it looked different. Soon he was being hugged by Idia.

“Ah… it’s working…” Idia mumbled, holding Ortho tight. “Ruggie, come hug him.”

“Seriously…?”

Ruggie hugged Ortho before clinging to him more. Ortho was very confused. Why were they hugging him so much?

“Wow Idia… that’s one intelligent brain you’ve got. Kinda sexy.”

Idia nervously laughed, watching Ruggie leave. Ortho continued to look himself over before heading to a mirror.

“Big brother, I have eyes, ears, a nose, and a mouth! I thought I couldn’t at the same time…?”

“I finally figured out a way to make it possible. It wouldn’t work before because you were extremely high tech and having too many senses would more or less cause you to short circuit a lot.” Idia explained, placing his hands on Ortho’s shoulders. “So when making this, I figured since it was going to be relatively simple, I could try my hand at it.”

Ortho smiled happily, loving his new body. It was then he noticed it.

“My flame… its gone!” Ortho panicked, trying to find it.

“It’s not. Look.”

Ortho watched as Idia showed him. There it was in his chest, glowing bright within a heart structure. Idia really thought of everything.

“Will you name it or can I?” Ortho asked, hugging Idia tight.

“I’ll give you the honors.”

“Then, I’m calling it, "Human Gear”! Hehe~“

•

Ortho found his body waking up on its own. Was that a new feature? It really felt like he slept like a human despite being put on sleep to recharge. Idia cuddled him, loving the feeling. Ortho woke him up, seeing he needed to get up for classes.

"No…” Idia mumbled.

Ortho easily pried Idia off him before sitting on him. Idia instantly awoke, feeling Ortho’s heft.

“I’m up… I’m up…!”

Ortho giggled, getting off him. Idia wheezed as he rolled out of bed.

“Right, I designed some clothes for you.” Idia coughed, pulling out an outfit. “You can’t go out in just the parts.”

Ortho didn’t see a problem, but if Idia wanted him to wear clothes, he definitely would. His only question was…

“How do I put them on?” Ortho asked innocently.

Idia helped him change, hoping he took notes for next time. Shoes. He actually got to wear shoes too. It was unbelievable. Ortho ran over to the mirror, looking at himself. He looked like a human child. He squealed in delight, loving this new change.

Ortho walked out with Idia, earning looks from other Ignihyde students. He ran and gave them hugs, just really excited about the new body. A few other students from different dorms had to do a double take, wondering if that was really Ortho. He looked a little… human. Ortho was still giving out hugs.

Ortho sat in class with Idia, not entirely sure why his brother was clinging to him. He didn’t care much, truly just happy to be with him at all. Even the teachers were a little shocked at this sudden change. Anyone could easily mistake him if they didn’t already know.

“Big brother, I want to say hi to the others!”

“Be safe…”

Ortho assured him he’d be careful like always before running off. Yeah, running. He felt alive. He ran into the first years, earning looks.

“It’s me, Ortho! I may not look it, but I’m still a robot!” he said cheerily.

“Wow, you really are short…” Ace snickered.

“Wow, to think Idia senpai has come this far… What’s the point of this new body?” Deuce asked.

“Um, I don’t know actually. I do know big brother has been hugging me a lot! He even let me name it. It’s Human Gear.”

“'Human Gear’… May I hug you?”

Ortho nodded before hugging Deuce. Ace and Ortho noticed Deuce wasn’t letting go.

“Uh, Deuce?”

“He’s so soft…” Deuce whispered, tears streaming down his face. “I don’t wanna let go…”

“Hey, let me see.” Ace mumbled, moving Deuce.

Ace started to cry as well. Was it possible to be this soft? Ortho was extremely confused. Was the point of this new body to make people cry after touching him? The two were too busy crying over how soft he was to notice he left.

Ortho continued to hug and be hugged, each time people not wanting to let him go. He didn’t really mind it, but he wanted to continue going around campus. Students were in tears, not wanting Ortho to go.

•

Ortho met back up with Idia, telling him everything. Idia’s eyes widened.

“I really liked being hugged!”

“Ortho-”

Knocking and banging could be heard on his door, students from all dorms demanding more hug time with Ortho. Idia put his head in his hands while Ortho was innocently confused.

“Actually… if I make them pay I could use the cash for my games and strengthen…” Idia said, muttering to himself.

“I want to help big brother any way I can!” Ortho declared, on board with whatever his plan was.


	224. Azelle: One World, The Land And Sea

Mei sat on Rielle’s bed, listening to him giggle like an idiot. He wasn’t jealous, just a little disappointed it wasn’t him. Plus, it was only natural he dated a merperson like him. Mei sighed before offering the rest of his snack to Rielle.

“Azul just sent me a funny video. Look.”

Mei looked. He couldn’t deny how funny it was. Azul did have an interesting sense of humor. Seeing how happy Azul made Rielle was enough to ease his aching little dragon heart.

“So, you’re seeing him tomorrow?”

“Mhm. We finally found a day we could spend time together after school. Especially since he’s usually busy with Mostro.” Rielle said happily.

Rielle was completely smitten for Azul. Soon Rielle would be talking marriage. Mei let himself out, giving Rielle space.

•

“He keeps checking his phone like something’s supposed to come out of it.” Jamie muttered, him and the others glancing at Rielle who kept tapping his phone awake.

“Really? He was a giggling fool just a few days ago.” Mei whispered.

“He hissed at me. Me!” Eosin said, extremely hurt.

They looked at Rielle who hadn’t even touched his lunch. They had to get his phone away from him.

“Why won’t you answer…?” Rielle mumbled, looking at his lock screen. “Did I mess up…?”

“Okay. We need to distract him. Mei, do that fire thing he likes.”

Mei was reluctant. Did he want to jeopardize his chances here?

“Mei!” Jamie hissed.

“Okay…”

Mei sat across from Rielle, struggling to get his attention. When Mei finally had it, Jamie quickly swiped Rielle’s phone.

“Have you tried learning anything new?” Rielle asked, always entertained by it.

“Um, no. But I will if you want me to!” Mei said happily.

“Please! I’m sure you’d be amazing at the new stuff too!” Rielle chirped.

Mei melted. He was smiling again. That’s all he wanted to see, Rielle happy and smiling.

“Are… Where’s my phone? Mei, do you have my phone?”

Mei emptied his pockets, showing him he didn’t have it. He needed it. What if Azul texted him? How would he know? He needed to respond right away. Mei watched as Rielle frantically looked around. He truly felt bad for tricking him, but he couldn’t stand seeing him so sad.

Mei wished him luck before hurrying to catch up to Jamie and Eosin.

“Now we just have to hide it where he can’t find it. He’ll stop thinking about him after a while.” Jamie said proudly.

“Do you really think it’s going to work? There’s nothing preventing him from going to Night Raven.” Eosin said.

“Maybe we should just give it back. Look at him.”

They watched as Rielle was turning the entire cafeteria upside down. Literally. Students were clearly upset, some of their lunches unfortunately wasted.

“Maybe we should… I doubt he’ll focus any better in classes knowing he could be missing his message.” Eosin said worriedly.

“Like now.”

They looked, seeing Azul had sent him a photo. They hurried back, calling out to Rielle.

•

Mei couldn’t stand it. Azul was an asshole. How could he make such a wonderful and beautiful person constantly wait for a reply for days. If he ever saw him again, he was definitely knocking his lights out.

“He’s a world away…” Rielle mumbled, letting his head hit his desk.

Mei stroked his hair, assuring Mr. Allan everything was okay with them. Rielle silently sobbed.

“Rie, Azul loves you. He’s just busy. It’s probably stuff with Mostro. Or it could be family things.” said Mei, seeing Rielle’s misty eyes meet his. “I’m sure he has a very good reason.”

Rielle had stopped crying, but he was still moping. It was better than him crying.

“Mei, can we eat at Vin’s after school…?”

“Of course! He’s got a new sweet treat I hear. Oh, and a new spicy dish!” Mei quipped.

Rielle smiled softly. If only Azul didn’t have his nasty tentacles wrapped around the angelfish.

•

The trio looked as Rielle was practically dragging himself into the cafeteria. He was constantly moaning and groaning, quickly getting on others nerves. Even theirs. What in the world was Azul doing that he couldn’t even send a “k”?

They sat down to eat, Rielle not even touching his favorite meal. This was serious. Rielle heavily sighed, drawing invisible circles on the table as he mumbled to himself.

“Jamie, what’s he saying?”

“He’s singing.”

“Singing wh-”

“Again, you’re gone, off on a different path than mine. I’m left behind, wondering if I should follow. You had to go, and of course it’s always fine.” Rielle sang, causing everyone in the cafeteria to look.

“I probably could catch up with you tomorrow. But is this what it feels like to be growing apart?”

Jamie and Mei looked, seeing Eosin had joined in with others in the cafeteria. If there was anything strange about Eosin, he was always ready to sing at the drop of a hat. Though, it wasn’t bad since Eosin was a natural born singer.

“When did I become the one who’s always chasing your heart? Now I turn around and find I am lost in the woods. North is south, right is left, when you’re gone. I’m the one who sees you home, but now I’m lost in the woods!”

Rielle was dancing on tables, more students joining in with singing or being backup dancers. Jamie rubbed his temples, hating this part of their school.

“I’m really hoping this doesn’t happen every time Azul decides he’s going to ignore Rielle…” Mei muttered before sipping on his juice box.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. But hey, he seems to be having fun.” Jamie stated.

“And I don’t know what path you are on. I’m lost in the woods. Up till now the next step was a question of how. I never thought it was a question of whether. Who am I, if I’m not your guy? Where am I, if we’re not together forever?”

Students lifted Rielle high in the air, carefully bringing him back down to the ground. It seemed those dance classes were paying off for them.

“Maybe I should take dance…” Jamie mumbled.

“You have two left feet. Spare the teacher.”

“I’ll eat you little dragon.”

Mei giggled, knowing Jamie wouldn’t even think about it.

“Now I know you’re my true north, ‘cause I am lost in the woods. Up is down, day is night, when you’re not there. Oh, you’re my only landmark, so I’m lost in the woods. Wondering if you still care… But I’ll wait for a sign that I’m on your path, 'cause you are mine. Until then, I’m lost in the woods” Rielle sang loudly, twirling around before sitting back in his seat, a somber look on his face. “I’m lost in the woods…”

Eosin sat back down next to Jamie, quietly apologizing for getting wrapped in it. The cafeteria had gone back to normal.

“I’m sure he’ll come around, Rie. Give it a little time.” said Eosin, patting Rielle’s head.

Rielle sighed, holding his phone close. He just wanted to have silly talks again with Azul. Was he asking for too much?


	225. Azelle: One World, The Land And Sea (small cont.)

“Who am I, if I’m not your guy? Where am I, if we’re not together forever?”

Azul finally located the cafeteria, mostly because of the random singing that had started up. He stepped inside, seeing the melodic voice belong to his boyfriend. He was going to call out to him, but he was really enjoying hearing his voice.

“Now I know you’re my true north, ‘cause I am lost in the woods. Up is down, day is night, when you’re not there. Oh, you’re my only landmark, so I’m lost in the woods. Wondering if you still care… But I’ll wait for a sign that I’m on your path, 'cause you are mine. Until then, I’m lost in the woods” Rielle sang loudly, twirling around before sitting back in his seat, a somber look on his face. “I’m lost in the woods…”

Azul saw he had sat down and the cafeteria had returned to normal. Was Royal Sword always like this? He pushed the thought aside, seeing his chance.

“I’m sure he’ll come around, Rie. Give it a little time.”

Rielle sighed, holding his phone close. He just wanted to have silly talks again with Azul. Was he asking for too much?

Everyone but Rielle noticed Azul standing by their table. Did Azul have free time to just wander on over to Royal Sword? Though, they didn’t care about the little details, seeing Rielle would be happy once he saw him.

“Angelfish.”

Rielle looked up before his backed up tears fell from his eyes. Azul opened his arms, Rielle running into them. His friends cooed, glad to see Rielle happy.

A slap rang in their ears as Azul held his cheek. They couldn’t deny he deserved it after what he put Rielle through. Mei somehow had enough self control not to turn Azul into takoyaki.

“Yeah, I deserve it. I’m sorry for leaving you alone all this time…” Azul apologized, feeling Rielle kissed his hurt cheek.

“Why did you? You know you can tell me anything. Am I not your boyfriend?” Rielle said, holding Azul close.

“It’s was a lot of family stuff. I didn’t want you getting involved. And then Mostro suddenly had a rise in customers because of some mistake order that Jade made. A lot of hands were needed.” Azul explained, running his fingers through Rielle’s hair. “I was so overwhelmed and couldn’t remember to tell you. I’m an idiot, huh?”

“A little… but I understand. Next time, tell me. I’m sure you were stressed out, right? Exactly. I could’ve been your moral support.” Rielle said, smiling softly.

“You’re too good to me. You should be selfish and get mad more often.” Azul said.

“Then I’ll be selfish now.” Rielle said before kissing him.

Jamie patted Mei’s head while Eosin melted into a puddle. Rielle pulled away, grinning widely. Azul waved to his friends as Rielle pulled him out of the cafeteria.

They walked hand in hand, Royal Sword students uncaring of the Night Raven student roaming their halls.

“Can I be selfish again?”

“You don’t have to ask, angelfish.”

Rielle held Azul’s arm, leaning against him.

“I want you to treat me to a nice meal. And sweets.” said Rielle cheerfully. “I’m sure you’re on lunch break, right?”

“Something like that.”

“Either way, I’m sure you’d want to eat. Vin has a lot of good food! Anything you could ever dream of eating, he has it.” Rielle chirped, singing Vin’s praises.

They reached the snack shop, seeing a few groups were already here.

“Oho~ Aren’t you two a sight?” a voice said from the side.

“Vin!”

“You don’t have to tell me a thing. I’ll personally whip up a dish made just for the two of you.” Vin said cheerily, ushering them to a table. “Sit tight, you hear?”

Azul looked around, seeing business was doing fairly well. Maybe he could pick Vin’s brain and get some tips.

“So, is everything okay now? With your family?” Rielle asked, holding Azul’s hands.

“Not exactly. My brother ran from home again and our grandparents have had enough of him constantly making us look bad and my parents are on opposite sides and now it’s just this jumbled mess of thing.” Azul grumbled, rubbing his temples. “The real problem is that they’re not even bothering to understand why he keeps running. They just naturally assume he’s a bad seed.”

“Is that so…? You know, I’ve done a little running myself.” Rielle confessed, seeing a drink being placed between them. They drank from the straws provided before Rielle continued. “In my case, being at home with all those stuffy rules made me miserable, so I’d swim off in search of freedom. That’s when my collecting hobby started. Maybe there’s something your brother is trying to get away from.”

It made sense. It wasn’t like they grew up with terrible parents. Maybe it was something none of them knew about.

“A nice hot meal for two lovebirds. How sweet this little pairing is.” Vin said with a chuckle. “Enjoy~”

“How did he know we’re… Did you tell him?”

“Yeah. But I never told him what you looked like now that I think about it.” Rielle said before chuckling. “Vin really just has a way with things.”

They happily ate, enjoying the other’s presence before they had to part.

Eosin, Jamie and Mei watched from the window, wanting to see how things ended.

“They’re really cute together.” Eosin said dreamily.

“I wonder how long they’ll be together for…” Mei mumbled before being pinched by Jami. “It was a legitimate question!”

“Next time he makes Rie cry, he’s going to be tasting my fists.” Jamie stated.

“The pacifist saying he’ll fight someone. Haha, yeah, okay.” Eosin laughed before walking away.

“Hey, I can and will!” Jamie said, following after his senior.

Mei stayed a bit longer before hurrying to catch up.

Rielle and Azul shared a kiss, laughing in delight.


	226. Rook: My Precious Hat

Rook ran all over Pomefiore, turning the entire place upside down. Vil was not a happy camper.

“Rook, what in the name of the Beautiful Queen are you doing?” Vil seethed, holding him back.

“Don’t look at me!”

Vil raised an eyebrow before noticing something was… different.

“You don’t have your hat today. And why shouldn’t I look at you?”

Vil found Rook escaping from his hold, continuing to rip through the place. He followed, putting everything back in its place.

Rook had finally reached the doors of Pomefiore. He walked outside, a nice strong breeze blowing around him. He sank to his knees, his head in his hands.

“Rook, what’s gotten into you?”

“I’m nothing without it…” Rook sobbed.

“You mean your hat? Don’t tell me you’ve been turning this place into a pigsty because of a little hat?”

“It’s not just a little hat!” Rook cried out before running.

Vil pursed his lips. He’s never seen him this upset. Maybe it did mean more to him than he realized. The only way to find out was to check with people he grew up with, as much as he didn’t want to interact with grubby people like them.

•

Vil was about to leave to meet up with them when Rook had entered the dorm. He was going to call out, only to see remnants of something in his hands. Everyone watched as Rook made his way down the hall in silence. At this rate Rook was going to be useless, well, more than usual.

Leona and Ruggie shook and hollered with laughter, Ruggie falling to the floor. Vil narrowed his eyes. They probably had something to do with its disappearance and utter destroyance.

“You two destroyed his hat didn’t you!” Vil hissed.

“Us? Nah. That hat is priceless. He goes feral if someone takes it.” Ruggie said, having flashbacks.

“We experiences it first hand…”

“Is that it in your hands? Wow. They sure did a number to it.” Leona quipped, picking up a piece. “So, why are you here? To try and place blame on us?”

“No. I came seeking answers. Why is this hat priceless? Why is he nothing without it?” Vil asked, glaring at them. “I want real answers. Don’t try anything with me.”

“Bold of you to assume he told us.” Ruggie chimed in, Leona nodding. “But, I won’t mind telling you what I do know for a price.”

“You’re both ridiculous.”

“Hey, we aren’t like those disgusting prissy boys in Royal Sword. Either pay the weasel or you get nothing.” Leona grumbled, crossing his arms. “You’re already on thin ice for keeping me from my nap.”

Vil reluctantly gave Ruggie madol.

“Well, for this much I guess you only want one piece of info…”

“So greedy…”

Vil sighed, emptying his wallet. It wasn’t like he couldn’t take out more later.

“Alright. Well from what I know, he’s always had that hat. We saw him wear it everyday, even on really hot days. Of course he’d take it off and hold it at times, but he preferred wearing it. I’m guessing it has to do with family.” Ruggie said.

“Leona?”

“Ruggie’s mostly right. It surprisingly doesn’t have anything to do with family. Ah, I feel it’s right there on the tip of my tongue but… man… I’m tired.”

“Don’t fuck with me you lazy lion!”

“Ha? Maybe I should sleep right now.”

Vil took a deep breath before speaking.

“I would really like to know, please. I need him to do his duties as vice dorm leader.” Vil said as calmly as possible.

“He said some fairy gave it to him while he got lost exploring a forest back in his old homeland. I don’t buy that bullshit but whatever makes him happy I guess.” Leona said, stretching out. “If that’s all, get out. I want to sleep in peace. That means you too Ruggie.”

Ruggie ushered Vil out before putting up Leona’s do not disturb sign.

“A fairy? Why in the world would a fairy give him a hat?”

“Don’t ask me. I’m not the one who made up the story.”

Vil sighed, hoping the others had some luck in replacing the hat. His old one was pretty shabby looking anyway.

•

Vil arrived back at Pomefiore, seeing everyone in low spirits. They were slouching. This irked Vil more than anything. No matter how much he told them to shape up, they continued to slouch. He spotted Epel heading down the stairs.

“Wah! Vil senpai…”

“What’s wrong with everyone in here?”

“Well, after you had everyone find the best hat to replace his old one, they each presented them to him. He didn’t like them. And Rook was like their ray of sun under your desolate rain. So without him, everything feels worthless.” Epel said, deciding not to filter his words. “If you can find a replacement, everyone will be full of some life again.”

“Me? Desolate rain?”

“Yeah. I could say meaner things.” Epel said with a shrug.

Vil exhaled, seeing getting Rook back to himself was more important than what people considered him.

He barged into Rook’s room, Rook not even bothering to look at him.

“Rook, we will find a replacement for you.”

“There’s no replacing it… It’ll never be the same.” Rook said hoarsely. “No one understands…”

“I heard a fairy gave it to you.”

He now had Rook’s attention. God he looked so pitiful. Was it really that important of a hat?

“Do you remember what the fairy looked like? Maybe we could-”

“There’s no way. You know fairies don’t like humans… And we don’t have any connections. And there’s no guarantee that the one I met is even alive!”

Rook was in tears again. This was no progressing like he thought it would. Rook did make points about things, but they wouldn’t know until they tried. They could always ask Malleus. Then again, he didn’t have much reason to help them. Vil was at a loss. How long would Rook be like this?

“Rook, we should still try to find your fairy. I’m sure they’d be happy to make you another. That is if they made it for you…” Vil suggested, not wanting to give up on this.

Rook simply got underneath his bedsheets, hiding from the world. This was definitely going to take some time.


	227. Rook: My Precious Hat (cont.)

“No.”

“Do it for Rook.”

“He’s a pain in the fucking ass.”

“I know for a fact he’s helped your sorry ass more than you can count!” Vil barked.

“I never asked him to help. That’s why he’ll always be a stupid blonde.”

Vil was done. He waved money in front of Ruggie, leading him out. The two of them could convince the fae to help them out. Somehow.

“Hey.”

“I don’t have time for-”

“I’ll help.”

Both turned around in shock. Seriously?

“After all of that, you’re gonna help? Then why didn’t you just say yes?” Ruggie questioned.

“Does it matter? Let’s get a move on.”

Leona walked ahead, pursing his lips.

_“I can’t stand it when he cries…”_

The trio arrived at Diasomnia’s door, entering with caution.

“Hello.”

The three of them jumped in fright, hearing a voice from behind them. They landed with grace from their upside down position.

“Where’s Malleus?” Leona demanded.

“Are you here to pick a fight?”

“No, Lilia. We need Malleus’ help. Is he around?”

Lilia had them follow him to where Malleus currently was.

“Malleus.”

Malleus looked, not expecting visitors.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of being graced by Kingscholar royalty and a global model?” Malleus said with an intrigued smile.

“I’m here too!” Ruggie grumbled.

“Right…”

“We need your fae abilities.” Vil said before explaining everything to him. “So, will you help?”

“I’m not as cold hearted as this lion to outright say no. I wouldn’t mind helping, but just as much as fairies hate humans, it’s possible for fairies to hate each other. I’m not exactly saying they hate me, but they don’t take too kindly to my family name.” Malleus explained. “So it’d be in all of our best interests that I don’t seek them out.”

Vil sighed, thanking him for his time. Vil had ran out of ideas. What could he do now?

•

Vil angrily sipped on a smoothie while Leona napped and Ruggie used his phone. He always came up with brilliant ideas while drinking, so why was nothing coming? Was this really then end?

“Did he ever describe the fairy to you?” Ruggie asked.

“Yeah. I want to keep that in the back for now. I feel we’re being watched.”

They looked around, not really seeing anything.

“How am I going to find a perfect replacement for Rook’s hat? Maybe if another- but Malleus can’t- UGH!”

“My, our senpai sounds very troubled doesn’t he Floyd?”

“He sure does, Jade. Should we help?”

Vil lifted his head, seeing the shady twins. He did have another option, just one he wasn’t particularly fond of using.

“We aren’t-”

“Take me to Azul.” Vil demanded.

“Vil, what are you doing?” Ruggie asked in shock. “You know how Azul is…”

“This is about Rook’s precious hat. If I have to travel to the ends of Twisted Wonderland to get a perfect replacement so he can be a slightly less useless vice, so be it.” Vil said, looking down at Ruggie. “You two unfortunately can’t even grasp the basic concept of generosity, especially you, Bucchi.”

Vil followed the twins, thinking up the many things Azul could ask of him in return. He placed orders for a few things just to be on the safe side.

“Wait! Don’t leave us behind!”

They turned, seeing Ruggie dragging Leona as he tried running over.

“God he’s heavy…” Ruggie complained, kicking Leona. “Get up you third rate prince.”

Leona woke up, having a sudden urge to choke someone.

•

“So, you’re requiring my help? This is rare.” Azul said, crossing his legs. “I’m very interested to hear.”

“You say you can get anyone anything, right? I still want to know where you get that fabulous skin cream from though…” Vil muttered before shaking his head, getting back on track. “I need you to track down a fairy.”

The trio looked at each other, not expecting it.

“Don’t tell me your whole ‘I can grant any wish for a price’ is truly just a sham.” Vil growled, getting up close to Azul’s face.

“Not at all. It’s just… why?”

“You don’t need to know everything, octo bastard. Just tell us if you can do it or not. I’ll let you name any price.”

“I will as well.”

Ruggie was surprised to see Leona offering too. Did he really care that much about Rook?

“I- I will too!” Ruggie declared, extremely unsure.

The fish trio turned, whispering amongst themselves before seeming to have reached a conclusion.

“We’ll help you track down whatever fairy. In return, we ask that you help us open a second location for Mostro and promote it until business is mostly stable.” said Azul, creating a contract.

A skeletal quill appeared on top, waiting to be used. Vil pursed his lips. He was aware of what Azul meant by “help” and “promote”. He exhaled loudly, signing his name. Leona signed his name as well. Ruggie moves to sign as well, but Azul has snatched it up.

“Perfect. Now, tell us everything you know about this fairy you want found.”

Vil told them everything he could squeeze out of Rook, hoping it was enough.

“We can work with this. We’ll keep you updated in how we’re doing.”

“If you fail, I promise I’ll rain hell on you.” Vil threatened, walking away.

“This hat means everything to Rook. If I have to hear one more time that he’s not eating I’ll slit your throat.” Leona growled.

Ruggie puffed his cheeks slightly. He turned to Azul who started shifting through papers.

“Hey, let me sign that contract too.”

“You don’t have value to me. I suppose you could help with promotion… I’ll give you a different contract.”

“Wha- This isn’t right!” Ruggie growled.

“Ruggie, you’re dirt poor like that Epel child. You can’t possibly help me open up a second location. Just sign this contract saying you’ll help promote and call it a day. I have work to do.”

Ruggie was clearly upset with how he was being treated. He signed the contract anyway, not wanting to leave without pledging.

•

Rook heard knocking on his door. He was too weak and tired to even whisper a “go away”. He was never going to get to wear the hat again. He didn’t even get to say goodbye. Rook started to cry again, his entire body in pain.

“Rook, come on! You’ve gotta eat! You’ll die like this.”

So be it then. He’s nothing without his hat. He knew it wasn’t the best looking and could definitely use some design, but he didn’t want it to change. It helped him remember.

Students collectively sighed, seeing Rook wasn’t going to eat today. They left his meal by his door, hoping Rook would come back soon.

“I never thought Rook had something precious to him…”

“I feel we really take him for granted…”

“Yeah. He’s such a nice guy…”

A few students started to cry. Their sun had fallen and there wasn’t anything they could do to save it. They looked up, hearing the doors open. Epel had come back. Judging from his face, he wasn’t any closer to figuring out who did it.

•

Vil stormed into Azul’s room, towering over him.

“Well? Have you found anything?”

“No, well, yes and no. I’ve learned what kind of fairy Rook had met. But I also learned they’re said to be… extinct.” Azul said, Jade showing Vil what they’ve found. “I have Floyd asking Sam about his… connections, in hopes of finding something. Now mind you, this vital information was posted about a year before Rook met them.”

“Maybe one survived.”

“And even if they did, they’d have to find a something to give them offspring. And considering fairies are like most creatures who mate within their own species, I highly doubt that lone fairy lived long enough to have offspring.”

“Fairies live a long time. How could they just die out?” Vil said in disbelief.

“The same ways our animals die out. It’s not rocket science Vil.” Azul said, sighing in defeat. “Either way, I’m not saying there aren’t possibly a few survivors, but the chances of getting Rook a perfect replacement is very slim.”

“I thought you could do anything.”

“When it comes to the laws of nature, I too, am powerless.”

This couldn’t be true, yet there was so much information sitting right in front of him. Azul’s door suddenly swung open.

“Az- Hey, it’s Betta! Got impatient?”

“What did you learn Floyd?”

“Not much. He’s a really tough guy. I told him about the fairy and he said he’s never heard of them. He said he’d ask around for us though.”

“This is but a mere conjecture but… Perhaps Rook was hallucinating? He did say he was lost in the woods. He never said how long so it could’ve been a hat he found while wandering, imagining a fairy gave it to him.” Azul said, knowing Vil was burning holes into him. “Like i said, merely conjecture.”

“I know everyone considers him weird and creepy. And he is. But if there’s anything that I know, that no one else bothers to look at… he’s an honest guy. It can come out in not exactly nice ways, but he means well. I’m going to believe him.”

“How touching…” Jade muttered, a bit envious.

Nothing else was said as the fish trio continued to search.

•

“Rook?”

Silence. The students were quickly giving up hope. Rook would never return. The students sobbed and wailed, mourning their loss.

“What’s the point? Without Rook everything just…”

“Rook was everything…”

The Pomefiore students all sat in the hallway, huddled together as they mourned. They were too heartbroken to move. A student looked up, hearing footsteps. It was Epel.

“Did you-”

“No. I swear, I’m going to. For us.”

The students weakly cheered, wishing Epel luck.

•

Leona stepped into Pomefiore, unable to sleep these past days. None of the students of Pomefiore had been showing up for classes. Not even Vil. Leona hurried to the dorm, pushing open the door. It was deathly silent. Pomefiore wasn’t shining like it usually did. Was that dust on the table? This was more serious than he thought. He ran around, checking the entirety of the first floor. No one. He headed up the grand stairs, heading towards the left first. No one. He went back towards the right, seeing a sea of Pomefiore students huddled together as if it was freezing in the dorm.

Leona stepped through, trying to get to Rook’s room. He vaguely apologized for stepping on some of them before reaching Rook’s room. She didn’t bother knocking, using magic to bust the door down. A lump sat on the bed. Leona pulled it off, feeling his heart sink into his stomach.

“Rook…” Leona muttered, nudging him. “Hey, Rook…”

Rook kept silent and still.

“Hey… look at me… You can do that right…?” Leona whispered, tears involuntarily leaving his eyes. “Rook…!”

Leona wrapped himself around Rook, quietly sobbing. Ruggie managed to get through the horde of Pomefiore students, watching Leona cling to Rook. The scene was paining his own heart. Ruggie climbed into bed with them, hugging Rook from the other side.

“Ah… its you two…” Rook said, it barely being a whisper. “I thought we were through…”

“Idiot…”

“No dummy left behind…” Ruggie muttered, snuggling them more.

Rook weakly laughed, a smile on his face.

“You really need nourishment…” Leona said, him and Ruggie gently licking Rook’s face.

“It tickles…” Rook giggled, coughing slightly.

The students looked, seeing they had managed to get Rook to come out of his cocoon and sit up. There was hope. Maybe all wasn’t lost.

•

“Vil, we have great news. Thanks to Sam’s connections, you can get a perfect replica from his shop once it’s delivered to him.”

“How long? Can I be sure it’s EXACTLY the same one?” Vil questioned, needing this to be perfect.

“Yes. Sam is a businessman. He wouldn’t jeopardize his good name for a stupid joke.” said Azul. “You can get it from him in three days I believe. Now if he’ll make you pay, I don’t call the shots.”

Vil sank to the floor in tears. He finally had it. After all this searching and reaching dead ends, he was finally going to be able to bring Rook back. He was going to have his closest friend back. Jade gently patted Vil’s head, seeing he’d been through a lot.

•

“Hey!”

They looked, seeing a tiny angry child.

“Uh… You are?”

Epel simply attacked them, remembering a few tricks Lilia taught him. How dare they try to ruin Rook’s life? He was going to beat into their next life.

“He’s crazy!” one screamed, trying to fight Epel off.

“Crazy? He’s batshit insane! Ah! He bit me!”

Epel wiped his mouth, growling at them like a wild animal. For days he’s been searching for them. He swore he wouldn’t lose his cool, but he couldn’t not do it. He didn’t care if he overblotted, as long as he was able to punish them until they were unable to move.

•

Vil knocked on Rook’s door, holding the hat in his hands. Rook had come to the door. Was he feeling well enough now? He heard a few students talking about Rook being nursed back to health, but they never said who.

“I know you said it was impossible but I kept searching, and searching and searching… This is my last attempt in hopes of fixing you.”

Vil revealed the hat, giving it to Rook. Rook put it on, walking to the mirror in his room to look at it.

“So… any good?”

“Thank you Vil, for your hard efforts. This may be the exact same hat, but it doesn’t have the same scent. But, I’ll keep this.” said Rook, placing it off to the side. He gave Vil a hug, holding him close. “I knew you had a good heart… I’m glad to call you my closest friend…”

Vil’s face flushed. Rook always had to say strange things. He hugged Rook back, burying his face in his shoulder.

_“I’m glad too…”_


	228. Fuce: King of mood swings

“Ha! You lose! You have to wear it for an entire week!” Ace laughed, Deuce puffing his cheeks.

“No fair. You cheated! Rematch!” Deuce demanded.

“No, he beat you fair and square.” Riddle said.

Deuce was in utter despair. Why? Why did he take on the stupid bet? Now he was being forced into this.

“You’re lucky we don’t have classes tomorrow, but I’ll make sure everyone at school sees you.”

Deuce felt his soul leave his body. If there was anyone in the entire school he didn’t want to see him, it was him. He knew for a fact he’d never live it down.

•

“You look great!”

“I look like a slut.”

“Come on Deuce, pose!”

Deuce weakly posed, knowing Ace would give him hell if he didn’t. Ace took a few more photos before being satisfied. Deuce pulled on the dress, very disgruntled. He sat down, watching Ace typing on his phone. If his guess was right, Ace was probably planning to livestream him doing things.

“Alright, let’s head outside.”

“Outside?”

“Duh? I’m biding you off for the day.”

“What!?” Deuce shouted, immediately standing up.

“Ahahahaha! You should see your face. As if I’d do something so sleazy.” Ace laughed, Deuce going red in the face. “I’m just gonna have you do things while we go around campus.”

That wasn’t all bad. That is, depending on what Ace made him do.

•

As expected, Ace was live-streaming and making him do the most ridiculous things. He couldn’t imagine how many people were tuning in.

Ace had finished teasing him for the day, wanting to get a snack from Sam’s. Deuce didn’t want to use magic without his magipen, not knowing his tolerance as of late. So he opted to follow Ace.

“Mackerel~”

Deuce looked around before spotting him. Oh no. Deuce ran.

“Ace, sa-”

A hand was clamped over his mouth. Ace was too far. Deuce found himself being dragged away, struggling in his arms. Deuce flailed around, demanding that he let him go.

He was finally let go. Deuce opened his mouth to speak only to have a hand clamped over it.

“I watched the live stream.”

Deuce furrowed his brows. Of course he did. If things with Ace were bad, then things with Floyd were worse. What was Floyd going to do to him? He’s given him nothing but trouble ever since they first met. He was tired of it. Riddle didn’t even get picked on this much.

“Little Mackerel’s all dressed up. Are you playing maid?”

Deuce noticed Floyd had moved his hand. Now he could finally complain.

“Why do you always do this!? Every chance you get, you make my life hell! It’s exhausting being around you! I just want to-” Deuce shouted before Floyd had silenced him.

Deuce pushed him away, staggering back. Floyd was looking at him with such a serious face. He was going to hurt him. He just knew it. And he couldn’t really use magic without his magipen to buffer the blot. So he was left with his fists.

“Hey, Mackerel. Do you wanna get squeezed?” Floyd threatened, towering over him.

“I- I’m not afraid o- of you!” Deuce barked despite shaking a bit. “Why did you even put your lips on mine!?”

Deuce shrunk back, Floyd seconds away from squeezing him like a balloon. Deuce moved to attack Floyd, only to find his attack being blocked, his body being turned and Floyd’s arms locked around him.

“I won’t hurt you. Not today. I’ll have Mackerel be my personal maid.” Floyd said, his usual smile returning.

“I’d rather you hurt me and leave me alone. I don’t like spending any moment longer near you.” Deuce fussed, still thinking about Floyd’s lips on his.

“I don’t wanna.”

“Eh?”

“Be my maid.”

“Don’t you share a room with three others? I’m not touching their stuff.”

“So you’re agreeing? Yay!”

Did he really have a choice? Probably not.

•

Deuce found himself cleaning around Mostro instead. He expected to see others but only one or two were around. Was it still early before opening time? He’s thought of sneaking off on multiple occasions, but yet he stayed. It wasn’t like Floyd had a good sense of smell.

Deuce had finished his tasks, quietly eyeing Floyd. Seeing him actually work hard made Floyd appear… normal. He seemed likable this way. Their eyes met, Deuce the first to look away. What was Floyd going to think? He glanced over, seeing Floyd approaching him. Busy! He had to make himself busy.

“Got something to say?”

“Uh, no. I was just looking around…” Deuce mumbled, Floyd’s gaze not as threatening as he thought it’d be.

“You sure? I could feel you staring.”

“Well… Me and plenty of others are used to seeing, well, wild Floyd. King of mood swings. But right there you seemed… normal.” Deuce found himself confessing. “Ah, now I’ve done it…”

Floyd laughed. He was laughing. So, he said something right?

“I know when to work hard, Mackerel. Especially if it’s for something I want…”

Deuce squeaked, not expecting Floyd to block him in. He tried escaping using the table, only for Floyd to keep him from moving any farther. So this was how he died. At the hands of a bipedal moray eel. Maybe this was karma for being a bad boy in middle school and hurting his mother. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for pain.

He felt a hand place itself under his chin before something soft pressing against his lips. He immediately recognized what it was once he felt the tongue entering his mouth. Floyd kept him still as he tried getting free. He hated that it felt good. Good? What was he thinking? Floyd was his enemy!

Deuce could hear Floyd faintly moaning into the kiss. It was… alluring. He opened his eyes after Floyd had pulled away from him. Floyd looked as if he was going to eat him, but in a tender way. If that was even possible. Wait, he wasn’t focusing on the fact Floyd had kissed him. Again! And he liked it. Again!

“You helped a lot. Thanks.” said Floyd, backing away from Deuce.

He was letting him go? Just like that? There had to be a catch.

“What’s the catch Floyd?”

“No catch.”

“You can’t be serious. You’re not going to chase me? Call me back multiple times? Tease me? Hurt me? Seriously, nothing at all…?”

Floyd nodded. Deuce inched closer towards the door, keeping his eyes on Floyd. He knew he’d do something if he wasn’t looking. Instead, Floyd walked away. That wasn’t right. He rubbed his eyes to be sure. Floyd really was just walking away.

Floyd hummed, seeing he’d play around with Deuce another day. He had gotten what he wanted. He felt something tug on his clothes.

“Mackerel? Did you forget something?”

Silence. Was he mad about the kiss? Probably.

“If it’s about the kiss, you get a free punch, ahaha.” Floyd laughed, not actually expecting to get punched in the stomach.

“Why are you toying with me like this? I don’t like it!” Deuce yelled, his cheeks red. “This is worse than anything you’ve ever done!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…?” Floyd coughed, getting back on his feet.

“You can’t just force me to help out, forcibly kiss me and let me go! That’s… that’s not how you do things!”

Floyd was confused. Did he want to get hurt? Did he want to be chased until he couldn’t run anymore?

“The first two I can understand, but why are you mad about being let go? Didn’t you wanna get away from me?”

Deuce didn’t know what he was saying at this point. Everything was jumbled. All he knew was that it felt like he was being discarded after Floyd had gotten what he wanted. He didn’t like that feeling. Deuce whimpered before crying, scared and confused.

“Mackerel…?”

Deuce continued to cry, putting his head in his hands. Floyd frowned, moving Deuce’s hands and holding his wrists.

“Why are you crying…?”

“I… I… I’m confused… I’m just confused. I’ve already said my piece so… I’ll just…”

He just wanted a explanation for why he felt so bad. It wasn’t like Floyd wasn’t going to continue to harass him but yet how he simply just let him go… It hurt. Like he wasn’t worth it anymore. Deuce had stopped crying, his eyes widening. Worth. That’s what it was.

His eyes widened more, not expecting Floyd to give him comfort. Deuce closed his eyes, simply focusing on Floyd’s hand touching his head. He wanted to have worth in Floyd’s eyes, some value. Maybe he started caring because… he wanted Floyd to care about him. He wanted to not be enemies anymore and start something new.

“Does Mackerel feel better?”

“No…”

“Eh?”

“I don’t want to be at each other’s throats anymore… Please…” Deuce pleaded, finally wrapping his arms around Floyd.

“‘Kay~”

Deuce simply kept his face pressed into Floyd’s chest, his cheeks red once more. He really liked this better than constantly fighting with him. Especially if it meant he could get more of those kisses.


	229. Jamil + Azul: Tears don’t suit you

Jamil brushed out his hair, thankful things had calmed some in Scarabia after his… little outburst. Everything more or less felt the same except now more students were avoiding him and he suddenly had a superbly annoying person breathing down his neck. More annoying than Kalim ever was. It was like a headache that came and went.

“Jamil~ Good morning.”

There it was.

“Aren’t you a fish? What in the world are you doing in Scarabia you dumb octopus?” Jamil sneered.

“I’m just here to help a classmate.” said Azul, taking the brush from Jamil.

Jamil snatched the brush back, kicking Azul away from him. Not in a million years.

“As if you’re actually doing that. I know what a sleazy, underground dealer you are. You just want me to use me.” Jamil said, using magic to braid his hair in the usual style. “I’m not stupid nor a fool like the rest of these students.”

Jamil left his room, leaving Azul to recuperate from the attack.

•

Jamil side stepped, Azul running into another student. How did he even notice him coming? Jamil sighed, not understanding how Azul didn’t get that no meant no. He didn’t want to be friends with any troublesome people. He just wanted to do good in school, graduate and hopefully live a somewhat peaceful life. Though, knowing Kalim, he’d still drag him around despite not exactly being master and servant.

“Jamil, why do you insist on avoiding me? You know you can’t forever. We are in the same class in the same school after all. We’re bound to meet.” Azul said, using magic to fix his bent glasses.

“I’ve been doing fine before. I’m not worried in the slightest.”

“Come on. What will it take? A room full of your favorite flowers? Complete protection from insects? Madol?” Azul asked, constantly getting pushed away. “Kalim’s head on a platter?”

“Touch him and I’ll be eating you for dinner.” Jamil hissed, anger clearly visible in his eyes.

“It was merely a joke. I know how much your dear master means to you.” Azul teased, dodging Jamil’s kick.

“You’re getting on my last nerve, seafood.”

“Aw, you gave me a nickname~” Azul cooed before having the classroom door slammed in his face.

Azul held his nose, the pain unbearable.

•

Every attempt made by Azul in classes were either ignored or responded with violence. He’s gotten better at avoiding certain attacks, but there were always others he’d fall victim to.

He’s tried being nice, threatening him, offering things he’d want, seduction, so many things. Yet Jamil never budged. What else could he do? Try everything repeatedly until he begged him to stop? As if. Jamil would have him end up doing the begging.

Azul looked up, seeing Jamil in the distance. Maybe he should wait until he had a solid plan. Azul left his spot, walking off to think of better plans.

•

Jamil stopped brushing his hair. Why did it feel… weird? He started to brush again, the weird feeling lingering. Maybe it wasn’t anything.

Jamil turned around, expecting something but seeing nothing. That was a little odd. Ah. He knew why. Azul. He was used to him bursting into his room to try and convince him to be his friend. The weird feeling left. Azul wasn’t bugging him, making him feel less stressed.

He didn’t know what he did to get Azul to stop bugging him, but man was he glad. He then remembered they were in the same class. Ah… there went his freedom.

Jamil walked into the classroom, seeing Azul seated on the other side of the room. Strange. He always waited by the door for him. What was Azul planning? To make him start missing his annoying presence and beg him to come back? As if. He wasn’t some sappy TV character.

Azul used his phone, still not having a big plan. What was he going to do? He couldn’t go back to his old tricks. Jamil knew all of them and would easily retaliate. He looked up, seeing Jamil sitting in his usual seat. Look at him, sitting without a care as if he was trying to mock him. He was definitely going to get him.

Class started, the teacher delivering the lecture. Jamil glanced over, seeing Azul was absorbed in the lesson. Maybe he was finally giving up. It would be a complete blessing if he did. Jamil said a few prayers before focusing on the lesson.

•

Jamil entered the alchemy building, seeing Azul already had a partner. So he wasn’t even going to try and ask him? That was fine. There were plenty of other smart kids in their class. Jamil scanned the room. Who was he kidding? None of them were even near their level. He didn’t feel like dealing with an idiot, but he didn’t want to be near Azul. This was a losing battle.

“Hey.”

“Uh…?”

“Be my partner.”

“I already have one though.” Azul said, pointing to the student talking with his friends.

“Does it look like I care? You’re the lesser of two evils, so come.”

“Uh, no.”

Jamil blinked before narrowing his eyes.

“What?”

“I said, uh, no.” Azul repeated, seeing Crewel walking in. “Better find your partner.”

“He’s standing right in front of me and refusing to go to our location.”

“I don’t know who you’re referring to.”

“Fine.” Jamil said, picking up the student’s things and placing them somewhere else. “Now you’re stuck with me.”

“Wow… You’re that determined to be my alchemy partner…” Azul said in awe. “But no.”

Jamil watched as Azul sat with the other student’s things.

Ridiculous.

•

Jamil ate his lunch in silence, mostly because he was sitting alone. As usual. Well, now as usual. He used to eat lunch with Kalim, but now he eats with Silver and other students in his class. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kalim got poisoned for being careless.

Azul was still backing off. He was fine with that. Though, it was nice having someone to chat with. Not that they really chatted, it was purely one sided. He stopped eating. It sucked, not having a real friend.

“Guess this is what happens when you spend all of your time plotting.” Jamil whispered, starting to eat again.

He wouldn’t mind befriending someone. Just not troublesome ones like Kalim and Azul. Jamil looked, seeing people kept their distance.

It sucked.

•

Azul exhaled, seeing he was fresh out of ideas. Nothing he came up with would get Jamil to take his hand in friendship. Maybe it was best to give up. Yeah, he should. Jamil was simply a wall he couldn’t scale.

“Azul, visitor!” Floyd said, pushing them in before shutting the door.

“Oh? I never thought I’d see you here.” Azul said, learning forward. “What can I do for you, Jamil? Want to make a deal?”

“Yes, actually.”

Azul widened his eyes. Well that was interesting.

“Okay. What do you want?”

Jamil pursed his lips. This was stupid.

“I changed my mind.”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere.” Azul said, making himself busy.

Jamil stopped in the doorway, looking back at Azul. He closed the door.

Azul exhaled before being startled by palms slamming against his desk. He could’ve swore Jamil left.

“Close your eyes.”

“Ha?”

“Close them!”

Azul reluctantly agreed. Jamil made sure he couldn’t see. He took his glasses for extra measure.

“Just… listen and respond appropriately.” Jamil said, carefully holding Azul’s glasses.

“So, you do want to make a deal after all?”

“Yes…”

“You do realize you have to give something up in return.” Azul said, wondering why he needed to keep his eyes closed if they were making a deal.

“I… I want a friend. Someone who gets me and isn’t troublesome like you or Kalim. You claim that you can grant anything we desire, so you can at least do this much, can’t you?”

“I can. What will you give me in return?”

Azul heard something being placed onto his desk.

“Precious Hot Sands jewels. I know you like money and these can fetch you a high price if you sell to the right people.”

Azul felt around for them, needing to check if he was being cheated. They were definitely the real deal. Azul snapped, a golden contract and a skeletal quill sitting in front of Jamil.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Azul asked, seeing there was definitely a better way. “Why do you seek my help? You’re so incredibly smart. You can figure out how to make a friend or two. You managed to pull the wool over Kalim’s eyes for years. Even going as far as dumbing yourself down enough to seem average.”

“I thought I said respond accordingly.”

“I know, but as a benevolent person, I simply don’t want you making a mistake.” Azul said, opening his eyes. “It’s not something you need a contract for. You just have to let your guard down. Like now.”

Jamil slapped Azul’s hand away, moving to sign the contract. Azul made it disappear.

“Y-”

“No deal, I’m afraid. But I gave you advice, so I’ll take the smallest piece on this jewelry.” Azul said, placing it in Jamil’s hands. “Tears don’t suit you, you know.”

Jamil ran off. Azul sighed, seeing he ran off with his glasses too. He wasn’t confident in chasing after anyone without his eyes, but this could be his chance. Attack him while he’s weak!

Jamil ran towards the woods on campus. What good was Azul if he wouldn’t grant his request? Jamil came to a stop, catching his breath. He still had Azul’s glasses.

“Hey. You’ve got something that belongs to me.”

“Take them.”

Azul caught them, putting them on so he could see clearly. He walked over to Jamil, seeing he wasn’t planning to move. Azul hummed, using magic to undo his hair, letting it all fall naturally.

“You’ve got pretty nice hair, you know? Why do you keep it so long? Is it a family thing? Culture? Or you simply like the style?” Azul asked, running his fingers through Jamil’s hair. “There’s a lot of things I want to ask about you and Hot Sands, but you don’t want someone troublesome like me.”

Azul fixed Jamil’s hair, moving to stand in front of him.

“Like I said before, it shouldn’t be hard. You’re a genius. Everything’s on easy mode for you.” Azul said, deciding to not try and get him while weak. “See you in class.”

Jamil touched his hair, feeling something in it. He pulled it out, his body visibly confused. How was he to react to this? How did Azul even know?

Jamil twirled the flower around, entrancing him slightly. Maybe…


	230. 1st y Vil, Cater, Trey, Idia, Rook: Close your eyes… then open them

Idia pulled his hood down, trying to avoid being looked at. Students were being called up to be sorted into dorms. People were going to be looking at him. How could everyone be so calm in a situation like this? How were they not nervous? So many things could go wrong.

“Trey Clover!”

Idia peeked out from under his hood, looking at the green haired male walking up to the mirror. He looked so mature and calm. He could use some of that.

“Heartslabyul!”

He looked to his side, seeing Trey take his seat next to him. A tall male with a perfectly painted clover on his left cheek. He looked so mature just sitting there. What was he doing wrong?

“Cater Diamond!”

An orange haired male had bounced up to the mirror, awaiting his soul reading.

“Heartslabyul!”

“Hel- Ahem, yay!”

Cater had walked away with pep. There was a pretty long wait for his name to be called, so maybe he could sneak out for a bit and get fresh air. No, he couldn’t. People would definitely notice. Idia pulled his hood further down. He couldn’t do this, he should’ve stayed home in his room where it was safe. He should become a hermit and do hermit things.

He wouldn’t have to talk to people face to face. Idia shook, jumping at something touching him.

“Are you unwell?”

Idia simply stared back at him like a deer in headlights.

“Hello? Are you mute?”

Idia curled into himself, trying to hide. Students around them started to notice, moving their seats away.

“You’re drawing more attention to yourself.”

Idia looked up, seeing he was right. He wanted to go home. He didn’t want to be here. Home was safe. He was going to die here. Idia started to cry, desperately wanting to get out.

“Hey, get up.”

Idia looked up, seeing Trey holding his hand out to him. Wouldn’t they get in trouble? No one was looking at them. How was that possible? They literally just walked down the middle and out the door.

“Are you okay now?”

Idia took in the night air, his body finally relaxing after being tense the entire time he’s been here. He felt like he could breathe. He turned to Trey, giving him a little nod.

“That’s good. I’m guessing you’ve got anxiety or something in relation to it?”

Idia kept quiet, rubbing his arm.

“Maybe that was a bit too personal for two strangers. I’m sure you heard my name called, but what’s yours?”

“Idia…” he whispered, avoiding eye contact.

“A bit louder?”

“Idia…”

“Idia. That’s a nice name. You were really struggling back there… Do you think you can make it to the mirror?”

Idia frantically shook his head. He knew best that he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t last just getting out of his seat. He didn’t know what he was going to do. He HAD to go up there or else he wouldn’t be sorted.

“I’ll help you.”

“Help…?”

Trey nodded, giving him a thumbs up. How was he going to help him? There was nothing Trey could do to make them not look at him with those judgmental eyes, silently mocking him and making fun of him.

“Trust me, Idia. I can help.” Trey said, stepping closer. “Will you listen?”

They took their seats, seeing they were up to the S’s. Trey’s plan was not going to work. It wasn’t like they could have a private dorm sorting for him. He wasn’t anyone special.

“Vil Schoenheit!”

They looked, seeing a blonde walk to the mirror with grace. He clearly had his shit together. He even made his robes look like a part of him.

“Pomefiore!”

“I expected nothing less.”

He was… quite full of himself.

“Idia Shroud!”

Idia froze on the spot. Already? He didn’t have time to mentally prepare. This was it. He was going to beef it and everyone would tease him and tease him and…

“Idia, get moving.”

Idia awkwardly rose from his seat, his body trembling. They were looking at him. He started to sweat.

“Close your eyes, think of your happy place then open them.”

Idia did just that. His happy place was his room. His happy place was his room. Idia opened his eyes, seeing he was in his room. The mirror was in his room. No one was looking at him. Idia walked a little taller, no longer feeling worried.

“Ignihyde!”

Idia smiled bright, closing his eyes before opening them again. He was back in the mirror chamber. He quickly scurried away, planting himself in his seat. He looked at Trey, giving him a kind smile.

“Thank you…”

•

Idia sat in his room, the day’s festivities now over. Did Trey have fun? Did he make friends? He didn’t have fun and he definitely didn’t make friends. He knew Trey was in Heartslabyul but hoped he was still awake to chat.

Idia stepped into Heartslabyul, taking in the sight. How many roses did they need? Everything was pretty barren in Ignihyde. He noticed he had a slight problem to figure out: Which room was Trey in.

“Idia?”

He looked, seeing Trey emerging from a blind spot. He was awake. Idia started to run over, only to stop at the sight of someone new.

“Woah, you’re like, super cool. Fire hair.”

“This is Cater Diamond. He’s rather… interesting.” Trey said as nicely as he could.

Idia ran and hid. New person. Talking face to face. No way. Trey approached him before holding his face.

“Don’t force yourself. You can get to know him another time. He’s my roommate… unfortunately.” Trey said before mumbling.

“Hey! Vil’s still up. Wanna get drinks?” Cater shouted, forgetting they shouldn’t be out in the first place.

Trey facepalmed. Idia chuckled a bit, warming up more to Trey. They quickly fled Heartslabyul just as their vice dorm leader came outside.

Idia clung to Trey as they followed Cater to the meeting spot. It’s been a while since he felt comfortable around someone else. Maybe Trey was someone he needed this whole time.

“Ah! Vil~” Cater called out, having a hand pushed in his face as he tried hugging Vil.

“So you’re the extra he’s bringing along? I honestly shouldn’t have expected much. If you don’t know who I am you must be living under a rock.” Vil said.

“Who’s the weird guy?” Trey asked, pointing to the blonde crouching on the floor.

“He’s… I actually don’t know. But what I do know is that he won’t stop following me. So I’m unfortunately unable to do anything. Yet.”

The blonde looked up, seeing all eyes were on him.

“Hi.”

“Who are you and why are you following me? Are you a fan?”

“Very much so! But I simply want to bask in your beauty. To be as beautiful as the Beautiful Queen, what a hard worker you are!”

The other three didn’t get it, but Vil seemed pleased.

“I’m Rook Hunt. I love hunting things, especially big predators. I heard there were creatures fitting of my tastes here. I have yet to see them.”

They found a loon alright. Trey noticed Idia was missing. The others had gone on ahead, telling him the place they were going so he could catch up.

“Idia?”

Nothing.

“Id-”

Trey found himself being tackled and held. It was trembling like crazy.

“You’re still scared of people huh…? Well, I do want to go and hang out with them, but it’d be kind of mean to just leave you behind…” Trey muttered, wondering if it was okay to touch his hair.

Considering his clothes weren’t being burnt off, it probably was. Idia jerked his body away, not used to being touched.

“Sorry. It’s just you reminded me of my younger siblings when they were afraid of things.” Trey chuckled.

“Go…”

“Huh?”

“You can leave me behind… It doesn’t matter…” Idia said, sitting on the ground.

“It wouldn’t be fair.”

“I’m just going to ruin your fun. Just go.”

“But Id-”

Idia had gotten to his feet, walking away. He was really a fool to think he could hang out with people. As if he didn’t nearly choke while trying to get back to his seat. This was going to be his life. Constantly living in fear of being near people and having to talk to them. Being… friendless.

Idia felt something grab his wrist before being forced to run. He looked, seeing Trey dragging him along. He was really going to bring him along.

“I can’t just leave you looking all pitiful now could I?” Trey laughed, hoping they could catch up.

Idia covered his face with his hood, trying to force back a smile. Trey was being so kind to him. He didn’t deserve it at all.

•

They happily chatted, surprised that they were actually able to get beverages this late. Idia silently sipped on his, holding Trey’s shirt like a child. He was slowly getting used to them, but he still kept quiet if spoken to directly.

Idia’s body jolted before recognizing the touch.

“So you’re still jittery? Maybe we should head back then…”

“I’m fine.” Idia lied.

Of course he wasn’t fine. He was out in public! Where people were legally allowed to look and stare at him! He didn’t like that, especially when the others would constantly touch him and try to talk to him and become friends with him and…

“Idia. You’re thinking too much.”

Idia blinked, not expecting that from Trey. Trey indicated with his hand, showing that he was indeed squeezing his drink a little tighter. He couldn’t really say much about his face since he couldn’t exactly see it.

They arrived back on Night Raven’s campus, heading for the hall of mirrors. Idia was extremely glad to get away from the others, but he didn’t want to say goodbye to Trey. Not yet anyway.

Vil and Rook were the first to leave once they reached the mirrors.

“Let’s get back. I’m feelin’ sleepy.” Cater said, yawning as he stretched.

Idia held his half empty drink, looking at Trey.

“Later, Idia.”

They were leaving. Idia ran to the mirror, just missing Trey’s sleeve. Was this going to be the last time they ever interacted? He doubted they were in the same class. Idia walked back to Ignihyde’s mirror, looking up at the dorm emblem. He stepped through in silence.


	231. Epel + Deuce: *Clown Noises* Let’s fuck up more shit

Deuce and Epel sat under a tree, thinking of what could’ve been.

“Remember when we talked about embroidery?” Deuce spoke, looking out at the empty walkway before them.

“The whole dragon and intimidation thing? Yeah.” Epel replied, drinking apple juice. “What about it?”

“Why don’t we do it? I do know a guy after all.” Deuce said, swirling his tea around.

Epel looked at him in disbelief. The both of them would get into so much trouble with their dorm leaders.

“Didn’t you want to be a good kid for your ma- mom?” Epel said.

“Yeah…”

They took sips in silence.

“Going a little wild doesn’t sound bad though.” Epel said, seeing he finished his apple juice. “Maybe we should get back to studying.”

It was a nice idea, going a little rouge, but they had things they were trying to achieve. And being rouge wouldn’t get them there.

•

Epel stared at his phone, unsure of what to do. He wasn’t tired and all of his friends were sleep. He was startled out of his daze by his phone buzzing. He quickly left his room to answer it.

“Epel? Are you up? Well, I guess since you answered.”

Epel pushed open the doors of Pomefiore, sitting outside.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now, Deuce.”

“I can’t sleep. I’ve been thinking too much and kept myself up.” Deuce confessed. “Remember when we were chatting outside the library?”

“Yep. What of it?”

“Let’s do it. Let’s go ape shit.” Deuce said, looking out the open window of Heartslabyul.

“I don’t know…”

“I won’t force you. I’ll wait by the school gates until… 1am. That’s 20 minutes from now. If I don’t see you, then I’ll have my answer.”

Deuce hung up. Epel moved his phone from his ear, looking at his screen blankly. What would Deuce do if he didn’t go?

“Let’s go apeshit.”

He’d admit, he’s wanted to go crazy stupid at times, mostly because of Vil. If it weren’t for the kind people around him, he already would’ve lost it.

Deuce checked the time. 1am. Epel made his choice. He wasn’t at all surprised, knowing Epel didn’t want to feel Vil’s wrath.

“Deuce!”

“Epel, you-”

Epel tripped over his feet, barely being caught by Deuce.

“Sorry… a little too excited.” Epel apologized, glad to see Deuce wasn’t hurt because of him.

“So, you in?”

“I’m here aren’t I?”

•

“Hey, where’s Deuce?” Sebek questioned, seeing he wasn’t beside Ace as usual.

“Dunno. Woke up and he was gone.” Ace shrugged.

“I haven’t seen Epel at all today either.” Jack mentioned.

They looked, hearing a commotion going on down below. Some students were looking at something.

“Who are they and why are they chopping down one of the trees on school grounds!?” Sebek said, extremely worried.

Ace and Jack were curious, heading out to find out who they were.

“Oh look, people are looking.”

“I reckon we garnered ourselves enough attention didn’t we now?”

They high fived, awaiting Ace and Jack’s arrival.

“Epel!?” “Deuce!?” they said in unison.

“That’d be me.” Epel said, happily tossing a rock up and down.

“Your hair is longer… and black.” Jack stated. “Why?”

“Yeah. And you! What’s with the blonde hair? And holding that extremely threatening bat…?” Ace pointed out.

“So we can do this.”

Epel tossed the rock, Deuce perfectly hitting it and sending it flying into Jack’s face. Ace quickly checked on him while Deuce and Epel laughed, high fiving. Epel picked up more rocks, Deuce swinging and hitting their friends.

“What the hell is wrong with you two!?” Ace shouted, seeing Jack was seriously hurt before receiving a hit to the head.

Ace dragged Jack away, swearing at them.

“Don’t let the screen door hit ya on the way out.” Epel chuckled, already having another idea. “Why don’t we go an cause a lil’ ruckus in them there halls? Or should we think a lil’ bigger?”

“We’ve been holding off on magic, so why don’t we start using something.”

“Ooowee, I love the way you think!” Epel clapped, thrilled with the idea. “Afterward, I reckon we do a bit of… markin’.”

“Epel…!”

“I meant in a destruction sense, you fool. I know we bad boys, but not disgustin’.”

•

“So this here be Riddle’s room. It ain’t much.” Epel said, helping Deuce through the window.

“It’s not as spectacular as I thought it to be.” Deuce muttered.

“So, what ya wanna do first? We got ‘til he gits outta class.”

Deuce used magic, a large cauldron breaking Riddle’s desk. He handed Epel a few books and papers.

“Burn it.”

Epel set them on fire before they threw the burning items onto Riddle’s bed which eventually caught fire too.

“I’d love to sit and watch it burn but I’ve been itching to destroy more things.”

“Yeah. Let’s get a move on.”

Deuce made the cauldron disappear and wetting more of Riddle’s things, setting fire to his clothes as well. He noticed Epel had gone ahead of him.

“Since no one’s looking…” Deuce whispered, discreetly pulling his zipper down.

Epel set fire to the roses and releasing the caged animals. Epel looked, seeing Deuce running over to him.

“Tell me we’re stopping by Vil’s next. I’ve been dying to make him taste my wrath!” Epel growled.

“Hey, simmer down. Can’t have you overblotting.”

“Right, right. My fault, sugar.”

“I don’t think I’ll get used to your accent.”

“Well ya better! It’s how I was raised. It’s much more efficient than y'alls talk.”

Deuce simply sighed, leaving Heartslabyul with Epel.

•

Epel busted Vil’s door down, immediately setting fire to things.

“Burn this, and this and this and this and…” Epel muttered, practically setting fire to his room.

“Epel, we should step out. Smoke is starting to rise.”

“Not yet. I know he got somethin’ precious round here. I’ll find it and destroy in front of him.”

Deuce was a bit worried still, making sure Epel kept his head low. He turned, hearing voices heading their way. He grabbed Epel who just barely grabbed Vil’s hidden possession.

“I got it! Woohoo!”

“And we could’ve been caught.”

“Aw, don’t you worry none. I knew what I was doin’. Let’s fuck up more shit.” Epel said, placing Vil’s possession in a safe place. “Naw, I feel like a brawl! Whaddya say?”

“Brilliant.”

•

Epel spat, thoroughly unsatisfied.

“You call yourself a tough guy an can’t even take down lil’ ol’ me? Pathetic!”

“They’re really all talk no substance.” Deuce sighed, tossing an unconscious student in his hands aside. “I bet the dorm leaders would put up a good fight.”

“Ay, hold your horses now. The thought’s a good one, but ain’t a smart one. Now, ones like Idia and Kalim we could probably take, but if you talkin’ Malleus… Ya stupid.”

Deuce chuckled nervously, causing Epel to shake his head. What an idiot. They looked, hearing someone call out to them.

“If it ain’t Malleus’ lil’ stan. Don’t you look madder than a wet hen.” Epel chuckled, digging his foot into the unconscious student underneath him. “I’ll tell ya now, what you got to say ain’t worth a lick.”

“What Epel said.” Deuce chimed in, not exactly knowing what Epel said.

“I’m just worried about you two. Why did you change so suddenly?” Sebek asked, seeing Deuce had created a bat.

“Suddenly?” Epel repeated before chuckling, him and Deuce menacing approaching Sebek. “Oh sweetheart, we ain’t did nothin’ suddenly. We’ve just been suppressin’ ourselves to please our tyrannical dorm leaders.”

“This is just built up stress that we intend to let out and never stop doing.” Deuce said, him and Epel working in sync to take Sebek down.

Sebek soon had the bat being pointed in his face as he lied on the ground.

“We’re being true to our wild selves and acting ugly. We’ll make sure everythin’ round us is goin’ to hell in a handbasket.” Epel said, stepping on Sebek’s neck. “It doesn’t matter a hill of beans what y'all plan to do to take us down. We’ll keep slippin’ right through them grubby hands of yours.”

Sebek moved to get up, only to receive a rock to the face like Jack.

“Ah, this feels so good!” Deuce yelled, making the bat disappear.

“I reckon we done enough to warrant the bird man’s attention, dontcha think?”

“Definitely. What’ll we do if he catches us…?”

“Deuce honey, listen. He doesn’t care. If that old crow cared even a little, this school wouldn’t be the dumpster fire it is with all them overblots and fights.” Epel said with a shrug. “He only does things once in a blue moon. Anyway, let’s head over yonder. I heard there’s a particular person there that I wanna see.”

•

Crowley found his office full of complaining students. Even a few teachers. Clearly they were unhappy with what was going on.

“Ahem! I will see to it that I deal with those two.”

“Actually be a headmaster!” a student shouted, extremely upset.

“Yeah! You never do anything!”

“Certain places on school grounds are falling apart!”

“The campus faes are complaining too!”

Crowley continued to promise he’d deal with them, finally quelling the unhappy students.

•

Epel and Deuce sat on the roof of the main building, looking out.

“I’m kinda glad you went along with my dumb idea.” Deuce said, throwing his empty bottle.

“When ya gave me the option, I thought 'I have a mind to go along with this.’ because I’ve been secretly wantin’ to as well. But I was scared you know? Things not workin’ out.”

“Yet here we are. Still causing trouble a week later.” Deuce chuckled, running a hand through his blonde hair. He looked at Epel who subtly moved in his seated position as if he were dancing. “Will you continue to be by my side on this wild journey?”

“Till the cows come home, darlin’.” Epel giggled, throwing his bottle off the roof as well.

Both bottles had hit unsuspecting students below.

“I’m gonna go off on a limb here and say you just agreed with me.”

“Essentially.”

Deuce smiled softly, scooting closer to Epel.

“Ay, don’t get all sappy on me now.” Epel warned, moving away.

“Why not? The setting is just perfect.”

“O- Oi! Deuce!” Epel squeaked, avoiding Deuce’s advances.

Deuce finally caught him, giving him a big hug.

“I’m fixin’ to knock your lights out if you don’t let go of me in two seconds.” Epel threatened.

Deuce didn’t let go. Epel puffed his cheeks, gently knocking Deuce on the head.

“How embarrassing…”


	232. Azelle: Meet him at Mostro’s…

Eosin looked up from his notes, Rielle sighing once more.

“Rielle, you’ve been sighing like this for weeks. Stop daydreaming and do something about it.” Eosin said, wondering how he wasn’t tired of sighing.

“I’m just so nervous. I don’t want to beef my confession. Everything has to be above decent.”

“Rie, it’s just a confession. Now a sloppy one wouldn’t be great but-”

“I’ll have music playing!”

“Rie-”

He lost Rielle. It never ceased to amaze him how his fixation worked.

“I’ve got it! I’ll just do it normally!”

“I could’ve decided that for you…” Eosin muttered, putting his head in his hand. “Anyway, have you asked to meet up? See if he had free time?”

Silence. Eosin couldn’t believe how dumb Rielle could be sometimes. Rielle quickly got to asking, his heart racing. He’d prefer sooner than later, but he’d prefer later than never.

•

“Week two and Azul isn’t free.” Jamie said, looking at Rielle who’s face was planted on the table.

“Well, he does run a business on school grounds. He can’t drop everything just to meet the prince.” Eosin said, taking Jamie’s fries.

“Hey!”

Eosin teased him, not eating Jamie to get so close. They looked, seeing Rielle hadn’t budged.

“Mei just had to go home for the month didnt he…” Eosin mumbled, seeing they couldn’t bring Rielle out of his funk.

“Rie, you should eat. Vin’s food is the best.”

Rielle moved his food towards him before putting his face in it. Eosin was extremely triggered. Jamie lifted Rielle’s head, seeing his cheeks were stained with tears.

“Why doesn’t he want to see me anymore…?”

“He’s just busy. You’re worrying too much.” Eosin said, wiping Rielle’s face. “You’ve got to look your best when you confess.”

They looked, seeing Azul responded to him. Rielle’s eyes widened. Finally. Finally! He could go see Azul! It was a few days of a wait, but his time had finally come. He’d confess to Azul, they date, one of them would propose, they get married, adopt children.

Eosin and Jamie could clearly see Rielle’s mind was jumping the gun, especially with that suspiciously perverted look.

“Rie.” Eosin said, snapping his fingers.

“Huh?”

“Remember, he’s got to return your feelings before any of that… stuff… can happen.” Eosin said, Jamie nodding.

“Stuff? What stuff do you mean?” Rielle laughed.

“We know what you were thinking.”

Rielle started laughing nervously, seeing he was caught.

•

Rielle constantly fixed his clothes, needing to look his best. Today was the day he confessed. An entire year’s worth of love would finally be poured out. Eosin and Jamie watched Rielle shakily take off on a broom.

“We’re following right?”

“Naturally.”

They waited until Rielle was a bit ahead before Eosin grabbed a broom, having Jamie hold on to him.

“You know, you should really get a tutor for this.” Eosin mentioned, lifting off the ground.

“And I keep telling you, I’m fine. My broom just doesn’t want to listen.” Jamie huffed, puffing out his cheeks.

“Right…”

Night Raven was coming into sight. Eosin could see Rielle was shaking, mostly because it wasn’t subtle. Just how nervous was he? He seemed so confident not long ago. Maybe it was a good idea to follow after him. Eosin looked back, seeing Jamie was napping. Of all times.

Eosin picked up his pace a bit, seeing Rielle was going in for a landing. His landings were truly horrifying yet not once had he gotten hurt.

“Gotcha!” Eosin whispered, stopping the broom just in time.

Rielle dismounted, hurrying ahead. Eosin landed beside Rielle’s broom, waking Jamie up.

“We’re here already?”

“Yes, now come on before we lose sigh of Rie.”

Rielle made sure he had the right uniform on before walking onto campus. None of the students suspected him of being from another school.

“He said to meet him at Mostro’s…” Rielle muttered, spotting the building Azul had taken a picture of.

He originally thought Mostro Lounge was on campus. Imagine his surprise learning it was within Azul’s dorm. Rielle stepped through the mirror Azul mentioned, seeing he was underwater. This was beyond cool.

Eosin and Jamie followed close behind. Hopefully Azul would agree to date him and Rielle could stop looking at pictures of him so longingly.

“What’ll we do if he gets rejected?”

“Do what close and supportive friends do. Make him realize his worth.” Eosin replied, seeing Rielle going into a building adjacent to the dorm.

Rielle was amazed. So this was Mostro Lounge.

“Ah, you’re here. Azul said you’d be coming.”

“Hi Jade.” Rielle smiled. “Where is he?”

“Follow me.”

Eosin gave the sign a read before transforming him and Jamie into mice.

“We’ve got to move quickly, especially since we’re smaller.” Eosin said, scurrying in the direction Jade took Rielle.

Jade knocked on the door before opening it. Rielle thanked him before entering. He silently observed the scene.

“Look at you… Rice all over your face…” Yuu complained, wiping Azul’s face with a napkin. “Hey, give that back!”

“We could share it.”

Azul didn’t expect Yuu to take his joke seriously. Their lips had touched.

“You’re so bold…”

“Hmph. I’ll get you back for stealing.” Yuu huffed, feeding Azul.

Azul fed him back. He smiled warmly, looking at Yuu with adoring eyes. The two continued to tease each other before kissing.

“Oh, Rielle! You’re here.” Azul said, having heard something move. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice.”

“Ah, so you’re Rielle. You’re really pretty.” Yuu said, finding himself getting lost in Rielle’s eyes.

“So, you wanted to discuss something?”

“I, um… I just, uh…” Rielle said, holding back his tears.

“Rielle?”

“I’m so sorry!”

They watched Rielle run of the room.

Eosin and Jamie noticed Rielle running out, so they hitched a ride, carefully climbing onto his shoulders. Rielle didn’t stop running until he was outside the school gates.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

Rielle looked up, seeing Jamie and Eosin. Rielle wordlessly hugged Eosin, hiding his face in his shoulder. Eosin held Rielle in his arms, having the brooms levitate.

“You’re gonna have to fly on your own, Jamie…” Eosin said, sitting on his broom sideways.

Jamie groaned, mounting Rielle’s broom.

They flew back to RSA in silence, the only sob heard being Rielle’s sobs.


	233. Ace > Deuce < Malleus: Why don’t we feed each other?

Deuce looked between them as they fiercely fought. This wasn’t how he remembered fencing to be. They shouldn’t be bleeding. How did this even happen? Deuce quickly got to his feet, running to stop them.

“Deuce!”

[Flashback - 2 weeks ago]

Deuce stretched out seeing Ace sitting on his bed. He blinked a few times before gasping.

“What are you-”

“Good morning. Let’s shower together.” Ace said, picking up a bag. “I’ve already got what we need.”

Deuce wasn’t given an option to decline. Deuce started to undress before feeling as if he was being watched. He looked, seeing no one. Ace peeked again, trying to get a good look at Deuce’s body. If he was a bad boy and fought a lot, he had to be somewhat ripped. Ace started to drool, his eyes being blessed with more than just abs.

Deuce turned, swearing someone was looking at him. Maybe he should ask Ace about it.

“Ace, I know this is going to sound weird but, I think someone’s watching me.” Deuce said, washing his body.

“Really? It’s just us in here though.” Ace stated, looking around.

He was right. Then was someone looking through the window? Ace started to look again, feeling himself getting hard. What he would give to touch his abs and… fuck stick. He thanked the gods for making them roommates.

“Hey, I’m gonna go on ahead if you aren’t done yet.”

“I’m done! Let’s get dressed, yeah?”

Ace pretended he wasn’t looking but hot damn was he looking. Was it bad that he was getting so horny? He wasn’t going to last through first period.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” Deuce asked, seeing Ace was still getting dressed.

“Nah, go on ahead.”

Deuce nodded, going on ahead of him. Ace immediately whipped it out, needing to release.

Deuce exited Heartslabyul, heading to class. Ace seemed a bit weird this morning, but then again he’s always been weird. He happily hummed before feeling something pulling on him.

“Ace? So we are going together after all.” Deuce smiled.

Ace had hurried, remembering what was out there. Ace kept constant watch as they made their way to class. He could be anywhere.

“What’s wrong? You look tense.”

“Oh, just nervous for today’s quiz. Didn’t study haha…”

“But the quiz is tomorrow.”

Shit.

“Ahaha, that’s what I meant silly. I’m worried I won’t do well.”

“Well if you just try and study…”

“You’re in no position to scold me.” Ace huffed, Deuce just as bad as he was.

“Right…”

Ace sent Deuce into the classroom, keeping an eye out outside for him. There was no way he was going to let him ruin this. Who did he think he was, trying to take Deuce and sweep him off his feet? Prince Charming?

Ace scoffed, crossing his arms. He was just some old man who didn’t know a thing about loving people. Pursuing Deuce because he’s purely thinking with his dick. Class was about to start and he was nowhere to be seen. He won this round.

“Really? You’d have to make it for me sometime.”

“What about… tonight?”

Deuce giggled, having his nose booped. Ace’s jaw fell. How? How!? He marched over, putting distance between the two.

“There you are. I was wondering where you took off to.” Deuce said.

“Ah, you’re here.”

The two glared at each other, sparks flying.

“I hear you’re trying to make plans tonight with Deuce?” Ace said, trying to sound as friendly as possible. “Am I right, Malleus?”

“You’ve got great hearing, Ace. But what Deuce and I discuss doesn’t concern you unless we’re talking to you.” Malleus said with a smile.

“Considering Deuce is my best friend, a lot of things do concern me, unlike you, you overpowered fairy.” Ace snapped back, keeping up his smile. “You make us little ones feel very inferior. Right, Deuce?”

“Yeah. He’s right…” Deuce nodded.

Deuce felt inferior to him? How could this be? What did he need to do to make him feel equal? Ace laughed behind his hand, seeing Malleus panicking.

“Don’t feel that way! I make mistakes too!”

“It’s not that we don’t see you as fallible, it’s just you know so many spells, you’re really tall, you have bodyguards, you’re considered one of the five greatest, and well, you’re next in line for the throne in the Valley of Thorns.” Deuce listed, unaware of the invisible stab wounds he left. “That’s enough to make someone feel inferior.”

He could change some of the stuff he listed, but even if he did…

“What if you changed your height, got rid of your guards and used simpler spells like us?” Deuce repeated. “I mean, why would you do that? You’re like, royalty. Royalty don’t bend to other’s wills like that.”

He couldn’t say he wanted to do it for him. That would set Ace off. If only they were alone.

“Hey, Malleus?” Ace spoke.

“What?”

“Class started three minutes ago.”

Malleus blinked, seeing first years looking at him along with the teacher. Malleus quickly apologized, leaving the room. It really did pay off not only being his roommate, but classmate as well. Malleus was going to lose hard.

•

Ace continued to keep Deuce distanced from Malleus. Deuce did want to talk to Malleus more, but he could understand why Ace wanted to hurry. They didn’t want to be late for classes.

“I just need to talk to him for a moment!” Malleus hissed.

“Don’t you have your own classes to go to? Stop following us like some creep.” Ace countered, sticking his tongue out.

Malleus was getting frustrated. He didn’t want to get forceful, but at this rate…

“Deuce! You really can’t spare a moment?”

“Well, if it’s just a moment…”

Malleus had grabbed his hand, running away from Ace.

“H- Hey! Our class is this way!” Ace shouted, chasing after them.

Malleus lost Ace. Deuce panted, not expecting to run so much.

“Are you okay? Did I push you too hard?” Malleus asked, looking Deuce over.

“I’m fine, but what did you want to talk about that-”

“Shh.”

Deuce found himself being pressed to Malleus’ chest as someone ran past. He was pretty warm.

“Come back with Deuce!”

Ah, it was Ace. Malleus looked, seeing Ace was gone.

“Finally, I can talk to you.” Malleus sighed, smiling wearily. “How has your day been? Has Ace been annoying?”

“No. Not really.” Deuce said, Ace being a pretty good person towards him. “But I’ve actually wanted to talk to you too.”

He did? This was great! The two of them talked, time passing and getting closer to class time. Malleus desperately wanted to hold Deuce in his arms again, touch his hair and kiss his cheeks, possibly even something more. Maybe he could just touch his face…?

“Malleus?” Deuce called out, seeing he was cupping his face. “Is there something on my face?”

“Oh! Uh, I just… sorry…” Malleus apologized, letting his face go. “Um, we should probably get you to class.”

“Oh, you’re right. Hate to be late.” Deuce said.

Malleus walked beside him, wanting to hold his hand. Maybe he could just…

“Malleus?”

“I just thought it’d be fun. Isn’t it?” Malleus chuckled, swinging their linked pinkies.

“I guess so, but wouldn’t it be better to just hold hands?” Deuce questioned, holding Malleus’ hand.

Malleus short circuited. Deuce waved his hand in his face, noticing he had stopped responding. Deuce was just too pure and sweet. Malleus gave in to his feelings, pulling Deuce into a tight embrace. Deuce was utterly confused as to why he was hugging him.

“Malleus, I’m going to be late…”

“Just a bit longer… I don’t want to let you go… Ace will take you away…” Malleus whispered, stroking Deuce’s hair.

“Ace will what?”

Malleus blinked, panicking before teleporting them into Deuce’s class. Everyone looked, them standing in the middle of class.

“Just on time. I’ll s- see you.” Malleus said, quickly fleeing.

What did he just do? Deuce probably thought he was weird. But he couldn’t help it. He was so cute and innocent and so ready to be ruined… Ruined? Malleus’ face flushed as his mind thought on it more. How adorable Deuce would look with flushed cheeks as he kissed and touched him.

“Ah… to have such impure thoughts…” Malleus whispered, his face burning.

•

“So, what do you think they have for lunch today?” Ace asked, putting his arm around Deuce.

“I’m really hoping they have omelettes… I’m really in the mood for one. Oh, and maybe some expensive meat. I haven’t had meat for two days.” Deuce said, completely unphased by Ace’s arm.

“Me too! You know, I wouldn’t mind giving you mine if they have them.”

“Really!?” Deuce said, his eyes wide and sparkling.

Ah… adorable. Ace clutched his heart, nodding in response. Deuce cheered, hurrying on ahead of Ace.

He felt himself bump into something.

“Malleus!”

Ace had quickly recovered, putting himself between them. Sparks started to fly between them. They started subtly feuding. Deuce went on ahead, too hungry to wait for them.

“Stop creeping on children you dated fairy. Date people your own age!”

“Stop acting like you own Deuce! He’s not your property to decide what to do with!”

The two growled at each other before Malleus noticed it.

“Deuce left.”

They ran, wanting to be the first to reach Deuce.

Deuce was on line getting lunch when he felt someone staring. He looked around, not seeing anyone. He quickly got the rest of his lunch before sitting at a table. He didn’t feel like he was being watched anymore.

Malleus and Ace sat on either side of Deuce. Both tried feeding him but ended up wasting food more than anything.

“I have a better idea. Why don’t we feed each other? Malleus feeds me, I feed Ace and Ace feeds Malleus.” Deuce suggested.

They went along with it, wanting Deuce to be happy. Ace was extremely reluctant in feeding Malleus. Both were glaring at each other.

“You aren’t going to feed him Ace? Then I’ll do-”

Ace stuffed food in Malleus’ mouth. There was no way he was going to let Malleus be fed by Deuce. It was bad enough Malleus was feeling him.

“Can we take turns alternating? I’d just love to be fed by Malleus.” Ace said, his smile not matching his overall tone.

“Great idea!”

The rest of lunch continued with Deuce being fed by both boys who discreetly tried making the other choke on food.

•

Deuce found himself having to choose between Ace and Malleus much more often. He didn’t understand why they wanted to spend so much time alone with him. Couldn’t they just hang out together? They’d give him such pitiful faces every time he suggested it. So he stopped after a certain point, not liking their sad faces.

He didn’t like having to choose between them, so he often chose neither. Doing that made them sad, but what else could he do? He didn’t like it.

“Deuce!”

“Oh, Malleus.” he said, watching Malleus walk over to him.

“I want to apologize about how I’ve been acting. I don’t intend to make you choose between hanging out with me or Ace. It’s just…” Malleus said, taking Deuce’s hands in his. “I really just want to spend time with you since you’re always with Ace.”

It was true. They were roommates and in the same class. Maybe he should spend more time with Malleus. It was only fair.

“Then, we can hang out more if you want.” Deuce said happily.

“Where were you headed?”

“The library. I was going to try and study.”

“Oh! I’ll help out. What are you studying?”

Deuce started to explain as they made their way to the library. Malleus listened to Deuce, looking upon him with fond eyes. To think Ace wanted to taint this pure soul with his nasty human self. Deuce tilted his head, wondering why Malleus was running a few fingers through his hair.

“Was there something in my hair?”

“No… I mean, maybe…?” Malleus responded, opening the door to the library for him. “I keep touching him… He’s going to figure it out.”

“Oh, well thanks if it was something. You’re really kind.” Deuce grinned, chuckling slightly.

Deuce walked in, unaware of Malleus nearly passing out. He had to have Deuce. Malleus heavily flirted, unable to keep his feelings from overflowing like a dam being removed. Deuce just wasn’t picking up what he was putting down.

“Deuce, can you look at me?” Malleus asked.

Deuce faced him. Malleus moved closer, cupping Deuce’s cheek. If words weren’t going to get through then… Malleus leaned forward, his lips nearing Deuce’s.

“Stop right there old man!” a voice shouted before being shushed.

Deuce looked, wondering how Ace knew where he was. Ace had enough. Deuce was his and he was going to make sure Malleus knew it. Deuce watched as the two boys fought.

“H- Hey! Not in the library…” Deuce whispered, clearly unhappy.

Both boys stopped, seeing Deuce wasn’t happy. That was the one thing they never wanted to see. Deuce exhaled, getting a bit frustrated. He just wanted to try and study like a good student yet… and yet…

“I don’t want to see either of you anymore this week! Unless you can agree to stop fighting so much. What are you even fighting about anyway?” Deuce said, his cheeks puffed out.

Their hearts stopped. He was cuter when angry. They didn’t want to lose out on time with Deuce. So they had to play friendly. They looked at each other. No. This was going to end.

“We’ll stop fighting.” said Ace, cooking up a plan.

“Yeah. Don’t worry anymore. It’s just silly stuff like whether milk or cereal goes first.”

“Well that’s dumb. But I’m glad it’s nothing serious.”

Deuce was in a good mood again. They internally sighed in relief. That’s all they wanted.

•

Deuce enjoyed his snack, glad that Malleus and Ace weren’t fighting as usual. It felt great. He noticed a few people were posting on Magicam. He opened the app, looking at the new posts. Two students were fencing. He raised an eyebrow, wondering why it was going on.

He asked for the location, seeing it was happening in the gymnasium. He hurried over, wondering who the students where.

Deuce pushed open the door, seeing a bunch of students watching. The fencing students stopped before one brought him over to the front, sitting him down. They took off their helmets.

“Eh? Why…?” Deuce asked in confusion. “Since when did you know how to fence Ace?”

“Deuce, just watch us.” Ace said, glaring at Malleus.

“We’ll finally decide things.” Malleus declared.

Decide things? What were they deciding? More students started to file in, Malleus and Ace going at it. Who was winning? How were they keeping score?

Deuce sighed before noticing spots in the floor. What were they? The two continued to jab at each other, more spots appearing on the floor. He moved a bit closer to get a better look.

Deuce looked between them as they fiercely fought. This wasn’t how he remembered fencing to be. They shouldn’t be bleeding. How did this even happen? Deuce quickly got to his feet, running to stop them. At this rate they were seriously going to hurt each other.

“I’m going to send you straight to hell!” Ace shouted.

“Not unless I take your life first!” Malleus shouted back.

“Stop…!” Deuce yelled, running to stop them.

Both boys’ eyes widened, seeing Deuce running towards them.

“Deuce-!”

Students gasped, a few covering their eyes.

Deuce opened his eyes, seeing they had dropped their weapons. What he didn’t expect was to see them in tears.

“You shouldn’t continue this anymore… Look…” Deuce said, pointing out their wounds and the broken tips. “I don’t want to see you both hurt…”

Their eyes softened, feeling Deuce leading them to the infirmary.

“Seriously… what were you two trying to decide anyway? Was it really worth trying to kill each other over?” Deuce asked, looking at the both of them.

Both kept silent. Deuce pursed his lips, seeing they weren’t going to tell him.

“Well, whatever it is, I don’t think it’s worth putting your lives on the line. I think things you’re really passionate about or truly and deeply love should be worth putting your life on the line.”

“You idiot…” Ace thought narrowing his eyes.

“You are worth putting my life on the line…” Malleus thought, his heart paining him.


	234. Ruggie x Vil: He’s in it for the money…

“Stop making such lewd faces…”

“I can’t help myself… I want to be eaten by you…”

Ruggie placed his hands on either side of Vil, capturing his lips again. Vil couldn’t get enough. There was something about this hyena that drove him wild. He felt Ruggie pull away, looking at him hungrily. He was definitely hot and bothered now.

“Don’t you have a meeting soon?” Ruggie mentioned, seeing Vil’s hair falling out of place.

Vil smiled softly, allowing Ruggie to fix his hair. There was a dorm leaders meeting but he didn’t particularly want to leave Ruggie. Ruggie’s ears perked up before he scurried off. Vil was about to call out to him when students came walking past. That’s why he left. They chatted with him for a bit before leaving.

“Ruggie? Did you leave?” Vil called out, moving to look behind trees.

“Boo!”

“Ah!”

Ruggie hollered, seeing Vil had fallen back in fright. Vil was extremely cute, especially when…

“Don’t do that!” Vil huffed, pouting like a child.

That simple action was enough to make him weak in the knees for Vil all over again. Vil hugged Ruggie tight, glad to see he didn’t leave.

“But you should really get going. I don’t want you to be late.” Ruggie said, cupping Vil’s cheek.

Vil placed his hand over Ruggie’s, promising he’ll do his best. Ruggie watched Vil leave before following. He wasn’t stalking him, he just simply wanted to see if everything was okay. Ruggie stopped himself, letting Vil get farther away. Vil was his, so of course he wouldn’t flirt with others. He trusted Vil.

•

Ruggie quietly scrolled on Magicam double tapping and saving all photos of Vil that Vil posted recently. How lucky was he to be dating a global pro model. It wasn’t even about the money he probably made. He… he really just.. loved him. Seeing Vil’s smiling face was worth more than anything.

Ruggie quickly hid everything relating to Vil in his room just as Jack stepped in.

“Senpai, I… I have a problem.”

“Yeah? Why come to me?”

“Well, I would go to Vil senpai but it’s about him.”

Now he had Ruggie’s attention. What about Vil? He knew they were neighbors when they were kids. He couldn’t possibly want to confess to his boyfriend. But Jack didn’t know they were dating. No one did. So Ruggie opted to sit and listen.

“I’m worried about him. He smells and acts differently. He’s got an animal kind of scent to him now… I feel like he might be getting in with the wrong crowd…” Jack said, looking at Ruggie with sad eyes. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to him… How can I tell him without offending him…?”

Ruggie blinked, not expecting this. He was just a concerned underclassmen. If only he knew that scent he was smelling was him. He supposed it smelled different since Vil often wore perfume, so the scents collide and create something new. Jack listened to Ruggie as he started giving advice.

“So… just tell him I’m always here for him then? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yeah. Bringing up you think he’s in with some bad guys would put more distance between you.”

“Thanks so much, senpai!” Jack cried out, hugging Ruggie tightly.

Jack was definitely a really caring guy. Ruggie went back on Magicam, looking through comments on Vil’s photos. It was the same as usual. People declaring their love and fighting with others about who got to date Vil. Well the joke was on them. He was the one who got to date him. Though, certain comments couldn’t help but make him uneasy.

‘If Vil does date, I bet it someone famous just like him!’

'Imagine Vil dating a normie like us. Disgusting.’

'We’d destroy them no hesitation haha!’

He definitely wasn’t as important as the commenters were saying and he was probably less than normie. But to say they’d destroy whoever it was… that was pretty unnerving. He stopped looking at the comments, enjoying Vil’s face. He wanted to see him, but he was busy with his club.

“Maybe I could take a peek…” Ruggie mumbled, pulling a Vil plushie out from under his pillow and holding it tight.

•

“No! No, no, no! You act like you’ve never acted before! It’s one simple line.” Vil barked, needing this film to be perfect. “Put more emotion in it. Let’s start again.”

Ruggie’s tail wagged as he watched Vil order people around. It didn’t seem like a big film this time. Vil was pretty sexy, giving orders like that. It wouldn’t be so bad if Vil ordered him around a little.

“Ruggie?”

Ruggie yelped, not expecting someone to sneak up on him.

“Oh, Rook… what.” Ruggie mumbled, still on alert.

“You’re watching Vil’s soon to be masterpiece aren’t you? I never took you as a film buff.”

“Ah, yeah… They’re kinda cool.”

Rook silently looked at Ruggie before smiling.

“How did you get into them? Do you have a favorite?”

“Howls of The Night.” Ruggie responded, keeping his eyes off Vil.

“What a classic! And here I thought you were sneaking around for something else.”

“I don’t see what you’re trying to get at.” Ruggie responded with a straight face.

Rook let it go. Ruggie kept his feelings in check, trying to watch more of the filming rather than Vil.

Filming had finished, Vil giving backhanded compliments as he helped put things away. Ruggie started to leave, knowing Vil would be upset if he saw him.

Ruggie silently thought as he made his way back to Savanaclaw. They never said those three words to each other yet, but Ruggie was more than willing at this point. He only held back because…

'Imagine Vil dating a normie like us. Disgusting.’

He didn’t want Vil losing fans because he was dating someone like him. He wasn’t famous or important. He didn’t come from money and did just about any odd job to make some. How was Vil not ashamed to be dating him? Then again, they were hiding their relationship so he probably was.

Ruggie sighed, his mood worsening. He found himself thinking about people better suited for Vil lately. Maybe he’d be happier and be open with his relationship. He was brought back to reality, his phone buzzing in his pocket. It was Vil. He waited some time before answering.

“Hey, where are you? I thought you said you’d be in your room?”

“I was hungry so I went to Sam’s to buy snacks.” he lied, not wanting him to know the truth.

“Are you still there? If so do you mind um, picking up whipped cream? I need it.”

Was he making something? He couldn’t be, not with whipped cream. To put it simply, it was unhealthy and Vil was the healthiest person on campus. He agreed anyway.

“Are you in my room?”

“Yes. No one saw me, if that’s what you’re worrying about.” Vil responded. “See you.”

Ruggie turned, heading to Sam’s.

•

Ruggie made sure no one was passing by before entering his room. Ruggie dropped the bag in his hand, quickly closing the door.

“Vil!?”

“Ah, you’re back… I didn’t know how much more I could take…”

“Vil, please answer me seriously when I ask, why are you lying on my bed naked?”

“I want to have sex with you.”

He didn’t look like he was lying since he was a liar himself. But this was very overwhelming. Vil watched as Ruggie pulled on the bedsheets before covering him up.

“I don’t think we should take this step yet… It might give us away…” Ruggie said, resisting his strong beastly urge to destroy Vil.

“We can try being silent…” Vil said, putting Ruggie’s hands on his chest. “Right…?”

Ruggie gave Vil a kiss before hugging him. He could feel his defenses falling as Vil’s sweet voice and kind eyes played continuously in his mind.

“No… We don’t really have secure locks here in Savanaclaw either, so your little childhood friend might walk in on us.” Ruggie said, letting Vil go. “So, get dressed.”

Ruggie’s heart pained him. Vil didn’t know how much he wanted to do this with him, to take that next step in their relationship. But there was too much at stake since they were being secretive.

“I guess I got ahead of myself… All that’s left is talking…”

He could clearly see Vil was disappointed. He would definitely agree next time when they were open about their relationship.

•

Ruggie noticed people were looking at him different the past week, especially those in Pomefiore.

“Who does he think he is?” one whispered.

“He’s in it for the money…” the other whispered.

“So shameless!” another whispered.

Ruggie narrowed his eyes, only adding fuel to the fire. What were they even talking about? He soon got a text from Jack. It sounded urgent.

Jack between Ruggie and Ruggie’s bedroom door. He couldn’t believe someone would write something so disgusting on his door.

“Did you piss someone off…?” Jack asked, seeing they used paint.

“I didn’t do anything…” Ruggie mumbled, glaring at the word.

Jack watched Ruggie storm off, getting something to clean his door with. Other Savanaclaw students passing by took notice, starting to wonder if it was true.

•

Ruggie sat under a tree, the rest of his day having gone smoothly. He opened Magicam, only to see his face posted several times and extremely hateful captions to go with it. They had scratched out his face.

'He’s clinging to Vil like a leech.’

'Ew! I just looked him up.’

'Why is Vil hanging with trash like this?’

'Can he like, uh, die.’

It seemed like they weren’t being careful enough. It was probably his fault. He couldn’t help but follow Vil sometimes so they’d end up being together. The comments were never ending. He closed Magicam, hanging his head low.

If things were this bad with people finding out they were friendly, he couldn’t imagine the shit show when they learned they were dating. He couldn’t let this continue, so he had to start avoiding Vil. It would be fairly easy since they were in different years.

“Ruggie!”

He knew that voice. Ruggie scrambled to his feet, running away. Vil watched as Ruggie ran. Was he mad at him? Was it because he licked his ear? It was only a tease. He sighed, going over to where Ruggie sat. He’d have to apologize later.

He wasn’t given the opportunity to do so. Ruggie continued to avoid him. Was he that upset with having his ears licked? He wouldn’t even meet him in private. Vil was at a complete loss.

Ruggie checked Magicam. They had to be saying good things now.

'So he saw our posts.’

'Lol like avoiding Vil is going to make him a saint.’

'Right? Like, he’s already tainted our beautiful angel with those gross hands.’

'Did you know? He’s like extremely poor. No wonder he’s been chummy with Vil.’

'Has he no morals? How can Vil stand him?’

'Can we just collectively bully him?’

'Lol’

'Lol’

He didn’t understand. Isn’t this what they wanted? Was he really just fighting a losing battle? He didn’t know what to do. They were going to continue talking bad about him no matter what he did. Ruggie hurried back to his room, students laughing behind his back.

Ruggie curled up under his bed, a habit he’s done since he was just little hyena when he was distressed. What if… what if he ended things with Vil? Then they wouldn’t run into each other so much because they wouldn’t have a reason to. He’d completely forget Vil’s schedule. But did he want that? Did he really want to break up with him?

•

Vil had created another Magicam account, going undercover. He couldn’t ask as himself. He started to see the mean things posted about Ruggie. Some were even inviting him to join. So he wasn’t upset about having his ears licked. He asked more about it.

“So… it’s my fault…” Vil concluded.

Had he not been so friendly with Ruggie in public… He had to make this right. He stopped. He had to really think about his next moves. Every action he took affected Ruggie the most. Coming out about their relationship would hurt him more. Maybe he could try asking them to support their friendship. No, and explaining wouldn’t work either.

Vil had come up with a brilliant plan, but he first needed to check on Ruggie. Pomefiore students looked as Vil ran. What was he running for? Was there a fire?

Ruggie was awakened by footsteps. He looked, seeing expensive shoes. He knew those shoes.

“Ruggie?”

He kept quiet. Seeing Vil now after avoiding him… Vil lied down, looking under the bed.

“There you are.”

Ruggie backed up, seeing Vil squeezing underneath. Ruggie continued to back up, seeing he wasn’t under the bed anymore.

“Ruggie, I know what’s going on. I didn’t know my actions were hurting you this much. And I’m really sorry. I should’ve been more attentive. I thought as long as we kept the relationship hidden we’d be okay but…” Vil said, his heart remembering the awful comments. “You’re the only one getting hurt… because of me…”

Ruggie crawled back underneath, pulling Vil out.

“Vil… I was thinking…”

“I have too. I don’t want you to suffer alone. If you’re hurting, I’ll hurt to. I’ll hurt myself.”

“Are you crazy!? Why would you do that!”

Vil continued to cry, putting his head in his hands.

“I don’t know what else to do. I… I don’t want to break up. Ruggie, I… I love you so much.” Vil confessed, giving Ruggie a passionate kiss. “You’re extremely precious to me…”

“But to go that far…”

Vil loved him. He was willing to self harm if it meant he could suffer with him. Ruggie caressed his cheek, feeling Vil hold his wrist as he leaned into his hand.

“Vil… I think… we should break up.”

Vil was silent.

“It’s never going to end unless we stop being around each other and I could never forgive myself if you started harming your beautiful body.” Ruggie explained, nuzzling against him.

“Ruggie-”

Ruggie gave him a kiss, not wanting to hear anymore. This was extremely hard for him, especially after learning Vil loved him. He wanted to tell him he loved him back, but it would only cause more pain. They pulled apart, Vil unable to stop crying. He didn’t want to let him go.

Ruggie kissed his tears away, wanting to send him off without tears.

“Vil, promise me you’ll try to be happy after all of this… I don’t want to see you sad.” Ruggie said, seeing he was calming down.

“I promise…” Vil mumbled, rising to his feet. Ruggie did the same. “Can you promise the same thing?”

“I promise.”

Vil sniffled, nodding his head. Ruggie watched Vil leave. Ruggie immediately broke down in tears after closing his door. He hated this conclusion.

•

Students saw the two weren’t hanging around each other at all, sometimes not even appearing on campus. They had protected Vil.

“Vil hasn’t been on campus the entire week now that I think about it…”

“Really? I haven’t really noticed.”

“I’m not sure if I’ve seen him leave the dorm…”

They felt a bit uneasy. Why was Vil missing? Ruggie was supposed to be the missing one, yet he was doing just fine. Ruggie was the cause of everything bad to Vil. He needed to be punished.

Rook knocked on Vil’s door before placing food and water beside his door.

“We’d like to see your face again, you know…”

Rook watched as the door opened slightly, the things he had just put down floating and falling into Vil’s room. The door closed. Rook grimaced, hearing the door lock.

“Vil, let me in.”

Silence. He pressed his ear to the door, catching faint whimpers from inside. A little note peeked out from under the door. Rook immediately grew concerned, seeing a redden corner.

“Vil! Don’t do anything rash! I’m always here for you!” Rook shouted, trying to get in.

“Rook, I can’t stand this pain. What will make it go away?” the note said.


	235. Leechs: Mushrooms

Jade looked in the fridge, not seeing it. He started to move things around, knowing he put in half a day ago. He looked up, seeing Floyd passing by.

“Floyd, would you happen to know what became of the seafood salad drizzled in sauces?” Jade asked.

“Huh? Oh, I ate that. It didn’t have anyone’s name on it so…” Floyd said with a shrug. “Why? Was it Azul’s?”

Jade shook his head, harshly closing the refrigerator.

“Thank you.”

Floyd watched Jade walk away. Why did he care about someone else’s salad?

•

Floyd woke up before screeching. His roommates groaned, wondering what was going on.

“Such a wonderful morning isn’t it? Ah, a wonderful morning to enjoying mushrooms don’t you think?” Jade said, looking at Floyd endearingly.

“Get away from me you monster!” Floyd screech, practically flying out of bed.

“But Floyd!”

Floyd’s roommates watched as Jade jogged after him. They went back to sleep.

Floyd sought shelter in Azul’s room. He could get some more sleep before he had to get ready for classes. Azul turned in his sleep, his body recognizing something foreign. It woke him up before he kicked Floyd out of his bed.

“Floyd, what the hell are you doing in my room, no, HOW did you get in my room!?” Azul fussed, sitting up in bed.

“Jade’s being a dick.” Floyd mumbled, climbing back into bed. “Just let me sleep here… We’ve slept together a lot anyway.”

“That’s not my point here… so you made Jade mad? Do you know why?”

Floyd shook his head. Azul sighed, kicking him out of his bed again. Floyd started to protest only to end up kicked out.

“Deal with Jade on your own.” Azul said, slamming his door. “Maybe don’t do things you know are wrong and continue to do. Have a conscience.”

Floyd pouted before hearing quick footsteps on the floor.

“There you are! Floyd, you’ve got to help me. I can’t decide which mushroom to enjoy. Try them for me.” Jade said, sticking a mushroom in Floyd’s mouth.

Floyd ran, Jade chasing after him with a bag full of mushrooms.

•

Floyd slept in class, tired from running away from his brother. He was whacked awake by Crewel who easy scolded him. He fell asleep again. Crewel woke him up again. He fell asleep again.

“So. Crewel got fed up with you and gave you detention?”

Floyd nodded as he yawned. He just wanted to sleep is all.

“Well, if you didn’t make Jade mad-”

“I don’t know why Jade is mad!” Floyd said loudly, grabbing Azul by his collar.

“Floyd~”

Floyd let Azul go, his pupils dilating.

“I need you to-”

“NO!” Floyd screeched, trying to escape out the window.

Jade caught him by his legs, dragging him back in. Azul watched as Jade sat on Floyd, attempting to stuff Floyd’s mouth with mushrooms.

“Hm, now I feel satisfied.” Jade said, ruffling Floyd’s hair.

Azul watched Jade leave before looking at Floyd who retched. He really didn’t understand the two of them, even after all of this time.

•

Students quickly moved to the side, afraid just looking at Floyd would end up with them getting squeezed.

“He’s been in such a foul mood today…”

“I really don’t want to know why.”

A group of students happily chatted, unaware of Floyd approaching them. Their eyes widened, not expecting Floyd to come up to them.

“Um-”

“Are you mocking me?” Floyd said threateningly.

The student unknowingly had a bag with mushroom designs on it. Other students watched as Floyd destroyed their bag without hesitation.

“Ah, Jade must’ve bugged him with mushrooms again…”

“Here I thought it was serious…”

Even then, he was still dangerous. But to get this upset over a little mushroom, wasn’t it a bit… ridiculous?


	236. Chiddle: I felt someone was watching

“Che'nya!”

“Oh, little dragon. What’s up?”

“You can call me Mei you know.” Mei pouted. “What are you doing in the library though? You aren’t exactly studious.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You all just happen to catch me on my breaks. But I digress. What do you need?” Che'nya asked, his tail waving around.

“Oh, we were going to dine at Vin’s. We didn’t want you to feel excluded.” Mei explained.

“Sure, there’s a certain someone I want to tease there nya.”

“You really do belong in Wondersmoore…” Mei muttered.

•

Che'nya stepped inside, seeing the place brimming with positivity. Mei and Rielle frantically waved him over.

“We’re glad you came!” Rielle cheered, pulling Che'nya close.

“You’ve got to stop going off on your own, kitty cat.” Eosin chuckled.

“Without you I don’t have anyone to bully.” Jamie half joked, earning a hit from Eosin.

“If it ain’t Rielle and co. Have you finally decided?”

“Kars.” Jamie said, waving to him.

“You look like a doting wife nya.” Che'nya chuckled, earning an eye roll from Kars.

“We’ll try the day’s surprise.” Eosin said before ordering everyone’s drinks.

“Wow, I didn’t think Eosin knew us like that.” Mei gasped.

“Sorry for actually being a friend?” Eosin responded.

“Someone’s unhappy~” Che'nya teased, meowing as Eosin kicked him.

“He’s mad because of something he saw on Magicam.” Rielle explained. “Unfortunately, I have to admit I’m a little peeved too.”

“Eh? Why?”

“There’s some mysterious person at Night Raven and they’re pretty close to the dorm leaders there. Rumor has it that they aren’t from here.” Jamie explained, remembering Eosin calling him at two in the morning.

“And?” said Che'nya, raising an eyebrow.

“Just saying.”

Kars placed their drinks down, purposefully spilling Che'nya’s. The two were about to go at it when Vin loomed menacingly over Kars. Che'nya shrunk back and Kars scurried off.

“There isn’t a problem here, right?”

“Right.” they said in unison.

Vin smiled happily before walking away. Vin was usually sweet but he could be downright scary sometimes.

•

Che'nya lied awake thinking about what Jamie said. A mysterious person getting close to dorm leaders in Night Raven. That was too random to be true. How could anyone NOT be from Twisted Wonderland yet be here? He turned, trying to sleep.

What did he even mean by pretty close? If his memory was right, the only one willing to give a strange weirdo their friendship would be Kalim, maybe even Azul if he could get something out of it. It was absurd. Che'nya closed his eyes, feeling sleep beckoning him.

•

Che'nya pursed his lips, listening to his friends talk about the person. Apparently their name was Yuu.

“Maybe I should check on Azul…” Rielle said, only to be sat down.

“You both are thinking too much.” Jamie said, disappointed in his friends.

“Oh, Jamil seems close with them too.” Mei pointed out. “Seems they got to the vices too.”

“So, when do we leave?” Jamie asked, looking at them.

“If you’re all so worried, why don’t I go check for you? It’s easier for me.” Che'nya suggested.

“Are you sure you aren’t just worried too?” Eosin said.

“As if I give two shits about what my friends do.” Che'nya laughed, rising to his feet.

“Well then, can you see what’s going on with them? Azul and Vil…” Rielle said, avoiding eye contact.

“What about you, Jamie? You suddenly perked up.” asked Che'nya, a smirk on his face.

“…s…”

“Huh?”

“…leus…”

They collectively sighed, hating when Jamie got like this.

“Fine. I’m heading off.”

Che'nya started to disappear. Jamie was still quiet. He was almost gone when Jamie finally spoke up.

•

Che'nya looked around, checking on the boys they had asked for. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He spotted a few of the dorm leaders hanging out with someone. He didn’t recognize them, meaning that had to be the mystery person.

He left his spot, seeing Vil was somewhere else.

•

Mei watched as his friends slowly lost their minds. Was it that serious? Just because they were close didn’t mean anything was going on. He was going to speak then stopped. He didn’t think telling them that maybe Yuu was trying to see who they liked more wasn’t going to put them at ease.

“Guys, I’m sure they’re just close friends. Like us.”

“No they’re not! Close friends don’t sit so close to each other!” Eosin yelled, putting his head in his hands.

“I mean, Azul is already mine but…” Rielle said before starting to hyperventilate. “What if Ima not enough? What if he’s just been with me because I’m the prince? What if…”

Mei looked at Jamie who lied underneath the bed unmoving while Rielle continued to self deprecate. They were messes and Che'nya needed to hurry back. He was worried Jamie wasn’t breathing.

“Hm hm hmmm~”

“Che'nya!”

Mei has never seen someone get up from underneath a bed so quickly. Che'nya’s body appeared, allowing him to move.

“They’re just hanging out like friends. You three worry too much.”

They exhaled loudly, collapsing to the floor. Che'nya looked to Mei who shrugged.

“Did you see your friends when you were there?”

“Nah. Maybe next time.”

Mei looked at Che'nya who looked pretty happy, at least, judging from his ear and tail movements. He probably did go see them, just not having interacted. He looked down at his friends who fell asleep, having stressed and tired themselves out from over worrying.

•

They were losing it again. Though, he couldn’t blame them this time. The pictures were pretty intimate. He looked at Eosin who lied face down on the floor. He really made it seem like the world was ending.

“It was probably just the angle, Eos…” Mei said, hoping to cheer him up.

“Angle my ass…”

Rielle was sobbing off in a corner, plucking feathers out of a pillow. Azul’s was really the tamest out of all of them. They were simply just enjoying lunch together yet Rielle was acting like they kissed.

“Oh, Che'nya. Great timing. We were just reviewing the Yuu Interactions Magicam account. Unfortunately it wasn’t good news…” Mei said, seeing Jamie was taking it the hardest.

“You’re all so dramatic… A minor inconvenience and suddenly the world is ending.” Che'nya scoffed, unbelieving that he had such weak willed friends.

“Hm, you aren’t wearing your uniform… Going to Night Raven?” Mei asked, knowing he never wore it when he went over.

“I wanna surprise them.” Che'nya said, kicking his legs. “Kinda miss them.”

Che'nya left before Mei could coo at how cute that was. He looked back at his dispirited friends. Hopefully they’d get over it soon.

Che'nya appeared in Heartslabyul, seeing it was an Unbirthday party day. If he was right, there should be the croquet tournament going on. He headed over, smirking as he was right on the mark. But Riddle was nowhere to be seen. Was he in the tea garden? No, he couldn’t be. Riddle never went off schedule.

Che'nya searched around before picking up on his voice. He was in the rose maze. He headed over in excitement only to spot him with that Yuu person. Nothing strange, just them walking together… hand in hand. Why were they holding hands? Why was Riddle holding hands with someone? Che'nya scaled the hedge wall, watching them from above. He was dreaming because of his friends.

Riddle wouldn’t do this. He was just anxious and hallucinating. Yet it was staring him hard in the face. Riddle was holding hands with this stranger. Che'nya’s tail fluffed up as he got angrier. Why were they touching Riddle like he was theirs? He lowly growled, seconds away from committing murder.

“Stop looking so happy with them…!” Che'nya whispered, still following them as he waited to strike.

He calmed some, turning his back to them. What was he doing? He was acting like his friends. It was obvious why they were holding hands. They liked each other. Riddle liked someone else. He was never going to like him was he? He was hoping for the impossible. Che'nya slowly faded away, seeing no point in staying any longer.

Riddle looked back, earning a look from Yuu.

“It’s just… I felt someone was watching.” Riddle said, looking at the spot Che'nya used to be in.

“I’m sure it’s just an animal. So tell me more about the rules of the Queen of Hearts.”

Riddle nodded, continuing to explain.


	237. Idia + Azul: Vocaloids

Azul reread Idia’s message. No matter how he looked at it, it was shady and extremely suspect. “Come to my room” could mean a lot of things. He never really looked at Idia in that light, but what if…? The only way to find out was to go. Would he introduce him to a new game or end up naked in bed with him?

Azul practiced his reactions to both situations. None seemed genuine enough.

“Azul Ashengrotto! Hello!”

“Oh, it’s robot pipsqueak.” Azul muttered.

“I’m not a pipsqueak!” Ortho huffed.

“What are you doing out here though? wouldn’t you be with Idia right now?”

“He kicked me out.” Ortho mumbled, twiddling his thumbs.

“Did you do something you know he wouldn’t like?” Azul questioned.

Ortho nodded. Azul sighed, having Ortho follow him. Ortho cheered happily, knowing things would go smoother with Azul.

Azul knocked on Idia’s door, waiting for him to open up.

“You came! Oh, you’re back.” Idia said, looking away.

“I’m sorry! I just want you to have more real friends…” Ortho said, taking Idia’s hand.

“I don’t need them.”

“Should I come back another time…?” Azul said, stepping back.

“No, come.”

Azul was being whisked inside before he could blink. Ortho was unfortunately left outside.

“Sit.”

Azul sat. He watched Idia type things in before tapping on a video. Music started to play.

“What… is this?” Azul questioned, noticing the voices were rather high pitched.

“Vocaloids.”

Azul watched the video, taking everything in. Is this what he wanted him to come to his room for? Idia was looking at him with hopeful eyes. Idia showed him a few more, happily singing along.

“What do you think?” Idia asked.

“But I must persevere in my work…”

“It’s… interesting.” Azul muttered, amazed by how things went from light hearted to dark.

“Right? There’s a whole series! There’s so much to unpack!”

“Really?”

Now he had Azul’s attention. He liked the sound of having to unpack things.

“Then I’ll go to meet you…”

The song continued to play as Idia shared his knowledge with Azul. Azul wasn’t too fond of anything that wasn’t classical, but this… this was something he could get behind. Idia pointed out things in the new song playing, Azul nodded in understanding.

“When I do this to myself…”

“So this… now it’s making sense.” Azul said, many questions being answered.

“Right, right? And then you feel like you’ve got to know more….”

“And you get really invested until you finally reach a conclusion!”

“…aiming for a new paradise.”

Idia and Azul smiled at each other, music playing in the background.

“Here I doubted this… vocaloid thing. You’ve opened my eyes, Idia.”

“Great cause there’s so much more I want to show you, especially the wacky stuff.”

Azul moved closer, watching Idia typing things in.

Ortho continued to look at the door, still hoping Idia would let him back in.


	238. Sila: Let me kiss you more…

Silver looked at the door wondering if it was okay to enter. Idia never invited him over, so naturally it’d pique his curiousity. Could he just push it open? It didn’t budge. He could try knocking, but… Silver jumped back, not expecting the door to open by itself.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

They stared at each other in silence. How did they proceed from here? Silver didn’t want to intrude on Idia and Idia didn’t want to seem rude by sending him away.

“I’ll go.” “Wanna come in?” they said at the same time.

Awkward. They avoided eye contact before trying again.

“I’ll come in.” “See you.” they said in unison.

They sighed heavily, seeing this was going to keep happening if someone didn’t speak quickly.

“Come in. Really. Um, yeah.” said Idia, stepping aside.

Idia closed the door behind them, wondering why Silver was here. Was it something serious? Were they going to break up? Silver looked around Idia’s room, taking note of how messy it was. He knew he wasn’t the cleanest person but holy fuck.

“I was in the middle of cleaning…” Idia mumbled, his face red.

“Well, it’s not bad. I was expecting worse. Let’s clean together!” Silver said, picking up books.

The two continued to clean up until the room looked organized again. Silver sat on Idia’s bed, a little tired.

“I didn’t mean to make you help…” Idia apologized, sitting beside him.

“I wanted to. Now we have a spot to relax on, yeah?” he responded, lying back.

Silver had a point. Idia lied back as well, turning to face Silver.

“So, why did you come over? I know it wasn’t to help me out.”

“I missed you. And was a little curious as to what your room looked like.” Silver responded, turning to face Idia. “And now I get to gaze upon your pretty face…”

Idia instantly turned red. Silver chuckled, moving closer to him before draping an arm over him. This was extremely intimate. What level did he just unlock from cleaning up his room with Silver? Idia looked into Silver’s eyes, feeling his heart race. He got to look at someone so beautiful, he must be the luckiest person in the world.

“You’re so red. Is it because we’re close together?” Silver whispered, moving closer. Idia turned redder. “So it is…”

“Silver…”

“I wonder how red you’ll turn if I do this…”

Idia gasped, not expecting Silver to kiss his cheek. Idia tried turning away, but Silver wouldn’t let him.

“Come on, let me kiss you more…”

“Please, no… I-”

Silver attacked his face with kisses before settling on his lips. Idia pressed his balled fists to his chest as Silver continued to kiss him. Silver pulled away, having Idia touch his cheek.

“I’ve never seen you so red before… it’s really cute…” Silver said, pulling Idia even closer. “I want to see it more.”

“I don’t think it’s cute… I’m probably as red as tomato…” Idia mumbled, hiding his face in Silver’s shoulder.

“And? I like tomatoes.” Silver responded, giving Idia a few more kisses.

“Ah…”

Idia cuddled closer, lifting his head slightly. He hated that Silver could easily make him blush like a fool. He surprised Silver with a kiss, wanting to get even. Idia pouted, seeing Silver wasn’t the slightest bit bothered.

Silver was in fact, pretty bothered. He was just better at hiding it. Idia tried pulling away from him but Silver held tight, sweetly apologizing for making him embarrassed. He really couldn’t help it when Idia was easy to tease.


	239. NSFW Rook x Epel: Pure satanic evil

Rook rapidly blinked, not expecting it. What could he say? Epel walked over to him, pulling him towards the bed.

“Epel…”

“I want you bad.” Epel whispered, pulling Rook down and roughly kissing him.

Rook melted into the kiss, feeling Epel taking his clothes off. Epel pulled away, striping him down. Rook found himself being pinned to the bed as Epel sat on his stomach.

“Aren’t you a little feisty…” Rook mumbled, unable to move his arms.

“I’ll have my way with you… I’m in control.”

“Are y-”

Rook found his wrists being tied together with his tie. Epel really meant business. It would probably be best to obey him. Rook sighed, feeling Epel kissing along his body. Epel started to tease a nipple, licking the other with his tongue. He knew Rook’s nipples were sensitive, having overheard him talking to Vil one day. He learned a few other things that he particularly liked and he planned to try them.

Epel started to suck, hearing Rook faintly moaning. He could only imagine how wet he was getting just from having his nipples pleasured. Epel rubbed his ass cheeks against Rook’s dick, hearing him draw a sharp breath. He looked up at Rook, gazing upon his lewd face.

“It feels good, doesn’t it?” Epel asked, giving him a knowing smirk. “Tell me how much you love it…”

“I love it… tease me more… please…” Rook responded, trying to free his arms.

“I won’t if you keep moving. Behave.” Epel said, holding Rook’s face by his chin.

Rook settled down, looking into Epel’s eyes. He closed his eyes, feeling Epel forcing his way into his mouth. He started to moan into the kiss, feeling Epel teasing him again.

“They’re so hard… and we barely started…” Epel whispered, kissing along Rook’s neck. “Don’t tell me you won’t last either…”

“I’ll… I’ll last…” Rook whispered, trying not to move as Epel located his sweet spots. “E- Epel…”

Epel was finding sweet spots he didn’t even know about. Epel had made his way down, pausing at his hard, throbbing erection. Epel lubed him up, giving him a smirk. Soon Epel was riding him. Epel continued to tease Rook’s nipples, watching him squirm in pleasure. He liked this. He liked being in control.

“Look… look at you… and people think I’m the lewd one…” Epel whispered, softly moaning as he could see Rook resisting the urge to buck his hips. “You got to stay still or else I won’t pleasure you.”

“This is torture…” Rook weeped, Epel’s ass squeezing him.

“But you… you love it, don’t you…?”

Rook could only reply with a moan as Epel started to move again. Rook felt himself close to coming. And that’s when he no longer felt Epel riding him.

“Epel…?”

“I’m not letting you come.” Epel declares, lightly teasing him. “I’ll make you suffer, beg me to let you come.”

He was evil, pure satanic evil. Epel smirked evilly, giving Rook a few licks before leaving him high and dry yet again. He was right there, so close. If he could just get Epel to lick the right spot.

Epel continuously teased spots that weren’t his sweet spots, delaying his orgasm even further. Rook was going crazy. If he didn’t come soon, he was going to absolutely lose it.

“Are you going to beg?”

“Please, Epel… let me come. I’m already at your mercy please… I can’t stand it anymore. I’m going crazy…” Rook wailed, tears forming in his eyes.

Epel pitied him. Rook watched as Epel lowered himself onto him. One small movement and Rook came inside Epel, unable to hold back. Epel continued to move, unbelieving of how strong it was. Rook whined and panted, his body extremely glad to have released.

“I feel so stuffed…” Epel muttered, feeling some of Rook’s cum leaking out. “Holy shit…”

“I’m definitely not letting you top again. You’ll break me.” Rook complained despite having enjoyed himself.

“You liar…” Epel chuckled, moving off of Rook. “Now, it’s your turn to please me.”


	240. Kaja: Jasmine

Jasmine petals. Kalim quietly picked them up, not wanting anyone to know. He pulled out his secret box, filling a jar with the petals. Four other jars sat in the box before being covered again.

A knock was heard on his door before it was opened.

“Kalim, it’s time for the meeting.”

“Ah, already?”

Jamil tilted his head slightly, noticing something was off. He didn’t speak up, simply following behind Kalim.

Kalim sat in the meeting with his father, trying to learn and absorb how things were run. He could feel tickling in the back of his throat. Jamil was the only one to notice Kalim’s discomfort. Kalim suppressed his need to cough throughout the entire meeting.

Kalim had quickly returned to his room, locking it so no one could get in. He covered himself with a blanket before harshly coughing up a small pile of petals. He waited to see if there were anymore. Seeing there weren’t any, he scooted over to his secret box, putting in the new petals. He was going to have to buy more jars.

Kalim often stayed in empty or less populated areas whenever he wandered around his home. He knew how everyone would get if they found out the one he loved wasn’t returning his feelings. They wouldn’t stop until the person was found before forcing them to love him back. He managed to live this long with the disease, but he could feel it starting to get worse. Maybe it was time to let go.

•

Jamil stood outside Kalim’s room, bringing him lunch as usual. It didn’t really matter to him what Kalim did, but he’s been doing this for over two years. It was definitely cause for concern.

“Leave it by the door.”

“Would it be alright if I fed you today?” Jamil asked.

Silence.

“No. Leave it by the door.”

Jamil was a bit shocked. Usually he’d agree to something like this. What was going on with him? Was this an imposter?

“Kalim, what’s the one thing we vowed never to tell anyone?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Just answer.”

“We vowed we’d never tell anyone we snuck out at night to eat things we shouldn’t.”

That was Kalim, so what else could it be? Jamil placed the tray on the table beside the door.

“You’re still here.”

“As your servant, I’m simply worried about you. You’re… different.” Jamil said, listening for anything strange.

“I’m no different than before. Please leave. Don’t make me order you.”

Jamil frowned, looking at the door. He walked away.

Kalim continued to work, tears streaming down his face as jasmine petals sat around him and a lone full flower sitting on his lap. He didn’t know how much more he could take.

•

Kalim looked out the window, seeing Jamil working outside. He was simply stunning. Kalim wrapped himself more in the blanket, each day becoming harder and harder to breathe. He kept a jar on him at all times, seeing his coughing fits were more frequent than ever.

Kalim opened the jar, coughing into it as usual. They had stopped being petals, only appearing as full flowers. His eyes widened slightly before he closed the jar. He walked himself back to his room, having work to complete. A few flowers were dyed with little flecks of red.

Jamil looked up, wondering how Kalim was holding up these days. He didn’t allow anyone but his parents to go in and talk to him. He wasn’t too worried as Kalim was an idiot. Idiots don’t die. Though he could save that for another day. It wasn’t like Kalim wasn’t eating or drinking. And he was taking care of himself, so why did he feel so… uneasy?

•

Jamil searched around the entire Asim building, not finding Kalim. He couldn’t have disappeared, not when so many guards were in the place. He started to ask other servants who shrugged. They honesly didn’t know where he was.

He turned to his parents for answers.

“Hm… I have seen him. He looked like he was in pain. He was heading out. Don’t know where he was going though.”

Jamil thanked his mother before rushing out the building.

Kalim opened his eyes, feeling he could breathe again. He look over at the cart, catching a glimpse of a bunch of roots and flowers. It was gone. The only thing now was to test it.

Kalim thanked them again before stepping out. This was going to be the new norm. Kalim had only gotten so far when he was called out to. It was Jamil. He watched as Jamil steadily got closer. He didn’t feel anything. It was working.

“Where in the world did you run off too? I know you have guards, but you can’t just-”

“Sorry~ Lets head home together!” Kalim said cheerfully, dragging Jamil along.

He was his old self again. After two whole years, Kalim was acting normal. He couldn’t quite see the name of the place Kalim came out of, but whatever it did he was grateful. Now he could stop worrying unnecessarily about his future if something had gone wrong with Kalim.


	241. Trey: Doodle Memories

“Trey~ Come take a pic!”

“I’m busy. Being vice doesn’t just mean I get a room all to myself.” Trey explained.

“Boo, you’re not fun these days.” Cater whined, his lips in a pout.

Trey simply looked over the list of things that needed fixing or updating in the dorm. Cater looked as well in silence.

“Don’t you have photos to take somewhere else?”

“I just want to help a friend. You seem to be struggling these days.”

“You can help me by not getting on my nerves.”

Cater pursed his lips before walking away. He’s been so crabby these days, he didn’t filter his words anymore. It kind of… hurt.

“Trey? Ah, there you are. Have you figured out the amount needed?”

Trey wordlessly wrote on the paper before handing it to Riddle. Riddle wanted to say something, but words got stuck in his throat.

“Thank you, Trey.”

“Welcome.”

Riddle watched Trey walk off. Something was bugging him, but he didn’t want to push. He hoped Trey would come and talk to him about it.

•

“Have you seen Trey?”

Shaking heads.

“Have you seen Trey?”

More shaking heads. Riddle scowled, wondering why he couldn’t find Trey. He didn’t venture to many places on campus. Riddle turned, hearing the door being opened.

“Trey! Where have you been? I-” Riddle exclaimed, only to be brushed off.

Everyone in the area minded their business, not wanting to be the unfortunate soul that Riddle took his anger out on. Did he let Trey go or continue pushing?

“Trey…”

“Oh, Riddle. Is something up?”

Riddle blinked, seeing Trey was perfectly fine unlike earlier. Maybe he was imagining earlier in the day.

“Well, I was wondering if you were free if you’d like to have tea with me?” Riddle asked, hoping they’d get to talk.

“Yeah, sure. It’s been a while since we’ve talked alone hasnt it?”

Riddle smiled, having Trey follow him.

Riddle had come back with a teapot full of tea. He poured them each a cup before sitting down.

“It’s a nice night out.” Trey said, looking out the window.

“There’s something I want to ask you…” Riddle muttered. Trey gestured first him to continue. “Has anything been on your mind lately? You seemed a bit down earlier today.”

“I did? I’m sorry. I was probably just thinking about things. Did I worry you?”

Riddle shook his head despite actually being a bit worried. He didn’t know what he’d do without Trey as his vice.

“We’re friends Trey, so if you need to talk… I’m here. And so are the others.” Riddle said, taking a sip of his cooling tea.

“I know, and thanks.”

Silence hung over them before they started up casual conversation. Riddle couldn’t help but notice Trey spacing out as they talked. He was hesitant to bring it up.

“Are you feeling tired?” Riddle questioned, startling Trey out of his thoughts.

“A little bit, but I don’t mind talking a bit longer.” Trey replied, giving Riddle a smile.

He was pushing himself. It was clear in that smile.

“I think I’ve said all I wanted to. Don’t worry about helping me clean. Just head to bed.” said Riddle, taking the tea cups.

“Are you sure?”

“Very sure.”

Trey quietly left his seat, heading off to his room. Riddle looked back, wondering what’s on Trey’s mind. He was never the type to space out.

•

Riddle checked the time, seeing it was almost time for the Unbirthday party. And there were no sweets even remotely close to being finished. Riddle searched around the kitchen, seeing so many things left undone.

“Tr- Riddle?”

“Judging from your face, I guess you don’t know where Trey is either.”

“He’s usually the one who organizes the groups but the groups are extremely disorderly!” Cater said, thinking of how bad it’s probably gotten. “We can’t find the hedgehogs either…”

“They’re just hiding you know.”

“No, seriously. I don’t think they’re in Heartslabyul anymore…” Cater said before getting a text. “Update: They definitely aren’t in Heartslabyul anymore.”

“Cater, I need you to do one thing right for once in your life and that’s to make sure those groups get organized. I-”

“Riddle senpai!”

Deuce and Ace slid into the kitchen, seeing the unfinished work.

“Now what?”

“Oh, it’s just…” Deuce muttered.

“Trey senpai is on the roof and it’s very concerning!” Ace blurted out.

“He wouldn’t.”

Riddle stared up, his jaw having dropped. He would and did. He knew Trey was acting strangely but he didn’t think it’d go this far.

“Trey! Don’t do it!” Deuce shouted.

Trey looked, seeing the four of them below. He waved. Riddle squinted, observing his movements more.

“He’s not going to jump. He’s just… sitting.”

“Why is he ‘just sitting’ and not working? He if all people should know how dangerous this is!” Cater exclaimed, more worried about Trey falling than anything.

“Trey senpai, the desserts need to be finished soon!” Ace shouted, trying to start with something light.

“Okay.”

They exchanged looks. Trey started moving, inky to cause them to start shouting in protest.

“The other way Trey!”

They sighed in relief, seeing Trey heading the other way. Riddle hurried into ahead of the others, extremely worried about Trey. It was like he wasn’t all here with them.

Riddle had reached the top floor, seeing Trey heading for the stairs.

“Trey, how many fingers am I holding?”

“Five.”

He was right. So what was going on with him? Trey raised an eyebrow, wondering why Riddle was looking at him so intensely.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yeah. You. Since when do you sit on roofs with an absent minded face?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Trey-”

“Look at the time, Riddle. I’ve got to get baking.”

Riddle watched Trey disappear down the stairs. What. What in the workd just happened? He followed Trey, seriously needing to know what was up. It was like he had another personality. He was about to follow him into the kitchen when Cater pulled him off to the side.

“We managed to get things in order but the hedgehogs…” Cater whispered, shaking his head.

“We need them or there’s no croquet! Figure something out.”

“And what about Trey? Did he come down?”

“Yes. I’m going to keep an eye on him. He’s acting very strange. Doesn’t it feel like he’s another person sometimes?”

“No. He’s the same to me.”

Riddle wasn’t buying it.

•

Riddle purposefully stayed behind so he could discreetly follow Trey after they finished putting the food away.

“Riddle, I know this is-”

“Go ahead.”

Trey widened his eyes slightly before they returned to normal.

“Are-”

“Yes.”

Trey quietly thanked him, touching the side of his head. Riddle took immediate note of that action. Was it a one time action or would it occur more often? Riddle quickly put things away, following Trey. He touched the side of his head again.

Ten times. He had touched the side of his head ten times before he reached his bedroom. Riddle waited forever him to enter before heading over. He knocked, needing to enchant something in his room.

“Riddle? Done already?”

“Yeah. Wasn’t much. Um, I was wondering how you make your strawberry tarts so delicious? I want to try making some.” Riddle said, discreetly enchanting an object.

“Well, you-”

“Ah! How silly of me. I could just read the recipe. Sorry to bother you.”

Trey watched Riddle walk away before closing his door. Riddle finished the combined spells, being able to see into Trey’s room.

“Nothing yet…” Riddle muttered.

“Riddle senpai.”

Riddle was startled, his concentration falling fast. He quickly regained composure, not wanting to lose his visual.

“Yes, Ace?”

“Your eyes are glowing…”

Riddle narrowed his eyes, hoping that wasn’t what he disturbed his thoughts for.

“Back to what I wanted to say. How is Trey senpai doing…?”

“I’m looking right now.”

Ace looked around, not understanding what he meant. Deuce had come up the stairs, seeing the two of them.

“Woah, Riddle senpai’s eyes are glowing.”

“Shh. He’s concentrating.” Ace hissed, having Deuce whisper.

“Oh. On what?” Deuce whispered back.

“He’s looking into Trey senpai’s room. Nothing seems out of the ordinary yet.”

“I wanna see…” Deuce mumbled.

Riddle noticed he was fingering his magipen as he was checking his phone. That was new. His eyes widened some, seeing colorful trump suits floating around. They disappeared. Nothing else. Was there really nothing else? What did he just use his unique magic for?

Ace and Deuce took note of Riddle’s facial changes.

“Something bad is going on isn’t there…” Deuce whispered.

“Let’s hope not.”

Riddle started biting his thumb. He was feeling extremely uneasy with what he was seeing.

“Oh, what’s the little meeting for?” Cater asked, having come up the stairs as well.

“Riddle’s watching Trey.”

“Really? How are things looking?”

“Not good…” Riddle said, ending the spells. “I couldn’t hear anything, but he seemed really upset about something on his phone. Then he used his unique magic.”

The trio exchanged looks, Ace and Deuce not exactly understanding.

“Riddle, you can’t insinuate that…” Cater muttered.

“Why would I lie, Cater? Trey is using an awful coping method here.”

“I’m sure he isn’t…”

“Cater, he was sitting in the roof yesterday! It’s doing more harm than good! I’m going to lose my best friend!”

They looked as Riddle stepped back some.

“Did you just call him your best friend?” Deuce pointed out.

“Aw, Riddle~” Cater cooed.

“You couldn’t fool us with that 'he’s just a friend’ crap.” Ace chuckled.

“P- Putting that aside, we have to do something. He’s going to do something really dangerous if things keep going like this.” Riddle said, his cheeks red.

They huddled together, formulating a plan. They were going to bring Trey back and give him a good punch for doing something very risky.


	242. Jamil + Kalim: Shine

Kalim ran with all his might, pushing branches out the way and hopping over logs. He tripped over a tree root, hitting his head against a rock. He quickly got to his feet, hearing footsteps. He kept running, feeling blood trickling down his fave. He couldn’t stop, otherwise…

There seemed to be no end to the woods. He couldn’t use magic for some reason. He didn’t understand why. His legs were starting to tire, causing him to slow down some. He could hear them getting closer.

“I don’t wanna die!!!” Kalim shouted, trying to make himself go faster.

Kalim skidded to a stop, seeing he reached the end, but his only means of escape was heading down the rather high cliff. He turned around, seeing the hooded figure approaching him, wielding a butcher’s knife. Kalim wept, seeing he was going to die either way.

“No, please! Don’t! Don’t kill me!” he screamed, standing dangerously close to the edge.

The hooded figure lunged at him.

“Noooooooo!” Kalim screamed.

Thud. Kalim looked, seeing he was in his bedroom. His door was busted down and his light switched on.

“Kalim…?”

“Jamil…!” Kalim wailed, running into his arms.

Jamil allowed him a few more seconds of hugging before pulling away.

“Is everything okay?”

“It was a nightmare… someone wanted to kill me.” Kalim mumbled, rubbing his arm.

“Oh. It’s nothing serious. Go back to sleep.” said Jamil, looking back at Kalim’s door. “I’ll fix that.”

Kalim crawled back into bed, asking Jamil to keep the light on. Kalim was unable to sleep. He picked up his phone, looking up the meaning of his dream. It was the first time he’s ever had a dream like that.

“‘To actually dream that you are running away from a murderer can suggest that there are many different problems in life you do not wish to face up to. It can suggest that responsibility is required in a situation.’ You think so, internet…?”

Kalim sighed, looking up as he lied back. There were definitely things he didn’t feel like facing. Like his father pressuring him to make up his mind about his future, his grades not looking too great, finding poison more often in his food, Jamil being strangely close, his friends being strangely distant. So much was going on.

His eye lids felt heavy. Kalim continued to fight sleep until he couldn’t anymore.

•

Kalim woke up, not expecting to see someone in his room.

“Jamil? How did you get in? I thought you fixed the door with magic?” Kalim asked.

“Don’t sweat the small details. It’s time to get up and get ready for classes.” said Jamil, pulling out Kalim’s uniform.

“Jamil, you’re doing an awful lot for me…” Kalim commented, getting out of bed.

“Of course. I’m your servant aren’t I?” Jamil stated, pushing Kalim into the bathroom.

Kalim really didn’t mind what Jamil was doing, but it was becoming a bit much. Yet Jamil would easily brush off his concerns.

•

Kalim sat down, immediately pushing his tray away, sharing lunch with Silver. Silver was used to it at this point.

“You haven’t figured out who’s been poisoning your food?”

“No. It’s not easy. I apologize again for taking your meal.” Kalim apologized.

“Why don’t you come to Diasomnia later today?” Silver suggested.

“Hm? For what?”

Silver didn’t say anything, not wanting the perp to hear. Kalim opted for agreeing. Silver hummed, seeing Jamil take a seat next to Kalim. He’s noticed Jamil has been sticking closer to Kalim and it’s not that he was jealous or anything, but it seemed suspicious.

“Hey, when you’re done, wanna take a walk with me?” Jamil asked, looking at Kalim.

“Sure. I never took you as a stroller!”

“May I-”

“Go on, eat up. You aren’t eating this anymore, right?”

Silver had his lunch snatched away. He lowly grumbled, getting up to get more. Kalim had finished eating, finding himself being ushered out the cafeteria by Jamil. Silver arrived back at the table only to see they left.

The two walked side by side, Kalim extremely unsure about what to say.

“Jamil, can I talk to you more about the nightmare…?”

“I suppose…”

“It was really frightening you know. I was running through some woods and it really felt like there was no end. I even tripped and hit my head on a rock…” Kalim said, unaware of Jamil slowly walking behind him some.

Kalim continued to talk about his dream, unaware of Jamil leading him pretty far from watchful eyes.

“And so I looked on the internet for possible meanings.”

“I see. And then what?”

“Many said different things, but the bottom line was I was running from things in my life.” Kalim said, seeing they were going to walk through the woods. “I mean, I kind of am…”

Jamil stopped walking, watching roots grab at Kalim’s ankles.

“Hey, what’s going on? Jamil?”

Kalim looked around, seeing he was alone. He tried using brute force, only to have his ankles held tighter. He felt around for his magipen, only to see it being tossed into thick bushes.

“Let go of me!” Kalim fussed, trying to break free. He let out a choked gasp, not expecting to be choked. “H- Hey…”

Kalim desperately tried pulling it off, feeling himself starting to suffocate.

“W… who…. whoever is… doing this… please…” Kalim choked out, feeling himself steadily getting weaker. “Stop… please…”

“Look at him, begging for his life…”

“But… if… kff… this is my fate… for being an awful… person…” Kalim gasped, his arms falling to his sides. “…So be… it…”

Kalim felt his body fall to the ground, him coughing harshly as his brain was desperate for oxygen. He looked up, seeing a pair of shoes had entered his sight.

“Ja… mil…?”

Jamil looked at him, extremely upset. How was he supposed to feel good of doing him in if he was aware of how bad a person he was? It ruined the joy of killing him! He couldn’t voice his thoughts, knowing he’d definitely report it to his parents. But he didn’t want to help him up either. So he just stood there, watching Kalim regain a bit of life.

“Where… where were you…?” Kalim wheezed, feeling his neck.

“I got lost.” he lied.

“I was… someone tried killing me…”

“Really? How?”

Kalim started to tell him despite Jamil having been there the entire time. He’d have to find another way to kill him that wouldn’t make it feel pointless.


	243. NSFW Sila: Sex Scene Unlocked

‘I didn’t think I’d actually get this far with anyone, considering… you know…’

(I did know. Halfies were still facing some discrimination from humans. But not all Halfies were bad, just like humans.)

'You know, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask…’

'What is it, Silvan?’

(Silvan’s ears twitched, his tail sticking straight up. Was there a problem? His pink and blue cat eyes bore into my own.)

Idia sighed, running his hand over his screen. Silvan was absolutely beautiful. And to make things even better, he was part cat. He loved cats. Idia groaned, feeling it pressing against his pants.

'I want to show you my feelings, if that’s okay…’

'Feelings…?’

(Silvan tucked his white hair behind his ear, giving me a coy smile. He kissed me, his tongue searching for mine. Our tongues intertwined, the kiss hot and heavy. My dick was steadily growing in my pants.)

'You’re so… addicting… I lose my sense of reason around you…’

(Silvan had unzipped my pants, pulling my dick out. He was holding it so tenderly.)

Idia started touching himself as the scene continued. Blissful sighs left Idia mouth as he massaged his sacks, watching Silvan blow the main character. He started to project, his own boyfriend taking the place of Silvan and him the main character.

Idia sat back, teasing his tip as he played with his nipples, imagining it was his wonderful boyfriend doing it to him.

“Silver…” Idia moaned, his tip leaking more pre cum.

Idia couldn’t take it anymore, desperate to come as the game continued to play, the sex sounds fueling him further. His body tensed before he came with force, surprising himself. Idia took shallow breaths, cum sliding down the parts covered in it. He could only imagine what it would be like actually being blown by Silver.

•

“Idia~!”

Idia opened his arms wide, Silver running into them. A few students looked, seeing it was that odd couple again. They shared a brief kiss before walking hand in hand.

“You know, I’m still surprised you agreed to leaving your room. This must be hard for you…” Silver commented, looking up at Idia.

“Well, if it’s for you…”

“Hehe, I feel special.”

“You are special. I don’t really let in a lot of people… so to have an amazing boyfriend like you despite how I am…” Idia said, running his fingers through Silver’s hair. “I don’t know how to explain my feelings in words…”

Silver’s face flushed. Idia was being so cute. He squeezed his hand, earning a squeeze back. He didn’t care what others said, he loved Idia and he was going to keep loving him. Idia made him happy.

“You know, I’m in the mood for some gaming. Didn’t you-” Silver said before finding himself being forced to run.

Idia was clearly excited. Silver chuckled, keeping up with Idia’s pace.

•

Silver looked to Idia who had his gaming face on. He continued to stare, loving that face he made. It was such a turn on. What would his face look like if he…

“Silver? You’re lagging behind.”

“O- Oh! Sorry.”

Silver quickly caught up, his cheeks red. He kept stealing glances, soon shifting uncomfortably as his erection pressed against his pants. Idia needed to stop making such a sexy face.

“Silver, do you want to take a break? We have been playing for three hours straight.”

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

Silver kept his erection out of sight, not wanting Idia to know. It’d go away after a while. Idia looked at Silver, wondering if he was okay. He sat down on his bed, looking at Silver who hadn’t left his seat.

“Silver, is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just a bit hungry.” Silver responded, his erection pressing even harder. It wasn’t going to go away, was it? “Hey, Idia… could you do me a favor? Close your eyes.”

Idia closed them, having full trust in Silver. Silver asked him to back up, so he obliged. He felt something touching his thighs.

“Can I open my eyes…?” Idia asked, hearing unzipping and shuffling.

“Not yet… Just a little bit longer…”

Idia shivered, feeling his pants coming off. What in the world was Silver doing?

“You can open them…”

Idia opened his eyes, not expecting this. Silver hungrily looked at his dick, completely naked. He was leaking so much just from a face Idia made.

“S-Silver…! W- W- W- W- What’s going- Aaahh!” Idia attempted to ask, only to feel Silver licking his dick all around. “S- Sil… ver…”

Idia faintly moaned, seeing Silver’s ass within reach. Silver exhaled in bliss, Idia’s fingers filling his hole. All of it felt familiar. His eyes widened, knowing why. There was a scene like this in his game. Idia let out a throaty moan, feeling Silver’s mouth around him.

“Haah… haah… nnnnggghh… it’s so good…” Idia moaned, Silver moving to try and get Idia’s fingers in deeper.

Idia was lost in pleasure the moment Silver started playing with his sacks. Idia used his free hand to play with his nipple, further adding to his pleasure. Silver started taking him base deep, making him feel the back of his throat. He didn’t know what had spurred this on, but he wasn’t complaining in the slightest.

“Mmph… mmff… come already… don’t be stingy… mmm…” Silver muttered, feeling Idia twitching inside his mouth.

Idia couldn’t hold back anymore, shooting his semen into Silver’s mouth. He shot another load out, trying to ride out his orgasm. Silver had made the mistake of leaving Idia’s dick too early, another wave of cum shooting onto his face. Idia panted, feeling there was still more.

“Idia… You’re still so big…”

“Silver, can I…?”

Silver moved in front of Idia, sticking his cum coated tongue out, waiting. Idia stroked himself, more cum shooting out not too long after. Now he was done. Silver sat up, looking at Idia with loving eyes. Idia could see Silver was extremely hard and wet. He couldn’t leave Silver high and dry.

Silver found himself being forced onto his knees before feeling Idia go in for a blowjob. He held Idia for support, already feeling himself close to coming. Idia relished in Silver’s moans, making him feel as good as possible.

“I’m… I’m coming…” Silver moaned, semen filling Idia’s mouth.

Idia pulled away before swallowing. He tenderly licked Silver’s dick, cleaning him. He caught Silver, his body crumpling. Both were thoroughly satisfied, checking in with the other to make sure they were okay.


	244. Eliza x Titania: The right person to be bound with forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing text message images

“Just marry me!”

“You want me to die! I don’t want to die!”

“It won’t be so bad~ Come on~♡”

Idia had had enough. He didn’t want to get married, never ever ever. Especially not to some random woman like her. His anime girls were better than her.

“Just leave me alone!”

“Fine. I’ll give you space, but you will marry me.” she said, putting her hands on her hips.

Idia sighed heavily, thankful that she left. He quickly texted the group chat, at his wits end.

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“Miss Eliza, I have a message for you!”

“Hm? From who?” she questioned.

“Uh, your beloved Idia. He wants you to meet him in the courtyard of the main building.” said the ghost.

“Ah! I knew he’d come around! Idia, I’m coming~ ♡” Eliza chirped, hurrying off.

She peeked into the courtyard, wondering if he was hiding some place. She didn’t mind a nice game of hide and seek.

“Idia? Where are you~?” she called out, a pleased smile on her lips.

She unexpectedly found someone else. She was bright.

“Um, excuse me.” Eliza called out, gaining her attention. “You wouldn’t have happened to see a tall male with beautiful blue hair, have you?”

“I can’t say that I have. I’m supposed to be meeting someone here but I haven’t been able to find him. He’s really not hard to miss.”

“It seems we’re both missing people.” Eliza said with a chuckle.

The woman chuckled as well. Eliza moved to keep searching before looking back. It wouldn’t hurt to talk to her a bit more, would it?

“If it’s not too forward of me to ask, may I have your name?” Eliza asked, floating beside her.

“Oh, um… it’s Titania. And you are…?”

“Eliza.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I hope you find your blue haired friend.” said Titania, her eyes finally getting a chance to look at Eliza properly.

“Oh, he’s no friend. I’m going to be marrying him. Well, as soon as he agrees.” Eliza said, laughing uncertainly. “It’s… it’s not going well. He goes on and on about unreal women. Not mention he constantly watches and reads these… weird things. I think he called them manga… and anime. He even has scantily clad figures in his room. It’s very indecent…”

“Really? Why would you want to marry that then?” Titania asked curiously.

“He fits all my requirements! Taller than 180cm, pale skin…” Eliza said, reciting her list. “He’s the perfect guy!”

“Really, but when you were saying that stuff about him, you didn’t look too happy.” Titania pointed out.

“No, I am happy! It’s just… I don’t understand his weird hobbies… What’s so fascinating about pixel people?”

“Have you tried asking? Trying it for yourself.”

“I’ve tried it, but I don’t really feel the way he does about it.”

Eliza bit her lip, now giving things more thought because of Titania. Idia was the man who fit her requirements perfectly, but their interests and personalities didn’t seem to mesh well.

“I’m sure things would fix itself once we get married.” Eliza said, more to convince herself. “So, are you waiting for a lover?”

“Yes, but no… See, a friend of mine told me he wanted to introduce someone to me since I’m currently looking for a life partner. I’ve had many admirers try to win me over but… it never felt right.” she said, all of her admirers and confessers being male. “I’m not entirely sure what it is, so I’ve been trying to branch out a little.”

“I know the feeling, wanting the right person to be bound together with forever…” Eliza said before sighing.

Titania sighed as well. The talk between them was starting to make them think.

“What about now?”

“No, not yet!”

“You’re both being too loud. So shut the hell up.”

“I think it was a good idea leaving Malleus behind.”

“You idiot, he’s just watching from afar. Faes are sensitive to magic, and with a strong guy like Malleus around…”

“Wouldn’t she have sensed us too?”

“Shh! They’re talking again.”

“I must be holding you back from finding your fiancé. My apologies.”

“Oh, don’t apologize! You’re fine. It’s nice actually… knowing someone else is struggling like me… I don’t feel so alone anymore…” Eliza said, giving her a warm smile.

“Eliza…”

Eliza felt Titania take her hand in both of hers. She didn’t really notice it until now, but Titania was rather small compared to her. It was… cute. Faint music started to play, causing them to look.

“Hm… Does this school always randomly play music?” Titania asked.

“I don’t know… but I think I know this song.” Eliza replied, humming along. “There’s a calm surrender, to the rush of day. When the heat of a rolling wave, can be turned away~”

Titania looked at Eliza who happily sang along. The words registered in her mind. She knew the song as well, though it wasn’t often she listened to it.

“An enchanted moment, and it sees me through. It’s enough for this restless warrior, just to be with you.” Titania sang, earning a surprised look from Eliza.

They shared a look before breaking into smiles.

“And can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are. It’s enough for this wide-eyed wanderer, that we’ve got this far. And can you feel the love tonight? How it’s laid to rest? It’s enough to make kings and vagabonds, believe the very best.” they sang together before giggling.

Eliza opened her eyes, looking at Titania. Her cheeks flushed, watching the fairy giggling in delight. Titania met her gaze, causing her to look away. She suddenly was at a loss for words.

“Is my singing not well? I guess I need more practice.” Titania mumbled.

“No! It was perfect! I was really entranced.” Eliza said, her cheeks still flushed.

Now Titania was blushing. Did Eliza always look this radiant? Titania felt extremely flustered, unsure of what to do.

“Um, maybe we should continue to search for our respective guys…” Eliza attempted to say calmly, but it came out extremely forced.

“Right… I would like to know who he picked out for me…” Titania said, wondering if they’d be just as astounding as Eliza.

She’s never met anyone like her. The two awkwardly waved, going in different directions.

“The plan worked… but didn’t?”

“Ah, it looks like I’m fated to die young…”

“Well, at least we know now that it wasn’t Kalim’s initial idea.”

“Seems about right.”

“Really…? I was so sure too…”

They sighed. Well, they did all they could for Idia. Now he couldn’t complain. Riddle updated Malleus on the situation. They started to leave. Kalim looked back, only to see Titania flying back. Did she leave something behind?

“She’s already gone…” Titania whispered, her hand over her chest. “I’ve lost her…”

She shouldn’t have agreed to it. Would she never see Eliza again? If that was that then, she’d do her best to keep her engraved in her mind.

“Titania? Are you still here…?”

Her eyes widened. Eliza had come back. She instantly became flustered, wondering how to act.

“Titania! Oh thank goodness you haven’t left!” Eliza said, unable to get her off her mind. “I… I want to keep talking.”

“What about your lover…?”

Eliza was silent. All she could think about was learning more about the fae right before her. Not once had anyone captured her interest like this. This feeling in her chest…

“He’s not important. You are.”

Titania was so shocked, she had stopped flying. Eliza caught her, hoping she was okay. Eliza considered her important despite them having met not long ago. Yet hearing it made her heart race.

“Are you okay?” Eliza asked, holding her in her hands.

“Ah, yes. I didn’t mean to scare you. Ah, this pounding in my chest… it makes me nervous.” Titania said, looking up at Eliza. “You make me feel this way, Eliza.”

Eliza squeaked, her own heart beating wildly. Titania just looked so cute. They quietly stared at each other, unsure of what to do next.

“Eliza, may I… kiss you?”

“E- Eh!? Umm, I… well, uh… eeehhh…” Eliza panicked, her face flushing more.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to be so forward… I was speaking from the heart…” Titania apologized, feeling she might’ve messed up.

“D- Don’t apologize! Umm, umm… I guess we can…”

Eliza watched Titania fly close before pressing their lips together. She could feel Titania’s small hands touching her face. Titania pulled away, feeling as if her heart would jump out of her chest. This felt right. This was what she could never feel with her admirers. But Eliza was a ghost and a female.

“I uh, well umm… I liked it…” Eliza mumbled, covering her cheeks as she looked downwards.

“I did as well. And, I’d love to do it again. But there’s something I want to ask before that…”

Eliza tilted her head.

“May we see each other more? I feel… you’re the one.” said Titania, holding Eliza’s hand in both of hers. “I know we only met today but, I can’t deny what I’m feeling. I know you aren’t a fae and you aren’t a male but, this is right. You’re right for me.”

“T- Titania…! If you s- say it like that I… oh, how embarrassing…” Eliza muttered, filled with uncertainty. Idia was the person she’d been searching for and finally had him. But if she had to compare her time spent with him with Titania… “I suppose we could… I a- actually want to see you more too. Idia may meet my requirements, but you… you really make me feel… a certain way…”

Titania smiled happily, rubbing her cheek against Eliza’s hand. Eliza’s eyes softened, feeling she had probably made the best choice. She didn’t feel any regret. Whoever blessed her long life with this stunning fae, she wanted to thank them with her entire being.


	245. Mapel: Open your mouth

Epel quietly stared, his food falling onto his lap. That action resulted in him receiving a hefty slap on the back. Epel cleaned up, staring once again when he finished. How could he talk to him without his accent slipping out? If anything, that was the least of his problems anyway. He was just so magnificent and great. His guards definitely wouldn’t allow him near him.

Of all people he had to crush on, it had to be someone unattainable. He was an idiot. Epel sadly ate his lunch, trying to please Vil with proper form.

“Hm, the little one was staring at you again.” Lilia chuckled, looking at Malleus. “Are you going to tell him off about it?”

“Tell him off? What for? He’s probably just admiring my horns and the like like everyone else.” Malleus said, pursing his lips. “Just like everyone else…”

“Malleus sama, don’t worry about others! You’re amazing and that’s all there is to it!” Sebek said. “Love being admired!”

“Sebek, stop bragging for him. I think many people fear him more than admire. Even then his admirers wouldn’t dare come any closer.” said Silver, hitting Sebek on his head.

“Excuse me? I’m only singing his praises!”

Lilia chuckled, listening to the youths bicker. He looked at Malleus who seemed more down than usual.

“Hey, both of you, cut it out. You aren’t making your beloved feel any better.” Lilia said, hitting them both on the head.

“Sorry…” they said in unison.

“I think I’m going to take a walk.” said Malleus, getting up from his seat to throw out his lunch.

“Look at what you did!” Sebek hissed.

“Me? It was-”

“BOYS!” Lilia shouted, startling them.

Malleus watched as students quickly moved to the side to allow him to pass. They would hurry on ahead before he could greet them. Was he that awful to be around? He quickly walked out of the main building, heading for the abandoned dorm.

He slowed down once he reached the dorm before crouching down. With his head in his hands, tears streamed down his face as he sobbed. It was hard acting like he wasn’t affected by all of it. It was hard keeping quiet about it and acting like a royal should. It hurt so much. So much he felt like dying.

“Malleus…?”

He froze. Did they hear him sobbing? How could he lie his way out? He could pretend he was acting for one of Vil’s films. He stood up, looking back at whoever called out to him.

“Hello.”

Silence. Malleus looked at him. It was hard trying not to show extreme delight at the fact he had come all this way for him. The one person he had always wanted to reach out to.

“Hi…”

It looked like he was holding back.

“Epel, if there’s something you want to say…”

“I don’t think it’s really appropriate though… I don’t want to invade your privacy.” Epel explained, not sure if Malleus would like to hear that he watched him break down in tears.

“Really? It’s nice to see people respecting boundaries. But I’ll allow you to step over them just this once.”

“Well, if you’re absolutely sure then… I saw you crying. I’d like to say if there’s anything you want to get off your chest, I’m here to listen. Even though we aren’t really close. But they say an outside perspective can be good…” Epel said, pressing his finger tips together. “But it’s fine if you don’t wann- want to. I just hope things are okay…”

Malleus stepped closer to him, causing him to instinctively back up. Malleus frowned, stopping his approach. To his surprise, Epel came to him. He started telling him everything. Words continued to tumble out of his mouth, his usual demeanor now an emotional mess. It ended with him in tears again.

“I understand you perfectly… The being lonely part. Sometimes it just feels like it’ll never end. But, we keep going nonetheless. Not because we want to…”

“But because we have to…” Malleus finished, giving Epel a small smile.

He didn’t think anyone would understand. Yet his tiny crush Epel understood him perfectly.

“Epel.”

“Hm?”

“Will you be my partner for life?”

Epel blinked before jumping back in shock. Partner for life? That meant forever. That wasn’t the point, the point was that Malleus was asking this in general! Why? Did he…?

“Yeah.” he found himself agreeing.

What was he doing? He wanted this though. He really did, so he wasn’t going to change his mind.

“So, you… you like me too?”

“Ever since I first laid eyes on you. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. And the way you carry yourself, boy was I smitten. And you’re just so cool and talented!” Epel gushed, his accent starting to slip out.

“I’m not that amazing… I’m just like everyone else.”

“And? I don’t care. I’ll always see you as a breathing taking person.”

Malleus blushed, looking fondly at Epel. It was nice, just the two of them together. They nervously held hands, giving each other reassuring smiles.

“May I… kiss you?”

“I’d be honored.”

Malleus bent down, cupping Epel’s cheek. Their lips were about to meet when Epel found himself being lifted off the ground.

“How dare you try putting your filthy lips on Malleus sama!?” Sebek bellowed, placing Epel far from Malleus.

“Are you okay?” Silver asked Malleus, patting him down.

“I was… until you two came along.” Malleus grumbled, looking at Epel.

Sebek continued to fuss until Malleus had taken Epel’s hand and walked away with him. He wasn’t big on romance but he couldn’t deny how romantic that action was.

•

The two of them met up again at the abandoned dorm in the evening. They hugged each other tight, having missed the other dearly. Their conversation flowed easily, making them unintentionally open up more. Epel had gone full accent before silently cursing. Malleus didn’t mind it. If anything, it added to his charm. Epel was shot through the heart.

His feelings for Malleus only grew from there. Night was starting to settle on campus.

“Ah, you can see the stars here.”

“You’re right. Let’s see if there’s any constellations…”

They started to point some out before getting a little silly and making some up. Loneliness never seemed to exist when he was with Epel. He was very thankful to whatever force made Epel come after him.

“Epel, could you face me?”

Epel turned, looking him in the eyes. He leaned closer, cupping Epel’s cheek as he hovered by his lips. Epel met them, asking for entrance into his mouth. Their tongues met and intertwined, things slowly getting hot and heavy. Epel tasted sweet. Really sweet. Malleus found himself getting addicted.

Malleus suddenly fell over, lying motionless. Epel noticed Malleus had pulled away, so he opened his eyes. He shrieked, seeing his still body. Epel relaxed some, assuming he had probably fallen asleep. Or did he? He couldn’t tell.

He tried everything in trying to get Malleus to open his eyes. Nothing worked. He didn’t know what to do nor what happened.

“Malleus?”

“Malleus sama!”

Epel started to panic. It’d be bad for them to see Malleus like this, making them think he harmed him. He dragged Malleus into the empty dorm, peeking out the window once they were safely inside.

Sebek and Silver knew Malleus loved empty places, so they made sure to take a good look around.

“What do I do…? How did this happen…?” Epel whispered, looking at his still body.

He could go to a teacher. That was the best choice. He looked back at Malleus, his heart in confusion.

“If it’s just for a little bit…” Epel whispered, pressing his lips against Malleus’.

Epel placed Malleus on the couch, needing to fix himself before he went to see anyone. Would any of the teachers still be on campus? There was only one way to find out.

•

Epel entered the empty dorm early in the morning.

‘Just fell asleep? Felmier, what are you talking about?’

'Is that so? Open your mouth.’

Epel knelt beside Malleus, resting his head on Malleus’ stomach. How? Why? Why? He didn’t ask for this. He just wanted to be with Malleus and be a happy couple. He started to cry, certain words continuing to ring in his ears.

'I don’t know if I can help…’

If their alchemy teacher didn’t know anything, then there was no fixing this. He wept loudly, tightly gripping Malleus. He blamed the world. Why did it give him this freakish thing? He didn’t ask for it, he didn’t need it, he just wanted to be with Malleus as his life partner.

Epel calmed some, looking at Malleus’ sleeping face. He was his life partner. So he was going to take the next logic step.

Epel gathered everything he needed, walking back to the dorm with one object in hand. He struggled as he carried Malleus up the stairs. He opened the door to one of the bedrooms, starting to clean off the bed. He lied Malleus down before lying next to him.

“This is the right choice. I agreed to be your life partner, and I’m going to keep to it.” Epel said, stray tears leaving his eyes.

He held Malleus’ hand as he used magic. The needle stuck itself into his arm, pushing the contents into Epel’s bloodstream. It suddenly fell to the floor, rolling underneath the bed. Epel slept peacefully beside Malleus, their fingers interlaced.

If the story held true, neither would wake up unless the poison was lifted from their bodies.


	246. NSFW Jace: I want to be marked…

Ace yawned, watching students in their class arguing.

“The one time Crewel has to step out…” Deuce mumbled, moving their mixture out the way. “Well, as long as nothing serious happens.”

Everyone minded their business, finishing up the work Crewel left them before he came back. It all happened in an instant. Suddenly things were soaring through the air before Ace found himself being pushed, knocking things over and soon covered.

“Hey, you alright?” Deuce asked, moving to help him up.

“No! I fucking hit my head.” Ace cursed, rubbing the back of his head. “And I’m covered in whatever this stuff is.”

Deuce helped him to his feet, trying to get the stuff out of his hair. Crewel had come back, seeing the room a mess. Naturally the students tattled and the fighting students were given detention. Class continued. Deuce looked up, noticing something off with Ace. His face looked more feminine.

“Why are you staring?”

“Ah, it’s nothing…”

The bell rang, signaling class was over. Deuce turned to say something only to let out a loud gasp, dropping this things.

“What’s so shocking?” Ace asked before noticing his voice sounded higher. “Did some voice changing potion land on me? Good god.”

“I think it was less of a voice changer and more of a… gender… changer.” Deuce said, creating a mirror for Ace to use.

Ace let out the ugliest scream in existence.

“What in the name of the Great Seven happened to me!?” Ace shrieked, visibly panicking. “My penis is gone… Oh my god…”

“I mean, it’s not all bad. You look good.” Deuce said, hoping to cheer him up.

“You idiot! That’s not the point here! I have boobs! And no penis! Oh my god, I can’t go out like this…”

“Really? So you’re going to miss your date with Jade?”

Jade. He was the last person he wanted to see him like this.

“I’m telling him I can’t.” Ace said, quickly texting Jade. “Deuce, cover me up and take me back to Heartslabyul.”

Deuce obliged, guiding Ace through the halls.

•

Deuce watched Ace freak out. He really couldn’t deny how good Ace looked. If he didn’t already know he was a guy, he’d totally smash. Then again, he probably still would knowing he was a guy.

“Stop staring at me!” Ace hissed.

“I can’t help it. You’re attractive.”

Ace groaned, hearing their door about to be opened.

“Oh, Deuce. Did Ace come by here?”

“Hm? Weren’t you two supposed to go on a date today, Jade?”

“Yes but, he suddenly canceled… He didn’t say why.” Jade said, unaware of Ace hiding under the bed.

“Oh. That’s harsh. Here I thought he was crazy into you.”

“Crazy into me?”

Ace glared at Deuce from under the bed, daring him to say anything more. Deuce glanced his way, smirking evilly. Ace weighed his options at that moment. Allow Deuce to say untrue things to his boyfriend and possibly ruin their relationship or come out of hiding and be discovered in his female body.

“He also- mmmpph!”

“Shut. The. Hell. UP!” Ace warned, glaring at him.

“Ace…? Is that you?”

Ace looked at Jade, feeling his insides melt. He looked so perfect just standing their in his uniform. Ace let Deuce go, running over to Jade. He started to sob quietly. He didn’t understand what was going on and it was scaring him. He wanted his body back.

Ace sighed in satisfaction, feeling Jade stroking his hair. His worries disappeared, only focusing on the loving hands holding him.

“Well, I’ll let you two have some alone time.” said Deuce, feeling like a third wheel.

“What happened to you? Why do you look like this?” Jade asked, having Ace look at him.

Ace told him everything and this being the reason he canceled their date. Jade understood.

“But I’ve got to say, you look stunning as a woman as well.” Jade said, giving Ace a kiss.

“Hearing it from you… it feels different…” Ace muttered, his heart racing even more. “Do I really look good?”

“You always look good to me. All plump and ready to eat.” Jade teased before raining kisses on his neck.

Ace giggled, pushing him away. He felt relieved, seeing Jade wasn’t repulsed by him because he wasn’t male anymore.

“Hm, I would’ve thought you’d have more cleavage though…” Jade commented, squeezing the oranges on Ace’s chest.

“H- Hey… small boobs are cool too…” Ace pouted, holding them.

“I’m only messing with you. I’d be okay if you had anthills.”

“A- Anthills!? You really think I’d be that small!?”

“Your penis was.”

Now Ace was angry, Jade simply laughed in delight. Jade apologized, stating he was only teasing him as he usually did.

“So, about the date…” Ace mumbled, hiding his face in Jade’s chest.

“We can still do it if you want to.”

Ace nodded, holding Jade’s hands. He hated how cute Ace got. It really made him want to eat him up.

•

“Hey, I was thinking we could be study buddies.”

“Uh, who are you?” Ace said, being approached by yet another guy.

“We’ve been in the same class, Ace.”

“And you’re just now talking to me?”

“Well, you’re kinda hot.”

Ace kicked him in the stomach. How many more times did he have to hear “you’re kinda hot” or variations of it? Deuce laughed behind his hand, enjoying the chaos.

“You could be helping you know!” Ace fussed, sitting down.

“I will if you give me a kiss.” Deuce said before puckering his lips.

Ace stepped on his foot, walking away in anger. He couldn’t go anywhere without someone whistling at him or trying to cop a feel. Some were even trying to get him to date them. Just about everyone knew he was dating Jade already.

Jade hummed happily, making Riddle uneasy. He didn’t like it when Jade hummed. It usually meant trouble.

“Hey, there’s a hot first year.”

“This is an all boys school dummy.”

“Hear me out. He was transformed into a girl!”

“Dude, he’s kinda hot.”

“Those boobs…”

Riddle glanced over at the two boys looking at a phone together and whispering. What they were talking about was beyond him.

“Riddle, did anything strange happen in Heartslabyul this morning?”

“Strange? Ah, well, I’m aware of Ace’s situation and I’m not joking when I say he was a show stopper. Really, everyone stopped what they were doing to just look at him.” Riddle said, remembering how frozen they all looked. “I don’t get why.”

“Really… must they be obvious…” Jade said, his usual smile never wavering. “They might as well hold a sign saying ‘I want to fuck you’. You know?”

“I understand hearing that would be upsetting to you. But they haven’t really done anything.” Riddle said, seeing they were finished. “Lunch is next period so I’m sure you can find out more.”

Ace walked with Deuce, a horde of males following behind him. This was ridiculous. He stopped and turned, ready to tell them off.

“No, I don’t want to do anything with any of you! None of you even noticed me before this change!” Ace growled, his breasts moving slightly.

“Boobs…” the guys drooled.

“Ace, I think we should just keep walking.” Deuce said, pulling him along.

“Ace, date me!”

“No, me!”

“I’ll give you everything!”

“I’m rich!”

Ace covered his ears, picking up his pace. They reached the cafeteria before he saw him. Ace ran over, tightly wrapping himself around him.

“Is someone bothering you, Ace?”

“Mhmm. It’s them.” Ace said, pointing to the horde of guys.

Jade smiled all the same, but one could tell he was not happy at all. The guys quickly dispersed, not wanting to deal with Jade. Ace cheered, lovingly clinging to Jade. It really did pay to have a tall, intimidating boyfriend. The two happily ate lunch together, Jade feeling highly uncertain about letting Ace out of his sight. Deuce is only doing so much to protect him.

He didn’t want to smother Ace, but he couldn’t trust the other guys in the school. What if they ganged up on him and forced him to do things? He looked at Ace, fear and panic hiding behind his calm exterior. Ace met his gaze, giving him a cute smile. He had to protect him.

“Ace, I’m going to regularly check in with you from now on.” Jade said before starting to give him things. “And absolutely call me if anything happens. Even the smallest thing.”

“Jade, I know you’re worried and you have every right to be. But I’m going to be okay. I’ll stay in open areas where people can see me and where a lot of people are gathered. I’ll do my very best to avoid being alone with people or empty places.” said Ace, handing the stuff back. “I promise.”

Ace held out his pinky, waiting for Jade. They linked pinkies before pressing their thumbs together. He knew Ace was a strong one, but even the strong fall sometimes. Ace moved to sit next to Jade, their bodies touching.

“Maybe… you need more reassuring?” Ace said lowly, rubbing his hand along Jade’s thigh. “Maybe like… getting to mark your territory…?”

Jade looked at Ace who continued to rub his thigh before running a finger along his crotch.

“Ace, not here… I think you’ve reassured me enough…” Jade muttered despite not stopping Ace.

“Hm~ I’m feeling a bit unwell. I think I’ll head to the restroom.” Ace said, making sure Deuce could hear him. He got up from his seat before turning towards Jade and biting his lip. “See you~”

Ace was practically asking for it. Jade followed after Ace, wanting to know if he was serious. He caught a glimpse of Ace going down a hall. Naturally he followed. Ace briefly turned around, gesturing him to come with his finger. Jade chuckled, seeing he was really in the mood.

Jade pushed open the restroom door, seeing Ace waiting for him.

“No one ever uses this restroom during lunch. So we have it all to ourselves.” Ace said, walking over and wrapping his arms around Jade’s neck. “Why don’t you show me that I’m yours and yours alone?”

“You’re really going to tease me like this? I know you have no intentions of doing it with me.” Jade responded.

Ace pulled away, starting to take his pants off. Jade couldn’t tell if he was serious or joking because of that action.

“I’m serious. I’m tired of being hit on by ugly guys. I want to be hit on by you. I want to be marked… by you.” Ace said, now standing nude. “I’m yours.”

Jade silently took him in. Every inch of him was beautiful. Ace moved closer, starting to undress Jade. He was now nude with Ace before he knew it. Ace pulled him in for a kiss, stimulating him to get it to come out. It didn’t take long, meaning Jade wanted this too. Ace chuckled, stroking Jade as he kissed him again.

“Fuck me senseless.” Ace demanded.

Ace found himself gripping the sink before being entered without warning, causing him to gasp.

“Holy shit… this is…” Jade muttered, holding Ace by his hips.

“You’re… you’re so deep…” Ace said breathily. “How far in are you…?”

“Half as usual…”

“Put it all in… I said fuck me senseless…!” Ace demanded, soon getting what he asked for. “Aahhh…! It’s… so long…!”

Jade thrusted into his lover, feeling his insides tightening around him. It felt so good around him, he was worried he’d come before he could really make Ace feel good. Ace felt Jade leaving bite marks, still pounding into his vagina. He weakly raised one of his hands, teasing his nipple.

Jade could feel Ace clenching every time he played with himself. He wasn’t going to last like this.

“I’m gonna come…” Jade moaned, Ace dripping wet. “God you’re dripping onto the floor…”

“Shut up and come in me…” Ace whined, feeling himself close to coming.

Jade thrusted harder into Ace before he couldn’t hold back any longer. Ace moaned loudly, feeling Jade filling him up. His body knew there was more to come.

“I’m still coming…”

Ace panted, feeling himself coming too. More of Jade’s semen shot into him, pushing him over. Jade slowly pulled out, seeing their cum mixed together.

Ace turned around, pulling Jade into a kiss. Jade left his lips, trailing kisses along his jaw and down his neck. Ace let out pleased sighs, Jade biting him. He was his and his alone. He wanted him to know that.

“Round 2?”

“Round 2…? At least let me- AH!”

Jade had pushed inside him again, this time into his ass. Ace wrapped himself around Jade, locking lips with him as he pounded into him. It felt so good, he couldn’t stop moaning. Saliva dribbled from his wide open mouth, Jade sucking on his nipple.

He could already tell Jade wasn’t going to stop at round two.

•

Ace was in class feeling a bit sore. Deuce noticed Ace looked uncomfortable.

“Hey… are those…”

Ace looked at him, waiting for him to continue so he could agree.

“Bite-”

“Yes. Jade gave them to me.” Ace said happily, a dreamy look on his face. “It was wonderful.”

Deuce looked away, unable to stand the pleased look on Ace’s face. Classmates whispered behind their backs, still pining after Ace. The things they’d do just have a little grope.

Ace looked back, glaring at them. They quickly looked away, acting as if they weren’t staring. He hoped they were staring at the bites on his neck. He lowered his collar some, making them more visible.

The bell rang, the last class of the day finally over. Ace stretched out, ready to run into Jade’s arms and give him love and affection. Everyone looked, seeing someone looming in the doorway. All the guys kept their eyes off of Ace.

“Jade?”

“I’ve come to pick you up~”

Ace quickly left his seat, jumping into Jade’s arms. The others looked on with envy as Jade walked out with Ace, his arm firmly around his waist.


	247. NSFW Fuce: Your pre cum… it’s thick…

Deuce turned in his sleep. He couldn’t turn the way he wanted, so he tried turning the other way. He couldn’t turn that way either. Ace had started to wake up as well when Deuce opened his eyes to see why he couldn’t turn.

He couldn’t see anything. What was preventing him from turning? He figured since he was already awake he’d just get ready for classes.

“Bro.”

“Huh?” Deuce said, turning around.

“B- BRO!”

“What Ace? It’s too early…” Deuce yawned before Ace suddenly got up close to him. “Huh?”

“Oppai…” Ace muttered, holding Deuce’s chest.

Deuce looked down before screaming, waking their roommates. Ace pulled him out of the room and into the shower room. Deuce hyperventilated, looking himself over in the mirror. He had boobs, his penis was missing and he sounded like a woman. He moved to scream again only for Ace to cover his mouth.

“Let’s shower now and head back while everyone else is still stirring.” Ace suggested, Deuce nodding.

They got back to their room without problems, their roommates having left. They started to get dressed.

“Ace… I have a problem…”

“What? You’re horny and don’t know how to get off?” Ace teased.

“N- No! It’s… I can’t button my shirt…” Deuce mumbled, showing Ace.

His shirt was tight around his cleavage area, really accentuating it. To where he could button it didn’t really seem school appropriate. It was like one wrong move and his breasts would come spilling out. Why were they big anyway? They were like cantaloupes. Maybe bigger.

“What to do… Riddle’s going to get on my case if I’m not proper…” Deuce worried, seeing he got another button buttoned. “This is as far as it goes.”

“Maybe he’ll be understanding of your situation if we tell him. It’ll be hard to believe, but Riddle is a sensible guy. When he wants to be.”

They knocked on Riddle’s door, being given entrance.

“Wha-”

Ace started to explain the situation, Riddle unable to stop glancing Deuce’s way.

“Dorm leader? Hey, dorm leader.” Ace called out.

“Um, Riddle senpai… you’re staring awful hard…” Deuce muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh! P- Pardon me, it’s just… big.” Riddle said, looking away with red cheeks. “Um, it’s fine if you can’t fit into your shirts. Wear something comfortable.”

“Really? Thank you!” Deuce said happily, giving Riddle a hug.

Ace watched, seeing Riddle getting a face full of boob. Deuce pulled away, hurrying back to their room to change. Ace glanced back at Riddle who seemed stunned. Well, he didn’t blame him. He just got a face full of soft boobage.

•

People were staring and not because he was wearing a regular t-shirt under his blazer.

“You never really notice how sleazy people are until this happens…” Ace muttered, glancing at Deuce.

Ace found himself entranced again. Deuce was going to call out to him, but they had already bumped into each other. This wasn’t going to end well, he could feel it.

“Hey, what are you doing?” a low voice called out, spooking them.

“I-”

“Mackerel!” they called out before stopping their actions. “Huh? What are these? Boobs?”

“Ah, don’t look at me…” Deuce whispered, moving away from Floyd. “I’m disgusting aren’t I…?”

“Why would you be disgusting?”

“Because… I’m a man with a woman’s body and you like men, so-”

Floyd had silenced him with a kiss. His breasts definitely got in the way a bit, but they were able to kiss nonetheless. Deuce panted lightly, looking up at Floyd with loving eyes. Floyd kissed him again, intent on giving him his extra special Floyd love. Deuce moaned, feeling Floyd moving his tongue deep into his mouth. He loved and hated when he did that.

They pulled apart, both decently satisfied. Deuce hugged Floyd, his cheeks redder than Riddle when angry.

“Ah, my chest…”

“They look yummy to eat.” Floyd chuckled, causing Deuce to back up while covering his chest. “Won’t you let me have a taste?”

“N- Not here… Plus we have classes to get to!” Deuce said before running ahead.

Ace hurried to catch up with him, leaving Floyd behind at the hall of mirrors.

Everyone was staring at Deuce’s chest, uninterested in the lecture. Some even started to count how many times his breasts jiggled from movement.

“Is it weird I want to fuck him?”

“Then I’m weird too…”

“Think he’ll let us get close enough for a grope?”

“Dude, I gotta put my dick in him. Haven’t masturbated this week.”

“I say we make it impossible for him to choose anything else…”

Ace looked around the room, seeing quite a few guys talking to each other. He couldn’t hear them, but if he knew anything about this school, Deuce would be in serious trouble if he let anyone lay a hand on him.

“Hey, Deuce. Stay by my side all day unless Floyd is with us. If he is then stay by his side.” Ace said, worried as to what their classmates would do to him.

His mind started to work as Deuce agreed. He couldn’t stop thinking about how Floyd kissed him despite how he looked. He fingered a section of his hair, his face flushed. The more he thought about Floyd, the wetter he became.

Class ended and Ace made sure they were the first ones out. Most of their day was basically the student body getting one good look at Deuce’s chest and suddenly wanting to fuck him. He couldn’t understand how Deuce could be so carefree about the situation.

They entered their next class, seeing it was a joint. They looked around before seeing one of the twins with their head down. Seeing that Riddle wasn’t in the room, it could only be Floyd. Deuce happily made his way over, plopping himself beside him while Ace sat on his other side.

“Hm? Mackerel?”

“Hi…” Deuce said softly, smiling happily.

Floyd didn’t hesitate in kissing Deuce, needing a recharge. Deuce became flustered as Floyd laughed at his embarrassment.

“So, how has everything been with your new look?” Floyd asked, resting his head on the surface.

“I’ve gotten a lot of stares today. A few compliments. At least, I think they were compliments. But everything else was normal.”

Floyd smiled, listening to Deuce talking about his day in a bit more detail. He knew everything people were saying about his simpleton boyfriend. How great he’d probably be to fuck, how soft his breasts were to touch, even going as far as to joke about gang banging.

“So yeah… I’ve been okay. Even better with you here.” Deuce said before Floyd putting his hand between his legs. “F- Floyd…?”

“Shh…” Floyd hushed, starting to rub Deuce as he kissed him.

They wanted to hurt Deuce just because he had a nice rack. Deuce may not be the sharpest knife, but that’s what made him precious. Deuce squirmed in his seat, feeling his crotch becoming wet. It didn’t help that thoughts of Floyd earlier got him this wet already.

Floyd unzipped his pants, sliding his fingers in and rubbing his clit. Deuce sighed in bliss, causing everyone near them to look. Ace saw what was going on. They were crazy for thinking they could just do this in class.

“Alright everyone, this will be a study period.”

Floyd gave Deuce a look, a look he knew all too well. Deuce quietly leaned against Floyd, spreading his legs. He pressed his mouth against Floyd, feeling his fingers running over his wet vulva. It was so hard staying silent when he just wanted to be vocal, telling Floyd how good he was making him feel.

Floyd stuck his fingers inside, watching Deuce squirm. This was turning him on so much. Floyd had excused himself to the restroom, unable to stand it. Deuce excused him a bit later, needing Floyd.

“Floyd, where are we going to go? Everyone uses the restrooms on this floor…” Deuce whispered, desperately craving Floyd’s touch.

“Just follow me.”

Floyd had pulled him into a classroom. He was going to protest about it but Floyd had pushed him against the wall, roughly kissing him. Hearing all of those things others wanted to do to Deuce scared him. He wouldn’t be able to protect him as they weren’t in the same classes or school year. There weren’t a lot of things that made him uneasy, but this did.

“What’s wrong…?” Deuce whispered, seeing Floyd was crying. “Floyd…?”

“Mackerel… they’re going to hurt you… and do sexual things to you…” Floyd weeped, holding Deuce close.

He didn’t think Floyd cared that much about it. He gently patted Floyd’s head, promising to have his guard up the entire time and never go anywhere with anyone unless it was Ace or faculty.

“Hey, Floyd. We’re already here, so why don’t we show each other how much we love the other?” Deuce said, kissing Floyd’s nose. “Don’t you want to do wicked things to this body of mine?”

“Of course I do, whether male or female…” Floyd responded, reaching up and massaging Deuce’s breasts.

Seeing the pleased look on Deuce’s face as he played with his nipples through his shirt’s fabric was enough to make him want to fuck. Deuce got on his knees, quickly pulling Floyd’s pants down. Floyd gasped, feeling Deuce’s tongue entering his slit.

Deuce moved his tongue around, feeling it coming out. He often stopped licking him, purposefully making Floyd wait. Deuce had finally gotten it to come out before instantly going in for a blowjob.

“D- Deuce…!” Floyd gasped, using the wall to support himself.

“Hehe… you must be feeling really good if you’re using my name…” Deuce said before going back to sucking him.

Floyd sighed, watching Deuce blow him. His eyes widened, seeing Deuce was taking him all in. Was he crazy? No wonder he could feel the inside if his throat. Floyd tried pulling away, but Deuce kept him still.

“Deuce, you’re going to hurt yourself…” Floyd muttered, seeing tears forming in his eyes.

“I don’t… mmmfff… care…” Deuce stated, gagging some.

Floyd managed to talk him down, getting him to take in the usual amount. He desperately wanted to play with his mackerel, seeing all the cute faces he’d make and alluring sounds too.

“Ah, that spot Deuce… yes… yes… that’s the one…” Floyd moaned, feeling himself close to coming. “Hey, where do you want me to come?”

“My face but… we have class… your pre cum… mmppphh… mmmnnnhhh… it’s so thick… my ladyparts… come there…” Deuce said, feeling Floyd twitching a lot in his mouth.

Floyd pulled away, having Deuce lean against the table as he stripped him down. Deuce did a little seductive pose, unaware of the fact it made Floyd hornier.

“What are you standing there for? Don’t you want to take me?” Deuce said, holding his breasts. “Don’t you want to ravish me… making me come repeatedly as I moan your name-”

Deuce cried out, feeling Floyd entering him.

“I’ll give it to you good…” Floyd mumbled, feeling how tight Deuce was around him. “Your vagina…”

“Come in me… please…” Deuce begged, starting to rub himself as Floyd rammed harder into him.

Deuce let his head fall back as Floyd shot multiple loads into him. He felt so full of Floyd, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more. It seemed Floyd was of the same mind, still thrusting into him despite already coming. Deuce wrapped his arms around him, passionate kissing him as Floyd fucked him on the table.

Nothing else matter to them in that intimate moment as Floyd had his way with Deuce, making sure all of his body got attention.

“Aaahh… I’m… coming… I’m coming… Floyd…!” Deuce moaned, more of his juices and cum propelling Floyd on. “Fuck me until… until I can’t…”

“You still have to be able to walk…” Floyd reminded him, the school day not over yet.

Deuce clawed at his back, feeling another orgasm coming. Floyd was close to coming again as well. Deuce whined in his moan, feeling Floyd filling him up even more.

“I can’t… I can’t…” Deuce panted, his body coming again with squirting.

Floyd wrapped himself around Deuce, extremely tired. He could imagine Deuce was more tired than he, forced to have so many orgasms. Deuce smiled softly, seeing Floyd resting comfortably on his chest. Well, as comfortable as their current position was.

Floyd pushed up, pulling out of Deuce. Almost immediately cum was pushed out, dripping onto the floor. Deuce sat up, seeing the spots of cum on the floor. They exchanged looks before chuckling.

•

“Floyd~” Deuce called out, his breasts jiggling as he ran.

Students in the area fixated their eyes on them until they were out of sight. Floyd caught Deuce in his arms, his breasts pressed against him.

“Hey, you know about earlier… in that classroom…” Deuce said, shifting his weight.

“Hm?”

“Ah… Lets go somewhere else.” Deuce said, taking his hand and leading him away.

They were in a more isolated space before Deuce spoke.

“I want to do it again! But in a more comfortable place…” Deuce muttered, his face gaining color. “And afterwards… can we… do silly things together…?”

Floyd covered his mouth. Was Deuce always this cute? Deuce looked up with watery and pleading eyes. So cute. Way too cute. Floyd popped a boner.

“Oh, little Floyd is ready to play.” Deuce said cheerfully.

“Were you staring?”

“Umm… yes.” Deuce confessed.

Deuce felt Floyd pull him closer, ruffling his hair. He walked Deuce to the hall of mirrors, having given his request some thought.

“Let’s do it~”

Deuce squeaked, feeling Floyd squeeze his ass as he pushed him through Octavinelle’s mirror.


	248. Mozus Trein: We clicked

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Lucius stretched out, hopping off of Trein’s desk. Lucius moved back, a person’s phone up in his face.

“Hey, Trein sensei. Does Lucius not like having his picture taken?”

“He doesn’t like that you’re putting it so close, Trappola.” Trein responded, grading their tests.

“Lucius, do you want some treats?”

Lucius meowed, walking over.

“Felmier, show me that bag.”

Epel handed the bag of treats over. Trein approved of them. Lucius enjoyed the treats.

“You really care about Lucius, don’t you?” Deuce said, stroking Lucius’ fur.

“Yes. He’s a dear companion of mine.”

“Did you rescue him as a kitten?” Epel asked, putting the bag of treats away.

“No. My parents told me on the day I was born, a baby kitten had mysteriously showed up by our door. They were originally going to take him to a shelter but saw how we clicked. So, they kept him. You can say we grew up together.” Trein explained, remembering the times Lucius was a little rambunctious kitten.

“Wow, that’s pretty cool.” said Jack, watching Lucius fall asleep.

“Wait. You said on the day you were born?” Sebek asked. Trein nodded. They could see him doing math in his head. “How is Lucius still alive?”

“Sebek is right. Cats don’t live this long since you’re… uh… old.” Jack said, putting it nicely.

“I simply take good care of him. That’s all I can tell you.” Trein said, rubbing his index finger and thumb together.

Lucius immediately got up, heading over to him. How did he know that meant come here, especially with his eyes closed and barely a sound coming from his movement?

“Trein sensei, how o-” Ace said, only to have his mouth covered by Deuce.

“That’s rude!” Deuce hissed.

“Well, I must be off. Yet another class to teach.”

They watched Trein leave the room with Lucius in his arms.

“Okay. We know Trein is like, an old guy.” Epel said, everyone nodding.

“I like to think he’s maybe 58.” Jack piped up.

“Then wouldn’t that mean Lucius is 58?” Deuce said.

“No you dummy. Cats age different than humans.”

“No, Deuce is partially right. He’d be 58 in human years, but not cat years.”

“Okay, why don’t we just pull up some converter.” Sebek suggested.

The huddle around his phone as he searched for one. If they were to go by that Trein was between the ages of 50-60, then Lucius would be…

“Oh. Of course he’d still be alive. He’d only be 9-11 years old.” Ace said, unbelieving of them getting this rowdy over a cat’s age.

“Well, a cat’s lifespan is between 10-20 years. So he’s within the death area.” Jack said, his tail wagging at the sight of cats on the screen.

“I doubt Lucius would die any time soon. Trein treats him like royalty.” Epel said, remembering how he scanned the treats bag with such an intense look.

“How old do you think he’d love to be?” Deuce asked, the five of them now thinking.

“I say 30.”

“Trein will be dead by then Deuce.”

“Hey, you never said it had to be within Trein’s lifespan.”

They started making more guesses as they walked out of the classroom.


	249. NRC Staff: Be prepared~

“And so I said, drown bitch.”

The teachers cracked up. Another teacher had come in looking a bit shaken.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I was just hugged by a student. No context.”

They all gave him a weird look.

“Seriously, I was making my way here and bam! He hugged me. Didn’t say why or anything. He just hugged me and went on his way.”

“Which student?”

“Bucchi.”

Everyone dropped what they were holding. A lot of coffee was spilled in that moment. Sam came out from another room, seeing they were crowded around a teacher.

“What’s the group huddle for, hm?”

“Bucchi hugged Richard.” Divus said.

“Oh? How fascinating. I received a hug today too.”

Now they were crowding him.

“It wasn’t Bucchi though.” Sam said, enjoying his drink. “It was Draconia.”

Sam chuckled, enjoying their shocked faces. He closed their mouths, walking off.

“Draconia is a pretty tight hugger. Be prepared~”

•

Divus had dismissed his class only to hear a knock on the door. He looked and saw Ruggie standing by the door. He had conflicting feelings. He didn’t necessary want a hug, but hugs were always nice to receive.

Ruggie walked towards him, giving him a hug.

“Bucchi, is there a reason why you and Draconia are hugging the faculty and staff?”

“You’re a great teacher.”

Ruggie let him go before running off. Divus blinked, highly unsure of how to feel.

•

Trein was making his way to his next class when Malleus had stepped out of a room.

“Draconia is a pretty tight hugger.”

Trein stepped back some, seeing he could take another route.

“Trein sensei. Please wait.”

“Ah, how may I help you…?”

He didn’t mind hugs, but he was worried for his old bones. Malleus gave him a hug, Lucius escaping the hug and sitting by Trein’s side. Malleus let go, smiling happily.

“Thank you for being an amazing teacher.”

Trein watched Malleus walk away. Lucius jumped back into his arms, going back to sleep. He felt touched. It was nice being appreciated.

•

Sam hummed, hearing the door open.

“Are you seeking refuge here?”

“Of course not. Why would I seek refuge in the school store?”

“You’re Crowley.” Sam said with a shrug. “It’s a measly hug. It won’t hurt.”

“I’m simply trying to maintain professionalism.”

Sam looked to side, nodding in agreement. Crowley raised an eyebrow, wondering who was there.

“Headmaster.”

“Oh, Bucchi! What a coincidence…”

Crowley backed up only not feel the hard door.

“Nice to see you, Crowley.”

“And you’re here too, Draconia…”

Sam chuckled, watching Crowley being sandwiched between the two.

“Doesn’t it feel great to be loved by your students?” Sam said, watching Ruggie and Malleus leave.

“I suppose…” Crowley coughed, having lost some oxygen.

•

The teachers huddled together in the teachers’ lounge, sharing their hugging (horror) stories. Sam walked in, earning looks.

“What?”

“You’ve been rather happy today. Did you put them up to this?” the music teacher asked.

“We know you deal with voodoo, so it’s not far fetched to think you’re controlling them.” the social science teacher huffed.

“To be accused of something I do do but something I have not done. It hurts my heart.”

“I really doubt Sam is doing anything.” Divus said.

“I’m with Divus on this one.” said Trein.

“Of course you would be, Divus.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what we mean.”

Sam watched as the teachers fought amongst each other. Was it really that hard to believe the two simply wanted to give out hugs?


	250. Trappolas: One of the instances

Jade happily talked with his brother he felt eyes on him. Floyd tilted his head, wondering what was wrong.

“We’ll have to finish our chat later. I remembered something I have to do.”

“But Jade…”

“I promise.”

Floyd sighed, sending him off. Jade kept an eye out while pretending he didn’t know he was being watched. Was it Rook again? No, it felt different this time. Jade stepped into the hall of mirrors, bumping into Ace who was on his way to surprise him.

“This must be fate.” Jade chuckled, kissing Ace’s cheek.

“It must be. So, where are you headed?”

“Nowhere in particular but since we’re together… How about a walk in the gardens.”

Ace nodded, holding his arm as they walked. He didn’t feel the stare anymore. Ace happily started talking about his day when he felt the stare again. It felt hostile this time. Jade gave Ace a quick kiss, startling him. The stare was even more hostile.

“Ace, could you go on ahead? I think I left something important back in Octavinelle.”

“I can go-”

“No, it’s okay. I won’t be long.”

Ace walked on ahead. Jade looked behind him, waiting for Ace to go in before he called out.

“I know you’re watching me. Come out.” said Jade, walking back towards the hall of mirrors.

Someone stepped out and quickly approached him.

“Um-”

“Jade. Jade Leech.”

How did he know his name? Who was this guy? He found himself being dragged away by this strange guy.

•

Jade shielded his eyes, the man shining a light in his face.

“Oops, my bad.”

“Could you tell me who you are?” Jade said, looking around the abandoned dork. “I feel I’ve been kidnapped.”

“No, no. I’m Ace’s older brother, Black.”

“Oh. I guess I can see the resemblance. But, why did you only kidnap me? Why not Ace?”

“I’m not kidnapping you! I just have questions for you.”

“Then why are we doing this in secret?”

Black rubbed his temples. Jade smiled widely, love getting under people’s skin.

“Do continue, how should I call you? Big brother?”

“He wasn’t kidding when he said you were annoying.”

“He… he what…?”

“It’s a joke. Gotcha.”

Jade narrowed his eyes. What a hurtful joke. He was going to like this family when he married in.

“So, when did you two first meet?”

“Some days before the annual dorm magift tournament.”

“Ah, I remember those days. But back on topic. Who liked who first?”

“Hard to say… Maybe Ace. Ah, he was so cute getting all flustered around me… making such cute pouty faces… ah…” Jade said, his heart racing.

“Wow. Uh, next question. Who asked who out.”

“I did. I couldn’t stand not having him in my arms at night.”

“You sleep together!?” Black exclaimed.

“Hm, depending on the heft of our schoolwork, maybe four out of the seven days in a week?” Jade said, trying to average it out.

“My little brother is already sharing a bed…” Black said, despairing slightly. “T- Then… tell me something you think no one but his family would know about.”

“Didn’t he feed Dante a bug?”

Black silently nodded, knowing that was just a family thing. Their poor rabbit was sick for days.

“What can’t he sleep without?”

“That little bear you gave him when he was seven.”

That was right too. He was good, but even the good can break.

“His birthmark!”

“He has none.”

“Are you sure?” Black said, wanting to make him doubt himself.

“I’ve seen every inch of Ace. I’m sure he would’ve pointed out his birthmark.” Jade said casually.

“I’m sorry… you said what?”

“I’ve seen every inch of-”

Black had him by the collar. So he did hear right. This guy, right here, right in front of him, had seen his brother naked.

“Tell me you were just showering together…”

“That was one of the instances.”

Black let him go, sitting down with his head lowered, pressing his clasped hands to his forehead. Should he have not told him he was sexually intimate with Ace?

“We are practicing safe sex if that’s what you’re worried about.” Jade said innocently.

“My little bro… he’s already…” Black said, getting emotional.

Jade rubbed his back, telling him to let it out. Black wiped his eyes, getting back into gear. Jade answered more questions before Black seemed satisfied.

“So, do you really love Ace? You aren’t just messing around?” he asked, wanting to be sure.

“I do. Everyday I thank the heavens for us being able to be together. I wouldn’t mind becoming permanently human for him.”

“Wait, wait… you’re not human?”

“He hasn’t told you? I’m merfolk. A moray eel.”

“Okay, that’s pretty cool. But scary too.”

“I get that a lot.” Jade chuckled.

“And don’t hurt him or else you’ll be seeing me again, but not in a friendly mood.” Black warned.

“I would never.”

Black sighed, twiddling his thumbs. Jade wasn’t a bad guy. Though, he was really shocked to hear he was dating at all, let alone a guy. But hearing how happy Jade made him, he had to come see for himself.

“Don’t tell Ace I was here, got it?”

“Got it.”

Jade walked out of the dorm with Black before watching him head for the main building. Jade looked towards the garden, smiling softly as he started walking to meet up with Ace.


	251. 2nd Years: Patterned silk fabric

Kalim exhaled before flopping into the floor. History was hard.

“Kalim, we only opened the book. We haven’t read anything.”

“But I can never remember anything. Nothing sticks. I don’t get it.” Kalim sighed, pushing up off the floor.

“Why not do the technique Azul showed you? We’ll take turns reading.”

“If you think that helps, Jamil…”

Kalim walked around, reading along with Jamil as they answered questions for homework. It seemed to work despite how silly it looked.

“See, now was it so bad?” Jamil said, closing his book.

“I suppose. So, what’s next?”

Jamil plugged his ears before speaking.

“Trig.”

Kalim squealed and cheered, sitting down and opening his books. Jamil unplugged his ears seeing Kalim calmed down, a serious look on his face. It was one of the rare moments Kalim ever had a genuine focused look on his face. He didn’t seem like the energizer bunny they had known him to be.

Jamil bit his magipen, stuck on a question. Kalim seemed to be breezing through everything. He was already on the last page. He wasn’t going to ask for help, but he wouldn’t be able to focus if he left a question unanswered.

“Kalim.”

“Hm?”

His cheery look was back.

“For question 17… I can’t seem to get past the division part.”

“Hm. All of this is wrong.” Kalim said bluntly.

“ALL of it?”

“Mhmm. You multiplied the wrong numbers and didn’t flip the fraction. That’s why you’re stuck.”

Jamil pursed his lips, trying again. Genius. Kalim was a genius.

“It’s a trick question so a lot of average people would get stuck on it.”

“Did you just call me, a genius, average?”

“You couldn’t figure it out without help.”

Jamil bit his tongue, knowing he’d lash out if he didn’t. What was he acting so cocky for? The only thing he was good at was math related things.

“You’re acting a little cocky.”

“My apologies for saying that even geniuses can struggle.”

Jamil quietly went back to work, internal rage and screaming going on within him.

•

Kalim sat in the library, going through a stack of papers that were sent from home. He toned everything out, focusing on the papers before him.

Azul walked in with Jade, needing to do research on one of the Great Seven. They split, seeing they’d cover more of the library that way. Azul looked, Kalim catching his eye. What in the world was he doing with a stack of papers?

“Kalim?”

No response.

“Kalim.”

“Huh? Oh, hi!” Kalim said cheerily. “What’s up?”

“What’s all this…?”

“Work. Not school work, actual work.”

Azul picked up a few sheets, seeing numbers littered all over them. Kalim’s simple mind couldn’t comprehend all of this. What was his family doing?

“You can’t possibly understand all of this… Why isn’t Jamil helping?” Azul said, taking a seat across from him.

“Jamil doesn’t get it. He complains it’s too complicated.”

“I don’t believe it… Then, what do these numbers mean?” Azul asked, seeing it looked like some code.

“So you see the order here? They want to buy a thousand rolls of jasmine patterned silk fabric with gold trim. But, in the trade, we use numbers to communicate sometimes too.” Kalim explained, pointing to the numbers Azul pointed out. “So it’s done in a specific way. You add, divide and round up. And once you do that, you…”

Azul mind started to spin as Kalim explained the process of understanding the numbers obscurely written on the paper.

“And then you multiply and that’s the actual amount that they’re going to buy. Whatever the difference is from their original asking order is how many they want to buy but can’t afford. So with this person, they can afford 386 rolls of the fabric and the rest they can’t.”

Azul blinked, his mind overworked. What in the hell did he just listen to and why was Kalim explaining it like a pro? Was he always good at math? There was so much he didn’t understand.

“Hm, I thought I heard you two.” said voice, holding a few books.

“Riddle, hi!” Kalim chirped.

“What’s with the pile of papers?”

“It’s apparently work and there’s a lot that goes into it…” Azul said, his mind still reeling.

“Really? Let’s have a look then.” Riddle said before putting it down just as quickly as Azul did. “What in the hell did I just read?”

“No!” Azul said before Kalim started to explain once more.

“So, understand?”

“I guess… but there’s a lot of math involved with that. Are you sure this isn’t something Jamil should do?”

“Like I told Azul, Jamil just doesn’t get it. He makes it seem like it’s the hardest thing in the world!”

“We don’t blame him…” they thought in unison.

“Did you do today’s trig homework?” Azul asked, completely forgetting about the research paper.

“I did, but there were many questions I felt stumped on.”

“Jamil was stumped too! Until I helped out.”

They both laughed, only to see Kalim wasn’t laughing with them. Was he serious?

“Then, how would you do number 17?” Riddle asked, sliding his work over.

Kalim happily explained, sliding it back over with the correct method. Riddle tried it only to be left in shock. This wasn’t a joke. He showed Azul who was also in shock. The simple minded Kalim could do math this well? No way. They weren’t buying it. But it was staring them right in the face.

“Kalim, if I help you finish these… monstrosities, could you do something for me in return?”

“I love helping. What can I do?”

“Well, I’ve noticed Mostro has been losing quite a sum of money and I have no idea what it is.” Azul said, seeing Kalim could probably find some budget cuts.

“I’ll see what I can do. But are you sure you want to tackle these? You seemed really confused before.”

“It’s only fair since I’m asking for help.”

“I would like to join in as well and do the best I can. I could really use your knowledge to help further mine.”

“I’ll give you guys easy ones then.” said Kalim, placing a sheet in front of each of them.

“How in the hell is this easy…” they thought in unison, a bunch of numbers scrawled on the page.

•

“So that’s what it was…”

“Yep. So just make sure to watch how much seafood you’re purchasing. And this plan will be able to help you pay your workers without having to cut anyone. Oh and, I know some good people who provide quality products for cheaper prices. I can get them in contact with you if you want.”

“Wow… You have everything figured out…”

“It’s not really hard.”

“I’m not sure if that’s pride or cockiness…” Azul thought, keeping his thoughts to himself. “Well, thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“I’m always happy to help. If you want, I could help you come up with a quarterly plan that might help you purchase those high quality items like the floral cocoa.”

He could do that?

“Though, it’d take a year for that to happen. And if you do business right.” Kalim said before smiling.

“Kalim… can I hire you?”

“Sure, but I don’t accept money as payment.”

“Then…?”

“I’d like your friendship instead. That’s worth more than anything!”

“Well, if that’s all… okay.”

Kalim jumped up and down in delight. It was really hard to believe this easily excitable child was a math genius.


	252. 2nd Years: Patterned silk fabric (cont.)

“I’m amazed. You’re already good at math but now you’re practically a genius.” Jade said, looking at Riddle solve problems.

“As much as I’d like to say it’s of my own doing, it’s really thanks to Kalim’s guidance.”

“Kalim? Kalim Al-Asim?”

“Don’t worry, Azul and I were just as shocked.” Riddle said, remembering the tips Kalim gave him. “He’s surprisingly a harsh teacher… but it helps.”

“Does he charge anything?”

“It varies among people. For Azul it was friendship, for me he just wanted to be invited to Unbirthday parties and have a Heartslabyul outfit of his own.”

“What an interesting person. That sounds very Kalim.” Jade muttered.

“Are you thinking of getting him to help you? I’m sure he’d agree.”

“I’ll have to share this information with Floyd. He could use some help…”

•

Kalim found himself being sandwiched between twin eels during lunch. Was there something they wanted to talk to him about?

“Um, is there something I can do for you…?” Kalim asked, feeling very intimidated.

“We heard that you’re good at math.” said Jade, resting his cheek against his fist.

“We want in! Teach us.” Floyd said, shaking Kalim slightly.

“Oh, is that all it is? Sure, I’ll teach you. But you’re gonna have to pay me.”

“But of course. We heard from your other customers that each person you require something different.” Jade stated. “What is required from us?”

“Well…”

•

Jade furrowed his brows, trying to remember the method. It finally clicked. Everything was easy from there on out.

“Oi, I’m here.”

“Oh, perfect timing Ruggie.”

Ruggie glanced at him, taking note of him doing math.

“So, what’s the job?”

“Since Azul let me in charge of doing calculations, I won’t be able to help around Nostro today. I’ll give you my day worth’s of pay and a little extra.”

“Consider it done.” Ruggie responded, walking away. He stopped, looking back. “You don’t need help with calculations?”

“No. Thanks to a kind tutor of mine, I can tackle this by myself.”

“Hm? Kind tutor?”

Jade gave Ruggie a look as if to say he’d cut his pay if he didn’t get to work. Ruggie kept an ear out while working to see if anyone else was talking about this kind tutor. He was pretty average at math, but it wouldn’t hurt trying to boost his grades. They were everything for him if he wanted to get a decent job.

“Oh, Kalim. Are you dining here today?”

“No. I was looking for Jade. He said he had something he wanted to discuss.”

“Huh? What would Jade want to discuss with the air headed Kalim? Well, I’m filling in for him since he’s filling in for Azul. He’s in the VIP Lounge.” said Ruggie. “May I ask what for?”

“Oh, just math related stuff.”

“Oh? You’re good at math?”

“Yep. But I should really get moving. I’ve got people waiting for me.”

Ruggie watched Kalim go before going back to serving people. Kalim was the kind tutor he was talking about. He couldn’t imagine how much Jade had to pay for it. Could he really afford to spend hard earned money just to lift his grades? Wait a minute, was Kalim even the tutor? It was extremely hard to believe.

Kalim couldn’t even cook basic soup without killing the taste altogether. But judging from what he’s heard from both, it could only be Kalim. No one in this school was kind except him.

He happened to look out, seeing Kalim was leaving. He handed his trays to another worker before rushing out to meet him.

“Oh, Ruggie! What’s up?”

“Is it true that you’re a tutor?”

“Uh, I guess I am at this point. Is there something you need?”

“What do you teach?”

“Math.”

“Well that’s good… My grades having been looking good these days and I could really use some help. I’ll pay with whatever cash I got.”

“Oh no. I don’t take cash payments.”

Ruggie raised an eyebrow.

“In return for my services, I’d like you to help me with those nimble fingers of yours.” Kalim said, smiling widely.

“What kind of odd job are you going to make me do…”

“It’s nothing odd. I just want to learn.” Kalim explained. “You sew, right?”

“I- I dabble in it…” Ruggie muttered, not wanting to be seen as motherly or dainty.

“I’d like to learn to. It’s got to be troubling to Jamil asking him every time.”

“Is that really all you want? No cash?”

“That’s all I want.”

Jade really wasn’t kidding when he said kind. He happily accepted, thanking Kalim like crazy. Kalim was just happy to be helping his friends.

•

Kalim gave Ruggie practice problems when knocking was heard in his door. He opened it, only to see a few students looking at him with pleading eyes.

“Is there a problem? As dorm leader I-”

“We heard through the grapevine that you’re good at math stuff.”

“Well… yeah.”

“Can you help us!?”

“We’ll flunk the class if we don’t pass the next test!”

“I can’t show my mom such depressing grades!”

“Well, first I need to know where each of you stand and I can create some problems for you.” Kalim said, letting them in.

He had Ruggie move to his bed, helping him as he had them try out the practice sheet he made for Ruggie. He gauged their answers before taking out three sheets of paper and writing individual problems for them to try out.

The students sighed in relief, seeing they were finally getting it. They thanked Kalim profusely, planning to pay him back later on in the day. Kalim assured them he didn’t need anything but they had already walked out the door.

“Looks like you’re getting popular.” Ruggie commented, finishing the last problem. “So, how’s this?”

“Looks good! Keep it up.”

Ruggie’s tail wagged before he stopped it, not wanting his emotions on display.

•

Kalim nervously laughed, not expecting a crowd of people to be standing outside his room early in the morning.

“We heard from friends you’re good at math!”

“Please help us!”

“We’ll fail without help!”

“I don’t want to disappoint my family!”

“Help us, dorm leader!” they said in unison.

“This is really blowing up isn’t it…” Kalim whispered with a weary sigh.


	253. NSFW LeoMil: Your performance was weak

Jamil opened his eyes, already wishing he was asleep. Another day, another million things Kalim wanted him to do. He sat up, seeing a note card on top of him.

‘Enjoy the weekend ✌︎('ω’)✌︎ -Kalim’

He reread it. Enjoy the weekend? Was he saying he didn’t have to bend to his every stupid whim? Jamil shouted, startling passing by students. He lied back, feeling great. There were so many things he’s wanted to do. Maybe someone too.

Jamil was excited. For once he was thankful towards Kalim.

•

Jamil knocked on the door, shifting his weight. The door opened, a person leaning against the door frame.

“Hi.”

“I’m surprised you’re here at all. What’s going on?”

“I have the weekend free, so I wanted to see my lovable lion before I got wild. In secret of course.” Jamil said, blowing him a kiss.

“So you don’t have to pamper him tomorrow right?”

“Mhm. Ah, so many things I can get done.” Jamil said before he noticed Leona hovering over him. “What is it?”

“Let’s fuck.”

“You really think I’m just going to say yes?”

“Uh…”

“Yes.” Jamil said, giving Leona a kiss.

They stripped each other of their clothes, quickly moving to the bed. Leona stuck his fingers in Jamil’s ass as they continued to kiss. Jamil returned the favor, hearing Leona grunt.

“Enough… lets get into it already…” Jamil said, giving Leona better access.

“So impatient. I like that…” Leona smirked, pulling a discard bottle of lube from the side of his bed.

Jamil dug his nails into Leona’s back, feeling him pushing into his ass. That never failed to make him moan. Leona thrusted hard into Jamil, not bothering to start of slow. Jamil clawed at his back, the pleasure he was feeling being too much at once. They connected their lips, Jamil moaning into the kiss as Leona started pumping him.

He loved it when Leona would go full beast, practically ripping him in two. It didn’t seem like he was at that point yet.

“Leo… my monster…”

“Your face already told me you wanted it.” Leona chuckled, continuing to tease his tip.

“We barely started and I already feel like this…” Jamil wailed, Leona keeping a steady pace. “Brute…”

“Shut up. You like it rough…” Leona said lowly, starting to leave bite marks.

He wasn’t wrong. He loved it when Leona was rough with him. Jamil arched his back, feeling himself come. But the pleasure never stopped. Leona was only getting faster after he came. He was going to go beast on him. Jamil held him tightly, each thrust so impactful that his moans came out choked and breathy. He easily came again, feeling Leona leaving kisses on his cheeks.

Leona was slowing down, meaning he was close to coming.

“Look at you… can’t even go hard until the end…” Jamil teased, soon to regret those words.

“Oh yeah? You asked for it…” Leona grunted. “I’ll make sure you’re nice and sore.”

Jamil regretted his words, unable to stop himself from coming again as Leona went hard. Leona gripped him tightly, coming into his ass. Jamil panted, looking up at Leona. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling Leona shooting his last bit before pulling out.

“You really are a monster…” Jamil mumbled, watching Leona flop onto the bed.

Despite saying that, he wanted that monster in him again. His thirst hadn’t been fully quenched.

“Mili?” Leona called out, watching Jamil crawl over to him.

“Just lie there.” Jamil said, positioning himself over Leona’s throbbing dick before putting it back in. “Let me do the work for now.”

Leona moaned, watching Jamil move on him as he grabbed his ass cheeks. Did he always have such a nice ass? He looked at Jamil’s face, finding himself getting harder. It was so lewd and he was the one making it happen.

“Leo… you feel so good…” Jamil moaned, his tongue hanging out. “You’re twitching so much…”

“Fuck… you’re going to make me come…” Leona groaned, rubbing his thumb over Jamil’s head. Jamil’s body quivered, relishing in his touch. “Fuck, I’m really gonna…”

Jamil felt Leona come inside him again, feeling much stronger this time. He kept moving, wanting to feel weak in the knees. Jamil continued to ride him, having multiple orgasms in the process, making Leona come a few more times.

Leona held Jamil close, seeing he tired himself out.

“Stop… doing that feels… good…” Jamil whispered, feeling Leona rubbing his ass cheeks.

“You’re definitely going to be sore tomorrow. Stay the night.” Leona said, more demanding than suggesting.

“Why? So once I recover later we can fuck again?”

“Didn’t have that planned but I like that idea.”

“Good. Cause your performance was weak.” Jamil said, purposefully riling him up.

“Ha? Say the guy who came like eight times.”

“Yeah, only eight. You should feel ashamed.”

“Jamil, just say what you want.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Leona sighed, seeing he was being difficult again.

“Do you want me to render you lame?”

“…Yes.”

“Could’ve just said so…”

Jamil huffed, snuggling close as he cockwarmed Leona.


	254. Kiliem: Euh! It’s sweet…

Kalim looked at the book, running his fingers over pictures. They each held a precious memory to him, most being of him and Jamil as kids.

“I don’t want to be friends with someone like you.”

“You cause me pain!”

“Why can’t you just disappear!?”

Kalim quietly wept, tears falling onto the page. Kalim tightly held the book, unable to stop his tears. Was he really such a burden? He started to reflect on what he’s done in his life. He didn’t see anything wrong. At least, until then. He never considered anyone’s feelings, going to the beat of his own drum. How much trouble he’s been causing, unaware and uncaring as long as he was enjoying himself.

Kalim wiped his eyes, looking at his tear coated pages. Those smiles… they were fake. Kalim frantically flipped the pages. All of them. Fake. Kalim threw the book, setting it on fire as he started to cry again. His childhood memories shattered.

•

Kalim opened his eyes, seeing it was morning. He lifted his head, seeing part of his room burnt by the fire. Class. He had classes. Kalim picked himself up, gathering his things to get ready.

Scarabians happily greeted Kalim, only to get dry hellos back. Was something wrong with him? Well, after what happened with Jamil, he seemed to be fine for a while.

“Hey, Kalim. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Don’t be late for class.” Kalim said before walking away.

Kalim sat in his seat, taking out his notes for class. Silver sat next to Kalim, greeting him with a smile. Kalim greeted him.

“Hey, what happened to your sails?”

“Hm? My sails are fine. Let’s enjoy class.”

Silver narrowed his eyes. He was going to offer Kalim to share his book only to see Kalim had it with him.

“You have your book today.”

“I cleaned up around my room and found it.” Kalim said. “I actually found a lot of things. I don’t have to borrow things anymore.”

“Oh. I’m glad to hear it.” Silver muttered, opening his book.

He was really glad that Kalim was finding his things, but that meant they couldn’t share anymore. He liked sharing with him. He pointed out the weirdest things. Silver sighed, seeing he could write Kalim a funny note.

Silver slid his note to Kalim, the teacher having their back to them. Kalim took it and read it. He slid it back.

‘I found something weird on page 293, wanna see?’

'Sure I guess.’

Silver smiled moving closer to Kalim. He pretended to pay attention until the teacher turned around again. He pointed it out to Kalim who smiled. He wasn’t making any jokes. He always made jokes.

“Kalim, what’s going on? You-”

“Silver!”

Silver shrank back, apologizing to the teacher. Something was going on with his friend.

The bell rang, class having ended. Kalim gathered his things, waiting for Silver as he usually did. They left class together, heading for their next class.

“So, did you sleep well?” Kalim asked, smiling happily.

“Yeah. What about you?”

“Ah, I fell asleep on the floor. But I’m fine! Don’t worry about me.” Kalim said, humming happily.

“He’s trying too hard…” Silver thought, wanting to know what was going on with him. “Why did you sleep on the floor.

"Don’t worry about me. I can deal with my own problems.”

Silver was hurt. Why was he pushing him away? They were always so close. Kalim noticed Silver wasn’t following.

“What’s up? We have to get to class.” Kalim said. “Come on.”

“Right…”

•

Kalim and Silver carried their lunch to a table, sitting down. He was ready to share his lunch but Kalim instead made a lunch box appear as he pushed his tray away. Silver dropped rice, watching Kalim happily eating.

“Ack! It’s salty…” Kalim muttered, sighing in defeat. “I’ll have to try harder.”

“I can share my lunch.”

“No need. It’s still edible.” Kalim said, eating the salty vegetables. Kalim picked out some of the food, knowing there was poison in it. “Ah, it’s so good… Euh! It’s sweet…”

“Kalim-”

“Silver, eat up! We have P.E later today. You’re gonna need your strength.”

Kalim wasn’t going to listen to him. So he put some of his food in Kalim’s lunch.

“Ah, why would you do that? Take this back. I don’t need it.” Kalim said, putting the food back.

“Kalim, just eat it!” Silver yelled, spooking him. “I mean… please, eat it…”

“Umm, okay…” Kalim said, eating the rest.

They ate in silence. He didn’t mean to yell at him. He was just frustrated with him. He didn’t like what was going on. He wanted Kalim to be bubbly. He wanted Kalim to smile widely like he always did. He wanted Kalim to touch him again.

Silver froze, putting his fork down. What did he just think? He wanted him to touch him. He looked down at his lunch, a faint blush on his face. Kalim moves in his seat, enjoying his lunch.

“Don’t push me away…”

“Huh? Did you say something?” Kalim asked, looking at Silver. “Hm, you don’t look well…”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay, I won’t press.”

Silver looked at him, his eyes widening slightly. He wasn’t insisting. Where was his Kalim going?

•

Kalim paced himself as they ran laps. Silver ran beside him, having watched him interact with people the entire day. He wasn’t Kalim. Someone is replacing him. Silver waited until they finished their laps to drag Kalim away from the others.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“That’s my line! What have you done with Kalim!? Who are you!” Silver seethed, pulling on Kalim’s hair.

“Ooww! That hurts!” Kalim shouted, slapping his hand. “What the hell?”

Silver searched his face. Was he wrong? Was this really Kalim? Then why wasn’t he acting like it?“ Kalim glared at him before walking off. He just hurt Kalim. Silver put his head in his hands, tears involuntarily leaving his eyes. He didn’t understand what was going on. Why was he changing?

Kalim looked back, noticing Silver wasn’t behind him. In fact, he wasn’t even standing in the same spot anymore. He was about to go and find him, but Vargas has called for everyone to gather up.

Kalim kept a constant eye out for Silver. He didn’t mean to shout at him, but he was holding his hair rather tightly.

"Silver! Where’s Silver?” Vargas called out.

No one knew. Kalim spoke up, asking for permission to find him. He quickly ran, hoping to find him.

“Silver!? Where did you go?”

Silver swirled his finger around in the water near the clock tower, skipping class. He didn’t think he could handle the distance after what he did. Kalim wasn’t being impersonated. He was changing. For what reason he didn’t know, but this wasn’t the Kalim the friend he loved.

“Got room for one more?”

“Kalim…”

“Vargas is looking for you. You shouldn’t skip class.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Kalim stood up with him before he lifted the corners of his mouth.

“Smile. You look amazing when you do.” Kalim said before going on ahead. “Keep up or I’ll leave you behind.”

Silver followed behind, a faint blush on his face.

“You look amazing when you do.”

His heart was racing. What was Kalim doing to him? No, he could think about that later. He had something more pressing to learn.

“Kalim, why are you acting so cold towards us…? You aren’t being your bubbly self.”

“I am being myself. Nothing’s changed.”

Silver stopped him, getting up close to his face.

“Kalim, we’ve been friends ever since the started of our first year here. I know you. Maybe not everything, but I know you’d never act like this. You love making those around you smile. So why aren’t you? What’s going on with you?” Silver said, looking into his eyes. “Your feelings matter.”

Silver backed up, waiting for a response. Kalim started to hiccup. Kalim’s eyes darted around as he continued to hiccup. Did he scare him?

“About, hic, that… Umm… hic… You know about Jahicmil’s overblot right?” Kalim said.

“Yes. Everyone knows about it.”

“It made mhice think about things… I hic realized I’m not a hic great person. So I whicant to be better. And thhicat means I can’t be the oblivihicous fool I’ve always been.”

“Well, I can’t deny that… but to just push everyone away. That’s doing more harm than good. Don’t push us away…” said Silver, Kalim still hiccuping. “But if you really feel it’s best, at least let me stay by your side… We’ve always been there for each other, especially you when I have my sleeping spells. It’s my turn to be here for you.”

Kalim hiccuped, his eyes darting around again.

“Okay…” Kalim said before hiccuping. His face felt hot. “Please be here when I need you…”

Silver nodded, his faint blush becoming noticeable. They walked back in silence, now unsure what to say to each other. Things felt… different now.


	255. Night Raven College: Break their hearts!

Leona softly purred, rubbing his head against the softness.

“Lea, that tickles.”

Leona opened his eyes, finding his face in something really soft. He looked up, his eyes widening.

“You look more feminine than usual.” Leona said, really wondering what this softness was.

It was soft like pillows. Leona rubbed his face in it more, purring softly.

“Lea, it tickles~ If you love them that much, why not suck on them?”

“Ha?”

Leona backed up, seeing what he had been rubbing against.

“You… breasts… WHY!?”

“You have them too.”

Rook was right. Why did he have them and how did it happen? Rook sat up and stretched out, silently looking at Leona who looked his body over. Even with a female body, he still looked majestic.

“Did you do this?”

“No. If I did, I would’ve only made you into a female.” Rook replied, running a hand over Leona’s stomach, stopping just below his breasts. “For reasons.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

They looked, Leona’s door being swung open and colliding with the wall.

“BREASTS!”

“Leona- Oh…”

Rook waved, Leona crossing his arms over his chest.

“It happened you both as well? Just what the hell is going on here…” Leona muttered, Ruggie in tears and Jack poking his own chest.

“Did any other Savanaclaw students turn into females?”

“No… and that’s what makes it strange.” said Jack, rubbing Ruggie’s back.

“I can’t believe I’m so small…” Ruggie weeped, depressed about that fact too.

“Big breasts aren’t everything…” Jack said, trying to make him feel better.

“Put a shirt on.” Leona grumbled, tossing Rook a shirt.

“Must I? I love showing off to you.”

Leona rolled his eyes, ushering him to put it on.

They left Savanaclaw, needing to see if any other students were affected. No one else seemed to have been affected. They were receiving stares. Rook scratched behind Leona’s ear, knowing he’d start a problem if he didn’t calm him. They went into Pomefiore, Rook needing to see if Vil and their baby apple were okay.

They entered, seeing everything was basically the same, Vil correcting posture and hand gestures.

“Are those boobs?” Jack questioned, squinting his eyes.

“Rook!”

“Baby apple. Oh. Seems you’ve been afflicted to huh?”

“Even with a female body Vil is still ruthless.” Epel wailed, clinging to Rook.

“He means well little one. Sure, his methods could be better, but it pays off in the end.”

“Rook! Where have you- Savanaclaw ruffians.” Vil said, looking them up and down. “I see you’re experiencing a problem similar to me.”

“Still the same as ever.” Leona mumbled, earning a look from Vil.

“I came to check on you. Did anything strange happen before you went to bed?” Rook asked, hoping to find clues.

“No. I never stray off my routine. The only thing I can think of is something we consumed.”

“But then shouldn’t the entire school be like this?” Ruggie piped up, envious that even the little Epel had a bigger chest.

“You make a point. I can’t think of anything else that could connect us.” Vil said with a shrug.

“Do you think it reached the other dorms?” Jack questioned, feeling a bit concerned.

“There’s only one way to find out.”

•

The dorm and vice leaders sat together, trying to think of a solution to this new problem. Everyone ultimately found themselves looking to Malleus, the biggest out of all.

“Why do you keep looking at me? I didn’t do it.”

“We’re feeling self conscious since you’ve got a big rack.” Leona said, voicing everyone’s thoughts.

“Why are you complaining? You’re almost as big as me!” Malleus shot back.

“PLEASE NO FIGHTING!” Riddle shouted, gaining everyone’s attention. “Let’s think back to everything we did yesterday.”

Everyone wrote down what they remembered, hoping there was some overlap in what they did. Everyone shared their piece. None of them overlapped except those in the same class and lunch time.

“Are we doomed to stay like this…?” Azul muttered, wanting to hide.

“We don’t look bad if you think about it.” Rook piped up. “Vil looks more beautiful than ever. Though, I’ll always find Leona more beautiful.”

“Could you not flirt in front of us?” Idia grumbled, wanting to go back to his room.

“Maybe you’re just upset that Ruggie isn’t here.” Leona cackled.

“Take that back!” Idia demanded, slamming his palms on the table.

“Guys, the point here isn’t about couple stuff. It’s about changing back.” Malleus said, Lilia nodding.

“Aren’t you one of the five greatest? Can’t you do something?” Jamil said.

“If I could we wouldn’t look like this now would we?” Malleus shot back.

Lilia gave Jamil a look, Jamil reluctantly backing down.

“Well, since we’re like this, why don’t we enjoy ourselves? Flirt with guys and break their hearts!” Kalim said with a grin.

“How evil…” Trey commented, not expecting it from Kalim. “Though, I suggest being on guard. Guys in an all boys school seeing women like us that they have access to can lead to lots of trouble, more for us than them.”

“The first years!” Riddle said, worried about them the most.

“They’re hanging out together, so they should be fine.” said Rook, remembering Epel and Jack going to meet up with the others. “Plus they have Jack and Sebek with them. And Epel if needed.”

“We should still discuss this with the headmaster but it doesn’t seem like he’s coming…” Jade mentioned, looking towards the door.

“He’s always like this. Pushing his problems into us and when we need help, he goes AWOL.” Vil complained, snapping his mirror shut. “I’d make a better headmaster than he ever could.”

“You? Headmaster? What a joke.” Leona chuckled. “If you could be headmaster then I can too.”

“We’re not replacing the headmaster. Lets just continue to try and find clues. And stay in pairs or groups. Night Raven is full of vile people.” Riddle said, linking arms with Azul.

The others had a few in mind of who they wanted to pair up with. They dismissed themselves, heading in opposing directions.

“So, are you going to be my partner or try wrestling Ruggie from Idia? Or will you take Jack?”

“Of course you’re my partner…” Leona mumbled, feeling Rook shaking his arm. “Stop that.”

“My heart sings when I’m with you.”

“Please don’t actually sing.”

“Party pooper.”

•

Rook closed the classroom door, heading for the restroom. Riddle’s pairs and group plan was working pretty well. Rook yawned, pushing the door open. He hid behind the door, waiting for his pursuer. The door slowly opened, the student stepping in. Rook instantly jumped them, only to see it was Leona.

“Aw, were you worried about me?” Rook cooed, letting his chest press against Leona’s back. “Were you?”

“Why would I be worried about you? I’m just sticking to what Riddle said.” Leona huffed, pushing up off the floor.

“Boo. I guess I feel a little safer with you here.”

Leona wanted by the door, a bit relieved to see Rook was okay.

•

“Huge!”

“Cater, please stop.”

“Okay but, huge.”

Malleus shook his head, now feeling self conscious. He crossed his arms over his chest, hoping people would stop staring.

“Mally, did you guys figure anything out?” Cater asked, amazed how much more attractive he looked. He looked at Malleus, his attractiveness having gone up as well. “Any hints?”

“It’s still a mystery… I’m really glad Riddle thought you this plan. I may be powerful in terms of magic, but my confidence…”

“And that’s why we’re together aren’t we?” Cater cheered, holding him close. “I mean, you did choose me for a confidence boost, right?”

“I chose you because you’re my boyfriend, idiot.”

“Oh, so you want me to protect you, a damsel in distress?”

Malleus was over it. Cater apologized, restoring his faith in him some. Cater turned around, promptly smacking a student on the head.

“Hands off my property.”

The student ran, holding his head.

“How did you…”

“Camera. Yeah, I’m not just constantly taking photos you know.” Cater said, giving Malleus a smile.

Cater just earned himself points with Malleus for that amazing save.

•

Deuce wheezed, crawling out the empty classroom.

“Mackerel, come back!”

“No!”

Deuce ran, fixing his shirt.

“We’re supposed to stay together!”

“You’re going to kill me!”

Students watched the chase, curious as to how it’d end. Floyd finally caught Deuce, pressing him to his chest. Deuce visibly gave up. Floyd was going to kill him.

“You’re so cute like this Mackerel~”

“I’m going to suffocate…”

“No you won’t.”

Deuce sighed, allowing Floyd to lead him along. He often thought about his life choices and why in the wide world did he like literal evil incarnate. Deuce looked up at him, Floyd’s arm protectively around him as he scared students from approaching them.

“Deuce, pay attention or else they’ll get you. I can only do so much on my own.”

“E- Eh? Ah, umm… right.”

Deuce blinked, his heart racing. He could suddenly think of many reasons why he liked the chaotic Floyd.

•

“You’re awful quiet. You’re usually so talkative I want to take my ears off.” Lilia commented, walking backwards in front of him.

“I just feel uneasy…”

“Worry not. I have eyes and ears all around us.”

Jamil looked around, not seeing anything. They sat down on the grass. Jamil lied back, Lilia sitting beside him. He could trust him. Lilia wouldn’t lie to him… right? Jamil felt a gust of wind, causing him to open his eyes.

“Did you feel that?”

“Feel what?”

“A gust of wind.”

“Not at all.”

Jamil closed his eyes again, feeling the gust of wind again.

“I felt it again.”

“Just sleep.”

Jamil pretended to close his eyes, keeping an eye out. Lilia has disappeared and reappeared in the blink of an eye.

“You just disappeared! That’s the wind I’m feeling!”

“And what of it?”

“Why are you disappearing?”

Lilia sighed, pointing towards the halls.

“I’m simply trying to let you rest and relax. But I suppose that constant gust of wind would keep you up.” said Lilia before creating Jamil a blanket. “There. Nice and cozy.”

Jamil didn’t really need it, but accepted it anyway. A small bat sat on his stomach, simply staring at him.

“I’m guessing you’re going to protect me in his place?”

The bat nodded, getting settled on him. It was cute, but he wasn’t too sure on how the small creature would be of much use.

•

“Anything?”

They shook their heads. Not even a single clue as to how it happened.

“Why don’t we start looking for cures?” Kalim suggested.

“We’re way ahead of you.” said Azul, him and Riddle having searched the library. “We didn’t get much info.”

The dorm leaders looked at what they gathered, seeing it wasn’t much. To know that it’s a spell made them feel a little bit better, seeing it could be reversed.

“We can do this. We just have to figure out what all of this means and go from there.” said Idia, trying to search his brain for anything.

Riddle made copies of the notes, giving everyone their own copy. They dismissed the meeting, quickly hurrying to gather information.


	256. Jace & Fuce: Stop flirting like we aren’t here!

“Jade, he said he’d come!”

“How wonderful. I’ve always wanted to get together with our lovers.”

“Me too! I wanna tease them endlessly.”

The twins chuckled, finalizing the double date plans.

•

“I can’t believe you’re dating Floyd.”

“I can’t either but… there’s sides to him that no one’s seen and it really makes you soft…” Deuce responded, placing his hand over his heart. “He does care about things. He just doesn’t like showing it.”

“How lucky he is to have an understanding guy like you.” Ace teased, earning a hit from Deuce. “At least Floyd’s upfront with you. It’s like trying to solve a rubix cube with Jade.”

“Really? It doesn’t seem like he’s that hard to figure out…”

“Well, you’d be surprised. I think he’s thinking one thing but it’s something else. I can hardly tell when he’s teasing or serious. He’s just so confusing sometimes.”

“Then tell him? I’m sure you’re not easy either.”

Ace opened his mouth to retort then closed it. Deuce smiled happily, watching Ace think. They approached the building, seeing two people waiting in front of it.

“Mackerel!!!”

“He’s running right?”

“Yeah.”

“I should probably run.”

“It’s a bit late for that…”

Floyd tackled Deuce to the ground, Ace wincing as they fell. Ace felt a hand on his head, turning and smiling up at Jade. Jace walked on ahead while Deuce recovered from being tackled by Floyd.

“I can’t wait to spend the entire day with you!” Floyd cheered, helping Deuce to his feet.

“I am too but, did you have to tackle me?”

“I thought it’d be fun.”

Deuce let it go, seeing Floyd meant no harm anyway.

Ace looked, seeing a bunch of stuff on a table.

“Are we doing schoolwork?”

“Nope. Floyd and I found very interesting experiments online that we’d love to try with you.”

“Does this mean things might explode?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Dude, I love you.”

Jade smiled happily, watching Ace looking at the things laid out. Fuce entered, both getting excited at the spread.

They quickly got started, serious looks on their faces.

“Floyd, drop it.”

“Hnnn…”

“The entire thing will explode if you pour it in.”

“Really?”

“Deuce, why would you say that!?”

“I just-”

Boom! Smoke covered the area as they coughed, making their way out. Floyd snorted, trying to stifle his laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“You all look adorable!” Floyd croaked, touching the top of Deuce’s head.

“Huh? AH!”

They looked at each other, seeing animal ears. They all started laughing, making jabs at each other and pulling on their new animal apendages.

“But seriously, this is reversible right?” Ace asked, looking at Jade.

“Aw, you don’t like being a dog?” Jade chuckled, his cat ears moving in delight.

“I just don’t want to do dog things… like… you know… the whole bathroom thing…”

“That would be quite interesting to see.” Jade said, cupping Ace’s face.

It was safe to assume the twins weren’t going to tell him how to reverse it.

Deuce stared hard at the ears on Floyd’s head. What was he?

“Are you sure you aren’t a cat?”

“Mhmm.”

“Then what am I?”

“A bear.”

“That’s actually kinda cute… but really, what are you. They look like cat ears but they’re longer…”

“So you’re a fox, Floyd.” Jade said with interest.

“Cool! Let’s go blow more stuff up!”

“Can we actually finish an experiment first?” Deuce suggested as they headed back in.

“Maybe.”

•

The couples entered the kitchen, their animal features still visible.

“Jade, are you really going to keep me like this?” Ace whined, his ears and tail showing sadness.

“Aww, you’re so cute.” Jade cooed, kissing Ace’s cheeks.

Ace didn’t pester him anymore, satisfied with the kisses.

“Deuce, we’re going to have a bake off! Let’s show them who the better couple is.” Floyd said, his ears upright.

“I think our teamwork is good enough.” Deuce muttered, hoping it was.

He knew Ace and Jade were like a well oiled machine. Just look at them, flirting like they weren’t about to compete with anyone. It made him envious, jealous and angry.

“Hey! Stop flirting like we aren’t here!” Deuce fussed.

“Plan was a success.” Jade quipped, holding Ace close. “Aren’t you a cunning genius?”

“Eh, I wouldn’t go that far.” Ace laughed, seeing Deuce was getting angrier.

“Mackerel, calm down. We’ll win. Everyone will pick ours.”

“Everyone?” the first years said in unison.

“We might have invited some friends to be tasting judges. Naturally we invited seasoned people like Trey and Jamil.” Jade explained.

Ace and Deuce easily lost confidence. They were practically the best on campus.

The couples started on their respective sweet, adding in their personal touches.

“Floyd, stop playing around! They’re already ahead!” Deuce hissed, wiping batter off of Floyd’s cheek.

“Eh, being serious isn’t fun though.” Floyd whined, adding in the food coloring.

“I didn’t say we had to be serious. We can’t get batter everywhere. We need it.” Deuce said, seeing it turning blue.

“I get it. Can we add in the swirl now?”

“Wait, let me finish putting it in.”

Floyd excitedly added in the the light swirl before putting it in the oven.

“What kind of frosting should we do?” Deuce asked, looking at the frosting available.

“Let’s combine them~”

“Would that be smart…?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”

Deuce watched as Floyd got to work. Trey and Jamil entered, taking in the smell of cake baking. They smelled promising, but taste was the other problem.

They soon found two different cakes sitting in front of them.

“Are we late?”

“You two made it finally.” said Trey, having Jamil scoot over.

Azul and Malleus sat down, looking at the cakes. The couples cut slices for each, showing the different paths they took with the cake batter. The judges ate, analyzing everything.

“The Jace cake it astounding really.” Trey said, the flavors blending into each other well. “The Fuce cake… it’s trash.”

Deuce was mortified. If it was that bad, they already lost.

“I think it’s pretty good though. It’s got an explosive flavor to it and the frosting quells it when it reaches its height of taste.” said Jamil, more fond of the Fuce cake.

“Both are pretty good, but I prefer Jace.” said Azul. “The taste is more refined. But presentation wise, I enjoyed looking at Fuce.”

All the judges agreed Fuce won presentation wise. Everyone looked at Malleus. He could either make it a tie or make Jace win.

“Hm. Can I bring someone here?”

Lilia appeared almost instantly. He assessed the situation before trying some cake himself.

“Wow, these are tasty! I like the blue one with the swirl though.” said Lilia before looking at the vanilla cake. “That one is way too bland. Subtle isn’t working for me.”

“But why did you-”

“Because we needed someone to break the tie. So, Fuce wins.”

Deuce and Floyd cheered happily, hugging each other tight. Deuce stuck his tongue out at them only to run away as Ace chased after him.

“I’m going to mention the elephant in the room.” said Azul, pointing at their heads. “Why are you wearing animal ears?”

“They’re real. We had a little accident.” Jade responded, watching his boyfriend fondly. “It’s nothing we can’t fix though.”

They all started to watch Ace and Deuce chase and fight, both their boyfriends falling more in love.

•

“Ugh, what a long day…” Ace groaned, his body wanting to rest.

“Maybe if you weren’t chasing me like the dog you are…” Deuce grumbled, his legs hurting a bit.

“Say that again.” Ace growled, shrinking back as Deuce roared.

Everyone looked, Deuce turning red from embarrassment. He didn’t expect that. Jade handed everyone a vial, telling them to drink up. Poof! Their animal features were gone.

“Ending the day with watching the sunset. How sappy and unlike you two.” Deuce commented, stroking Floyd’s hair as he rested his head on his lap.

“We know, but it felt like a good idea.” Jade responded, rubbing Ace’s arm as he leaned against him.

Ace snuggled closer, feeling Jade turn his head before kissing him. Ace smiled happily, wrapping his arms around his neck.

Deuce looked down at Floyd, seeing he fell asleep. He didn’t blame him. It’s been a long day.

“Hey, keep stroking…” Floyd mumbled, using his hand to move Deuce’s.

“So bossy…”

“It’s comforting…” Floyd whispered, briefly gazing up at Deuce.

Deuce blush heavily, not expecting it. Floyd laughed as he blushed as well. He really became soft when he was with Deuce and he didn’t mind much. Floyd snuggled closer, taking in Deuce’s warmth. He was happy.

The sun continued to set and they enjoyed the serenity around them.


	257. Mean Fiore

“Who are they?”

“We call that dorm the Plastics. There’s a top three in the Plastics dorm. Third is Epel Felmier. He’s pretty, but that’s really all he has going for him. Second is Rook Hunt. He’s pretty, rich, and the top’s right hand. He also has good eyes. And at the very top of this school food chain is Vil Schoenheit, the meanest and nastiest bitch you’ll ever meet in this school. I highly recommend steering clear of Vil and his little minions.” said Ace, steering Yuu back towards the mirror. “They’ll only give you hell.”

Yuu was forced through the mirror, finding themselves back in the hall of mirrors.

“Stick with us and you’ll always be in good hands.” said Ace, patting Yuu’s back.

“Yeah. You’re like, really cool.” Deuce said, having Yuu follow them.

Yuu looked back, wondering if their words were true.

•

Yuu sat in class, attentively listening as their mind reeled. Everything was new and different than what they were used to. They couldn’t believe they got in trouble for using a colored pen. What was wrong with that? They started to doubt themselves, wondering if this place was really for them.

“Hey, could I see your notes?”

“Huh?”

They found themselves staring up at a tall green haired guy. Yuu registered their words, promptly moving their notes over for him to see. Yuu started to write again, hearing the teacher speaking.

“Thanks.” he said, pushing Yuu’s notes back over.

Yuu blinked, unable to stop looking at him. Someone else besides Ace and Deuce talked to them. They felt touched. Maybe this place wasn’t too bad.

•

Yuu entered the cafeteria, looking for Ace and Deuce. They got on line for lunch, having spotted them. Yuu started to make their way over, only to find themselves falling forward. Students laughed as Yuu now had food stains all over their blazer and shirt.

“What an unfortunate soul you are.”

Yuu looked up, seeing the leader of the Plastics dorm.

“Rook, do your thing.”

“Of course.”

Rook had easily picked out the student who tripped Yuu, forcing them down onto the floor.

“I’d like you to apologize to our friend here.” Vil stated.

“I just-”

Rook applied more pressure.

“You just what? Is that how you start apologies?”

“I’m sorry, new student…” they said with their head lowered.

“Come with me.”

Yuu took Vil’s outstretched hand, much to Ace and Deuce’s dismay. Yuu glanced back at them, shaking their heads in disappointment.

“You look disgusting. Change.” Vil said, shoving a new shirt and blazer in Yuu’s hands. “Epel, what are you doing?”

“Checking my teeth?”

Vil exchanged looks with Rook. Epel stepped away from the mirror, quietly standing by Vil’s side. Vil leaned over to Rook, whispering in his ear. Yuu came out in the new shirt and blazer.

“Wow, it looks good on you!”

“Thanks…?”

“What’s your name? You’re very pretty.”

“Yuu.”

“Yuu. Like, you? Interesting. Where are you from?”

“Somewhere far. No one knows it.”

“Wow, you hear that? We got ourselves a real treat here.”

“If you’re from somewhere far that no one’s heard of, how are you real?” Epel asked.

“Come here, little apple.” Rook said, stroking Epel’s hair. “It’s nice to see foreign faces around here.”

“Anyway, would you like to sit with us?”

“Well, I-”

“Yes, right?”

“I guess…?”

“Great! You’ll love it.” Vil cheered, Rook and Epel smiling with him.

“Oh, on Wednesdays, we wear purple. All purple.” Rook mentioned.

“Is that okay? Don’t we have a uniform for a reason?”

“I’m Vil Schoenheit. Anything I say goes. You’ll understand soon enough.”

Yuu wasn’t sure if they’d understand.

•

Yuu found themselves sitting next to the tall, green haired guy once again. He was really kind last time, so maybe it was okay to reach out and talk to him.

“Um, hi. I’m Yuu.”

“I know. You’re the transfer student from a country no one’s heard of.” he replied, fixing his glasses. “I’m Trey. Trey Clover.”

Yuu couldn’t help but stare. He looked so mature and cute. They felt their heart suddenly become overcome with emotion and feeling.

“Yuu? Is everything okay?”

“Okay… Huh? Oh, yes.” Yuu laughed nervously, moving away from Trey. “Holy crap when did he get so attractive!?”

Yuu calmed themselves as the teacher had started the lecture. The entire class they were distracted by Trey sitting next to them.

•

“You can’t.” Rook said.

“Yeah.” Epel agreed.

“Why not?”

“He’s Vil’s ex. It’ll go against our code. ‘Don’t date each other’s exes’. Since we’re here, let me fill you in on everything that you’ve got to follow.” said Rook. “And we’ll pretend you didn’t just mention this crush thing.”

Epel chimed in at some points as Rook filled Yuu in on everything.

“Got it? Good.”

“What were you three potatoes talking about?” Vil said casually, taking his seat.

“W- I was explaining our code to our new addition.” Rook said, subtly seeking praise.

“So you’re caught up with how we operate? Good.” Vil said, tapping away on his phone. “I’m getting better at watching my calories. I really am perfection.”

“Very much so!” Rook chirped, still hoping for praise.

“Hey, isn’t that smoothie a little high in calories? You know, since it’s got milk in it.”

“Epel, sweetheart, this is made with water and real fruits.” Vil said sweetly.

“Smoothies can be made with water!?” Epel exclaimed.

“Settle down. You’re scaring our beloved Yuu.”

Yuu silently ate their lunch, comparing lunches. They were eating so healthy and they were pigging out on fattening foods. Maybe they should switch.

•

“Come on, you gotta! Steal that roasting diary!” Ace said, Deuce off in a corner trying out charms.

“I don’t really feel comfortable with that though…” Yuu muttered, fingering a sweet snack.

“You gotta! Everyone needs to know what a bitch ass Vil is!”

“Ace is right. Did he write anything about us in it?” Deuce questioned, holding a charm that changed him into an animal.

“Um, no. And I’ll think about it.” Yuu lied, having seen the mean things.

“Also, are you going to continue hanging out with them?”

“I… I don’t know. Maybe? Vil has been nothing but nice-”

“He’s a fucking backstabbing liar!” Ace shouted, Deuce taking off the charm to calm down Ace. “He needs to be taken down off that damn pedestal.”

“Ace, you’re drawing attention…” Deuce whispered.

Yuu could only nod slightly before walking off. Ace really seemed to hate Vil. Did Vil actually do something mean? No, he couldn’t’ve. Vil helped them when the others were messing with them. A mean person wouldn’t do that. Yuu had faith in him. He even offered to talk to Trey for them. Just how nice could Vil get?

•

Yuu walked around, watching everyone having fun at the banquet. There were so many people. They finally found Rook and Epel, seeing they were dressed rather… interesting.

“You’re wearing your uniform…?” Rook asked, trying not to make a face.

“You’re supposed to like, you know… be casual.” Epel said, showing off his look.

“You look like prostitues… I didn’t know since things are different back home.” Yuu said, not wanting to voice their thoughts.

“Hey, you actually came.” a voice said from behind Yuu.

“Trey! Yeah, I… I came. You look great!”

“Haha, you do too. Well, as good as one can look in a uniform.” Trey chuckled, brightening Yuu’s mood. “You look like you could use a sweet treat. I’ll get you one.”

Yuu nodded, watching Trey walk away.

“Were you two flirting?” Took gasped, Epel having run off at some point.

“No. He just offered to bring me something. Why would I decline?” Yuu said, twiddling their thumbs.

“How scandalous.” Rook chuckled.

Yuu looked over to see how far Trey was in bringing back a sweet. Rook raised an eyebrow, seeing Yuu was staring hard at something.

“Yuu? What’s-”

Yuu bolted from the banquet. How could Vil? Vil knew they liked him and even gave them his blessing. Yuu ran faster, wanting to get away.

Ace tsked as Yuu sat curled up on the floor. Deuce rubbed Yuu’s back, seeing they needed it.

“I told you. Yet you chose to live in that delusion.” Ace said before squatting in front of Yuu. “Are you finally ready to take him down?”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

“Great. I already have an attack plan in place.”

Yuu and Deuce listened in as Ace explained the plan.

“Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Now go out and be fierce.”

Yuu thanked them, thankful that they were here for them at their lowest.

•

Yuu tried all sorts of way with Ace and Deuce to make Vil look like an idiot and ruin his life. Yet everything seemed to make him look better. What were they doing wrong?

“We’ve gotta step things up.” Ace mumbled, trying to come up with new plans.

“I’ve got one. Huddle close.” Yuu said, whispering the plan.

“Genius.” Ace smirked, slapping Yuu in the back. “Go and destroy.”

Yuu cheered with them before noticing Vil was approaching. They shuffled off.

“Talking to nobodies?”

“Why would I do that? They just came to me like bugs to a flame.” Yuu sighed, forcing themselves to be friendly. “You think Ace does drugs?”

“Oh my god, you think so too? Ugh, the other two just didn’t get it. To think we used to know each other. How times have changed.” Vil sighed, checking his face in his mirror.

“You know Ace…?”

“Yeah. We were neighbors at some point in time. Stuff happened and suddenly he was obsessed. Cut him off 'cause can’t have toxic friends now can I?” Vil explained, snapping the mirror shut. “He was complaining about how I never spent time with him anymore. So annoying.”

Yuu was still reeling from the fact that they knew each other in the past.

“Oh, make sure you freshen up a bit. You look a little pale.” said Vil before walking away. “Kisses!”

Yuu bit their lip, remembering the plan they had to put into motion.

Yuu spent the entire day making Rook doubt his friendship with Vil. If they were seriously going to try and take Vil down, they had to destroy the right hand.

•

“Hey, you haven’t been hanging with us lately…” Ace commented, watching Yuu primping.

“Yeah, we wanna know what’s going on and stuff.” Deuce added on.

“Oh, well…” Yuu said before telling them everything. “And I managed to get Trey to break up with Vil. Well, it was accidental but it worked. Now he’s on the market again.”

“So, how are the Plastics leaders holding up?” Ace asked, wanting to share more plans.

“Eh, they’re hanging. Oh, Vil’s still eating those bars I gave him. God you can see he’s gaining weight. What an idiot.” Yuu chuckled closing their mirror. “Well, I’m off.”

“Wait, are you going to come over tomorrow like we planned?” Ace asked.

“Ye- Oh. Oh no, I can’t. I’ve got a family thing.”

“Tonight?” Deuce pressed.

“Hm… Maybe.”

Ace and Deuce exchanged looks. Something was different about Yuu and they weren’t sure they were liking it. Class started, causing them to face the front.

“Yuu is acting weird to you, right?” Ace whispered.

“Definitely… They always had time to hang out with us. How do they not have time now?”

“Well, it’s not like they haven’t been discussing the bring down Vil plan with us. But still…”

They looked towards Yuu who seemed more interested in their phone than class. Something was amiss.

Yuu excitedly went to their next class, knowing Trey was in it. They were definitely striking while the iron was hot.

They entered the room, not seeing Trey. That was expected, seeing they sped walked here. They fixed themselves up, wanting to look perfect for him. Trey entered, Yuu feeling giddy inside.

“Afternoon.”

“Afternoon!”

Trey sat next to Yuu, talking to them as they struck up conversation.

“Hey, I was thinking of having a little get together with a few friends this weekend and was kinda hoping you’d be one of those few.”

“Sounds nice. I’ll be there.” Trey smiled, sending Yuu’s heart a flutter.

This was going to be the best weekend ever.

•

It all happened so fast, one minute they were desperately waiting for Trey to come and the next they were chasing after him after having a little accident. It didn’t help that Vil had somehow found out about the get together, if it could be called that anymore, and came, making a mess of the place.

Clearly Vil was still sore from being kicked out of the table, but what could they do? He broke code. Though, they were the reason he broke code anyway.

“Trey! Trey, wait!”

Yuu sighed heavily, seeing Trey wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. This wasn’t how they imagined their weekend to be. It was supposed to be the greatest because they became a couple. Yet there he was, walking away from them.

“Happy now?”

“Ace? Deuce?”

“This is what you wanted huh? Not even bothering to invite us, your actual friends.” Deuce scoffed.

“I didn’t-”

“Save it, toothpick. You know damn well you purposefully didn’t invite us. You’re embarrassed by us aren’t you?” Ace said, his anger clearly visible. “I can’t believe you’d lie about having plans with family. Again!”

“You-”

“Look, we’ve been trying with you and we can’t anymore. You belong with them. You’re a true Plastics now.” Ace said, throwing his hands in the air. “Let’s go Deuce. We aren’t wanted here.”

“It’s not my fault! You’re the one who wanted me to lead a double life and get revenge!”

“You has absolute control over your actions, Yuu! You chose to be a stupid Plastic just like them!”

“I was only trying to help you out since you couldn’t do it on your own and get revenge for what Vil did to you!”

“I never needed your help you filthy bitch!” Ace shouted before marching off. He turned around, shouting one last thing. “Fuck you!”

Yuu watched as Ace shrugged Deuce off as they walked off. This really wasn’t how they were expecting their weekend to go.

Yuu quietly cleaned up, thinking about everything.

[In Pomefiore…]

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Vil aggressive threw things, unbelieving of what Yuu had been doing to him. He threw a few of his things before pulling out the roasting diary. He thought about what he wanted to write before writing it down.

“If I’m going down, they’re coming with me…” Vil whispered, slamming the book shut.

He rummaged around his room, finding a perfectly sized bag. He used magic, making dozens of copies of what was in the book.

Morning rose in Night Raven, students not ready to start classes after partying hard the night before.

“So, you found this in the restroom…?”

“Yes. It’s so awful…” Vil weeped, putting on his best act.

“Wow… sole of this is pretty creative. 'Leona chews his tail in his sleep’, 'Malleus has fake horns’ oooh, scandalous…”

“Headmaster.”

“Oh, ahem, right. Don’t worry about it, I’ll make sure the teachers and I find the culprits.” said Crowley, secretly wanting to read more.

“I… I think I might know who did it… It’s simply conjecture but…”

“I’m listening.”

Vil smirked evilly, pulling out the copies he made the night before. He started spreading them around, needing to worsen the situation.

“Headmaster, we didn’t do it.”

“Yeah? Well, tough luck. Vil tipped me off about you three.”

“He’s trying to frame us.” Yuu spoke, unbelieving Vil would go this far.

“I just want to get to the bottom of this. I don’t want to know what’ll happen if someone had seen the inside of this thing.”

The trio were exasperated. Crowley wasn’t going to let them go until one of them confessed to it. The door opened, a teacher rushing in.

“The students…!”

The trio followed behind Crowley, not expecting to see the school in disarray. They walked over to the windows, seeing students fighting outside as well.

“It looks like word got out…” Rook mumbled, showing them a copy.

“Just what is Vil plotting…” Yuu muttered, seeing Crowley and the teachers rounding up students.

The students found themselves sitting out in the sports field, being lectured on their behavior before the roasting diary was pulled out. Yuu looked around, seeing Ace and Deuce sitting together. They waved to them, getting no reaction. He spotted Vil sitting amongst the students near the front.

The teachers ultimately had everyone write apologies for anything bad they had said about someone. Yuu wasn’t really feeling it, knowing everything would come to light once they confessed. Everything they had worked towards crumbling beneath them.

Yuu’s turn was next. They croaked, moving towards the back.

“Hey, hey. Good, I have your attention.”

Yuu looked up, seeing Ace had gotten up in front. Mortified was the only word to describe Yuu’s emotion as Ace revealed everything. Yuu looked around, seeing everyone, including Vil, looking at them. That was it. Everything was over. Vil had gotten to his feet, angrily marching over to Yuu.

“So that was it, huh. Did you have fun playing your little game with Ace over there? Did you!?” Vil shouted.

“Vil-”

Vil was already walking away. Was he referring to Ace when he said that? Yuu went after Vil, wanting to explain themselves. Vil wasn’t having any of it, keeping them back with magic.

•

Yuu sighed heavily, things being awkward in school after everything that happened. They finally decided to take ownership of the book, things quickly getting out of hand. As much as they didn’t want to say it, things were probably better this way. They did this to themselves. Maybe they did let power get to their head.

There was no way they’d go to the fling with everyone hating them. Chilling in the dorm all alone wasn’t all that desirable either, but they didn’t have many options. And there they sat, thinking all of this as the Spring Fling went on that night. What they weren’t expecting was to heat knocks on the door.

“Got room for two more?” Deuce asked from behind Ace.

“I thought…”

“Just apologize already so we can have fun.” Ace said, crossing his arms.

Yuu started to weep, apologizing like crazy. Ace and Deuce pulled them into a hug, rubbing their back in comfort. Yuu finally let them inside, showing them they had been doing absolutely nothing but wallowing in sadness. Ace and Deuce quickly got things set up, gesturing for Yuu to join them. Even after everything, they were still here for them. They were the real friends. The people they should’ve been with from the start.


	258. Octavinelle: Don’t touch him so sensually

“Hm? You look rather depressed.” Jade commented, watching Azul walking.

“Azul?”

Chachunk. The door closed. The twins shared a look before going to see what was up. Floyd locked the door behind them as Jade sat beside Azul.

“Azul, is everything okay?”

“Mmnhh.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mmnhh.”

Azul found himself being crushed under the twins’ weight.

“We won’t move until you tell us.”

“Yeah, so tell us octopus.”

“Vil is helping lose weight.”

“Hm? Did you agree to something like that? It doesn’t sound like you.” Jade questioned, moving off of Azul.

“I didn’t. We just happened to start talking and the next thing I knew, he was monitoring everything I eat.” Azul mumbled, seeing Floyd wasn’t moving. “Get off. I told you.”

“I like it here.”

Azul rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. He closed his eyes, trying not to remember the awful food Vil fed him. It had no flavor. Who would eat something like that?

“Leave. I want to sleep.”

Jade pulled Floyd off, the twins leaving.

“Floyd, I think I found something fun we can do.”

“Oooh! What is it?”

Jade whispered into his ear as they walked down the hall.

•

Azul sat down for breakfast, the twins sitting close to him. Closer than usual. He didn’t question it, more worried about his growling stomach.

“Azul? Ah, there you are. And you’re eating something so high in calories. Are you sure you want to lose weight because I can tell you right now-”

“Vil, perhaps you misunderstood Azul when the two of you were talking, yes?” Jade said, him and Floyd getting up out of their seats. “Look at him. If he’s already eating unhealthily, he couldn’t have possibly meant it.”

“Let him eat junk.” Floyd said.

“Unlike you two, my hearing is in top condition. I know what I heard and I intend to keep to it.”

Floyd forcefully moved Vil back, narrowing his eyes.

“Leave the octopus alone.”

“He does not want your help.”

Vil didn’t say anything, simply walking away. The twins cheered, seeing they had done a good job.

“Wow, you two looked as if you were protecting me. That’s weird.” Azul mentioned, finishing his bacon, eggs and sausage.

“If you were to disappear, who’d provide us with fun?” Jade quipped.

“Well, I can name a few people.” Azul said before going to get seconds.

“Sadly he doesn’t understand a maiden’s heart.” sighed Jade, placing his hand over his heart.

“It’s a specific kind of fun only he can provide.” Floyd tacked on, watching Azul.

•

“Look, this has flavor. Just try it.”

“I really don’t want to…”

“So you’re going to tell me it was a slip of the tongue?” Vil questioned, crossing his arms.

“Well, no-”

“See. Now if you want my help, eat this. Or I’ll force it down for you.”

“My, you two look like you’re having fun.” Jade piped up, popping out of nowhere.

“You again…”

“I’m most certainly offended by that tone of yours, Vil senpai.” Jade said as he shook his head. “I only wanted to join in the conversation.”

“It’s nothing different than earlier. He wanted something with flavor, so I’m recommending this bar to him. Yet he won’t eat it. But he claims it wasn’t a slip of the tongue.” Vil said, looking from Jade to Azul. “Can you figure yourself out and quick? I’m a busy guy unlike you.”

“You don’t have to rub in that you’re a model you know.” Azul grumbled.

“Hm…”

Vil started touching Azul all over, only to have his hands slapped.

“Please don’t touch him so sensually, senpai.” Jade chuckled, a wide smile on his face.

“Sensually? I was merely feeling his body. He would be a perfect replacement.” Vil stated, moving Jade out the way. “I’m going to get you to lose a few pounds and model with me in an upcoming shoot.”

“Vil-”

Vil walked away with a pleased smile on his face. Azul held the bar, unsure if he wanted to eat it or not. So Jade decided for him and ate it himself.

“What are you doing on this side of the building? Isn’t your class on the other side?”

“It is.”

“Answer my other question.”

Jade hummed as he walked away. He truly didn’t understand how the twins worked. They would constantly say he was merely a tool of amusement to them yet did weird, protective things like this. But this time it was on a grander scale.

•

“Floyd, you can’t just carry him away!”

“I can and will.”

Vil sighed heavily, not feeling like chasing Floyd to get Azul back. He’d just have to try again tomorrow. Though, things would be fine if Azul didn’t lose weight. No one would notice.

“Floyd, he was just talking to me…” Azul muttered, being put down.

“And brainwashing you. I saw those notes he had.” Floyd stated, seeing a lot of words and numbers. “I saved you~”

The twins were really acting weird. It was like they were trying to keep him and Vil apart no matter what. Did they always care this much? Or were they hoping to get something out of it? The latter seemed plausible.

“Look, whatever you and Jade are hoping to get out of this, I’m not giving it to you. I was doing fine on my own you know.”

“Clearly not if you came back to Octavinelle with a tummy full of healthy food.”

Azul turned on his heel and left. He wasn’t going to continue with him anymore. He wasn’t some prissy damsel in distress.

•

Azul sighed, the twins blocking Vil from viewing him. This was getting out of hand. Why were they doing this? It wasn’t like Vil was forcing him to eat disgustingly bland healthy foods. Most of them were pretty tasty. Azul grabbed them by their hair, pulling them out of the library.

“Stop it, both of you! Vil is not doing anything wrong. It’s annoying to have to constantly eat his healthy meals but I do want to lose weight!” Azul hissed.

“He’s brainwashed him.” Floyd said in despair.

“Azul, we’ll try even harder.” Jade promised.

Neither were listening to him. He didn’t say anything else, seeing he wouldn’t get through to them.


	259. Kalim x ???: Take care of that limp

Kalim awoke, his backside feeling sore. Man, he really tore him up last night. Memories flashed through his mind as he got ready for the day. He unintentionally gave himself a boner just from thinking about last night. A part of him felt like he could still feel those powerful thrusts.

It was only when he got to the door when he realized he was limping. No one would notice, right? It wasn’t too noticeable. He hoped.

A few Scarabians noticed their dorm leader wasn’t skipping around as usual. Was he not in a good mood?

“Do you think he got hurt?”

“He seemed fine last night…”

“What if someone attacked him in his sleep!?”

More Scarabians took notice of Kalim’s limp. All sorts of guesses filled their minds, but not one thought that it was possibly sex related.

•

“Hey, you okay? You’ve been limping.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’ll go away at some point today.” Kalim smiled at Silver.

Well, if Kalim wasn’t too worried about it then he wouldn’t either. That’s just how they operated. Kalim often shifted, trying to find a comfortable position. He finally found one, sighing in relief. He really did do a number to his ass.

He’d definitely want to do it again tonight. That is, if he was all healed by tonight. There was something about hearing him moan and orgasm that made it so alluring. Maybe because it was him causing it.

“Kalim, you’re drooling…”

“Huh? Oh no…”

Silver chuckled a bit, watching Kalim wipe his drool with a tissue.

•

Silver was less worried, seeing Kalim wasn’t limping as much as he was earlier.

“So, are we eating together or is your boyfriend stealing you from me?”

“Why don’t you eat with us?”

“I’m sure you don’t want a third wheel. But seeing how you formed your question, you are going to be eating with him.”

“Silver…”

“Take care of that limp you know. It could be a sign of something serious.”

Silver walked on ahead. He was pretty sure having your ass rammed wasn’t something serious. Kalim walked into the cafeteria, getting his lunch and sitting at a table.

“Hey beautiful.”

Kalim received a kiss before he sat down next to him.

“I picked up the last few of the thing you liked.” Kalim said, his invisible tail wagging.

It wagged even more as he was given head pats.

“You’re amazing, but I’d feel bad eating them all by myself. Will you help me?”

“Of course!”

Kalim let him feed him before they switched.

“You know, I woke up sore. And I’ve been limping all day.” Kalim mentioned, eating from his fork.

“Really? I did a good job then.” he laughed before clearing his throat. “How has it been? Painful?”

“Mmm, not too painful. But I was thinking. If I’m all healed by tonight…” Kalim said, giving him a look.

“I already miss that soft ass of yours.”

Kalim giggled, allowing him to kiss him. He sighed softly, feeling him massaging his ass cheeks.

“I get to touch your ass and you get a nice massage to counteract that soreness. What a win-win.”

“Yeah, but I feel others are staring…” Kalim muttered, having him stop.

They were indeed taking notice of them.

•

Everyone around him was quietly discussing his limp. How did he injure himself? Did someone do it to him? Or did he simply just pull something? No one knew but were too afraid to approach Kalim about it.

Kalim did a few stretches, seeing it helped with the soreness. He needed to be ready for when he came over tonight. It was all he could think about.

“Dorm leader.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“We noticed you’ve been limping…”

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it! I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

They all sighed in relief. Kalim fidnt understand their concerns but appreciated it anyway.

Night fell and Kalim sat in bed, waiting for his visitor. A patterned knock was heard on the door. Kalim scrambled to change before beckoning him in.

“Well don’t you look ready?” he laughed, licking the door.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you, about it… I need you.”

“How’s your ass?”

“All better.” Kalim lied.

“Turn around.”

Kalim turned around then felt him massaging his cheeks. He let out a pained noise with a little jump.

“You’re still sore, silly.”

“But Trey…”

Trey shook his head, avoiding Kalim’s puppy eyes.

“But, if you want, I’ll be more than happy to put this mouth of mine to use…”

Trey couldn’t help but laugh, seeing Kalim grow hard just from that statement.

“Then… could you?” Kalim whispered, opening his legs more.

“Of course. I’m just as needy as you are…” Trey replied, going down on a Kalim.


	260. Octavinelle: Do you want it to be our business?

“Why does he look so happy?”

“I don’t know. Should we ask?”

“Let’s.”

The twins walked over to Azul, scaring him shitless.

“I swear if it wasn’t for the rules in this school and the laws of this land, you two would be cooked and served as a meal.”

“Graphic…” Floyd shuddered.

“We only wanted to see what was making you so happy?”

Azul showed them his phone, a picture of a person on it.

“Oh, it’s just Rielle.”

“I wish it were something scandalous.”

“Oh hush you two. We’re supposed to be going on a date today. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him.” Azul said, holding his phone close. “Maybe I’ll confess today.”

“Finally.” the twins said in unison.

“What do you mean finally?”

“You’ve been pining over him for months.” Floyd stated.

“We’ve had just about enough of it.” Jade continued. “And now you’re finally doing something about it. Maybe gods do exist.”

Azul rolled his eyes, the twins excited for him, mostly because they wouldn’t have to hear him moaning and groaning at night.

•

Jade took over Azul’s spot as they operated Mostro without him. Everything was running smoothly. They couldn’t help but wonder how the date was going. When would he confess? Would Rielle return his feelings? Would he turn out to have a lover already? They started to feel nervous for him.

The twins and the other Mostro employees cleaned up, closing up the lounge. They hadn’t gotten any word from Azul yet which was odd. Usually he’d be gushing about something.

“Hey Jade, did you get anything?”

“No. I’m guessing you didn’t either.”

Both sighed, hoping he didn’t get rejected. They didn’t want to know how long he’d be crying about it. They left the rest of the work to the others, heading for Azul’s room. Jade took out a key.

“You made a copy?”

“Of course. For emergencies like these.”

They entered, seeing a lump on the bed. Lumps didn’t mean anything good. Azul was soon sandwiched between two moray eels. He didn’t say anything, not wanting to talk to anyone. They didn’t say anything either.

•

Azul woke up, feeling extra heft on his body. He poked his head out of his cocoon, seeing the twins sleeping on either side of him. His initial instinct was to throw them off, but they had stayed by his side the entire time.

“Thanks…” he whispered, the twins rolling closer. “Okay, no thanks.”

He rolled them back over, sitting up. They were definitely weird, but he couldn’t deny they made his days more interesting.

“We stayed with you and this is what we get?”

“How cold…”

He looked back, seeing the twins looking up at him with their golden eye. So they were awake.

“You aren’t going to ask what happened?”

“No. It’s not our business.” Jade said, resting his chin on Azul’s shoulder.

“Do you want it to be our business? You know how you get when we stick our noses in things.” Floyd commented, his chin on Azul’s other shoulder.

“He didn’t come.”

He felt them leave his shoulder, now sitting in front of him attentively.

“I waited and waited and waited… he didn’t come. I called and texted but he…” Azul said, feeling himself about to cry again. “It hurts…”

The twins wiped his tears away, their instincts kicking in.

“It’s okay…” Jade whispered.

“We’ll find the truth for you.” Floyd declared.

Azul wasn’t given a chance to say anything as the twins quickly left. He could only hope they wouldn’t cause trouble while doing it.

•

Azul was working in the VIP Lounge when the door suddenly swung open and Floyd had tossed a person onto the floor.

“Rielle?”

“He’s unconscious. You can thank us later.”

“What!?”

Azul rushed to Rielle’s side, seeing it was true.

“What did you two do!? Why did you bring him here!”

“He wouldn’t come willingly so we used force.” Jade explained.

“Now you can get an answer as to why he stood you up! Well, when he wakes up.”

“You’re both idiots.”

“That’s no way to talk to two people who helped you.”

“Yeah, be more grateful, you squishy octopus.”

“You assaulted him! I didn’t want that! Why couldn’t you just ask him like normal people?”

The twins looked at each other before back at Azul.

“We aren’t normal though.” they said together.

Rielle started to stir, his eyes adjusting. He then remembered being tag teamed by the twins.

“Rielle, it’s just me…”

“Oh, Azul… I’ve been meaning to talk to you, but I was suddenly attacked by dumb and dumber.”

Floyd and Jade glared. Azul wasn’t expecting Rielle to use the nicknames he gave them.

“You mean those two behind you?”

Rielle looked, freaking out.

“We aren’t going to hurt you.”

“Just tell Azul why you stood him up.”

“Make it a good reason too.”

“I was given detention and punishment because of something stupid Che'nya did. I was already stressed from losing my phone earlier in the day. I’m really sorry.” Rielle apologized, having been looking forward to the date for ages. “By the time I got there you already left…”

“Well, at least it wasn’t because you didn’t like me anymore.”

“That’s crazy. I’d never dislike you.”

The twins smiled, seeing Azul was happy again.

“Don’t think you two are off the hook. I’m giving you extra hours at Mostro’s this week and next week without overtime pay.”

“Aww…” they groaned, not wanting to work any longer than they already did.

It was pure torture.


	261. NSFW Rudia: Cute little heart

“Look at you… acting like you don’t want it.”

“Not now, Donut…”

“He’s playing in the living room. It’ll be okay.”

Ruggie pulled Idia close, pressing their lips together. He became greedy, needing to feel Idia touching him.

“Papa!”

They quickly parted, hearing Ramune running.

“What’s up, Rara?” Idia asked, Ramune stopping near them.

“You said you’d check my homework when I finished.”

“Ah, right. Let’s go check it then.”

Ramune took his hand, leading him to the living room. Idia mouthed Ruggie a sorry who shook his head in response, dismissing it.

“So, lets start with spelling.”

Ramune opened his notebook, showing his work. His handwriting was definitely getting better.

“You misspelled cookie. It’s k-i-e, not k-e-y.”

“But it sounds the same.” Ramune said, erasing his mistake. “How come things aren’t spelled how they sound?”

“I’m stumped too. That’s just how the language formed.” Idia said, patting Ramune’s head.

“Papa, what were you and Pappy doing in the kitchen?”

“We were just talking about adult stuff. You know, bills, your education, boring stuff.”

“Papa, do I have to get an education?”

“Of course. It’ll help you in the long run. But, I say you learn through experience. Not all the greatest people in the world went to university.”

“Oh.”

Idia wondered what’s was on his son’s mind to be asking a question like that.

“Papa.”

“Hm?”

“One of my classmates said you and Pappy are gay. What is that and is it true?”

“What are those kids’ parents teaching them…?” Idia thought before clearing his throat. “Well-”

“Let Pappy tell you exactly what it is.”

They looked, seeing Ruggie taking a seat on Ramune’s other side.

“Gay means happy, but these days people use it to refer to homosexuals.” Ruggie explained, ignoring Idia who was signaling for him to stop. “Homosexuals are people who feel attracted to the same gender to put it simply. So yes, it’s true that Papa and I are gay.”

Ramune quietly went back to asking for help checking his work. Idia wouldn’t look Ruggie in the eye.

•

Ramune played outside, his parents watching him from afar. He glanced back, seeing they were talking. Then it turned into something else. Then it became arguing. Ramune tightly held the ball in his hands, listening to them yelling at each other. Why were they yelling? Did they not like each other anymore?

Ruggie pushed Idia away, slamming the door shut behind him. Idia looked back, seeing Ramune staring at them. He walked over to him, seeing he was afraid.

“Everything’s okay. Pappy is just in a bad mood…”

“A bad mood? Why?”

“Because of me. Papa wants to do things differently than Pappy, so we had a disagreement. Now Pappy needs space.”

Ramune’s ears bent as he remembered Ruggie’s angry face.

“Rara, it’s okay. Pappy will be back to normal in no time. So why don’t we play until then?” Idia suggested.

Ramune nodded, his mood lifted some.

•

Ramune looked at his parents, wondering if they’d ever talk. They always talked during dinner.

“Rara, is the meat good?”

“Mhmm. It’s juicy!”

Ruggie smiled, finding Ramune just plain adorable.

“Pappy made it, so naturally he’d bring out the best in it.” Idia said, hoping to get Ruggie to talk to him.

Nothing.

“Pappy, are you still in a bad mood?”

“No, not at all. Don’t worry your cute little heart over it.” Ruggie said, tickling him.

Ramune was glad, seeing Ruggie was happy again. Ruggie collected the dishes, sending the two upstairs while he cleaned. He washed the dishes in silence, not entirely sure how to make up with Idia. He knew keeping quiet wasn’t going to help, but he didn’t want to say something he’d regret.

He felt arms wrap around him, momentarily halting his movements.

“You don’t have to say anything, just listen. I know you want him to be aware of things. I do too, but I just feel like then wasn’t the right time. But I see your point. Waiting wouldn’t be a good idea, especially if his classmates are saying things.” Idia said, kissing Ruggie’s cheek. “I’m sorry and I’ll listen more.”

Ruggie felt Idia pull away.

“Idia.”

“Hm?”

“Could you help me with these?”

“Yeah, sure.”

They started to wash and dry in silence.

“I apologize for getting too worked up about it. I should’ve been calmer.” Ruggie said, handing him the last dish. “I’m not mad anymore. I promise.”

Idia put the dish away, glad to see Ruggie looking at him again. They shared a kiss, finally making up. Ruggie pulled away, smiling up at Idia.

“You know…” Idia said before giving Ruggie a look.

Idia shut the door behind them, letting Ruggie lead him to the bed. They kissed again, things getting hot and heavy. Ruggie took his clothes off, starving for Idia’s touch.

“Stop looking and start touching.” Ruggie demanded, putting himself on display.

Idia finished getting undressed, kissing all over Ruggie’s body. Ruggie expected him to start with oral, only to be surprised with anal. Ruggie teased himself, Idia going in for a kiss.

Ramune quietly read a book, feeling tiredness coming on. A yawn escaped his mouth. He looked at his bed then at the door. He didn’t feel like sleeping alone tonight, the memory of their argument fresh in his mind.

Ramune picked up his pillow and a book, walking over to his parents’ room. He could hear sounds from inside, glad to see they were still up. He opened the door.

“Pa-”

He looked, wondering what they were doing.

“Papa? Pappy?”

“Fuck, what do we do?” Idia whispered.

“Don’t look at me, I don’t know either!” Ruggie whispered back.

“Are you playing a game? Can I play too?”

“You can definitely play it when you are an adult.” Ruggie laughed nervously, Idia pulling out of him.

“Papa’s peen is glowing!”

“Don’t look, Rara!” Idia squeaked, covering him and Ruggie.

“But you see mine.” Ramune said in confusion.

“This is going to be a bitch to explain…” Ruggie whispered, feeling Idia hit him. “What?”

“Language!” Idia hissed before turning back to Ramune. “So, what can we do for our little prince?”

“I want to sleep together…”

“Alright, come on then.”

“Do I have to get naked?”

“No!” they said in unison.

Ramune climbed into bed, settling in between them. They took the book he held, taking turns reading to him until he fell asleep.

“He came in at the wrong time…” Idia groaned, desperately wanting to come.

“We can finish in the bathroom.” Ruggie whispered, making sure Ramune was sleep.

They quietly crept out of the room, needing to satisfy themselves before they could settle in to sleep.


	262. Night Raven Host Club

“Really… there aren’t any quiet places…” Epel muttered, closing yet another door.

He wandered around, trying to find a place to study. He didn’t have much of a choice if he wanted to stay in the school. Epel looked out the window, taking in once again how big the school was. Must be nice to be rich. Epel opened yet another door, not hearing much inside.

“Welcome to Night Raven Host Club~!”

Epel stared as six proper looking guys stood together in their welcoming poses.

“Not here either…” Epel muttered, leaving the room.

“Wait, you can’t just go after coming all the way here. Come sit and relax.”

Epel jumped, not expecting one of them to be so close.

“I really-”

“You came to the host club for a reason, right? Such a beautiful girl like you deserves to be treated well.” the blonde said with a happy smile.

“Girl-”

“Don’t be shy. We don’t bite. Unless you want us to?”

Epel shuffled away, seeing his exit was blocked off.

“Hm. You’re the commoner who got in solely because of your astounding grades, Epel Felmier.” the one with glasses said.

“How do you know my name??”

“Aren’t you twins in Felmier’s class?” the one with glasses spoke once more.

“Yeah, we are.” Floyd said

“But Epel’s a loner.” Jade finished.

“Really, I just-”

“Hey! Are you really that smart? That’s so cool!” a white haired guy said, tugging on Epel’s clothes.

Epel found himself being moved around as he desperately tried to escape. All he wanted was to find a quiet place to study.

“I said, I don’t want to!” Epel yelled, pulling away as he stumbled back.

Shatter. Epel looked back, seeing pieces of what used to be an object. Was that his fault?

“Oh, you broke the mosaic plate.” the twins said together.

“Now we can’t sell it anymore…” the white haired one whined.

“How much was it?” the blonde asked, looking at the one with glasses.

“To give a rough estimate… six million madol.”

Epel felt his eyes pop out of their sockets. That measly little plate cost that much? He weakly turned around all six staring at him.

“We certainly can’t have her join to work it off…” the blonde said with a sigh.

“But we can make her do tasks for us instead.”

“Azul, you’re a genius!” the blonde exclaimed, shaking the one with glasses named Azul.

“We get to see such a pretty person everyday?” Floyd said in awe.

“We have surely been blessed, haven’t we?” Jade tacked on.

Epel shrunk back, six smiling faces looking at him.

“My life isn’t going to be the same is it…?” Epel thought, sighing internally.

•

Epel came back, seeing a bunch of girls and a few guys in the room. He made his way over to Vil, watching how the others interacted with the hosts.

“I can’t believe they’re eating this shit up.” Epel thought to himself, watching girls fawn over the twins being suspiciously close and lovey dovey. “Can’t they tell they aren’t being sincere? Are they that desperate?”

Epel watched as Kalim happily interacted with the girls and guy surrounding him. He noticed the extremely quiet guy had girls and guys too. He never caught his name.

“Vil senpai, I bought what you asked for.” Epel said, handing him one of the items.

“This is…?”

“What? You asked for tea.”

“This is commoner’s tea!” Vil exclaimed, the girls and guys around him gasping in awe.

“I don’t really think-”

“Epel, please brew this for us. I’d love to try it!”

Epel took the tea box back, completely confused by what just happened. It was only tea.

Everyone excitedly watched as Epel perfectly made tea. He took the opportunity to scurry off once they were distracted by Vil’s charms.

“So, how was your first errand, Hachiko?” Azul chuckled, looking at Epel.

“It could be worse.”

“Indeed. You could decide to run away. But then again, I wouldn’t suggest that.”

“Eh?”

“Let’s just say, you’ll be hunted down.”

Epel slid away from Azul, feeling extremely threatened.

“Threats aside, you can see how different these boys are. I developed a perfect plan that utilizes their different traits and uniqueness to bring in a steady cash flow to the club.” Azul said, pushing up his glasses. “And now with you here, we have all of our bases covered.”

“Ah…”

He couldn’t deny that even if it’s all superficial, they all seemed to be having a good time. He assumed that was what hosting was all about.

“Exactly, so do your best~”

“Waahh!”

Epel jumped in fright, not expecting to see Vil.

“Hm… wait a minute…” Vil muttered, staring at Epel.

“What…?” Epel muttered, turning himself away from Vil.

Epel found himself being lifted up and carried away.

“What’s going on? What did I do now!?” Epel fretted, flailing around.

“Change into these.” Jade said, him and Floyd handing Epel clothing.

“Umm… okay…” Epel muttered, watching the twins walk away. “Where are you going?”

“To wait out for you.” Floyd said.

“You don’t want us to see you changing do you?” Jade added on.

“Oh. How kind.”

Epel took off his clothes, changing into the school uniform. He looked himself in the mirror, seeing he looked rather nice in it.

“Alright, I’m done.” Epel called out before stepping out.

He wasn’t expecting to see everyone. They were staring rather hard at him.

“You’re really flat chested…” Vil said, not bothering to filter himself.

“Well, of course I am.” Epel responded, not sure why he would think otherwise.

“Wow, the uniform really suits you.” the twins said.

“You’re adorable, Epel~” Kalim squeaked.

“Azul, something isn’t right here.” Vil mumbled, looking Epel all over.

“And what could that possibly be? We’ve given Epel the entire uniform.”

Vil got up close, staring into Epel’s eyes. Epel naturally back away.

“AH!”

Everyone looked at Vil who looked as if he had an epiphany.

“Your chest!”

“Haven’t we been over this…”

“You’re not a girl are you!?”

“No, Vil. He’s never been a girl.” Azul said, watching Vil sit in a corner.

The others felt pity for him. They had realized at some point from his speech and how he acted.

“Well, while Vil is recovering from shock. You do have a very nice face…” Azul muttered, turning Epel’s head.

“Why not let him work off the debt by being a host?” Jade suggested.

“Jamil, that means we’d get to see Epel everyday! I can’t wait!” Kalim cheered, shaking Jamil’s arm.

“Yeah.” Jamil said.

Epel looked, seeing his name was Jamil. Rather quiet for a scary looking guy.

“A brilliant idea, Jade. Epel Felmier, from now on, you are going to work as a host.”

“And we’ll only forgive your debt to us if you can get two hundred people to choose you.” Vil said, somehow having recovered.

“That many!?”

“Or would you prefer to be our fetch it boy?” Azul asked, hidden intent behind his words.

“I’ll do it…”

It wasn’t like he had much of a choice anyway.

Epel found himself seated with a few girls. Being superficial didn’t sit well with him, but he didn’t want to be too honest.

“So, what’s your family like?”

“Is there anything you’re good at?”

“Why did you want to become a host?”

“Uh, well…” Epel stuttered, trying to find his words.

Which would he choose? Honest or fake?

“We’re very close knit, my family and I. We get along pretty well despite our… situation. I’m pretty good at apple carving. And gardening. It’s a hobby of mine.” Epel said, deciding to just be himself.

Would they like that? He really hoped. He couldn’t afford to not be chosen.

“Apple carving? What’s that?”

“Gardening… you must have a kind heart!”

“Hearing your family is so close… it makes me envious.”

They liked it? He couldn’t believe it. He was actually doing well. The girls continued to excitedly chat with him before asking if they could choose him again. Naturally he agreed, needing his numbers to go up.

“Epel!”

“Ah, coming!”

“This is the one I was talking about. I’m taking him under my wing.”

“Are you now?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Epel said with a kind smile.

Epel found himself being hugged as Vil wept, feeling extremely proud. Epel naturally tried prying him off, calling for help. He found himself in someone’s arms.

“Oh… Jamil…” Epel muttered, feeling him let go. “Thanks…”

Jamil nodded, walking back over to his table. Epel couldn’t help but stare, finding him rather mysterious.

•

“Hey, hey. Let us come to your place!” Floyd said, Jade nodding in agreement.

“Why?”

“Why not?” the twins said.

“Absolutely not.” Epel said, crossing his arms.

“Then how about this. If you can’t guess who’s who, then we get to come over.” Jade said while smiling.

They had Epel turn around while they purposefully made themselves look the same.

“Okay, guess!”

“Jade right, Floyd left.” Epel said without hesitation.

“You’re wrong.” they chuckled.

“No, I’m right. Floyd shows his teeth more than Jade. And Jade, you do this little double eye flutter when excited. Floyd, you may not notice it, but you’ve got little indents by the corners of your mouth.” Epel pointed out. “They’re fairly easy to catch.”

They exchanged looks before looking back at Epel. He simply shrugged, going on his way.

“I never thought that little Epel would ever figure you two out.” Azul chuckled, having been watching.

“You ruined our chances!”

“No, you did with that freakish eye flutter!”

Azul listened as the two continued to insult each other before going in opposite directions. Azul blinked rapidly. Did the twins just fight?

Epel watched the other hosts out of the corners of his eyes, seeing they kept getting more people delegating them.

“Epel?”

“Huh? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“Oh, we just wanted to know how your day has been.”

Epel happily told them about his day, hoping more people would choose him so he could get out of this club. His guests left happy, promising to come again.

“Epel, do you know what you’ve done?” Vil said, looking down at him.

“Yeah? Got three more delegates.” Epel said, seeing his face never changed. “Now what are you making me do…?”

“You made the twins fight! This never happened before.”

“I don’t get it. They asked me to tell them apart and I did.”

“Why were they asking you to anyway?”

“They wanted to come over to my place.”

“How sleazy. Trying to slide their way into your life! I won’t allow it!”

“You’re one to talk.” Epel retorted.

Epel sighed, seeing Vil crouching in a corner. He wasn’t even going to bother with him. He looked, seeing Jamil sitting near Kalim as usual. Did he ever speak? He walked over, taking a seat next to Jamil.

“Ah, Epel came to join us!” Kalim said, placing himself on Epel’s lap.

Kalim’s guests happily greeted him, infected by Kalim’s cuteness and happy demeanor. Epel moved Kalim off his lap, glancing at Jamil who watched on.

“So, why are you a host?” Epel asked, seeing the attention was off them. “Ah, I’m sorry, that came out wrong…”

“I understand what you meant.” Jamil said, looking at Epel. “I became one because Kalim wanted to join.”

“Oh… Would you have joined if he didn’t?”

Silence. Maybe asking was a bit too personal.

“Umm, forget I said anything…” said Epel, quickly leaving.

•

The fight had gone on for days. It was steadily getting to everyone in the club. The twins continued to fight in the club room, making a mess of things. Azul was clearly upset and Vil was holding him back from killing them.

“How can we get them to stop fighting?” Kalim said sadly, looking to Jamil.

Jamil shook his head, not knowing. Epel looked at the two of them before stepping forward.

“If you two don’t stop this instant, I’ll never let you come over.”

“Roger.” they said together.

“Were you…” Epel muttered, the twins high fiving. “Were you joking the whole time!?”

“Yeah? As if I’d fight with Jade.”

“Same here, Floyd.”

Everyone ganged up on them, angry that they made them worry over nothing.

“But, it’s good to see you two really aren’t at each other’s throats.” Epel said, him and the others helping the twins to their feet. “The club wouldn’t do as well without you both.”

The twins watched Epel walk away with star struck eyes. Jade came back to reality, but Floyd hadn’t, a faint light surrounding Epel.

Epel hummed a little as he brewed coffee and tea.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Floyd?”

“What would you have done if we were really fighting?”

“Hm… I don’t know, hit you with books?”

“Books…” he weakly laughed. “But this means you care about us, right?”

“Hm… I guess you can say that.” Epel replied, walking away with cups of coffee.

Epel served his guests coffee, catching Jamil in the corner of his eye. He still wondered how he got delegated despite not talking much. Maybe it was his height. He turned his attention back to his guests, seeing he could ask about it later.

•

“Epel!”

“Now what…” Epel mumbled, seeing the twins surrounding him.

“Pick a swimsuit!”

“Wait, huh? Why would I need one?”

“For the beach.” Floyd said. “Why else?”

“Are we going like, right now…?”

“Indeed we are!” Vil exclaimed, twirling over to them. “Didn’t you say you wanted to go since you’ve never been?”

“Well, yes but-”

“We can afford to break on the beach for today. It’ll also give me more material to sell…” Azul said, keeping a thought to himself.

“Even Azul approves of it! So now we have to go.” Vil said happily, looking at Epel with hopeful eyes.

“Well, if Azul senpai says it’s okay…”

The trio cheered, Kalim joining in because everyone was happy. The twins showed Epel a number of swimsuits, overwhelming him as Vil discarded ones that were too scandalous.

“Oooh! What about these?” Kalim picked out.

“That’ll make him look like an old man!” Vil complained, tossing Kalim’s pick away.

Epel sighed heavily, watching the four of them trying to pick something out for him.

•

Epel’s eyes widened as he ran on the sand. It really was a beach. He took his shoes off, feeling the warm sand beneath his feet. This was amazing. What wasn’t amazing was that Azul had secretly brought customers along, not making it really feel like a break from hosting. Though, it wasn’t many.

“Epel! Let’s play in the water together!” a girl called out, waving her hands.

“Sure.”

“Kyaaa!” the girl squealed, melting into a puddle.

Everyone was having a good time, feeling the sun’s rays on them. Epel and the girl had walked over, curious as to what Kalim and Jamil were doing. Epel squatted by Kalim who built a rather impressive sandcastle. Soon everyone gathered around, admiring Kalim’s work.

“EEEEEEEE!” a girl shrieked.

The others looked, shrieking as well. Epel looked, seeing it was just a bug. He let it crawl onto his hand before relocating it. The girls crowded around him, singing his praises.

“I really didn’t do anything… it was just a bug.” Epel said, not used to this much attention.

“Wow, he just made us look bad.” the twins said with a sigh.

“He’s so manly…” Vil whispered, unable to take his eyes off of Epel. “How can he be so manly with such a pretty face like that!?”

“Your emotions are showing, Vil senpai.” the twins said.

“You’re like a brave warrior, Epel.” Kalim said with a smile.

The twins and Vil secretly started to plot while Epel helped Kalim build another sandcastle, Jamil helping as well.

“So, Kalim senpai, I notice you always carry that rabbit charm everywhere. Is there a reason why?”

“It’s a good luck charm. Nothing much to it.” Kalim said.

“Really? I figured it might have a story behind it since it rarely leaves your sight.”

“Well, I guess I could tell you. It was the first gift Jamil had ever gotten me, and it was on that day I nearly got hit by a car. Both the driver and I were okay somehow. And ever since then, I’ve always made it out of troubling situations.” Kalim chirped.

“So-”

“Epel!”

He looked up, seeing Vil waving at him. If it had something to do with him, it could never be a good thing. He excused himself, heading over. He found himself heading somewhere with the twins, Vil staying behind.

Epel looked around, wondering what was going on. He soon realized they were trying to scare him.

“Could you two cut it out? You’re scaring the poor girls…” Epel said, walking over to them and giving them comfort.

“Epel’s so manly…”

“I’m swooning all over again…”

The twins exchanged looks, seeing their plan failed. Epel found himself being dragged away by Kalim the moment they arrived back.

Kalim’s plan to scare Epel failed too. The others tried, only to fail. Azul and Jamil watched as the others sighed in defeat. Epel came back to the beach, having escorted the girls back to the hotel.

“Why does everyone look down?” Epel asked, Vil and the twins looking the saddest.

“You are aware that they were trying to scare you, right?” Azul questioned.

“Yeah. I don’t know why though…”

“Everyone’s afraid of something.” Vil said, unbelieving that nothing scared Epel. “Yet you…”

“Of course everyone’s afraid of something. I’m just not afraid of things like that.” Epel shrugged.

They watched as Epel walked away, heading into the water.

“So, Are you going to try and keep scaring him?” Azul asked, pushing up his glasses as he revealed a photograph. “Or will you say goodbye to Epel and the adorable kitty?”

“We’ll keep trying!” they said, their sadness completely disappearing.

•

They still failed. Evening was starting to settle in. They all headed back, tired from trying to see what scared Epel.

“Maybe it’s something simple. Like a spoon.” Vil thought aloud.

“I really doubt that…” Azul replied.

“Oh! Maybe it’s a fruit!” the twins said.

“Fruit can be scary…” Kalim said, rubbing his neck.

They entered Azul’s family home, being directed to where they’d sleep for the night. Everyone had headed off, unaware of the situation.

“Azul senpai? Jamil senpai? Floyd?” Epel called out, looking down the beach. “Jade? Kalim senpai? Vil senpai?”

No response. Epel saw night was starting to settle in as he left the beach, searching around it.

“Anyone…?” Epel said, his voice faltering slightly.

He kept moving around, hoping to find someone, anyone. His search was proving to be fruitless. Epel stopped walking, his body shaking. Someone had to be around. He couldn’t move, his body petrified. He managed to sit down, wrapping his arms around himself as his body continued to shake.

“Anyone…?” he weakly called out, his voice cracking.

Tears started to stream down his face. Where was everyone? He didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t like being alone.

“Epel!”

He looked up, hearing his name be called. He couldn’t speak, his throat having closed from crying.

“I’m here…” he croaked.

“Epel, answer me!”

He tried getting to his feet, only to end up on all fours. He didn’t know who it was, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t alone anymore.

“Epel!”

He found himself being lifted up and pressed to someone’s chest.

“You’re shaking so much… Did something happen? Tell me.”

“Vil senpai…” Epel whispered, his shaking starting to cease. “I’m okay. It’s nothing big…”

“Nothing big? You were so pale and shaking like a leaf! You can’t write that off as ‘nothing big’!” Vil complained, wondering what in the world scared him.

“Thanks…” Epel whispered, holding onto Vil.

“Hey, since we’re alone… I’m going to ask and I want you to be honest.”

“What is it?”

“Are you… afraid of being alone?”

“What? Of course not.” Epel chuckled, trying to play it off.

“So if I were to run off and leave you behind, you wouldn’t go back into that panicked state?”

Epel wordlessly held him tighter. He took that as a negative response.

•

Vil watched Epel interact with the customers with careful eyes.

“Azul, does something seem different with Epel?” Vil questioned.

“In terms of what?”

“He seems… more charming than usual. Prettier even.”

“Is that so? You see it too?”

“Hey, hey. What are you two talking about?” the twins asked.

“How does Epel look to you these days?” Vil asked, having them look at Epel.

“Charming.” Floyd said.

“Prettier.” Jade said.

“Everyone’s gathered together! What’s the occasion?” Kalim asked, Jamil following behind.

“We’re analyzing Epel.” Azul summarized. “How do you see him?”

“Hm… Adorable!” Kalim replied.

“Gentle…” Jamil said softly.

Epel noticed the other hosts had disappeared. Didn’t they have a job to do? Yet they always got on his case for not properly working. They had a lot of nerve. Suddenly the other six hosts were sitting amongst his customers.

“Uh, what are you doing…?”

“Don’t mind us. Keep going.” Vil said, staring at him.

Epel continued to entertain his customers, trying to block out the fact that the six of them were carefully watching him.

“Epel, i brought an apple today! Could you carve something pretty?”

“Sure.”

They watched as Epel skillfully turned the apple into something beautiful.

“And it’s done.”

“Wow, it really looks like a rose…” a girl said, picking it up carefully.

They passed it around, admiring Epel’s handiwork.

“Epel… this is your best work!” Vil exclaimed, holding the delicate creation with such care.

“E- Eh? When you say it like that…” Epel muttered, feeling embarrassed.

“You can tell it was made with love.” Floyd said, taking it from Vil.

“Floyd…”

Epel became more flustered as each of the hosts complimented the rose. The rose fell apart once it touched the table.

“Oh no… look at what you did, Floyd!” Vil fussed.

“Me? It was Kalim!”

“It wasn’t me, it was Jade!”

Epel’s elevated mood quickly faded, listening to them blame each other.

“Guys! It doesn’t matter who did it. It’s not like it’s the end of the world. We can enjoy it together.” Epel said, sharing a piece with everyone.

Babump. The hosts clutched their hearts, taking in Epel’s radiant smile. Epel looked at them, seeing they looked frozen. Epel tilted his head, wondering if there was a problem. Babump, babump. Vil grabbed Azul’s wrist, pulling him away from everyone’s sight.

“Azul, I’m straight right?”

“Why are you asking me about your sexuality?” Azul asked, not understanding where this was coming from.

“Just tell me I’m straight!”

“You’re straight.”

“Liar!”

Azul watched Vil run off and out the club room. He could barely understand how Vil operated before the whole Epel mess and now he understood him even less. Azul fixed his glasses before going back to work, his mind full of Epel.

“Are Vil senpai and Azul senpai okay…?” Epel asked, looking at Kalim.

“I don’t know. Hey, Jamil. Can we…” Kalim said, leading Jamil away.

Epel was going to ask the twins, only to see they disappeared too. He knew they were a weird bunch, but they had started acting weirder in the past few days. Sometimes they’d want to hang out one on one and he wasn’t against it, but it was more of the fact it felt like a date. That was something he wanted to avoid. Romance just wasn’t his thing.

The host club had unfortunately closed early due to the unstable hosts. Epel counted how many customers delegated him, seeing he was just a few away from reaching his goal of 200. He didn’t dislike hosting as much as he did in the beginning, mostly because he was liked for being himself. And he made some weird, but interesting friends. He was always ready to leave at the drop of a hat but now… he wasn’t sure anymore. Did he get attached?

“Epel.”

“Oh, Jamil senpai. I was just about to leave.”

“Can we walk together?”

Epel nodded, opening the door. They walked side by side in silence. It wasn’t often Jamil openly showed he wanted to talk to him. Usually he just chimed in with someone else or was forced to talk.

“Kalim and I really treasure your friendship with us. And I’m hoping you continue to be friends with Kalim.” Jamil said, giving Epel a smile.

“Oh, umm… sure.”

Jamil really had the kindest smiles. It always made him feel all warm inside. It looked like Jamil had more to say, but he was holding back for some reason.

“Epel-”

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppeeeeeeellllllllllllll!”

Epel found himself being spun around in someone’s arms before being set down. He saw Jamil walking away after recovering from his dizziness.

“Vil senpai, I was talking to Jamil senpai!” Epel fussed, puffing out his cheeks.

“Were you? It seemed like you were just walking to me. Anyway, there’s a place I want to take you.”

“I’d prefer to just go home…” Epel responded, pulling himself free of Vil’s hold.

“But… I know you’ll like it.”

“Vil, if he said no, then he said no.”

Vil deflated as Azul stepped forward.

“Unlike him, there’s an important matter we should discuss. It’s about your debt.”

“Oh, I’ve been keeping track! But, please, go ahead and lead me to where we’ll discuss it.”

Vil looked, seeing Azul and Epel walking away. He narrowed his eyes, looking at the binder in his hands. What a liar! He was going to take Epel all for himself!

“Hm? What was that noise?” Epel questioned, hearing a thunk from behind him.

“It was probably the wind.” Azul chuckled, Vil holding his nose as he rolled around on the ground behind them.

Epel sat down, watching Azul open his binder. Azul had a troubled look on his face. Did he get the calculations wrong? Was he still far from his goal?

“I seem to have brought the wrong binder…”

“Oh… Well maybe next time.” Epel said, moving to get up.

“We can still chat, right? We are friends after all.”

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask…” Epel said, sitting back down. Azul motioned for him to continue. “Is there some cold going around? The others have been acting wonky and I’m a bit concerned about it…”

“The others? So it’s not just Vil and I… What do you mean by wonky…?” Azul asked, leaning in close.

“Well, they all suddenly want to be real close to me. And they touch me a lot more. Not to mention their versions of hanging out feel very much like a date. I’m losing my mind here, Azul. You’re the only sane one here…”

“Epel, this is just a question but, have you ever experienced romance?”

“Huh? Well… no… I don’t think so. I don’t like that stuff anyway It’s all… mushy and gross.” Epel said, shaking his head. “I could never fall in love…”

“Are you sure that maybe it’s just you being scared? Or uncertain that you can love and be loved?” Azul asked, searching Epel’s face for an answer.

Epel was silent. He never bothered to figure out why he didn’t like it. He knew he didn’t and left it at that. Azul was making him think. Why did he not like romance? What about was off putting?

“And just to throw this out there, what would you do if one of your dear friends turned out to have romantic feelings for you? I’m just curious is all.”

“I think… I think I need some time to think. Alone…”

“Are you sure?”

He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

•

Epel spaced out, his mind thinking long and hard about things. The hosts definitely took notice of their angel in trouble.

“Epel, why don’t we go for a walk outside?” Azul suggested, beating everyone to the punch.

“Huh? Oh, sure. Sounds good.” Epel replied, following Azul.

The other hosts followed, needing to make sure nothing romantic happened between them.

“So, you’ve been giving it thought? You’ve been letting it bleed into your work you know.”

“I sincerely apologize for that. It’s just, you opened my eyes kind of. You always seem to know what would give someone a push in the right direction. I admire that about you.”

“A compliment from Epel? It must be my lucky day.”

Epel chuckled along with Azul. The walk was really doing him good. He looked up at Azul seeing him in a new light. Azul met his gaze, giving him a smile.

“Wow… he’s shining…”

“Those eyes! Let me go, I need to get closer!” Vil hissed, trying to get Jamil to let go of him.

The two eventually returned to the club room. Epel noticed Vil was being cold towards Azul for whatever reason. The others seemed a bit on edge too. Epel sighed, hoping things would calm down after he left. He had met his goal.

•

“As of today, Epel Felmier has paid back his debt to us.” Azul announced.

No one cheered or clapped except Epel. They all looked so down. Though, he couldn’t blame them. They were saying goodbye to a good friend.

“Can’t Epel become a permanent member?” Kalim pleaded, looking at Azul and Vil.

“Well, the choice is completely up to Epel, but for now, he’s no longer part of the club.” said Azul, closing his binder rather loudly. “You can keep the uniform as a reminder of your time here.”

Epel looked at all of them before his eyes rested on Azul. Did he really want to leave? He didn’t know anymore. Somehow he had developed an attachment to them all, learning about them and their families, their quirks and secrets.

“I… I wa…” Epel said before opting to walk away. “I’ll come back with an answer. So until then… bye…”

The door closed. They all sighed, their brave faces disappearing. It felt like just yesterday they were finding out Epel was a guy. And now? He was leaving.

“He’s not coming back is he…?” Kalim whispered, holding his lucky charm.

“Well, we’ll still get to see him.” the twins said, not feeling too forlorn.

The other’s quietly talked as Vil sat with his hands clasped, pressing them to his forehead. If Epel was going to go like this, he had to come clean to him. They watched as Vil jumped out of his seat, running out of the room. Naturally, the curiosity caused them to follow. Azul ,however, already had an inkling of an idea as to what it was about.

“Epel!”

Epel turned around, seeing Vil running to him. His shoulders were seized, Vil looking frantic. Did something happen?

“I… I like you.”

“Huh?”

“I said I-”

“I know, I heard but… Why? I’m not rich or anything. Plus I’m a guy…”

“I don’t know but I know what I’m feeling…”

“Vil senpai…”

Vil leaned in for a kiss, only to feel the palm of Epel’s hand. Epel gave him a weirded out look, before backing up. Did he…?

“That’s nice and all but… no thanks. I… I don’t like anyone…” Epel muttered, rubbing his arm.

Azul noticed this, coming out of the shadows.

“You say you don’t like anyone yet, you’re rubbing your arm. Clear sign you’re lying.”

“A- Azul…! Where did you come from?” Epel panicked, trying to seem calm.

“I got worried about Vil here and came to see how things were going. So, did he accept your feelings?”

Vil wordlessly walked away, his head lowered. Azul shook his head slightly, having seen this outcome from a mile away.

“Don’t worry about Vil. I’ll take care of him. I’m sure you were on your way somewhere, so I won’t keep you.”

Azul only got so far before feeling something holding his blazer. He looked back, seeing Epel holding onto him.

“Azul senpai… how did you know about… the arm rubbing…?”

“You’re rather transparent about certain things, but it was always hard to pick up on other things, like when you weren’t being honest. So I kept an eye out for clues and connected the dots.” Azul explained, having learned a lot about Epel this way. “Now I won’t force you to shout out who you like, but I do hope you get to be with them.”

“But… senpai…”

“Epel, out with it. Vil’s getting-”

The other four gasped, watching Epel pressing a kiss to Azul’s cheek. It couldn’t be. Epel pulled away before realizing what he did. He profusely apologized, his face turning red. Why did he do that? What made him think that was okay?

“Is it… me? Is it really me, Epel?” Azul asked before realizing how close he was. “Ah, my apologies. I didn’t mean-”

“I think so. There’s this ringing in my chest… It’s always there when you’re near. It won’t go away even after you left my side. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Then, maybe I can help solve it for you.”

“Eh…?”

Epel stared wide eyed as Azul kissed him. His eyes slowly closed, feeling the sensation in his chest slowly melting into something warm and comforting. Epel gripped Azul’s shirt, feeling him pull away.

“I like you, Epel. If you couldn’t tell by the kiss…”

He wanted to respond, but was he ready? This was all new to him.

“I like you too… I think…”

Azul kissed Epel’s forehead, seeing it was enough knowing it could possibly be a mutual feeling. Epel’s blush deepened as he registered the forehead kiss. He definitely knew he liked him, he just wasn’t ready to admit it.


	263. Kaja: The sky in my bottle

Jamil sat alone, eating his lunch. It was noticeably quiet around him now that he wasn’t constantly doting on him or pretending to be his friend. He glanced over, seeing him hanging out with Silver as usual. What was so great about Silver huh? ‘Cause he’s got good looks? He’s good looking too. Why isn’t he hanging around him?

Oh. Jamil turned away, forcing himself to eat. He couldn’t complain. He had no right to after how he acted.

“I don’t want to be friends with you!”

“I’ll give you space, but I won’t stop trying!”

Yet it felt like he stopped trying. Why wasn’t he trying? Didn’t he want to be friends? He silenced his thoughts again. He was complaining again. He was the one who wanted this. He made the mistake here. Now he was paying for it.

Kalim and Silver laughed, leaning against each other. Silver soon found something colliding with the back of his head.

“What the…”

They looked, seeing it was an eating utensil. He looked in the direction it came from, wondering who threw it.

“Don’t mind it! It was probably an accident.”

It was no accident.

•

Jamil was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Everyone around him already avoided him, now they had even more reason to. Even Azul was backing off. It only further agitated him. So what if he overblotted and threw Kalim off towards the end of the desert? Azul overblotted too. Why was no one avoiding him?

He couldn’t focus. It was too much. As if hearing his plea, the bell rung, freeing the students from class and announcing the end of the school day. Azul gave Jamil a worried look before heading on ahead.

Practice had been canceled, so he had a lot of free time. Too much that he didn’t know what to do with it. He could practice magic, maybe better his flying skills. He could cook something new. Or learn to bake sweets with Trey.

He found that his body had brought him to a room. He knew this room. The question was, did he want to go in. He entered, seeing it was better than wandering around thinking about what he wanted to do. The muffled sounds had become clearer.

Jamil quietly listened as the three club members performed a song. As expected, Cater was on vocals. They looked happy despite their song needing a little work. Was this the world’s way of saying Kalim never needed him? That he only made himself this miserable? Well, maybe the world was right for once.

“Facing a young man in a downpour… Not an umbrella in sight. This heat is so hot I feel like it’s burning. Was it because I knew nothing?”

The song was really great. He never knew Cater had such a nice voice. Lilia was pretty good on that bass guitar. And Kalim. Oh, Kalim. He never thought he’d learn to play anything outside of Hot Sands instruments yet here he was playing the drums like almost a pro. Surprisingly, they haven’t noticed him yet and he should probably keep it that way. He shuffled back towards the door, opting to peek in as they neared the end of the song.

“Here is the summer where I take off from swinging everyday at the start line. The sky in my bottle has burst open.”

Jamil listened a bit longer before closing the door. He quietly sighed. He came here for a reason. He never simply arrived somewhere without one. Jamil opened the door again just as they finished.

“Oh, Jamil~”

The other two looked, greeting him.

“You just missed our amazing song! You better stay for the next one after we rest.” Cater said, giving him a wink.

Gross.

“I’ll do that.” Jamil replied. He looked at Kalim who busied himself on his phone. “Kalim?”

“Hm? What’s going on?” Kalim asked, smiling at him with that same stupid smile.

“I wanted to talk.”

“Okay, talk. What’s on your mind?”

“You… Whats your relationship with Silver? No! What are you saying!?” Jamil asked, mentally kicking himself.

“Umm, he’s my close friend? You know this Jamil.” Kalim laughed.

“Right… About being friends… Tell him and don’t fuck it up! It’s just a few words. I… I think we can. But only if you can show me you’re improving! You idiot! You just had to add that in! Now he’s going to be even more distant.” Jamil said, his inner voice getting on his case.

“Oh, okay. I am trying but I promise to show results.”

“Kalim, break’s almost over.” Lilia said, making sure his strings were okay.

“Anything else?”

“Just tell him you want to be friends. It’s that simple. DO IT! I want to be more than this. W… What does that even mean? God, were you always this dumb?”

“More than this? So… acquaintances?”

“NO! Uh, higher…”

“Friends?”

“Warmer. Higher again…?”

“Good friends?”

“Yes. Say yes. Don’t get greedy. Yeah. That.”

“Well, I’d-”

“Kalim!”

Kalim gave him a smile, heading over to the others. He’d what? What would he? Jamil was going to go crazy from not knowing.

“Jamil! I’d love to!” Kalim yelled before the song started.

“Don’t be so gentle with me. It isn’t something that I know how to deal with.”

“He… he’s willingly accepting me…”

Jamil clutched his heart, listening to them playing another song.


	264. Jana: Go through a few heartbreaks

Jack’s tail wagged feverishly as he watched from afar. He was so manly and so buff and so perfect. Jack noticed he was drooling, so he quickly wiped his face before approaching. He instantly froze, watching him turn around in slow motion.

“You killed him.” Ruggie quipped, looking at Jack passed on the ground. “Have you been scaring him again, Leona?”

“No. I haven’t done that in months.” Leona responded, looking at Jack’s still body. “Maybe we should get him checked out…”

“Woah, Leona caring about someone’s well being?”

“No, he’s a good asset you dummy. If he’s having health problems, we won’t win come the next Magift tournament.” Leona said, having Ruggie help him.

Jack came to, seeing he was being carried by his seniors.

“I’m okay!” Jack exclaimed, pulling away from them. “I uh, I felt light headed is all! Need more hydration.”

“Well if that’s all…” Leona said before walking away.

“Come practice when you hydrate.” Ruggie said, catching up with Leona.

Jack stared at Leona, whining in need. He covered his mouth, quickly fleeing before anyone heard.

•

Jack sat in his room, looking at Leona’s Magicam page. How could one person look so perfect just by posing with a slant? It wasn’t even that noticeable! Jack clutched his phone as he lied back on his bed. He loved him so much. His admiration had grown into something more without him knowing. Jack rolled around in his bed, holding his phone close. He was never going to forget the way Leona looked at him today.

He stopped moving around, seeing he was disturbing his roommates. Someday he’d find courage to confess. But it wouldn’t be any time soon. He often had nightmares of Leona rejecting him publicly and everyone making fun of him afterwords. Or being rejected privately and Leona telling everyone how sad and pathetic he was.

Jack quietly sighed, placing his phone off to the side as he tried to go to sleep.

•

Jack watched Leona sleep, seeing it being the only time he could get close without sounding like a broken, stuttering machine.

“Woah, what do we have here?”

“R- Ruggie senpai! I umm… It’s not what you think!”

Ruggie grabbed Jack’s tail, keeping him from leaving.

“Tell me what you were doing otherwise I’m going to automatically assume you were up to no good.” Ruggie said, letting his tail go.

“I was… I was just looking at him.”

“Is that so? Why?”

“Why? Well, umm, well…”

Ruggie was tapping his foot impatiently. Jack cracked, spilling his feelings as he put his head in his hands. Ruggie was not expecting that, but it was good to know he didn’t have to get rough.

“Jack, I’m gonna be honest with you. You can do so much better.” Ruggie said, glancing back at the lazy lion. “Are you sure you want that?”

Jack nodded. Ruggie sighed, having Jack walk with him.

“So, you’re afraid of being rejected?”

“Yes… I have awful dreams about it…”

“Well, do you like things like this?”

“No…”

“Yeah, rejection is scary, but you’ll never be at peace until you hear his piece. And you’ll never get to hear it if you keep being a scaredy cat. Loving and being loved is all a part of life and there’s no way you’ll grow if you don’t go through a few heartbreaks.”

“Have you…?”

Ruggie avoided the question. Jack didn’t call him out, seeing it was probably something he didn’t want to remember. He thought on Ruggie’s words as they walked together. Maybe it was time to stop watching from afar and get an answer. Even if it scared him.

•

“Leona senpai!”

There it was again. That slow motion turn. Jack kept his composure, trying not to lose the boost Ruggie gave him and the confidence he built up for hours.

“What?”

“I have something important to say and I want you to listen!”

“First, tone it down. I’m standing right in front of you.” Leona said, rubbing his ears.

“Ah, sorry…” Jack said, seeing he was losing his confidence. Leona gave him a look, waiting for what he had to say. “I… Oh… oh no…”

“Jack?”

Jack ran. He couldn’t do it. He lost all his confidence. He stopped, thinking of Ruggie’s words. Nothing would change if he didn’t speak up. He weakly turned around, not expecting to see Leona walking towards him. He straightened up, using what little he had left.

“I have a crush on you, Leona senpai!” Jack shouted, startling him. Jack walked closer, needing to say it again for good measure. “I have a crush on you… I want you to know my feelings.”

Leona looked at him before his face turned red. Jack blinked, not expecting it.

“Senpai…?”

“You… you and… oh god… ahh…” Leona mumbled, pacing around.

“Senpai??”

“Yes. You have a crush on me and… I uh… feelings! I have those. For you.” Leona said, holding his tail as he rubbed the fur on the tip. “Ahahahaha…”

“You… you do?”

Leona’s blush deepened, unable to look into Jack’s earnest eyes.

“Yeah…”

Jack pulled him into a hug, nuzzling his cheek against him. This was embarrassing to the max.

“Leona senpai likes me back! Leona senpai likes me back!” Jack shouted, running around in glee.

Leona covered his face as Jack started to howl. He was getting way too excited over this. Yet it was cute.


	265. Royal Sword: I’m just that charming

“I don’t want to be here.” Jamie said, seeing faces he didn’t want to see.

“Dimitri senpai, why are we gathered?” Eosin asked.

“I’m glad you asked pretty boy!” Dimitri chuckled, tossing his head back as he laughed.

“Good going. Now he’s not going to stop…” Lae mumbled, glaring at Eosin.

“Magift! We’re going to play Magift together. It’s been a while since we all got together hasn’t it? Especially with Yvmin and Kars who are always fading in and out.”

“Well I have a job.” Yvmin said. “Kars is just an idiot.”

“Oh, how you wound me my dearest-”

Yvmin elbowed Kars in the stomach, keeping him away. They didn’t understand how Kars could keep pursing Yvmin despite how many times he’s rejected him.

“Ahem. So we’ll break into two teams of five. Naturally I’ll try to keep it even between good and bad players.”

“And who do you consider bad players?” Zayden asked, pushing up his glasses.

“Everyone knows you and Mei are the worst!” Dimitri laughed, easily dodging Mei and Zayden’s attacks. “Haema and Yvmin! You’re captains!”

They watched as Dimitri put both Zayden and Mei over his shoulders as they decided who’d pick first. The teams were sorted and fixed some to make it fairer. Yvmin, Zayden, Dimitri, Jamie and Lepus were called Team Muscles. Clearly Dimitri named the team. The other team was Haema, Mei, Kars, Eosin, and Lae. They were Team Shining. They knew they were two players short each team but they could still manage.

“So, Dimitri, I know you’re great at offense, but we could really use you with defense with Lepus. Jamie, you’re going to be the one protecting Zayden who’s going to be carrying the disc and I’ll be the broom rider protecting from above.” Yvmin said, looking at all of them.

“I like this set up.” Dimitri laughed. “Yvmin’s got a sharp mind.”

The two teams confirmed their set up before starting. As expected, Yvmin’s plan was working. They scored a few points before Kars and Haema got real serious. Just like that, the score was tied 2-2. Mei and Zayden were practically dying, unbelieving of how they others were still energetic it.

Dimitri called for a break, seeing the weak links needed it. Zayden collapsed before feeling liquid being poured on his head.

“Dimitri… I’m giving you one second to run.” Zayden said, unmoving.

“You don’t sound threatening when you’re just lying like a starfish.”

He hated Dimitri’s carefreeness. He laughed at just about anything and never passed up a chance to show off his muscles.

“They’ve figured us out. That damn Kars…” Yvmin seethed, crushing his cup.

A shiver when up Kars’ spine.

“How about we go simple? They won’t expect that.” Dimitri suggested.

Yvmin and Dimitri shared a look.

Everyone had gotten back on the field, ready to put an end to this. They wanted to be the first to five points. The teams fiercely fought for the disc, near goals becoming more frequent. Lepus successfully hit Kars, giving them an opening.

“Go for it!”

Jamie took the disc, making his shot. A perfect goal. Team Muscles huddle together as they cheered.

“Come on Kars. Gotta try harder.”

“Guys, we gotta get real serious. We can’t lose to them. They got Zayden!” Haema said. “He’s worse than Mei!”

“Hey!”

The teams were steadily getting tired, the score tied at 4-4. This last run would decide the winner. Offensive magic flew around everywhere as they fought for the disc. They were about to decide who got the disc when a pained scream rang in their ears. Everyone quickly pulled apart, looking for who it was.

“Yvmin…?”

“What?” he asked.

“Did you just scream?” Eosin questioned.

“I did?”

“Yeah…?” Zayden said.

“I don’t-”

Yvmin felt Kars kick his leg, causing him to cry out.

“Don’t be stupid.”

“You-”

Yvmin found himself being picked up and held in Kars’ arms.

“What about the game?”

“Who cares? You’re hurt.”

“Put me down! I can walk.” Yvmin fussed, trying to get out of Kars’ hold.

“No, you can’t.”

The others watched as Kars carried Yvmin to the infirmary. They decided to call it a tie before heading to catch up.

They waited with bated breath as Mr. Pachu'a checked Yvmin.

“It’s just a sprain.”

They collectively sighed, glad to hear it wasn’t anything serious.

“Let Yvmin get some rest.” Mr. Pachu'a said, ushering them out.

“Well, we should come back later.” Dimitri said, one of the few times he wasn’t laughing.

Kars hung out by the door, not wanting to leave. Dimitri turned, seeing Kars staying behind.

“That worried that you can’t leave his side, hm?” Dimitri questioned.

“No. It’s just I made a promise to his older brother to watch over him.” Kars said, letting a bit of his emotions show.

“I notice you flirt a lot with people. You like being a player?”

“Maybe maybe not. I’m used to some getting jealous and retaliating. Yet Yvmin won’t even entertain me.”

“Have you ever thought there’s a reason why?” Dimitri said, giving him a serious look.

“Nah, everyone likes me. I’m just that charming.”

Dimitri didn’t say anything in response. He cleared his throat, gaining Kars’ attention.

“Hey, let’s go get something to eat. You can’t stand here forever.” Dimitri said, forcibly pulling Kars along.

Kars didn’t refuse, feeling quite hungry himself.


	266. NSFW Jabek: Remove the skirt at once!

They kept their ears plugged as Sebek wailed. Neither knew what to do, seeing their reversing spells didn’t work.

“Well, you have to attend classes still.” Lilia said, having Sebek stand up. “And please stop this god awful crying!”

Sebek quieted down, seeing he was upsetting Malleus and Lilia. He couldn’t help it. It was all so sudden. One moment he’s a hunk and the next he’s a babe.

“We’ll think of something, okay? So for now, just attend classes as usual.” Malleus said, thankful Sebek had stopped crying.

“Okay…” Sebek mumbled.

Lilia wiped his tears while Malleus gave him head pats. With both of them on the job, he had nothing to fear.

“I won’t let this mishap keep me from being the best damn guard you’ve ever had!” Sebek declared, bowing to Malleus.

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“Here’s a gift from me to you.” said Lilia before changing Sebek’s uniform into something more comfortable for his new body.

“L- Lilia sama! Please do not joke around! Remove the skirt at once!”

“Hm. I kind of like it though…” Malleus muttered, not having any ill intent.

“Oh, well it is a nice skirt. Maybe it won’t be so bad.” Sebek said, changing his tone completely.

Lilia shook his head, unbelieving.

•

Sebek attended classes with his head held high. He had nothing to fear. Everything would be dealt with by the end of the day. Hopefully.

“Kinda wish he was more busty…”

“Right? You’d think he’d be…”

“Even then they’re probably soft…”

Sebek looked over, wondering why his classmates were staring. They looked away, minding their business. He looked to his other side, seeing his seat mate was sitting closer than usual.

“Do you need something?”

“Huh?”

“You’re sitting close so you must have something you want to ask. Spit it out.”

“You’re putting me on the spot here…”

“So you have nothing to say? Then why are you so close to me? We aren’t friends. Kindly move yourself away.” said Sebek before going back to his work.

Wow. He got shut down like a light switch. It seemed getting their hands on him wouldn’t be easy. Unless…

The bell rung, it now being his lunch period. He knew the others would make fun of him, but he didn’t really care much at this point. His classmates silently plotted as he made his way out.

“Deuce! Ace!”

They turned, not expecting a tall, short haired woman to approach them.

“It’s me, Sebek. Some things happened and now I’m like this.”

“Bold of you to wear a skirt in a school full of boys. That’s asking for trouble.” Ace said, allowing Sebek to walk in between them.

“Well Malleus sama said he liked it so…”

“Should’ve known.” they said in unison.

“Am I that predictable…?”

“Yeah. But I doubt anyone would give you trouble. You aren’t cute.” said Deuce with a shrug.

“What? I- I am too cute!” Sebek stammered, getting upset.

“You look like one of those girls who bully both boys and girls. And only have like, one real friend who’s close to cutting ties with you.” Ace said nonchalantly.

Sebek hung his head low, keeping quiet. The two looked at him, wondering why he was arguing back as usual. Did they go too far?

“Haha, maybe you’re right.” Sebek forcefully laughed.

They entered the cafeteria that was brimming with life. Jack and Epel were already waiting at their usual table. They got their lunches and sat down.

“Woah. Look at you! You’re a woman.” Epel said, looking Sebek over. “And you’re wearing a skirt? How unlike you.”

“Well Malleus sama said it looked good so I wore it…” Sebek muttered, twirling his hair.

They all noticed Jack had been strangely quiet ever since they sat down.

“Jack? You got nothing to say?” Epel asked, poking him.

“None…”

They gave him concerned looks before going back to chatting. Jack couldn’t hide his red face unless he kept his face turned away. Why did he have to look like that? So tough, so feminine and so his type? If he was unsure of his feelings before, he was sure of them now.

“Hey.”

Jack jumped back in fright, not expecting to see Sebek in front of him. He bumped into Epel who sent his fork and lunch flying. He profusely apologized, offering to get him more.

“It’s fine. I can do it myself. Sebek wants to talk anyway.”

Jack slowly looked back at Sebek who sat next to him. He gulped, watching Sebek fix his hair. Those slender fingers, that beautiful skin, those soft looking lips… he couldn’t resist. And neither could his boner.

“We’re close, so whatever’s bothering you… You can tell me, you know?” Sebek said softly, making sure Ace and Deuce couldn’t hear.

He couldn’t tell him what was bothering him. He’d get the wrong idea. What could he say in place of it? Sebek looked at Jack, noticing his blushing face. Was it something inappropriate? Jack looked down, taking in Sebek’s skirt. A switch had flipped on inside him.

“Sebek, have you been wearing that all day? The skirt?”

“Hm? Yeah I suppose. Why?”

“Has anyone approached you? Has anyone tried touching you? Did they say anything weird?”

“Uh, no. I don’t have to worry about it anyway. It’s like Ace and Deuce said… I’m not their type.” Sebek said with a forced smile.

Jack felt his heart break into tiny pieces. He controlled himself, seconds away from lashing out at the Heartslabyul pair.

“Not that I’m wishing it on you, but they’re tasteless. You’re beautiful, every inch of you. Tough looking women like you deserve just as much love as those toothpick barbie dolls.” Jack said, realizing some of his feelings slipped out.

“Thanks Jack… It’s always nice to have someone close remind you of your worth.” Sebek chuckled, playfully punching Jack on the arm.

Jack was falling in deeper. He couldn’t get out if things continued. Then again, he didn’t want to. It was difficult keeping his tail from wagging the entire time they talked. It would definitely give him away as they started to learn his tail movements.

•

Sebek sat down, ready to start when Crewel announced a joint class. He had forgotten. Class 1-B walked in. Jack was probably going to pair up with Epel, so he sought out someone else. A second year class had walked in as well.

“Hey, Sebek!”

He looked, seeing Jack walking over to him.

“Hey. What’s new?”

“Uh, just asking if you wanted to partner up since it’s going to be a big class. Epel is already in the group.”

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

Jack quickly turned away, his face burning. He didn’t know how much more he could take. The urge to pin Sebek down and breed him was high. They returned to where Epel waited, him having gotten things they’d probably need. Crewel finally announced what they were doing before taking them to the botanical gardens.

“Since we need to find a lot, I suggest splitting up.” Epel said before giving orders.

They soon split, looking for certain plants. Sebek searched around the subtropical zone, seeing that was what Epel wrote. He squatted down, trying to find the plant that looked like the drawing. Shaaaa. Sebek looked, soon finding himself drenched. He forgot about the sprinkler system.

“Hey, Sebek.”

Sebek groaned, his clothes wet and sticking to him.

“What? Do you need help finding something?”

“No. We just wanted to talk.”

It wasn’t unusual for someone to want to talk to him. So he obliged, taking off his lab coat. The guys stared, seeing the outline of Sebek’s chest from his damp shirt.

“So, what is it?”

“Oh, we just wanted to know how it feels not attracting anyone.”

“Yeah. It’s doing a number to your esteem isn’t it?”

“Well, I don’t really think it matters much. I’ll probably be cured by the end of the day.”

“So what’s Malleus like?”

They discreetly high fived, Sebek going on and on about Malleus as usual. One snuck behind Sebek, ready to pounce when he found himself being thrown.

“Eh…? Oh!”

“You sleazes! Keep your dirty hands away from him!” Jack growled threateningly. They quickly ran, the thrown student limping away. “I knew I should’ve stayed with you. I can’t believe they were going to take advantage of you like-”

Jack eyes had noticed Sebek’s damp shirt clinging to his body. He quickly turned and walked far away from him. This naturally confused Sebek.

“Uh, thanks for the save.” Sebek said loudly for him to hear.

“Of course. That’s what friends do.” Jack responded just as loud.

His tail was wagging nonstop. He couldn’t stop salivating and he was pretty certain he was leaking pre-cum. A lot of pre-cum. This wasn’t good. He needed to find someplace to release or else he might do something he’d regret.

“Are you just going to stay there or continue searching with me?” Sebek asked curiously.

“You go on ahead. I think I dropped something back there…”

“Okay.”

“Wait!”

Sebek turned, looking at Jack. He knew Sebek didn’t like him in the same way, but…

“Sorry, it’s nothing.” Jack muttered, quickly walking away.

Was it really nothing? He seemed to be struggling a lot. Sebek followed, worried for his friend. He peeked around, seeing Jack looking around before unzipping his pants and pulling out his dick. Should he be seeing this? Probably not, but he couldn’t look away. He kept watching, unaware of how wet he was getting.

“Sebek…”

His face instantly turned bright red. He was thinking of him? He was attracted to him? He rubbed his legs together, a feeling growing inside of him. It wouldn’t go away. He reached under his skirt, rubbing a few fingers over himself and feeling a damp spot. Was he really turned on by this? He stopped touching himself, seeing there could be a better way.

“Jack? Where are you?” he called out, silently giggling as Jack fixed himself.

“Over here! Just… searching. Ah, found it!”

Sebek came out of hiding, noticing Jack looked extremely uncomfortable.

“You don’t look too good. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just a little warm in here.” lied Jack, trying not to look at Sebek.

“Is it? I don’t feel it’s too warm in here. Are you sick?”

Jack blushed more as Sebek felt his forehead. His tail just wouldn’t stop wagging. He couldn’t help himself. Hearing those nice things Jack said about him, how he protected him and was getting off to lewd thoughts of him. Sebek kissed him, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Sebek…”

“Shh, don’t ruin it…”

They kissed more, their need to touch each other steadily growing. Jack couldn’t take it anymore. The animal in him pushed Sebek to the floor, pulling his panties aside and pushing himself in. Sebek couldn’t help but moan, Jack ramming into him as he tightly grabbed his hair.

“You’re clenching me so tight… Fuck… I’m gonna breed you hard…” Jack mumbled, letting Sebek’s hair go, now both hands gripping Sebek’s hips so he could go deeper inside.

“Y- You’re… you’re driving me crazy…” Sebek whined, feeling himself getting wetter by the second. “Haah… so big… haah…”

Sebek covered his mouth with one hand while the other reached back, rubbing his clit. He soon regretted it, the pleasure being immense. Jack definitely took notice, feeling Sebek’s insides trying to suck him in. He couldn’t stand it.

“I… I’m coming… I’m coming, Jack…”

Sebek moaned loudly, coming as Jack continued to ram into him. Hearing Sebek came drove him wild, making him thrust harder to the point he couldn’t hold back either. Sebek’s eyes widened, feeling Jack releasing inside him. It was so warm and filling. He felt Jack grow inside him as he continued to come with force. Sebek groaned, feeling stuffed to the brim.

Jack finally pulled out, watching Sebek squeezing out his cum. He can’t believe he just did that. He fucked Sebek. He didn’t even ask if he wanted to. Guilt was starting to eat at him. Sebek turned, seeing Jack crying into his hands.

“Hey, what’s wrong…?”

“I’m so sorry. I couldn’t control myself.” Jack wept. “Go and tell a teacher or the headmaster… I know I’m in the wrong…”

“Jack, what are you going on about?”

“I just… inside you…”

“I didn’t protest did I? Seeing you do all these things today… I got hot and bothered too. I wanted this.”

Jack looked up, seeing Sebek smiling at him. Was he serious? Sebek gave him another kiss, discreetly taking Jack’s shaft into his hands. Jack grunted and groaned, allowing Sebek to have his way with him.

“Sebek? Jack?”

They both stopped making out, having forgotten they were in class. They quickly fixed themselves just as Epel found them.

“Why do you two look suspicious?” Epel asked.

“We just feel guilty because we haven’t found the plants. Let’s look together.” Sebek said, ushering Epel ahead.

Sebek turned, giving Jack a little signal. Jack turned red before receiving a flirty? wink. He quickly caught up to them, his tail wagging in delight.


	267. 1st Years: Agony

“Vil is still breathing down my neck. I thought we had an understanding!” Epel complained, upturning the earth with his magipen. “It’s so fucking annoying!”

“Yeah? Can’t be worse than Riddle constantly chopping your head off for the smallest things. I drank black tea by accident and boom. Magic sealed. How was I supposed to tell in the dark? I was being considerate!” Ace growled, digging at the ground as well.

“I came back late from helping a teacher. He wouldn’t listen to me and offed my head too…” Deuce muttered, joining them in digging at the ground.

A small hole sat in the middle of their circle.

“My seniors keep giving me hell during Magift practice… if they’d just better themselves, they wouldn’t have to feel threatened. Yet they continued to act like they’re helpless little kittens and take their frustrations out on me!” Jack barked angrily.

“Seems like we’re all having troubles…” Epel mumbled, seeing their hole was getting bigger.

They looked, seeing Sebek joining their circle. He didn’t look too pleased.

“Go on, vent. We were just venting.” Deuce said, seeing Jack joined in digging.

“Everyone in Diasomnia keeps teasing me about my non existent obsession with Malleus. I’m just trying to do my best as his loyal guard yet they keep calling my devotion something distasteful. It’s making me so upset!”

The five of them fumed, making a nice small yet deep hole in the ground. Epel was the first to notice how deep it had gotten.

“Hey. We should stop.” Epel said, watching them come to their senses.

“How funny. We made such a deep hole. As deep as our hatred.” Ace spoke, seeing someone could get hurt by it.

“Should we fill it?” Deuce asked.

They exchanged looks before unanimously saying no. They mulled it over, wondering what to put in their new hole.

“Hey, what about this? I found it lying in the botanical gardens yesterday.” Jack said, revealing a small circular thing.

“What is it?” Epel asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s gotta be plant related if it was in the gardens.”

“What rational thinking.” Sebek said, petting Jack’s head.

Jack tossed it in before Epel used magic to water it.

“So, are we gonna like, care for this?” Ace questioned, not really wanting to.

“You don’t have to. I’m sure Jack and I can raise it well without any of you.”

“H- Hey! Are you saying we won’t do as good of a job?” Sebek huffed.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“We’ll show you!” Ace declared.

“You two fell for it. And yet I’m called an idiot.” Deuce sighed, agreeing to help care for it.

They promptly named the little seed Agony.

•

They all met up a few weeks later, noticing Agony wasn’t growing in the slightest.

“We’ve been taking proper care of it right?” Deuce asked, wondering what was wrong.

“We have… Maybe it has a special diet?” Sebek suggested.

“I’ve looked through every possible plant it could be, but either the seed colors didn’t match or the ones that did didn’t look like our little friend. Agony has a rigid shell, but all the others are smooth.” Epel said.

“Maybe Agony isn’t a seed.” Jack said, feeling dispirited.

They sighed before venting their frustrations again. The seed burrowed into the ground, a small gray sprout poking out of the ground. Deuce was the first to notice. They all looked, seeing the adorable sprout. They started to complain again, the sprout growing bigger by the second.

“Sigh. If only we could do something about it.”

“Right? But we can’t…”

“Last time Ace and I tried we had our asses handed to us. And an overblot.”

“Don’t you wanna go apeshit sometimes?”

“Yes!” they said in unison.

They started to laugh, unaware of the flower blooming in their deep hole.

“Hey. Agony was just a sprout not long ago…” Sebek pointed out.

They all looked, seeing a pretty pink and white flower blooming with a gray stem. They don’t know what happened to make it grow so big, but it was nice to see something pretty.

“I’ve never seen a flower like this before though…” Epel said, knowing a lot about plants.

“I wonder what it does.”

Jack took one for the team, reaching in and touching its petals. It seemed harmless. The bell rang throughout the school, signaling students to get to their next class.

“See you.”

“Meet up again after classes?”

They nodded in agreement. Agony swayed around, a faint black mist emitting from it.

•

The five of them sat in silence, extremely peeved. Agony swayed, emitting it’s faint black mist.

“Hm? Something smells sweet.” Jack said, his nose the most sensitive.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Sebek agreed, sniffing around with Jack.

They followed it to the flower in the hole. They found themselves feeling a bit dizzy before a bit high. It reached the others, making the five of them giggling idiots.

“Why aren’t we giving our seniors hell? Who said we had to be good boys?” Jack laughed, getting rough with Sebek.

“Right? Why can’t we overblot, make a ruckus and get off scot free?” Ace whined, looking at his magipen. “We have pent up stress too!”

“Yeah! I know I said I wanted to be a good boy for my mom, but I can’t anymore! Everyone is just so irritating!”

The high wore off, leaving them terribly irritated and angry. Epel was the first to notice Ace blotting. Ace went on ahead, using magic to quicken the transformation. The others followed, blot steadily creeping up their bodies as they used magic as well. They were soon consumed, looking in awe of their new looks.

Jack used his unique magic, having the others ride on his back. Students ran for their lives as Deuce, Sebek and Ace disembarked Jack’s back, Epel leading the wild beast around. A student found themselves trapped in Jack’s jaws before his sharp teeth pierced through them.

“Haha! You’re doing great!” Epel laughed, giving Jack encouraging pats.

“You’re treating me like a dog.” Jack complained, swinging Epel around some. “Don’t.”

“My bad, my bad. Hey, let’s get the others and give our leaders hell.”

“Do you think Sebek would really want to do that to Malleus?”

They watched as the three of them managed to make sections of the building fall to the ground with a loud crash. He seemed ready.

•

“Wait, what?”

“I said, the first years have gone rouge! They’re just killing people without a care!”

Riddle looked to Trey and Cater before back at the Heartslaybul student.

“We can take them down easily. They’re just fledgling kids.” said Riddle, having Trey and Cater follow him.

They exited Heartslabyul, seeing the others gathered together.

“Let me guess, rampaging first years?” Vil said, looking at the others.

“Yep.”

They covered themselves with a shield, the entire roof of the hall of mirrors crashing in on them. They looked, seeing a giant wolf carrying four people on its back. That was them alright. Their dorm leaders stepped up, seeing the others wouldn’t be necessary.

“Alright! That’s enough you five. We’re bringing you back!” Vil shouted, readying his magipen.

“Let’s make this quick. There’s a nap I’m missing.” Leona complained.

Riddle used his unique magic to seal them off, only to see they had dodged it. That was new. He tried a few more times, each time they taunted him more.

“You brats-!” Riddle seethed.

“Let me handle it.” Leona said, using his unique magic.

They quickly moved out of the way, Jack having jumped and nearly landing on top of them. He continued to do it, making it impossible for Leona to even start his chant.

“What the hell is going on? They can’t possibly be outdoing us!” Vil scoffed, watching Epel and Sebek deflecting his attacks. They had sent one hurdling back towards him, knocking him back. “Ah… they got me.”

The others quickly stepped in, seeing their dorm leaders needed help. The first years climbed off of Jack’s back, already combining spells and sending the others stumbling back. Just when it looked that they had gotten a hit on one of the first years, they were being hit instead.

“We’ve got to split them up.” Trey said, moving the tired out Riddle to the side.

“And how do we do that, smart guy?” Ruggie questioned, catching Silver who flew back.

Trey gathered everyone, explaining the plan as they ran. They dispersed, each taking on their tasks. Idia and Ortho were named the medics, having them move the weak, tired and wounded to a safer area.

“Your HP is in the red, Vil.” Idia mumbled, having Ortho take a look at his side.

“To be done in by that impudent Epel child… How shameful.” Vil sighed, hissing as Ortho treated his injury.

“Vil, please stay still or else it will hurt more.” said Ortho.

“Ahh, I really didn’t want to get involved in something so troublesome…” Idia muttered, heading back through the Ignihyde mirror to look for more wounded warriors.

“Ahahahahaha! Take that! And that!” Epel laughed, jumping off of Jack’s back, perfectly landing beside Deuce and saving him from a sneak attack. “I’ve got your back.”

Deuce smiled before running to help Ace, wrapping an arm around him before kicking everyone down. They high fived, using a bit of magic to knock them down again. They didn’t care that it felt like they were being burned alive. They were having too much fun getting revenge.

“Your bright idea isn’t working four eyes.” Ruggie hissed, knowing he broke a rib or two. “Anyone else with a bright idea?”

“Maybe they’ll listen to reason?” Lilia suggested, coughing up blood.

“I highly doubt that they would at this point in time…” Jade muttered, handing Floyd over to Idia. “Watch out!”

Lilia found himself being pushed out the way while Jade was crushed underneath Jack’s weight. Black and red saliva dripped from Jack’s mouth as he picked Jade up with his teeth. Jade was soon tossed, Sebek and Ace laughing in delight as they hit him with spells repeatedly. It was too awful.

Deuce coughed harshly, seeing blot and blood coating his hand. So he was dying. Ace protected him, scolding him some for spacing out. He explained why, receiving a concerned look from Ace. Soon Ace was coughing up the same thing.

“Well, if this means we’re dying, let’s go out in style!” Ace laughed, Deuce protecting him from an incoming student.

Soon the other first years were coughing, taking note that they were dying. Knowing that fact only propelled them on. Epel helped everyone onto Jack’s back, seeing they shouldn’t waste any more time with the others and focus more on destroying things. Jack pushed his way through, all five of them going into Heartslabyul.

“We’ve gotta go after them.” Lilia said, seeing only a few remaining. “We aren’t going to win like this…”

They entered Ignihyde, seeing the others recovering. Riddle, their best bet, was still out cold.

“Lilia, what do we do…” Kalim asked, only suffering minor scratches.

“We can’t just let them rampage on, but even with all of us trying to stop them…” Lilia said before lowering his head. “We can’t do anything…”

Silver sat by Malleus’ side, unbelieving Sebek would willingly hurt him. It had to be the blot controlling him.

“I’m still going to try! They’re still so young!” Kalim said, running out of Ignihyde.

He immediately stopped, seeing the five of them huddled together. He poised to fight only to see they were tightly clinging to Jack who was slowly transforming back into his half human form.

“Hey! You five!” Kalim shouted, attempting to run over to them only to be stopped. “Did you put some wall around yourselves!?”

They fell on top of each other, Jack having transformed back.

“So this is how we leave the world huh…?” Ace mumbled, weakly reaching for Epel’s and Deuce’s hands.

“It was fun until the end.”

“I’m glad I got to meet great guys like you…”

“Yeah… me too…”

“I want to meet again in our next life…”

“Hey, don’t say such depressing things! Let us save you!” Kalim cried out, seeing the wall faded.

“How sad… we never got to say goodbye to Agony…” Epel whispered, feeling darkness calling him even louder than before.

“Yeah…”

Kalim shook them, telling them not to close their eyes. They huddled together one last time, the last of their life force drained.

Agony swayed in the wind, it’s gradient white and pink petals now green, red, orange and purple.


	268. Treins: What’s life without a little chaos?

“Behave yourselves.”

“Yes father.”

“Zei, look out after your brother.”

“Yes, father.”

Lucius meowed, knowing well enough his children would disobey him. They waved to Lucius who turned away in disgust.

“So, where do you wanna go first, Tai?”

“Hm, I think I saw people way out there in the field. Why not start there, Zei?”

Students were practicing their flying when two people suddenly showed up on the field grounds.

“My least favorite two. Zei and Tai.” said Vargas, shaking his head. “It must be that time of year again…”

“You sound so displeased to see us.” Zei said, feigning sadness. “Is it because we tricked you into thinking eating grass only protein shakes made you buffer?”

“I thought we agreed not to talk about that.” Vargas said, clearing his throat.

Tai summoned a broom, heading up to join the students.

“Well look at you. Learning how to fly properly huh?” Tai said before purposefully bumping into them. “If you nearly fall from a slight bump, you’ve got a long way to go little guy.”

“Tai, stop messing with my students. You’re grown for pete’s sake.”

“Eh, you’re no fun Ashton.” Tai whined, bumping more students.

Tai lowered himself enough for Zei to hop on. They waved to Ashton, knocking a few students off their brooms before flying away.

“Ashton is always such a buzzkill.” Zei complained, leaning back against Tai.

“Right? We just wanna have a little fun. Though, it was rather mean…” Tai agreed, looking back at Zei.

They landed outside the main building. Tai made the broom disappear, following after his brother. Tai simply laughed along with Zei as he messed with students. He joined in a few times, wanting to make his brother proud.

“Oh god. It’s you two. Don’t you have jobs?”

“Divus! It’s been so long~”

“Please don’t touch me, Zei. You’re nothing but trouble.” Divus grumbled, looking at Tai. “The lesser of two evils is here too.”

“Hello.” Tai said, rather fond of Divus.

“Hm, you aren’t as loud as your brother. Speaking of which, seems he took off.”

“That’s okay. I wanted to talk to you.” Tai said, clasping his hands behind his back.

“What for?”

“I’ve always wanted to pick your brain about alchemy stuff.” Tai said, an invisible tail wagging behind him.

“Tai! Ugh, there you are. Come on, let’s not waste time with alchemy freak.” Zei said, dragging Tai along.

Divus shook his head before walking away. Tai frowned slightly before smiling again. He really did want to sit down and chat with Divus, but it seemed like that’d have to wait until a personal visit.

•

The bell dismissed the class, Mozus gathering his things to head for his last class.

“Father~” Zei whined, Tai following behind.

“I’ve heard nothing but complaints from the teachers. You’re adults now, can’t you behave?” Mozus fussed, slapping them on the head with his book.

“Ugh, it’s no fun being good.”

Tai remained quiet. Mozus looked at him, finding it unusual.

“What happened to Tai? He’s quiet.”

“Dunno. Anyway, are you almost done? I wanna blow this joint.” Zei complained, following Mozus out the room.

“One class left.”

Zei groaned with his entire body. There was one person they hadn’t bugged yet. Dire Crowley. Tai found himself being dragged again by Zei. Mozus sighed, wishing his sons were better behaved.

Crowley jumped, his door being swung open.

“Oh good god.” Crowley whispered.

“How’s our favorite headmaster? Hm?” Zei chuckled, hopping onto his desk and knocking stuff down in the process.

Tai did the same, knocking more things down.

“Still being useless?” Tai teased, turning to face Crowley.

“Useless? I do my fair share-”

“Please, you’re not fooling anyone. I often thought of replacing you as headmaster. But Pops won’t allow it, so, you’re safe bird man.”

“How many more students have you pushed your burdens on? Ten? Fifty?” Tai questioned, knocking Crowley’s hat off.

“You’re wrong one thinking i don’t do my job as headmaster.” Crowley said, picking up his hat.

“Right, and my dad isn’t aging.” Zei said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “So tell me something birdman. Why are you here?”

“I think you’ve both invaded my privacy-”

“Zei, look what I found!” Tai said, holding up pornos.

“AH! My stash!”

They played keep away, further embarrassing the headmaster.

“Oh! You’re into some weird stuff, dude!”

“Enough!”

They chuckled heartily, tossing it to him.

“How indecent of a headmaster you are.” Tai said, high fiving Zei.

“I swear one of these days I will have you menaces banned from school grounds!”

“Then don’t put your stash in such an obvious place” Zei laughed. “Let’s go, Tai.”

Tai followed his heart feeling a bit heavy.

“Let’s go grab a bite.” Zei said a bit softer than usual.

“Do you mean it or are we causing trouble again?”

“What do you think… idiot.” Zei said, pulling his brother closer.

Tai smiled softly, giving Zei a little hug. Zei looked away, a faint blush on his cheeks.

•

“I’m appalled by your behavior. I ask for one thing.”

“But father~ What’s life without a little chaos?” Zei said, shrugging his shoulders.

“I had fun as usual. Though, I would’ve liked to talk to Divus…” Tai said, smiling all the same.

“Honestly… You both make me look like a terrible parent.” Mozus fussed, Lucius meowing in agreement.

“Oh hush cat. You’re no better than us.” Zei hissed.

“Mreow!”

Tai laughed, listening to Zei bicker with Lucius.

“God I hope they don’t come next year.” Crowley said, watching them off.

“We all hope so.” the teachers said in unison.


	269. Ace: Skrrrrr… hide the body!

Ace often looked behind him, feeling as if someone was watching him. He picked up his pace, starting to fear for his life. He broke into a sprint, not stopping until he was safe in his room in Heartslabyul.

“Wait!”

Ace kept running. As if he’d wait for his attacker.

“Ace, please wait!”

He slowed down, starting to recognize the voice.

“Dorm leader?”

Riddle had a look on his face that he’s never seen before. He had to look away, afraid he’d blurt out “so cute” right in his face. Riddle was complete baby at the moment.

“Again, I want to thank you for helping save Idia… I don’t know what I would’ve done had she kissed him…” Riddle mumbled, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“I still can’t get over it. You and Idia senpai dating… No wonder you were so frantic to get inside.”

Riddle nervously laughed, looking away.

“But, that’s not the reason I’ve called out to you. I come seeking advice.”

“Advice? From me?” Ace questioned. Riddle nodded. “Are you sick?”

“Stop that.” Riddle hissed, swatting Ace’s hand away. “Your speech to Eliza… it felt like you’d have an answer to something I simply cannot solve.”

“I don’t like where this is going.” Ace said.

“Ace, what should I do? I want to tell Idia I want to spend more time together, but I don’t want him to think I dislike that he’s playing his games too much. Every time I try, I say something unnecessary…”

Riddle was asking him for love advice. He wasn’t sure how to feel at this moment. He could still vividly remember that night when they went to save Idia.

[Flashback]

Ace had finished saying his piece when the doors burst open, revealing the other three.

“Dorm-”

“Unhand Idia you delusional woman!” Riddle shouted angrily, his words laced with malice.

“D- Delusional!?”

Riddle had gone on ahead, completely unphased by the ghosts around him. Ace, Rook and Epel quickly backed him up, worried for his safety.

They had beaten all of the ghosts, everyone else focused on Eliza and her guard while Riddle ran to Idia’s side. Ace looked, watching Riddle free Idia before kissing him. His eyes widened more, seeing them falling back onto the floor and out of sight.

[Flashback - END]

He was the only one to notice at the time, so Riddle now often talked to him regarding their relationship.

“Well, why don’t you play games with him? It wouldn’t hurt to learn about his hobbies.” Ace said.

“I see… I never considered that…” Riddle muttered. “Thank you. I will try it out.”

Ace waved, still feeling confused and weirded out. He never thought Riddle would come to him for relationship advice, no, advice in general.

•

Ace found himself in Riddle’s company as they talked in private.

“And then it was all like poosh! Boom! Pew, pew, pew! Waaaahhh! Skrrrrr, crash!” Riddle said excitedly.

Ace was not understanding a single thing Riddle was saying. Riddle continued to imitate noises before smiling widely.

“Ace, you’re a genius! Thank you so much for your help.”

“Oh, uh… you’re welcome?”

“May I come to you again for more advice?”

“Uh…” Ace said, seeing Riddle looking at him with hopeful eyes. “Sure…”

“Thank you! You’re one of my favorites now.”

Ace watched Riddle walk, no, skip away in utter bliss. He wasn’t sure if he was talking to his tyrant dorm leader or a child who just discovered video games.

•

Ace sat down at a table when someone else joined him.

“Uh…”

They didn’t say anything, just watching him.

“Okay, this isn’t gonna work. What do you want with me?” Ace asked, watching his ears twitch.

“Eat then we’ll talk.”

“Then, could you not stare as if you’re going to eat me?”

Ace ate in silence, still uncomfortable. Of all people, what would he want with him? He went through a list in his mind as he finished up his meal.

They followed him as he threw out his trash, placing the tray with the others.

“Come with me.”

Ace followed, knowing better than to defy him. He realized they were heading for the gardens on campus. He had stopped walking before crouching down. Ace became startled, seeing a body lying on the floor.

“I’m not helping you hide the body!” Ace yelled.

He was held back and forced down onto the floor.

“You’re good with relationship stuff right?”

“Leona senpai, I don’t think now is-”

“I didn’t kill him! He’s just asleep.”

Ace looked, seeing Silver was asleep. It took a moment to register in his mind.

“YOU TWO ARE DATING!?!?” he shouted, having a hand clamped over his mouth.

“God, you’re just like that overgrown pup… Is it that surprising?” Leona muttered, stroking Silver’s hair.

“Yes.”

Leona pursed his lips before sighing.

“I don’t know what to do. He’s always falling asleep like this… I want to do romantic things with him like a date or something. But he just never stays awake long enough for it.” Leona said, his ears bending slightly. “What should I do?”

“Uh… well… why not search for ways to stay awake together?” Ace said. “That way you both can try together what could work and what wouldn’t.”

“Hm…”

Ace feared he’d lose his head.

“I’ll try it.”

Ace exhaled, feeling a bit safer. He still couldn’t get over the fact they were dating. With the way they acted in public, no one would’ve even thought about it.

•

Ace was walking down the hall before noticing something going on in the courtyard. He stopped to watch, seeing it was Leona and Silver. Silver seemed full of life and enjoying Leona’s company. Leona looked up, noticing his presence. Silver followed his gaze, the couple now waving to him.

Ace waved back, feeling a bit happy. They looked like they were having fun together. A small smile formed on his face before he kept walking. Hopefully that was the end of relationship advice giving.

Ace had reached Sam’s shop, seeing someone walking out.

“Oh, Ace.”

“Hello, Jamil senpai.”

It looked like he had more to say.

“Are you busy right now?” Jamil asked.

“I’m not carrying bags.”

“It’s nothing like that. I’d just like you to walk with me.”

It seemed fishy, but he agreed nonetheless. It really seemed like Jamil was holding something back the longer they walked.

“Senpai, what is it?”

“Well, Trey and I are having issues.”

“Here we go again…”

“I’d just like you to hear me out. So, Trey and I were baking together and Cater had come in being his usual annoying self. Cater was getting awful close with Trey and Trey didn’t even pull away from him, so naturally I got upset. I ruined the pastries before storming out and we’ve been fighting for a few days now…” Jamil explained, seeing they were nearing the Scarabia kitchen. “I didn’t intend to bring you here but, as an apology I’ll make you something.”

“Nah, it’s fine. But, did you tell him why you were upset?”

“Yes, but he doesn’t get it.”

“Did you tell him or did you do that ‘you know what you did’ kind of shit?” Ace asked.

Jamil kept silent. So it was the latter.

“You can’t keep it bottled in and expect Trey to understand. Sure he’s a sharp guy, but even sharp people need to be told straight up. And ask him why he did what he did. Stay as rational as possible but also do what feels right.”

“I had heard you were good at giving relationship advice and intended to seek you out earlier, but I figured I could solve things on my own. Which is clearly not working…”

Ace ended up helping Jamil put his purchases away and leaving with a meal. Now he knew why Trey seemed easily angered these days.

Ace had returned to Heartslabyul, not expecting Trey to drag him to his room. Trey wasn’t given a chance to speak as his phone rang.

“Hey. Right now? But- Important…? Alright.” said Trey before hanging up. “I’ll be back. Jamil wants to talk.”

Ace waved before making his way out. Here was to hoping they made up.

•

Ace was passing by Sam’s when he saw Trey and Jamil interacting as usual. It was safe to assume they made up. Jamil spotted him, waving and shouting his thanks. Trey did the same, holding Jamil by his waist. Ace waved back, a smile on his face.

It didn’t feel so bad, helping them out with their problems. It felt like he had done right in the world. He couldn’t help but wonder if another couple would come to him for help one day.


	270. Azul x Kalim: Was it all in my head…?

Kalim happily cheered, swinging everyone around in glee.

“Kalim, stop. You’re being too much.”

“Aw, don’t be such a downer, Jamil! Today’s a beautiful day to be alive!”

“I wish you’d perish.” Jamil thought, walking to the main building with Kalim.

“I thought I heard a squeaky toy and a depressed poet.” a voice said from behind them.

“Azul! Good morning~!” Kalim said, swinging him around.

Azul’s face heated up at Kalim’s touch. He pulled away, feeling weird.

“So, have you decided yet?” Azul asked, his face cooling down.

“Hm… nope! May I have more time?”

“Yes but, do know there may be others.”

Kalim nodded before running off, Jamil quickly following. He never understood how Jamil could stand being near the sun 24/7. Though, he wouldn’t mind being near him. Wait, what was he saying? He shook his head, heading towards the main building himself.

Jamil looked up, seeing Azul entering the classroom. They sat in silence before Jamil spoke up.

“Why are you still holding on? Usually you’d have stuff like that sold already.” Jamil said without looking at him.

“Kalim’s rich. He could probably offer more than what the others are asking. But they’re getting antsy so he needs to make a decision quick.” Azul replied, his eyes on his own work.

Silence fell over them again as they listened to Trein explain the first war in Twisted Wonderland.

“Has it ever crossed your mind that he’s holding out because he wants an excuse to talk to you?” Jamil whispered, seeing he didn’t have to write anymore.

Azul’s cheeks heated up.

“If that’s true then maybe I should sell to someone else. I really don’t want to bother with someone troublesome like Kalim.”

“Good call. I’ll make sure to tell him.”

Azul silently thought as he tuned Trein out. Deciding to sell to someone else meant no more Kalim. It was a blessing but why was it feeling like a curse? Kalim is much too wild to handle. He’s always changing his mind and asking for an extension. It’s become too much.

Azul needed to stop this. This was bad business.

“Azul!”

“Hey, Azul, what’s this all about?”

“Azul~ Come to my banquet!”

“Hey! Hey! Study with me, Azul.”

“Azul~! Good morning!”

Azul pushed the thoughts away, becoming irritated. He was so air headed and stupid. Yet it made him charming. No, it did not make him charming. Cute then? No, not cute. He didn’t understand what his mind was trying to get at.

•

Azul sighed, earning a look from Jamil.

“As much as I don’t want to interact with you… What’s the problem?” Jamil asked.

“Showing concern for me? That’s new.”

“It’ll be troublesome if I were to lose a competent partner like you. I’m just trying to be nicer is all. Creating bonds and whatnot.”

“Well, I appreciate it but I don’t need it. I’m just having an off day.”

“Really? You seem just fine to me.”

“I’m having weird thoughts and I’ve been tirelessly pushing them away and suppressing them. Must I suffer like this?” Azul explained, shaking his head.

“What are the thoughts y-”

“Jamil!”

Azul watched as Jamil was tackled from behind and sent face first into the floor. He wanted that. NO. He did not want that. Absolutely not. Jamil seriously looked like he was hurting.

“Hey, hey, Jamil! What’s for lunch?” Kalim asked, finally getting off his back.

Azul watched them walk off without him. He knew they always ate together. Why was he hoping for more? He couldn’t understand what he was feeling. It was about the contract. It HAD to be about the contact.

Azul turned on his heel, taking another path to the cafeteria.

“Azie!”

He quickly turned around, seeing no one. Yet it sounded like Kalim had called out to him. He was losing his mind.

“Azul? You okay?”

Azul looked up, still covering his ears in his crouched position.

“Why aren’t you with Jamil?”

“I wanted to invite you to eat with us! Jamil always makes a lot.” Kalim smiled.

“I suppose I shouldn’t turn down a chance to enjoy traditional Hot Sands food. It’ll give me inspiration for Mostro’s menu.” Azul said, standing up.

“If it helps!” Kalim laughed, his eyes closed.

Idiot. He was so simple.

The three of them sat together, Azul sitting across from them. He kept his eyes on his food, not wanting to watch Jamil feeding Kalim and wiping Kalim’s mouth. It was irritating him. He quickly finished his portion, thanked them and got up to leave.

“Wait! Don’t go!”

Azul looked back, both him and Jamil looking at Kalim. Kalim’s eyes darted around some before he thought of something.

“Sweets! You haven’t had any!”

“Kalim there-”

Kalim silenced Jamil, having Azul sit back down. He used magic behind his back, creating candies.

“Here!”

“These are just sweets you can buy at a corner store though…” Azul commented, taking one nonetheless. “Thanks. I’ll get going.”

“Wait!”

“Again…?”

“Uh, the contract! You want to discuss it right?” Kalim said quickly. “I’ll pay anything. Name your price!”

“Kalim-”

Jamil was silenced once more

“Kalim, maybe you should think more reasonably with the contract. Naturally I’d ask for a ridiculous sum of money, but how would your parents react if so much was spent on so little?” Azul said, unintentionally buying more time.

“Then let’s talk and walk.”

“But-”

Kalim had gotten up, walking away with him. Azul’s face was burning. Burning with anticipation of course. As if it’d be burning for other reasons. Kalim wasn’t saying anything. Didn’t he want to discuss?

“Azul…”

Azul stopped walking, drinking Kalim’s innocent face in. His cheeks were red and his heart was racing. It’s about the contact, the contact! No matter how much he tried convincing himself, the reason was literally staring him in the face.

“You know what, I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Azul wrote down his price before speed walking away.

“The exchange happens tomorrow!”

Kalim held the note, watching Azul leave.

•

Azul drummed his fingers against his desk, waiting for Kalim. He was running late.

“Floyd.”

“Yeah?”

“Go find Kalim and bring him here.”

“‘Kay~”

It was no longer necessary as Kalim had shown up.

“Finally. What took you so long? I told you a specific time and-”

“Here!”

Azul took the check, having Jade check it. He deemed it real before going off to deposit it.

“Floyd, the bag.”

Floyd gave Kalim the goods.

“It was great doing business with you.”

“A-”

Azul quickly left, Floyd following behind. It was done and over with. Now he could stop thinking about him. They had nothing to do with each other.

•

“Azul-”

Azul walked past him, ignoring his presence. Jamil had come out the mirror, seeing Kalim looked deflated. He liked this Kalim. He took note that he wasn’t doing his usual things.

“Kalim? Is something bothering you?”

“Huh? Of course not! Happy morning!”

It all sounded forced. Though, he didn’t really care. Sad Kalim was his favorite.

•

Azul exited the classroom with Jamil, them not expecting to see Kalim waiting for them.

“Azul-”

Ignored. Jamil stifled his laughter, watching Kalim make a depressed look. If he didn’t like Azul before, he sure did now.

Kalim went after Azul, only to have a book shoved in his face. Jamil snorted, going after Kalim to check on him.

“Jamil…”

“Hm?”

“Am I… a bother?”

“Definitely. Not at all.” Jamil replied. “You’ve sealed the deal so why are you still approaching him? You aren’t friends.”

“Ah, I suppose…”

Jamil watched Kalim drag his feet along. It’s only been a few days since their deal. Kalim would recover, right? He’s a literal ball of energy.

•

“Kalim, you’ve got to get ready. There’s a lot of work to be done.” Jamil said, the weekend having come.

No response. He sighed, taking out his key copy. He unlocked the door, seeing the room was dark. Kalim had covered the open windows. Jamil made them disappear, approaching the hunched over figure on Kalim’s bed.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re acting like everyone in the world hates you.” Jamil said, nudging Kalim’s body. He stopped, hearing faint sobbing. “As much as I’d be relishing in his pain and suffering… Kalim?”

“Does he hate me…? Did I not give him enough…?”

“Kalim, what are you going on about?”

“What did I do wrong…? Was he only being nice for my money…? Was it all in my head…?”

Jamil pulled Kalim’s hands away from his face, seeing his eyes were red and puffy. Tear stains, fresh tears, dried snot and fresh snot coated his face. He was taking this way too personally.

“Kalim, Azul is a businessman. Whatever delusion you had is merely a delusion. He only wanted your money. He played nice to get you to give more.”

“Shut up! It’s not a delusion!” Kalim shouted, crying harder.

Just how stupid was he?

“Kalim, listen. Azul is never going to like you. Stop crying over him, he’s not worth your tears.”

Kalim hid underneath his covers. He needed to get things straight, otherwise Kalim wouldn’t work. So he called Azul, seeking answers.

“Hello?”

“I know it’s none of my business, but what do you think of Kalim?”

It was silent on the other end for a while.

“An idiotic air head with a rich background. Someone only worth getting involved with for his money.” Azul said, unknowingly shattering Kalim’s heart into unfixable pieces. “Though, you can’t deny his sunny personality is infectious at times. His ability to see the best in everything and everyone is quite astounding.”

“I see. Do you think he could ever lose that sunny personality because of one person?” Jamil questioned.

“Of course not. He’s too dumb for that.”

Another stab.

“But they say idiots don’t die so… guess it’s not so bad being one.”

Half a stab.

“But if he did, then it’s his fault for creating whatever delusion he had towards them. Though, it’s not like he can’t just ask them how they feel towards him or whatever.”

“Right, right.” said Jamil, pulling back the covers. “So, why not ask him, Kalim?”

“Huh?”

“A- Azul… did you really mean all of that…?” Kalim asked hoarsely.

Silence. They waited for his response.

“Yes. You are a rich, air headed idiot. You are too dumb to lose that sunny personality.” Azul said. “Why do you sound so hoarse?”

“This guy here was crying about you. Talking about you hating him and wanting him for his money. It’s true, right?”

“The money part, yes. I have no reason to hate him.” Azul spoke. “Kalim, I don’t know why you’re crying over me. We aren’t dating, we aren’t friends, we aren’t really anything. So… stop.”

Kalim had started crying again. Azul excused himself, moving far from his phone. He allowed himself to cry, hating everything he had said. Kalim had heard everything, so it wasn’t like he could play it off. He had to go with it. He didn’t want to push him away. He really didn’t, but this was how things ended up.

“It’s too late to say anything…” Azul whispered, wiping his cheeks. “I’m the idiot here…”

“Azul? You there? Well, whether you are or aren’t, just thought you should know Kalim is heading to Octavinelle and I couldn’t do a thing to stop him.” Jamil said before hanging up.

Azul wiped his eyes, his mind registering his words. He made sure his door was locked. Why was he coming over, especially after everything he said?

“Azul!”

Kalim was banging on his door.

“Azul! Tell me it isn’t true! You don’t mean what you said, right?” Kalim wept, continuing to bang against the door. “You said you don’t hate me…!”

“My, my. Who’s making all this racket?”

“Jade! You’ve gotta help me!”

“Hm? What for?”

“I need to get in there.” he said, pointing to Azul’s door.

“Ah. I see.”

Azul perked up, hearing his door being unlocked and opened. He wasn’t given much time to react as Kalim had thrown himself on him. He was surprisingly strong, keeping him pinned down.

“Tell me the truth… Please…”

Azul closed his eyes, not wanting to look into Kalim’s. He’d break if he did.

“Azul…”

He sounded so hurt and pained. He could tell him now, everything he’s been feeling. But what difference would it make? Kalim didn’t feel that way about him.

“Those things I said… I did mean it… but… I also like you…” Azul confessed, keeping his eyes closed. “I avoided you because of that.”

Silence. He wasn’t surprised.

“So, now-” Azul spoke, only to feel a tongue entering his mouth.

He opened his eyes, seeing Kalim was kissing him. He kissed him back, letting himself enjoy the moment while it lasted. He wasn’t going to get another chance. Their kiss was getting hot and heavy, Kalim greedily wanting more and more.

“Hey, Kalim-”

“Shut up.”

Azul felt Kalim sit on top of him, kissing him even more. He was getting turned on, surprisingly liking this dominating side of Kalim.


	271. Vanrouges: Power of Paternal Love

Lilia turned off the lights, Silver finally having fallen asleep. It was hard being a parent but not once did he regret anything he’s done.

“Someone’s all smiles. Did a little human tell you he loved you?”

“Oh hush. Don’t you have important work to do little dragon?” Lilia teased, poking Malleus’ stomach.

“Not really. That’s why I came to see you.”

“How touching. What can this aged man do for you?” Lilia asked, walking away from Silver’s room.

Silver slept peacefully, his father and Malleus having long since left. He enjoyed his pleasant action adventure dream, traveling the world with his father.

Boom!

Silver groaned, his sleeping state wavering. He snuggled more under his sheets, the dream resuming.

Boom! Crash!

Silver sat up, looking around. It was dark and he was hearing scary sounds. He started to bawl, fearing his life was in danger.

“And so-” Lilia said before getting a feeling.

“Lilia?”

Lilia jumped out of his seat, running down the stairs. He opted to riding the banisters, finding it faster. He could hear it.

“Silver!”

Silver continued to cry, unaware of the door opening.

“Silver…”

Silver clung to Lilia, crying his eyes out.

“It’s okay, Daddy’s here… You don’t have to fear anymore…”

Silver quieted some, still feeling uneasy. Lilia sat down in the nearby chair, singing to him softly. Silver had stopped crying, only whimpers leaving his mouth.

“It’s gonna be okay… Daddy will always be here for you.” Lilia whispered, rubbing Silver’s back before continuing to sing.

The door opened, Malleus having gotten curious as to why Lilia ran.

“He woke up?”

Lilia nodded, seeing Silver had gone quiet. He chuckled a bit, seeing he was trying to stay awake.

“Join me?”

“Sure.”

Silver’s eyes could barely stay open, listening to them singing to him. His eyes finally closed, his body giving in. Lilia looked, seeing Silver was relaxed. They sang a bit more before seeing Sikver was in deep sleep.

“I love you, Silver…” Lilia whispered, kissing Silver’s forehead. “I’ll always protect you…”

Lilia held him close, wanting him to feel safe. Silver leaned more into him, his small hands pressing against his chest. He truly regretted nothing.


	272. Dimitri x Idia: Touch his six pack

“You’re… You’re going outside? Like, beyond school grounds!?” Ortho exclaimed, watching Idia getting dressed. “This is amazing!”

“It’s nothing special. I’m only going because he bought games for me and it’d be a pain to mail. And we go to school near each other so, why not finally meet?”

Ortho was crying. His brother was finally going outside. This was the best day of his life. Idia checked his mental checklist, making sure he had everything. He waved to Ortho who was still crying.

•

Idia kept his hood up, pressing himself against a wall. He really didn’t like being in public like this. He constantly checked his phone, feeling extremely self conscious. Crimson Muscle had described his outfit, so he made sure to keep an eye out for it.

“Blue Diamond?”

Idia looked up, seeing a ginger haired guy looking at him, wearing the outfit Crimson Muscke described. He was rather beefy. This couldn’t be him… right? But only gamers knew him as Blue Diamond and no one could tell who he was unless he told them.

“Crimson Muscle…?”

“That’s me! Which means you’re Blue Diamond.” he chuckled, placing a hand on Idia’s shoulder. “My name’s Dimitri Atheus! What’s yours?”

“Idia… Shroud.” he replied. He couldn’t get over the fact that he was buff. He looked like a jock. Jocks don’t play video games. “Are you really… my online bestie?”

“Is it that surprising that I play video games?” he asked, his eyes full of innocence.

“You’re a jock aren’t you? Jocks don’t do video games.” Idia said, very confused.

“Ah, it’s… it’s something I feel embarrassed about… Everyone sees me as the popular, carefree jock but I really enjoy them.” Dimitri said, scratching his cheek. “It’s a great escape from reality, you know? Sometimes I don’t wanna be the jock guy. Sometimes I just want to be a nerdy weeb.”

Idia couldn’t hold back his laughter. Dimitri laughed with him, seeing how it could be funny. He then remembered the games.

“Right, the reason for the meet up.” said Dimitri, pulling a bag out of his bag. “The games I promised.”

“Ah, thanks.” Idia said, taking the bag.

Silence hung between them.

“So, goodbye?” Dimitri said, looking behind him.

“I guess?”

Neither moved.

“Maybe we could get drinks? Since we might not see each other again? ‘Cause you know… you like staying in your room.” Dimitri suggested.

“I guess.” Idia responded, handing him back the games. “Better you hold onto them since we’ll still be out. And you’re going to have to take the lead. I don’t go out…”

“It’ll be my pleasure, haha!”

Despite how jock he looked, Dimitri wasn’t all that bad. Maybe he would be the first jock he could tolerate. They easily fell into talking about games and game mechanics. It was pretty easy to forget Dimitri’s initial look, listening to how he geeked out. It was… cute.

They both ordered drinks, surprised to see they enjoy the same thing.

“Since we’re on the topic, what kind of snacks do you like?” Dimitri asked.

“Uh, I really love candy. Like, I will wrestle someone for candy.” Idia said, earning laughter from Dimitri.

“I like that kind of drive! Candy’s nice. Anything else?”

Idia started to list snacks, unaware of Dimitri paying for their drinks. Surprisingly, Dimitri liked the same things. Who was this guy and where had he been all his life? He took the drink Dimitri offered him before realizing he didn’t pay.

“Don’t worry, I paid for us. So, where do you go to school?”

“Night Raven. Everyone’s heard of it.”

“Wow, from our rival school huh? I’m studying at Royal Sword.”

Idia’s eyes widened. No way.

“Eh, well, I’m not like the rest. I couldn’t care less about that stupid rivalry thing. I don’t like physical sports, no, doing anything physical in general. I don’t get how people like it.” Idia said with a sigh. “Sorry if I offended you.”

“No worries. It’s not for everyone. I know a few guys who are the absolute worst!” Dimitri chuckled, aimlessly walking around with Idia. “So, any place you wanna go? I’m sure we can find it.”

“I just wanna game really. But I also want to sleep. But I wanna game more than anything.” Idia said, finishing his drink. “Ah, that sounds like I want to go back to my room. Which I do, but not because of you. I’m just… a mess.”

“A cute mess, haha.”

“C- Cute!?”

Dimitri laughed more, seeing Idia go red in the face. Idia became a stuttering mess as Dimitri led him to different places.

•

Idia quietly sat with his head in his hands as he traveled back to Night Raven. He was blushing the rest of the time they spent together.

“A cute mess.”

“How adorable, haha!”

“Your game face is sexy you know.”

Idia turned even redder, remembering his words. This wasn’t what he expected to happen. He couldn’t stop blushing nor thinking about it. Was he seriously falling for a jock? Just like in those animes? Will they go on a angsts journey before reaching the end where they finally get together? Or was it like a visual novel and there were certain choices he’d have to make to get to best ending?

Idia dragged himself back to Ignihyde, somehow extremely tired despite doing a bit of walking.

“Big brother! How was-” Ortho asked, only to see Idia climb into bed. “Ah…”

Ortho picked up the bag he dropped, seeing the various games. Were they not the ones he was hoping for? Did Crimson Muscle say something terrible to him?

“I’ll be here if you want to talk.” Ortho said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

•

Idia’s eyes fluttered open. He had slept the rest of the day. He stretched out, seeing Ortho having put himself on sleep mode. He had dreamt of Dimitri. They had gone on a date together and Dimitri had protected him from some thugs. They continued their date and he had rewarded him with… Idia frantically shook his head, his face becoming red again. It was too embarrassing. He couldn’t believe how visual novel like the dream was.

“Big brother? Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask now?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“What was Crimson Muscle like? Were they cool?”

“Tall, ginger haired guy. Looks like a jock, really carefree. Very cute and-”

“Very cute?” Ortho questioned.

Idia shot up, staring at Ortho.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“But you-”

“I didn’t say anything about how cute he was and how I want to touch his six pack.”

Ortho was even more confused now as Idia covered his mouth.

“Big brother…”

“I didn’t say anything! I didn’t say he was good looking and I want to make out with him!”

Ortho shook his head, seeing Idia needed space. Idia hid underneath his covers, screaming at the top of his lungs.

•

“Hey, Dimitri.”

“Yo! What’s up, Lepus?”

“Was just curious as to how things worked out for you since you asked for some advice.”

“Hm… I think it went well? He seemed happy.”

“That’s good. Are you planning to see him again?”

Dimitri hummed as they walked down the stairs together.

“I wouldn’t mind. He’s really cute when he stutters, haha! I have pictures of him blushing too.”

Lepus hopped onto Dimitri’s back, looking over his shoulder at the photos. They really were cute. If it wasn’t for Dimitri’s interest in him, he’d take a chance.

“So, do you like him?”

“I’ve always liked him.”

“I meant romantically. You turn into a meathead at all the wrong times.” Lepus sighed, patting his head.

“I know what you meant. I’ve always liked him and wanted to meet him. I’m glad I got a chance to. He wasn’t like I imagined, but I like his real face too.”

“Aw, Dimitri.” Lepus cooed, his ears flopping in delight.

Dimitri smiled with his eyes, hoping Idia would want to meet again.


	273. Light Music Club: Techno pop

Lilia entered the room, seeing his club mates doing anything but what the light music club was for.

“Lily, hey!” Cater said.

“You aren’t allowed to call me that.” Lilia said, taking a seat next to Kalim.

“Harsh…” Cater whispered, going back to scrolling on Magicam.

They sat in silence, doing their own thing.

“Hey, I’d like to ask you all something.”

They looked, wondering what Lilia had to say.

“Meet me in the hall of mirrors tonight. I’ve got something cool planned.”

“What is it?” Kalim asked.

“It’s a secret. Fufu~”

“Eh, don’t keep secrets Lil- Lilia.” Cater said.

“Well, I’ll give you a little spoiler. We’ll be dorm hopping.”

“Ah! I’m in!” Kalim cheered.

“Might get some good pics for Magicam. I’m in too!”

“Wonderful. Meet me in the hall of mirrors at 10.”

They high fived, eagerly awaiting night.

•

“Where are you going?”

Kalim froze, slowly turning around. He could’ve swore Jamil was settling down for the night. He had to quickly think of a good lie.

“I was going to make rounds! Make sure everyone’s in their rooms, haha.”

“You doing rounds? Don’t make me laugh.”

“I want to be a good dorm leader okay!?” Kalim huffed, puffing out his cheeks.

“Fine, fine. Do as you wish.” Jamil said, heading back to his room.

Kalim waited until he went inside before taking off. He couldn’t wait to find out what Lilia had planned. It’s been a while since he’s had an adventure.

Cater left his room, only to run into Riddle not long after.

“I’ve got a good reason to be up this late and not in my room.”

“Oh? And that is?” Riddle asked, crossing his arms.

“Bathroom.”

“I suppose… I’ll escort you.”

“No! I mean, you don’t have to. I’m older than you, Riddle~”

“It’s my job as dorm leader to make sure everyone is in their rooms at the appropriate time.”

“Riddle~! Just let me wazz by myself.” Cater whined.

Riddle silently mulled it over. He finally agreed, going on ahead.

“I’ll be coming back by your room to make sure you’re in it.”

Crap. He couldn’t leave right away.

“Okay~ Looks like I might be a little late to the party…”

Lilia sat on a horde of bats, seeing Kalim entering the hall of mirrors. It was getting closer to their meetup time.

“I thought Cater would be here already.”

“I doubt it. He has to escape Riddle after all. We had it easier being dorm leader and vice.”

“True.”

It had soon become ten. Cater was a no show.

“Well, it looks like we’ll do it with us two. So-”

“Am I too late?”

They looked, seeing Cater huffing. They pulled him into a hug, glad that he could make it. Lilia explained everything, surprised to see they were all for it.

“Oh, we won’t go to Savanaclaw. They’re deep sleepers.” Lilia explained, having experience trying to bug a few Savanaclaw students once.

They hopped into Ignihyde first, curious as to how they’d all react. They quietly decided how music would be selected. Lilia suggested rock paper scissors, but Kalim provided a better way. Simply taking turns. They let Lilia start off, him being the ringleader of it all.

They didn’t know the lyrics, so they often echoed Lilia.

“Hm, it doesn’t seem- WAH!”

A drone had whizzed past before analyzing them.

“Loud source detected. Proceeding to remove from premises.”

“Run.” Cater said, the others following.

A horde of robots and drones chased after them, hell bent on removing them from the dorm. They split up, seeing it would make them harder to catch.

“Missed me!” Kalim teased before being caught by a drone in front of him. “Dang…”

Kalim sighed, being dragged out of the dorm. He caught a glimpse of Cater being dragged too. Was Lilia still on the run? He could still hear music playing with meant he was doing great.

“Removing from premises.”

Kalim and Cater found themselves being thrown through the mirror and landing back in the hall of mirrors. They tried getting back in, but it was blocked off.

“Well, which dorm was next?”

“Octavinelle.”

“Let’s get a head start then.”

They nodded before going into Octavinelle’s mirror.

•

Lilia grunted, finally being thrown out of Ignihyde.

“Seems they don’t appreciate good music.” Lilia grumbled before seeing Cater and Kalim jumping out a mirror. “Wh-”

They ran, something else coming out the mirror behind them.

“Holy shit… What did you do to piss them off?” Lilia shouted, laughing in delight.

The creature disappeared back into the mirror. Kalim and Cater poked their heads in, seeing they were safe.

“To get Octavinelle that mad… What did you do?” Lilia asked.

“Guess they aren’t techno pop fans.” Cater chuckled as he shrugged.

“So, Pomefiore?” Kalim asked.

They stepped in. They had only gotten to the front door when it suddenly opened, an unhappy Vil and a sleepy Rook awaited them.

“That recluse Idia was kind enough to warm us about you three idiots. Don’t you dare think you’re going to step foot in here and disturb my beauty sleep.” Vil threatened, a malicious look in his eye. “I won’t hesitate to curb stomp you all.”

“Vil, I know you’re cranky, but you don’t have to threaten them…” Rook yawned, placing a hand on Vil’s shoulder. “Just attack them.”

“E- Eh…?” Cater whispered.

“Sleepy Rook is dangerous Rook…” Kalim squeaked, taking a few steps back.

“Are you two going to be cowards?” Lilia whispered before a chilling feeling went up his spine. “I think we’ll take our leave.”

“You made a smart choice. God, this is going to be awful for my skin…” Vil complained, closing the door.

“I wonder if he really was going to curb stomp us…” Cater muttered, shuddering at the thought.

“Took looked so innocent yet spoke so… scary.” Kalim shook, still getting chills.

“Maybe we should’ve gone to Pomefiore first…”

“Lilia, I think the outcome would’ve been the same except we’d be getting fussed at inside…” Cater laughed weakly, imagining horrid scenarios.

•

Cater stayed outside the dorm, knowing he’d get into serious trouble if Riddle learned he snuck out. He quietly cheered the others on, watching through his phone as he kept his camera covered.

“Who is making all of the racket!?”

“Uh oh, Riddle’s awake. Hide!”

“Turn off the music!”

Cater quietly watched as Lilia and Kalim hid.

“You can’t hide from me. Show yourself so I can off your head!”

“Riddle, why are you being so loud…?”

“Trey, we have some bad apples disturbing our peace of sleep. Help me find them.”

“As vice, I don’t really have much of a choice.”

Kalim and Lilia had left their hiding spot before blasting music again.

“Over there!”

Cater wished he could be part of the action. He could see lights being turn on within the dorm. Were they really waking people up?

“STOP RIGHT THERE!”

He didn’t have to see Riddle to know his face was probably red at this point.

“Riddle, calm-”

“Calm down? Calm down!? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN TWO STUDENTS FROM OTHER DORMS ARE DISTURBING OUR PEACE AND BREAKING A RULE!?”

“Wow… Riddle’s so mad I can hear him perfectly…” Cater chuckled, feeling a bit sorry for Riddle.

Cater looked up from his hiding spot, seeing Lilia and Kalim running out in glee. Trey held Riddle back, pulling him back inside before he did something irreversible. Cater caught up with them, the trio high fiving.

“I’m just thinking of this now but, where will we sleep once we’re thrown out of our own dorms? Well, me and you, Lilia. Cater can still go back.” Kalim asked.

“I know it’s not the best, but we can stay in the abandoned one until everyone likes us again.”

“So… a month maybe?”

“Sounds about right.”

“Hey, I wanna sleep there too!” Cater whined.

“But why? Riddle doesn’t know that you were a part of it.” Lilia said.

“Bonding experience you know? Don’t wanna miss out on that.”

Lilia didn’t say anything else, leading them into the next dorm.


	274. Ace x ???: I’m a man of my word…

Ace entered Heartslabyul only to find himself being dragged away by Riddle. He didn’t have to wonder what about. It was probably about Idia. Riddle closed the door behind them before having him sit.

“How are you?”

“Eh?”

He wasn’t expecting that. Riddle showing concern for his wellbeing felt weird. If he had to be honest with himself, he felt a bit envious towards Riddle and the others. Though, he was happy to see others happy.

“I didn’t ask anything strange.”

“Well, I’m okay? Just a bit tired and hungry.” Ace replied, rubbing his neck. “I was going to nap until you dragged me in here.”

“Ah, my apologies. I was just curious about your well being and… and umm… is there a favorite color you have?” Riddle asked, trying to get information.

“Red I suppose.”

“And favorite kind of tea?”

“Uh… that herbal stuff Trey always drinks at night?”

“So that’s how it is…” Riddle mumbled, getting up from his seat. “That’s all I wanted to say. I’ll let you go nap.”

Ace quietly left, wondering what all of that was about. He noticed Trey had passed by him, heading into the room he was just in. He didn’t think much of it, wanting to nap.

•

Ace woke up, seeing it was pretty late and everyone had gone to sleep. Now he was going to be at ungodly hours. He figured some tea would help.

Ace walked into the kitchen, not expecting to see Trey. He happened to be brewing tea.

“Trey senpai.”

“Oh, you’re up late. Cramming for a test?” Trey teased, automatically taking out another cup for Ace.

“Nah. I’m trying out that thing you and Riddle do to pass tests.” Ace said, him and Trey chuckling. “So, nothing to say about your relationship?”

“Do you want to hear about it?” Trey questioned, handing Ace a cup of tea.

“It wouldn’t hurt.” he replied, enjoying the tea. “Wow, this is really good…”

“Jamil helped me perfect it. They’re really big on tea in Hot Sands surprisingly.”

“I never would’ve guessed…”

“Mhmm. We created a new dessert recipe a few days ago. We plan to make it tomorrow so, would you like-”

“YES! I volunteer as tribute!”

Trey chuckled, loving the excited look on Ace’s face. He quieted down, giving him a serious look. Ace tilted his head, wondering what was up.

“Do you sometimes think about how nice it’d be to be in a relationship like Riddle and I?” Trey questioned. “You can be honest with me.”

Ace refilled his cup, taking a sip before answering.

“Just a little. I’m not envious or anything, haha. Just would feel nice to have someone I can lean on. Friends can only do so much, you know?” Ace said with a small smile. “But I’m not unhappy. I like what I’m doing, seeing you all happy and closer than ever…”

Trey noticed Ace’s hands gripping his cup tighter than necessary.

“Thanks for the tea, senpai. I think I can fall asleep now.” Ace said, leaving the rest of his second cup of tea untouched.

“Goodnight…”

•

Ace yawned, still tired from not getting enough sleep. He couldn’t help but notice people weren’t coming to him for advice like they used to. Was this the end of his love guru days? The thought of it was sad, but fulfilling.

“Hey, Ace. Got a minute?”

“Silver senpai? I mean, sure I guess…”

Ace followed Silver, wondering what he had to say.

“Leona and I are really grateful for everything you’ve done for us. Especially the part when he was in heat.” Silver said, smiling sweetly.

“That one was merely made up of guessing…”

“But it worked.”

He couldn’t deny that. Was that what he wanted to tell him?

“I’m sure everyone you’ve helped is grateful for what you’ve done for them. To think word had spread to our rival school too.”

“I wasn’t really expecting to get so much attention…” Ace mumbled.

“Is there anything you’d like? Leona and I want to give you our appreciation.”

“You don’t have to! Your happiness is enough.” Ace said, smiling. “Being happy together is enough for me…”

“Are you sure?”

Ace nodded, seeing Silver was backing off. It wasn’t like he willingly became a love guru. It just happened.

“May I ask something?”

“Yeah.”

“I know it’s none of my business but, are you into people older than you?” Silver asked, catching Ace off guard.

“I don’t really care too much about age. As long as we get along and properly love each other…” Ace said before looking at Silver. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious about the love guru’s ideal type.”

Silver had said his goodbyes, leaving Ace in a state of confusion. Why were people suddenly asking him about relationship stuff? There was no one on campus that suited his tastes.

•

Ace reread Trey’s text. He couldn’t wait to try the new dessert. He was already salivating from how sweet it probably was. Would they let him take some back to Heartslabyul? Ace entered the cafeteria, Trey and Kalim having asked permission to use it. He felt someone bump into him.

“Hey!”

“Huh? Oh. You’re in the way.”

Ace bit his tongue, watching Vil walk away. The things he would’ve said if he didn’t hold back. He collected himself before seeing Vil was heading for the kitchen. He hurried over, curious as to what Vil was doing.

“Great! You both made it.” said Trey, helping Jamil add on the toppings.

“Both?” they said in unison before looking at each other.

“Yep. Have some of our creation.”

“This isn’t loaded with sugar is it? I’m trying to mind my health here.” Vil said, seeing the fruit coated in chocolate sauce.

“We promise it’s healthy.” Jamil said, encouraging them to eat.

Ace took a bite before feeling as if he was sent to heaven. It wasn’t overly sweet like most sweets and melted in your mouth before a burst of flavors came at you with full force.

“This is amazing!” Ace exclaimed, eating more.

“The kid is right. It’s not overpowering in taste like most sweets. Plus it doesn’t give you that heavy feeling.” said Vil, eating more.

“Kid!?”

“So Ace, helped anyone lately?” Trey asked, trying to get the ball rolling.

“No. I guess I’m done being the love guru. Was kinda fun while it lasted.” said Ace, placing his fork on the plate. “Thanks for the sweet though.”

“Hm? Do you have somewhere to be?” Jamil questioned.

“Well no, I just figured you three had your own plans.” Ace said.

“Vil has no plans.” Trey piped up.

“Trey, I always have plans. Staying this beautiful isn’t easy. Plus I have upcoming shoots. I can’t slack off on my modeling. He can find some grass to play in.”

“Stop treating me like I’m some five year old!” Ace hissed.

“I will when you grow up.”

“Are we sure about this…?” Jamil whispered, fearing they picked the wrong person.

“I’m getting worried too…” Trey whispered back, seeing Ace leaving. “Ah, there he goes…”

“What a child… He knows nothing of the real world. Anyway, thank you both of you for this treat. I won’t forget your kindness.”

Ace huffed, still peeved. How stuck up could someone get? Acting all high and mighty just because he was a successful model. It made him upset.

“You’re still here? Must be nice having free time.” Vil said, seeing Ace hanging out by a window.

“Must you always have something to say? Have you ever thought of shutting up?”

“It’s ugly carrots like you that need to know when to stay quiet and listen to your elders.”

“As if I’d listen to a guy wearing clown makeup.” Ace sneered.

“CLOWN MAKEUP!? Now you’ve crossed the line, Trappola!” Vil said loudly, towering over Ace.

“Wow, so you can turn red from anger. You and Riddle are alike in some ways.” Ace said before finding himself being pressed against the wall.

“I advise you to shut the fuck up before things get ugly real quick…” Vil warned, letting Ace go before walking away.

“Beauty tyrant!” Ace shouted before running.

Trey and Jamil watched Ace sprint down the hall as Vil followed hot on his heels.

“We made a big mistake… Let’s regroup.” Jamil said, quickly texting everyone.

•

“So that’s what happened…” Riddle muttered.

“I told you all but no one listens to the gamer.” Idia said, rubbing his face against Riddle’s back. “Ahh, so small and precious…”

They communicated with the students from RSA, getting their input. They turned, seeing two faces.

“Crewel and Sam…”

“We heard the plan didn’t work out. Honestly, what were you puppies thinking in selecting Schoenheit? That’s just asking for trouble.” Divus said, taking a seat with them.

“Why not someone simple like Deuce?” Dam questioned, taking residence on Divus’ lap.

“Can confirm that Deuce is in love with someone else but hasn’t confessed.” said Riddle.

“I can confidently back Riddle up.” Trey said.

They all quietly thought before an RSA student spoke up. They all started throwing ideas before settling with someone.

“Epel is perfect. Why didn’t we consider him first?” Silver said, relieved that they found someone else.

“The little guy has a lot guts, I’ll tell you that. He’s really tough too.” Leona said.

“And they’re both the same age.” Sam chimed in.

“And they’re already friends. Alright, let’s get this new plan in motion.” said Riddle, everyone nodding in agreement.

“Wait, what are we going to do about Vil?” Idia piped up.

“It was only that one day. They’re not going to talk to each other after that fiasco.” Jamil said, assuring Idia.

•

Ace was talking with friends when Riddle had asked him to meet him. It seemed he was having a relationship problem. Ace explained to his friends before hurrying to meet him.

Riddle paced around, wondering if this plan would work.

“Riddle senpai, you wanted to talk?”

“Ah, great timing, Epel. Do you mind helping me care for the horses? Silver and Sebek are much too busy helping out in Diasomnia and you’re the next best candidate for the job.”

“I’ll do my best.” Epel said, heading over to the stable.

Ace had arrived on the scene just as Epel had gone inside. Riddle explained there was no relationship problem, but he could use help caring for the horses. Ace was reluctant, but Riddle seemed like he really needed help.

Riddle have him a list, telling him he’d be following in after checking around. Ace entered the stable, seeing Epel brushing Vorpal.

“Oh, hey Epel.” Ace said, causing Epel to look at him.

“Hey Ace. What’s up?”

“Riddle asked for help. I’m not really good with animals so I’m a little worried.” Ace said, looking at the list. “But he gave me instructions so I guess I’ll be okay…”

They happily talked as they cared for the horses. Things were doing pretty well. Epel was definitely the better choice.

“O- Oi! Calm down!”

Epel looked, seeing Ace trying to calm the horse down. The horse escaped. Epel quickly led a horse out, going after the run away. Ace tried doing the same, causing another to run away. Ace made sure the others couldn’t escape before going after the second he had accidentally sent running. Riddle put his head in his hands.

“Hey! Stop running! It’s okay!” Ace shouted after the horse. It was getting dangerously close to where students roamed. “Please, stop!”

Ace panicked, seeing the horse about to trample a student.

“Watch out!!”

The student looked. Ace watched with wide eyes as the student grabbed hold of the horse, mounting it and gaining control. His awe had quickly faded, seeing them walk over while riding on the horse’s back.

“Can’t even catch a simple horse? What a rotten potato.”

“I was trying…” Ace muttered. “Thanks, Vil senpai.”

“I would hands the reigns over to you but seeing as how it was running, that wouldn’t be ideal. I’ll walk it back.”

Ace walked beside them, his head lowered. He got lucky. Had it been another student who didn’t know what to do…

“Nothing to say? Hm, you finally understand your place.”

“Oh shut it you geezer…”

“G- Geezer!? What a filthy mouth you have! Have you no manners? No respect?” Vil growled, seconds away from hitting him.

Ace kept quiet, seeing they were nearing the stables. Vil didn’t say anything else, getting off the horses back.

“Try not to scare her again. A different student might get trampled.” Vil said, handing the horse off to Ace.

“I know. It’s not like I did it on purpose…” Ace said, leading the horse back in.

“I was simply giving advice. You’re the one taking it as an accusation.” Vil said.

Epel had come back with the first runaway. It was after he had gotten the horse back in when he noticed Vil.

“Don’t bother. I was leaving.” said Vil, walking out.

Ace sighed, letting his head rest of the gate.

“What happened? Why was Vil here?”

Ace explained everything. He couldn’t deny how cool Vil looked gaining control of the horse. He did it with such ease too. Had he ridden horses before? Of course he had. He was Vil Schoenheit. Riddle reported the slight hiccup but saw things were proceeding as planned.

•

Ace whistled, pushing open the door to the restroom. He started doing his business when he heard a sound come from behind him. He quickly finished up, fearing for his life.

He debated whether to stay and wash his hands or get the hell out.

“Hello…?”

Ace looked, hearing a rather deep voice. Common sense would tell him not to respond.

“Hello.” Ace said, disguising his voice.

“Ah, someone’s finally here.” the voice said. Ace looked under the stall doors, not seeing anyone. “I’m in dire need here…”

“Need tissue…?”

“I wish. See… I need a new pair of uniform pants. Mine are… to put it simply, stained.”

“No one’s gonna see it thought.” Ace said in confusion.

“Considering they’re white stains, I think they will.”

“Ew, gross dude!”

“IT’S NOT CUM STAINS YOU UGLY- Ahem, I mean, it’s not cum stains. Just some white powder that won’t come off.”

Ace raised an eyebrow, the voice sounding familiar at one point. He asked which stall before being pointed to the right one.

“So, could you be a kind soul and get me another pair from Sam? Naturally I’ll provide the money.”

“What makes you so sure I won’t run off with the money?” Ace challenged.

“I’m not sure, but what else can I do? I don’t have anyone I can rely on right now…”

Ace pursed his lips before seeing madol being slipped over to him. Was he sure he didn’t want to just run off with the money?

“I’m in your care kind stranger…”

Ace sighed, leaving the restroom. He sighed, hearing the door close. Vil looked his pants over, getting upset all over again. Not only did those idiots waste good makeup, they ruined his pants. Now he was stuck in such a dingy restroom without something covering his bottom.

He perked up some time later, heading the door open. New pants and change were soon slipped under the door.

“I was sure you’d run off with the money.” Vil said, disguising his voice again.

“I really wanted to, but I guess I gave a crap too much.” Ace explained, disguising his voice as well.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart… You really saved me.”

“It was nothing. I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait. I’d like to treat you for helping me out. How about a nice dinner at Mostro’s tonight? Say, 7? I’ll pay for both of us.”

“Really? I’m in.” Ace said, not one to turn down free food. “How will I recognize you?”

“Hm. I’ll wear an all black outfit if that’ll help.”

“Works for me.”

“Ah, wait. I’d like to identify you as well…”

“Uh… I guess I’ll try to wear all red?”

“Great!”

Ace smiled softly, wondering who he had just talked to.

•

Ace entered Octavinelle, running a few minutes late. He kept an eye out for anyone wearing all black. He noticed someone up ahead. Once he got close, he completely stopped. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! He turned to leave, their eyes unfortunately meeting. Their phone fell from their hand as they stared at him.

“It was you?”

“Now I regret not running with the money.” Ace said, frowning heavily.

“As much as I want to take back my thanks, I won’t. I’m a man of my word…” Vil said, picking up his phone. “Come on.”

Ace was extremely reluctant. He’s given him nothing but grief. But did he really want to turn down free food? He eventually followed Vil in. Menus were placed in front of them as they were seated.

“Order what you want.” Vil said dryly, already knowing what he wanted.

Ace scanned the menu before glancing at Vil. He had his hair up in a bun. Did he always do that when treating people to meals? Their server had took their orders before heading off. They sat in silence while others chattered around them and jazz music played in the background. They really didn’t want to interact with each other.

“Thank you again… for helping me.” Vil said, avoiding eye contact.

“You’re welcome.” Ace responded, avoiding eye contact as well.

Silence. Vil has expected Ace to run, but he was probably staying for free food. To think Ace was the one who helped him. He still couldn’t believe it. Their drinks had been placed down. They sipped on their drinks, keeping the distance between them.

“What would you have done if I didn’t show up?” Ace asked, swirling his straw around.

“Improvise I suppose.”

“Do you do that a lot?” Ace questioned, stabbing his ice as he stole glances.

“Improvise? Of course. I’m a global model and budding actor. Lots of what I do requires it.” Vil said, crushing the strawberries in his drink. “It’s not easy being me.”

Ace was now looking at Vil who mixed his drink together in silence. Did he let it slip by accident or…?

“Have you told your friends about what happened?” Vil questioned, seeing their server was coming back with food.

“No, why?”

“Just thought you would’ve. It seems right up your alley.”

Their meals were placed before them. They gave thanks before eating. Being with Vil was surprisingly not all bad. He could act like a human being if he so wished. He should do it more often.

“I didn’t know you acted… What do you do?” Ace asked, genuinely curious.

Vil blinked, not expecting it. Was he pulling his leg? No, his face was too bright to be joking. Vil slowly opened up some, telling Ace about his side passion of acting. Ace slowly opened as well, seeing Vil was nice if given a chance.

“And he just collapsed!” Vil said, letting laughter slip out.

“That’s a rather cute laugh.” Ace commented.

“Cute…? Are you sure you mean that, Ace? Not looking for another word?”

“No really, it’s cute… It suits you.”

Vil gave him a small smile, only now realizing he had finished his meal. Ace had noticed he was the same.

“Want any dessert? I think they had banana floats…”

“Why don’t we share? That way you get to enjoy some without having to worry about the long term effect since I’ll be eating most of it.” Ace suggested.

Vil agreed, seeing he could get behind it. They settled with ice cream cake. Ace wasted no time in eating once the slice was brought to them. Vil had small bites, wondering if it’d be so bad to pig out as well.

“Ace, you’ve got ice cream on your face.” Vil said, subconsciously wiping his mouth. He immediately dropped the napkin once he came to his senses. “You’re capable of doing it yourself…”

Ace wiped his face as Vil finished eating his portion. It was so little.

“You don’t want more?”

“I’ve got to watch my figure. Took says I’ve been gaining a bit.”

“Come on, treat yourself.”

Vil looked at the cake then down at his body. He really shouldn’t. Vil sighed heavily, giving in. Ace happily shared his portion, the two sharing an indirect kiss as they ate.

•

“Things with Epel have gone stagnant.” Riddle sighed. “What’s going on?”

“Everything was going smoothly too…” Jamil sighed, wondering what happened.

“I have news!”

They watched Silver run over, having Idia put everything up on a digital screen. It was a bunch of Magicam posts. No one understood until Leona pointed it out.

“In all of them, look at the background. Ace is hanging with Vil.”

“What? Why!”

“I thought they’d never talk again…”

“How did this happen?”

“Isn’t this good? Ace now has more than one option.” Idia said.

“But one will get crushed at the end.” Trey said with a sigh.

There wasn’t much they could do. They’d have to let nature take its course.

•

Ace helped yet another couple. He sighed, feeling a bit envious again. How nice it’d be to hold hands, go on dates, be cute together. He shook the thoughts from his mind. There was no one for him on campus.

“Boo!”

“WAH!”

Vil laughed, enjoying the scared look on Ace’s face. Ace complained, starting to lecture him as if their roles were reversed.

“What were you daydreaming about?” Vil questioned.

“Promise not to tell anyone? Well, I was just thinking how nice it’d be to find someone to date. I’m just a little envious of the couples I help.” Ace said, resting his head on his arms. “But I know my partner isn’t here.”

“How do you know?”

“No one gives me that-” Ace said, looking at Vil before his heart croaked. “That was it…”

“What was? You look a little pale…”

Now what did he do? Vil gave him that croak feeling. But Vil wouldn’t even consider dating him. He wasn’t pretty enough. He wasn’t famous or talented.

“Ace!”

Ace turned, seeing Epel approaching him. It had to be a crime to always look that cute. Epel had taken him away from Vil, announcing they’d be doing something fun together and alone. Vil watched them leave, his hands balled into fists. He looked, immediately unclenching them. What was he clenching them for?

Vil ran through Ace’s mind the entire time he was with Epel. He couldn’t believe it. Vil gave him the croak. He’d have to do anything and everything he could to get Vil to like him, but where would he start?

•

Vil inspected a camera, nearly dropping it as Ace had presented flowers to him. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but they were his favorite so he wasn’t complaining too much. Though, it felt like Ace had something to say with all the flowers.

“Ace, is there something you want to say? You’ve been giving me a flower each day.”

“Do I come out with it? Might as well… You gave me that croak feeling… That’s a sure fire sign that I like someone. I like you, Vil.” Ace said, bowing to him. “I know I’m lacking in many areas in terms of your tastes, but my feelings for you are true!”

Vil was flustered. What did he say in return? How did he feel? Why was he freaking out so much? The fact that Ace was looking at him wasn’t helping. Vil started having shortness of breath, trying to formulate an answer.

“Vil…? Vil!”

Ace caught him in his arms as he fainted. Did he come on too strong? He started to fan him before using wind magic. Maybe he could play it off as a joke.

Vil eventually awoke, seeing his head was resting against Ace. He felt bad for fainting while Ace exposed his vulnerability.

“Ace, if you’re still awake… I like you too… You’re definitely a far cry of what I like, but that’s okay. You’re fine the way you are. I never thought we’ve get along, yet here we are, confessing our romantic attractions…” Vil said, rubbing his thumb over the back of Ace’s hand. “I’ll have you if you’ll have me…”

Vil was answered with a rather deep kiss. He looked up at Ace before kissing him again. Snap. A photo of the two making out had been posted to Magicam.


	275. Jabek: They’ll have lots of kids

“Ah…”

He knew he should be on guard duty, but he really wanted to see Jack run. Majestic. That’s what Jack could be described as. He wondered if Jack liked having his tail stroked. If he did, did he like it rough or gentle? Sebek continued to watch, his heart soaring. One day Jack might like him back. But today wasn’t that day.

Sebek rose to his feet, needing to return to Malleus’ side. He’s been selfish enough today. Jack looked, just catching a glimpse of Sebek’s retreating figure. His tail wagged.

“Hey, why’d you suddenly stop?”

“Sebek…”

“Ah… When are you going to tell him? When he’s dating someone else?” Deuce said, nudging him. “We still have a few laps to do.”

Jack reluctantly tore his eyes away, following Deuce.

•

“There, there…”

Lilia leaned back, Sebek loudly blowing into a tissue. He patted his back again, seeing he let it all out.

“Lilia sama… I really want him. I just… I’m hopeless in this area. I’ve never had feelings like this…”

“Fret not little one. I have centuries of experience.” Lilia chuckled. “But, I’m not up to date with today’s ways of dating, so why not confide in your friends? We’ll support you from behind.”

“Lilia sama…”

Lilia smiled, causing him to smile as well. Sebek nodded before taking off to find his friends.

“Ah youth… How nice.”

Sebek hurried to Pomefiore, knowing Epel would actually help him.

“Epel? Think he went to Heartslabyul.”

Sebek thanked them before going to Heartslabyul. He pushed open the dorm doors, a few students looking at him. If Epel was here, he was probably hanging with Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Sebek moved to open their door then stopped, hearing voices inside.

“S- Stop!”

“Oh how I’d love to be Jack’s partner for life! Spending all our days together and watching the moon.”

They laughed, making Jack whine in displeasure.

“He’s the one for me… I can feel it…”

“Doubt it.”

“Huh?”

“He clearly loves his upperclassman. You don’t stand a chance.”

“I do too! I’m just as good as him!”

“Jack’s getting fired up!”

“I won’t lose S-”

Everyone looked, seeing Sebek entering the room. They were hanging out without him. He always knew he wasn’t well liked, but this made it obvious.

“I see… you’re all here. Making jokes and lasting memories…”

“Sebek, don’t-”

Sebek left. He didn’t want to hear excuses. Telling anyone about his feelings wouldn’t come to pass. He picked up his pace, heading back to Diasomnia. This was what he got for making friends and not prioritizing Malleus’ safety.

“Sebek!”

He kept walking, trying to hold back his tears. His movements were stopped, a strong hand holding him back.

“Jack-”

“Sebek, they weren’t excluding you… I was. There was something I absolutely couldn’t let you know about. If you want to be angry, then direct it at me…” Jack said, bowing deeply. “I’m really sorry…”

“It’s fine. Thanks for the clarification.”

Jack reached out to him, a bit too late as Sebek slipped through his fingers. Sebek was mad at him. This wasn’t what he wanted, but he couldn’t let their group suffer because of him. Maybe they could be friends again sometime in the future.

•

“He was so manly, taking responsibility like that!” Sebek squealed, not in the slightest bit holding ill will towards Jack. “He’s so hunky and handsome and I just wanna squeeze him between my thighs!”

“Sebek, you’re being a bit loud…” Silver said, trying to finish his homework. “But seriously, why not tell him your feelings?”

“Scary.”

“You can be surprisingly cute at times. Like now. But nothing will change if you don’t take that step forward.”

“Yeah, yeah. Maybe soon…”

•

The five of them sat together, the other three purposefully forcing Jack and Sebek to sit together.

“Aw, don’t you two look cute together?” Ace teased, nudging Jack with his foot.

“Hey, stop-”

“I wonder what kind of family you’ll have!” Epel squealed.

“They’ll have lots of kids, knowing Jack.” Deuce said, making Jack turn redder.

“I said stop. You’re going to make him uncomfortable. We’re already on bad terms…” Jack said, not wanting to anger him.

“Eh? Did you tell him you- mmmppphhh!” Ace said before having a hand clamped over his mouth.

“Why’d you do that? We wanna hear what Ace wants to say.”

“Don’t be so evil…” Jack whispered.

“Sebek! Jack l- mmmmmmgggghhh!”

“Jack what?”

“It’s nothing! Ignore them.”

Ace freed himself.

“Jack loves you!”

Horror was present on Jack’s face as he let his body fall onto the table. How could they do that? He wanted to confess himself.

“Just kidding~” Ace giggled, sticking his tongue out while gently hitting himself on the head.

“You shouldn’t joke about someone’s feelings! You might get the other person’s hopes up just to smash them to pieces!” Sebek said angrily, getting up and walking away.

“He’s mad?”

“I’ll go see what’s up.” said Epel.

Epel caught up with him, looking at his face. He looked so sad. Sebek told him everything, especially how hurt he was when Ace joked around.

“You trust and believe me, right?”

Sebek nodded.

“Jack really does love you. We secretly meet up without you so he can freely vent his feelings and frustrations.” Epel said, patting Sebek’s arm. “Go be his partner for life.”

“Epel…”

“Actually, try it like this…” Epel said before whispering in his ear.

“I think we really fucked up…” Ace muttered.

“You think!? Ugh, now he hates me even more… All of this happened because you all can’t act right!”

Jack turned, feeling someone tap him. He was suddenly kissed. The three watched as Sebek held Jack’s face, telling his feelings through action. Jack rapidly blinked as Sebek pulled away.

“I love you.” Sebek said. “I’ll be your mate for life.”

Jack’s tail wagged feverishly as he stared at Sebek. He was so stunned, he lost his ability to speak. He finally came back, finding his words.

“I’d be honored to have you as my mate.” Jack said, getting to his feet.

They kissed again, Sebek being pressed against the table.

“Uh, guys?”

The trio looked, seeing all eyes were on them.

“Guys!?”

“They’re too far gone.”

“How troublesome…”

They combined their strength, managing to pull them apart.

“If you’re gonna take it to third base, get a room.” Ace huffed.

“We weren’t going to go that far…” Jack said, rubbing himself against Sebek. “Not today…”

Sebek smiled weakly, now feeling nervous for their first time.


	276. Ace x ???: Ace’s ex

Ace ate off of his fork, finding the dessert delicious. So this was what it was like eating at a fancy and expensive place.

“Ah, you’ve got some cream.” Ace said, wiping his nose. “All clean.”

“Aren’t you just the sweetest? I might get a cavity.”

“Ew, stop flirting.” Ace laughed, his cheeks burning. “You’re embarrassing me…”

Ace giggled softly, allowing him to kiss him. He was so gay at this moment, he wished it’d last forever. They finished the rest of their dessert before paying and leaving.

“Feels great having someone else do the cooking.” Jamil stretched, seeing the sun was starting to set. “I should probably get you back. Riddle’s very particular about his rules right?”

“Noooo. I want to stay out longer.” Ace whined, clinging to his arm. “I want to stay overnight in your room…”

Ace drew invisible circles on his arm, gazing at him with needy eyes.

“Why don’t we head back now? We can do it as much as you’d like.”

“Aw, stop it Jamil! You’re embarrassing me!” Ace cried out, playfully hitting Jamil.

“You’re the one who suggested it.” Jamil chuckled.

They ended up heading back anyway. They got on the bus, taking a seat together.

“Eh? Ace Trappola?”

They looked, seeing a pretty girl looking at them.

“It’s you…”

Jamil was confused, seeing the two of them looking at each other. Did they know each other?

“It’s been a while hasn’t it? Have you been doing well?” she asked, taking a seat on Ace’s other side.

“Yeah. How about you?”

“Ah, just trying to get through high school. It’s harder than I imagined, especially with cute boys as distractions…”

“Oh. You go to a co-ed? How many…” Ace said, the two of them easily falling into conversation.

Jamil opted to sleep, counting the stops before they needed to get off.

“Who’s he?”

“Oh, he’s my boyfriend. Jamil, say hi.”

“Hey.”

“Hey! I’m Ace’s ex. Has he mentioned me?”

“Yeah. In his sleep.”

“Oops.” Ace laughed nervously, wondering what else Jamil had heard.

“Oh, this is my stop. I’ll call later!” she said before getting off.

“Why’d you break up with her? She’s totally your type.” Jamil questioned, his eyes closed.

“Does it matter? We’re together now.” Ace said, leaning against him.

Jamil didn’t press further, keeping track of how many more stops.

•

Ace groaned, his body plastered to the bed. He was going to have to miss a few classes. He rolled over, lovingly clinging to Jamil.

“Good morning, Ace.”

“So you were awake. You roughed me up so bad I won’t make it to a few of my morning classes…” Ace mentioned, snuggling closer.

“Lie on your stomach.”

“E- Eh? Are we… right now?”

“No you dummy. Just do it.”

Ace moved before lying on his stomach. He let out pained cries, feeling Jamil touching his sore behind. He quieted down, the soreness having gone down. What did Jamil just do to him?

“Feel better?”

“Enough to get roughed up again. Hehe~”

“Yeah, no. Get your butt up and ready for class.”

Ace whined, throwing himself into Jamil’s arms.

“Ace, I’ll peg you so hard tonight you won’t be able to walk if you don’t get out of bed and ready.”

As much as Ace liked that, he knew Jamil wouldn’t work his healing magic on him. So he obliged.

•

“You’ve been texting a lot today. It’s Jamil isn’t it?” Deuce teased.

“No. It’s my ex.”

“WHAT!? Does Jamil know?”

“Yeah. We met her like yesterday while coming home from our date. She’s like super chill.”

“So, you’re going to be friends with your ex?”

“Is that weird?”

“It’s just… things don’t usually end well when the ex comes back into the picture.” Deuce said, voicing his concerns.

“I’m not leaving Jamil. Not ever. I love him and I won’t let anyone take him from me.” Ace declared, texting Jamil back with a saucy pic. “I’m stupid in love for him…”

Deuce smiled, glad to see he was that passionate about Jamil. But if he’s learned anything from TV shows and movies, even the most passionate can end up feeling destroyed and or conflicted. He really hoped nothing happened.

•

“Ace!”

“Hey you! Didn’t think you’d really come over here.” Ace said, leading the way.

“I was curious about what Night Raven looked like so it’s no big deal.” she said before looking around. “It’s much bigger than I thought. How do you navigate this place?”

They happily chatted, Ace pointing out places and recounting memories. She was all smiles and giggled the entire time. Ace hasn’t changed in the slightest.

“That over there is the gardens.”

“Oh? Can we go? I love nature.”

Ace led the way, pushing open the door once they reached the place. Her eyes widened, the place bigger on the inside. She happily explored, seeing flowers she’s never seen before.

“Our school doesn’t have all of this. I’m a bit jealous.”

“Nah, I think I’d prefer a less complicated campus.”

They laughed, his ex walking over to him and having him take her deeper into the gardens. She happily hummed, bumping Ace slightly. He bumped her back, starting a bumping war with her. Ace bumped her a bit too hard, causing her stumble.

“Oh! Thanks for the save.” she said, hovering over the flower bed.

Ace pulled her back, the two standing close together. She looked at him, a fond look in her eyes.

“Oh! They’re finally growing!” Ace exclaimed, breaking the moment.

She looked, wondering if he purposefully did that or he was being an idiot. She decided not to dwell on it, joining Ace in looking at the sprouts in the ground.

•

“Had fun with your ex?”

“You don’t sound worried at all.” Ace said, climbing into his bed with Jamil.

“I trust you. I know you won’t leave me for her.” said Jamil, placing his book down. “You love me, right?”

“As much as my body can squeeze out.” Ace said, lying back against Jamil’s chest. “But if you need to hear it then, I love you.”

Jamil pressed a kiss to his forehead, going back to reading soon after. Ace read along with him, the couple enjoying the peaceful air around them.

“Are you going to stay the night?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Do you want to?”

“I’m happier by your side, so yes. I do want to.” Jamil responded, smiling softly.

“I feel the same way. But I’m afraid we’ll get tired of each other…”

“Then tomorrow we sleep apart.”

Ace nodded in agreement, turning the page in Jamil’s book. He’d keep meeting her to a minimum, not wanting to worry Jamil that he might be cheating.

•

Ace blinked, not expecting to see her.

“We aren’t supposed to meet until next week.”

“I couldn’t wait! So, surprise! What are you going to do today since it’s the weekend?” she asked, other guys in Heartslabyul staring at the pretty girl.

“Well, I was going to spend it going on a date with my boyfriend.” Ace said, Jamil having planned something fun for them. “So I can’t really-”

“Aw, you can’t make room for one more?” she whined, making the guys around them glare at Ace.

“Then it’s not a date anymore… Look, we can hang out after the date.”

“Hm, how upsetting.” she said with a sigh, the guys around them seconds away from fighting Ace.

“I’ll ask him…”

“Yay!”

Ace moved away, calling Jamil.

“I’m waiting, buttercup.”

“D- Don’t call me that!” Ace hissed, his face red. “We have trouble… My ex came today in hopes of hanging out but she wouldn’t back down no matter how much I told her we were going on a date.”

“Hm. She can come I guess, but I’m not sure if she’ll enjoy the activities I had planned.” said Jamil. “She’d be third wheeling anyway, so it’s not like we won’t be doing things together.”

Ace sighed before saying he’d see him soon. She looked at Ace who walked back over.

“You can come.”

“Yay!” she squealed, throwing her arms around him.

Ace chuckled worriedly, prying her off. They just had to get through today and she’d be gone.

•

“But you’ve been doing things with him all day! It’s my turn!”

Jamil bit his tongue, knowing he’d say things that’d definitely come back to bite them. Ace sighed, seeing he could only resolve the problem.

“Hey, I know you want to hang and stuff, but this was originally our date. You’re the one intruding on us, so the least you can do is let us enjoy our date.” Ace said.

“How cold…”

Ace was suddenly jolted to the side before being dragged off by her, leaving Jamil behind. This was getting troublesome. It was obvious she was trying to take Ace away from him. He hurried to catch up with them, catching her locking lips with his boyfriend.

“H- Hey! What the hell?” Ace yelled, having pushed her away.

“Ace…”

Ace looked, seeing Jamil. This was bad.

“Jamil, it’s not what you think!”

“No, it is what I think!”

“Ja-”

Jamil had stood in between them having her look into his eyes. He said a few words before she walked off to the side. He immediately checked Ace over, hoping she didn’t do anything to him.

“Jamil, I’m fine…”

“Stop seeing her.” Jamil said, hugging Ace tight.

“I promise, but I highly doubt she’s going to give up. I really don’t want to lose you…” Ace whispered, tightening his grip on Jamil. “I don’t want to say harsh things but… I feel she won’t listen otherwise.”

Jamil kissed his neck as he rubbed his back.

“We can figure it out later. For now let’s enjoy our date. She won’t be giving us trouble anymore…”

“Did you hypnotize her?”

“What else could I do? She was kissing my boyfriend.” said Jamil, having her follow them.

“You’re so evil and I love it.” Ace chuckled, kissing his cheek.

“For you, I’ll be as evil as I need to be if it means protecting you.”

Ace blushed, giving Jamil’s hand a squeeze. He was definitely going to tell her off once the date was over. He was just worried things would get worse, an example being Jamil’s life was in danger. He knew Jamil was a strong magician but even the strong have their weaknesses. And he was probably one of them.


	277. Silver + Malleus: Can’t

“Lilia, what kind of things does Silver like?”

“Why are you asking me and not him?”

Malleus sighed, sitting down next to him.

“Every time I ask, his response is ‘Your guards’ likes and dislikes shouldn’t matter to you.’ and that would be that.” Malleus said, pulling his knees to his chest. “So you’re the only one I can turn to.”

“Well, you already know a lot don’t you? You did help raise him some.”

“But he’s a teenager now. His tastes have changed, have they not?”

“Went from liking SM to furries…” Lilia muttered. “Right. Well, I could write you a list of what I know. I’m still surprised he and I are close. Usually teenaged humans distance themselves from their parents or guardians.”

Malleus took the list, reading it over. He noticed a good portion of it was similar to watch he liked as a child. He thanked Lilia, seeing he could use this to get closer to him.

•

“Silver.”

“Yes, Malleus sama.”

“I have something for you.”

“Sorry, I can’t accept gifts. It’ll seem like a bribe.”

“Huh…?”

“Is there anything else?”

“Uh… I’d prefer if you’d drop sama.”

“Can’t do that. It’s highly disrespectful. Worst punishment is up to two years in prison.”

Silver shut him down yet again. What could he do?

“Could you walk with me?”

“Of course. I’d follow you anyway.”

Silver walked around Malleus, but never beside him.

“Silver, I’d like you to walk beside me.”

“Can’t. There could be enemies lying in wait to attack.” Silver said, keeping his eyes peeled.

“No one is going to attack me here…”

“You say that now…”

Malleus sighed, seeing he couldn’t even get him to walk with him. He loved walks according to the list! Now what did he do? Everything he tried was failing.

“Silver, I’m feeling a bit famished. Why don’t we go eat?”

Sliver nodded, following him. He asked Silver to walk beside him once more, only to be shut down. Silver really wasn’t making things easy.

They arrived in the cafeteria. Silver kept his distance, carefully eyeing everyone around them.

“Are you hungry?”

“A guard’s needs come after his master’s. I don’t have the luxury to think on this while your needs aren’t met.” said Silver, his stomach rumbling quietly.

“Silver, at least eat with me…” Malleus said, walking to a table with his meal.

“Can’t. We aren’t of the same status, therefore I’m not allowed to sit. Plus I have to stand watch so in case anything happens.”

Malleus put his head in his hands. Why? Why was Silver not letting him in? He wanted to be closer than just prince and royal guard. He helped raise him. He wanted him to see him as family.

“Is your stomach not well? Shall I fetch Lilia or the nurse?”

“I’m fine…”

Silver watched Malleus eat. He wasn’t blind to what Malleus was trying to do. But he couldn’t give him what he wanted. He was raised to be his guard and as a guard, the number one rule was that you were always beneath and weren’t allowed to have anything other than a master guard relationship.

•

“Silver.”

“Can’t, I’m not allowed.”

“But I haven’t said anything…” Malleus muttered.

“All day you’ve been trying to get me to do things I’m not allowed to. I’ve picked up on it. Malleus sama, stop trying. More for your sake than mine.” said Silver, keeping to his job.

“Is it so wrong that I want to be close to you? To have you see me as family?” Malleus asked, looking down at the floor.

“Malleus sama…”

“I want you to treat me like an older brother… I helped raise you too. You’re more than a guard, you’re my second family.”

Silver bit his lip, seeing Malleus looking dejected. What could he do? He couldn’t be selfish and forego everything he had been taught. He would be breaking the very first rule he was ever taught.

Malleus looked up, seeing Silver sitting beside him.

“I’ve always seen you as my big brother… but we were born for different roles. I have to play mine and act the way I do. We aren’t allowed to have personal relationships with the royals…”

“Silver…”

“Even then, seeing you constantly calling out to me in such a kind way… It hurt… I wanted to take your hand, I wanted to sit and eat with you, I wanted to walk beside you…”

Silver placed a hand on Malleus’ thigh, smiling softly.

“One day we’ll get a chance to be close like we want to be.”

“Then why can’t that day be today?”

“Huh?”

“I, Malleus Draconia, name you as my personal guard and are to act accordingly to my rules.”

Silver’s eyes widened, looking at Malleus’ outstretched hand. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he hugged Malleus instead.


	278. Malleus: What a lonely life to live

“What’s this?”

Malleus carefully held it, not used to receiving mail. He looked it over before deciding to open it.

‘You’re invited! Come to the party at Savanaclaw tonight for the annual Full Moon bash. Savanaclaw is collabing with the party king Kalim so things are gonna be wild.’

Malleus reread it. He was being invited to a party. They were finally accepting him. This was the best thing he’s ever gotten in his long life. He held it close, excited to go.

“Malleus? Oh, you’re up. You’re rather happy.”

“Look, Lilia! I was invited! They like me!”

“Really? Well, they don’t specific names in these so maybe it’s true. You’ve got to look your best tonight then.”

“I will, I will!”

Lilia couldn’t help his heart breaking slightly. He’s been depressed for ages, never being invited to anything, not even important things like the entrance ceremony. Even when growing up, people didn’t invite him solely because of his heritage. To see people were finally accepting him… it was truly a joyous day.

•

“Hey, you’re rather giddy today, Mally. What’s up?” Cater asked, sliding next to him.

“I’ve been invited to the party tonight!”

“Really? How cool! I’ll be seeing you tonight then.” Cater said cheerily, giving Malleus a high five.

“My first high school party… Is there anything I should know? You’ve been to this before, right?” Malleus asked, hoping for pointers.

“Well, just show up and don’t be a buzzkill! But that doesn’t mean throw common sense out the window. If you feel uncomfortable, get outta there, you know?”

“You’re so knowledgeable! Tell me more about high school parties.”

“Mally, you’re acting like it’s some kind of interview…”

Cater ended up telling him experiences, constantly reminding him that they’re different people so their experiences will differ. Malleus couldn’t wait. The Full Moon party sounded like a lot of fun, especially the jump off of the Magift grounds activity.

•

Time was crawling too slowly for his liking.

“Lilia! I can’t wait anymore. I want to go now!”

“Patience is a virtue.”

Malleus sighed, lying down on the floor. He was going to try and make friends. All he ever wanted was to have friends and have fun with them. He didn’t need anything more or less.

“I’ve never seen you this happy. Truly, I’m glad that you got that invitation when you did.” said Lilia, hoping everything worked out.

“I’m going to make sure I have the best time so I can get invited to more parties.”

“Malleus, as much as I love the enthusiasm, please get up off the floor, students may trample you.” Lilia advised, seeing students maneuvering around him.

•

Malleus walked up to the Savanaclaw entrance only to be stopped.

“Invitation?”

“Here!”

They looked at it before comparing names. They furrowed their brows.

“What’s your name?”

“You don’t know already? Malleus Draconia.”

“Sorry, you’re not on the list.”

Malleus stepped aside, allowing others to get checked in and enter.

“Why not? I was sent an invitation.” he said, showing it to them.

“You were a mistake. The idiot was supposed to invite Malian Dridd, not you.”

“Ha…?”

They took his invitation, shooing him away. There was no way his name wasn’t on the list. They sighed, showing him the list. His name wasn’t on it. They weren’t lying.

“Now move. We have other people to let in.”

Malleus quietly sighed, making his way back to Diasomnia. A few students whispered while some laughed.

“Look at him, getting thrown out.”

“To think the great and powerful Malleus could look so pathetic.”

“Why are we even afraid of someone who can’t even get invited to parties.”

“What a lonely life to live.”

Malleus picked up his pace, feeling tears stinging his eyes.

•

Malleus silently cried in his room, his pillow and face damp with tears. He couldn’t stop crying even if he wanted to.

“What a lonely life to live.”

He cried harder, scratching at his neck and arms.

“Mal-”

Silver stopped, seeing Malleus scratching. He ran to get Lilia. They came back, Sebek having tagged along since it concerned Malleus. Lilia had them follow his lead, having them pin his arms to his sides.

“Malleus, Malleus, look at me. No, look at me. God damn it child, I said look at me!” Lilia shouted, holding his face still. “You’re going to be okay. Breathe with me and you’ll be okay.”

Silver and Sebek tightly held Malleus’ hands, wanting him to know they were here too. Their hearts were relieved, seeing Malleus had calmed down. They kept holding on, seeing Lilia hadn’t given them the signal.

“Tell us what happened.” Lilia asked softly, having Malleus sit up.

“It’s nothing… I just had a nightmare…” Malleus lied, keeping his gaze lowered.

Lilia gave them the signal. They let go, waiting to see if he’d start scratching again. He didn’t.

“Malleus, you can’t fool me. Tell me the truth. What happened at the party?” Lilia asked, lifting his head.

“It was a mistake… I was never invited. It’s not that I was crying over not being invited. That’s not really something to cry over…” Malleus explained, tightly clasping his hands together, the students words plaguing his mind.

“People were talking weren’t they.” Silver spoke up, earning looks from Lilia and Sebek.

“You two can read me so well, it scares me…” Malleus whispered, holding a pillow close. “It’s not like I’m choosing to be like this… they always run from me… then have the nerve to say things about me…”

“Forget them. We can have a party right here in your room, the four of us.” Sebek said.

“A splendid idea, Sebek. Malleus, you stay here and rest up. We’ll give you a night to remember.” said Lilia before leading Silver and Sebek our the room.

Malleus lifted his head some time later, watching the trio hang decorations and bring in food and drinks. A faint smile graced his face, watching them putting in this much effort to make him happy. He really didn’t deserve them.

They looked, seeing he was crying again. He assured them they weren’t sad tears but happy ones. He couldn’t have asked for anything better than them.


	279. Pomefiore + Jamil: Forest fairy barf

“No.”

“J-”

“N-O. No.” said Jamil before walking away.

“My isn’t he difficult…” Vil sighed, watching Jamil leave. “We won’t give up. He has the perfect hair to try this look.”

“Oui!” Rook exclaimed.

“I mean, maybe we should respect his wishes…?”

They looked at Epel.

“Or not.”

They smiled.

_“Respect and respect for privacy is a foreign concept to them isn’t it?”_

Though, he wouldn’t mind seeing the end result of Vil and Rook’s handiwork.

Jamil sat down, clearly upset.

“Aw, what has the cute little snake hissing?”

“Zip it, fried octopus.”

“Graphic… Is it so wrong of me to care?” Azul asked, poking Jamil’s cheek.

“Those weirdos in Pomefiore… they want to use my hair for their weird experiments.” Jamil said, feeling Azul petting him. “I’m not a pet.”

“But you aren’t moving my hand.” Azul chuckled.

Jamil rolled his eyes, moving out of Azul’s reach. Azul simply smiled, happy to have gotten to pet him.

•

Jamil was walking to the library when his path was blocked.

“No. How many times must I say it?” Jamil hissed.

“Just say yes. It’s nothing dangerous.”

“Yeah. We’re just styling your gorgeous hair. It’s obvious you take good care of it.” said Rook, examining Jamil’s braids.

When did he get behind him? Epel silently watched, wondering if he should help or continue to sit in the background. He didn’t really care what happened to Jamil, he was just glad someone else had Vil’s attention.

“Just let me go to the library!”

“Not until you say yes!” Vil said with an innocent smile.

“No!”

“Then we’ll keep you here.”

The library was so close yet so far. Jamil screamed in agony before agreeing. He just wanted peace and quiet. Epel watched Rook carry Jamil as they headed back to Pomefiore. To think he’d crack that easy, he must not have a lot of mental strength.

•

“Epel, be a gem and hand me that glue gun.”

“No! Don’t put that in my hair!” Jamil shrieked.

“It’s not for your hair, dummy.” Vil scoffed, fixing a piece with hot glue.

“Vil, should the flowers be 89 degrees or 147 degrees?”

“Neither.”

“111 it is.”

Epel and Jamil were both in awe. How were they communicating? Vil didn’t even give him an answer! Jamil flinched, feeling something cold against his skin. Epel kind of felt bad for him. His hair looked like a bird’s nest.

“Something isn’t right. Rook, what did you do with those pins?”

“Pins!?” Jamil exclaimed.

“They’re around the edges.”

“Hm…”

“Ah, I see what you mean.”

“Vil didn’t even say anything!” Epel said loudly.

“Now it’s perfect. Truly you deserve to be my right hand.”

“But of course.”

Both were exasperated. The entire time they’ve been talking in code. Though, whatever mistake Rook fixed, it turned the bird’s nest into something beautiful.

“Now we just put this on top and viola.” said Vil, rolling the chair over to the mirror. “Your new look!”

“It looks like some forest fairy barfed on my head…” Jamil deadpanned, looking at all the arrangements.

“Forest fairy was what we were going with! How keen of you to notice!”

“It was an insult…” Jamil whispered, looking at himself again.

It didn’t look bad at all. Epel couldn’t tear his eyes away. Was that the same Jamil?

“I should add hair stylist onto my resume.” Vil muttered, already moving onto the next thing. “Jamil, we’re taking photos. You know how to pose right?”

Jamil found himself posing in all sorts of crazy angles while Epel was the prop guy. Rook was manning the camera. After what seemed like eternity, Vil was finally finished with him.

“I hate to say it but, you’re actually beautiful.” said Vil.

“Are you saying I wasn’t before.”

“Exactly.”

“He really doesn’t hold back does he…” Jamil sighed.

“I must hold you once more.” Rook said, holding onto Jamil. “Allow me to bask in your beauty.”

“You are pretty, Jamil senpai.”

“Did you just call my work ‘pretty’?” Vil questioned, Rook making gestures to tell him to rephrase it.

“I meant pretty beautiful. As if I’d think otherwise.”

“Hm, seems you’re starting to understand.” Vil said.

Epel internally sighed, having been saved.

“It’s growing on me I guess.” Jamil said, really starting to dig the look.

“Great. Let’s go show it off.”

“Wait-”

Jamil was picked up by Vil and Rook before being ushered out the door. Epel grabbed their things and the camera, following after them.


	280. Pomefiore + Jamil: Forest fairy barf (cont.)

Epel handed Rook the camera, waiting for Vil’s instructions for props. At least, the ones he brought with him.

“Like this?”

“No! More playful. We’re doing Forest Fairy, not Depressed Elf.” Vil scolded, having Jamil pose his hands as well. “Perfect! Rook, take the picture before he falls.”

Snap. They looked at the picture, seeing something wasn’t right.

“Epel, leaves!”

Epel hurried over, allowing Vil to position the leaves how he wanted.

“Picture!”

Snap. They nodded, seeing this was the right call. Epel helped Jamil down from the tree, making sure his hair didn’t get messed up.

“Vil is brutal… Isn’t this a little much?” Jamil whispered.

“Well, what were you expecting? He strives for utmost beauty…” Epel whispered back, seeing Vil walking away to find another spot.

“Jamil, I have our new spot. Come.”

Jamil sighed, heading over. Vil had him hold an apple before positioning him right. He moved, having Rook take the picture. Not enough. Vil used magic, making petals fall above Jamil. Took snapped another picture.

“Tre bien!” Rook exclaimed, showing Vil the results.

“I have such an amazing eye for things.” Vil smiled.

Students passing by had stopped, noticing Jamil’s hair. If they didn’t know, they would’ve thought he was a fairy of some sort. Epel brushed the petals off of Jamil, taking the apple as well.

“Still feeling weird?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“I’m sure we’re almost done.”

“Jamil, we’re going to be shooting for the rest of the day. You’ll be given breaks of course.” Vil said, grabbing Jamil by his wrist. “To the gardens!”

Students had shared photos on Magicam, a small group now becoming a mass of people as they entered the gardens to see what was up. Epel was the first to notice the large amount of people watching from behind and taking photos. He quickly asked them to stop, knowing Vil would get upset.

“Magnificent! See what happens when you let go? Beautiful things come to fruition.” said Vil, admiring his work. “Rook, what have we so far? I want to make a small photobook.”

Rook and Vil discussed, allowing Jamil to relax. He took notice of the crowd watching. When did they all get here? He didn’t really question it, loving the attention.

•

“I can’t wait to see how it all looks out together!” Vil exclaimed, feeling proud.

“Your work is always top notch. As expected of our most gracious queen.”

“Save me your flattery. I want to try someone new since Jamil was a hit. He’s been trending on Magicam since that evening we did the photos.” said Vil, going through his contacts.

“I have a suggestion, but I’m afraid you might not like it.”

Epel quietly listened, wondering if he was going to be on prop duty again.

“Him!? Are you mad?”

“He’s very photogenic, don’t you think? Even if he doesn’t act like it, he has a very nice princely air about him.” Rook said, explaining his choice.

Vil mulled it over before searching through his phone.

“Will you?”

“I suppose. I’m just looking for a theme.”

“Uh, may I suggest one?” Epel piped up.

“Oh, I forgot you were here. What do you have in mind, Felmier?” Vil asked, him and Rook looking at him.

“Uh… I think we should go with…”

•

“You’re sick in the head if you think I’m going to be your little barbie doll.”

“First of all, apologize to the barbie dolls you just insulted. Second, we’re only touching your hair.” Vil said, not backing down.

“You are not touching this glorious head of mine and that’s-”

Vil was touching his hair, giving him a look of challenge. Leona growled lowly, seconds away from fighting Vil.

“Now, now. Let’s calm down and talk. No need for fists.” said Rook, standing in between them. “If you’re doubtful of Vil’s skills and my assistance, please have a look through this tag.”

“‘Fairy Jamil’? The hell is this…” Leona muttered before scrolling through.

He couldn’t deny it. It was good work. Most of the pictures were of bad quality, but he could see what Vil had done.

“It’s nice, but I’m not doing it. It’s girly.”

“Girly!?”

Rook have Leona a look, holding Vil back.

“It’s just too frilly for me. I had enough during the Fairy Gala thing.” Leona said, calming Vil some.

“Actually, Epel here had a different idea that isn’t too frilly for you. Once you hear it, I’m sure you’ll reconsider.” said Vil, smirking.

“See, I know the kind of guy you are. So I figured why not doing something completely different than what they did with Jamil. So i had two ideas: galaxy and death.”

Leona blinked, not expecting to actually hear something completely different.

“Go away. I don’t want any part in this.” he grumbled, his interested piqued slightly.

“Well, I suppose that’s that.” said Vil, having Rook and Epel walk with him. “Leona’s too afraid to let himself shine on camera. Guess that’s fallen royalty for you.”

Vil giggled, knowing he was getting under his skin.

“Guess we’ll find someone else… maybe Ruggie? I bet he could do a better job.”

“Ha? That little weasel could never!” Leona bellowed.

“Oh? Aren’t you rather spirited.” Vil chuckled. “So, you’re going to do it?”

“You won’t shut up otherwise.”

“Splendid! Meet us tomorrow in Pomefiore.” said Vil happily, walking out.

“You’ll look great, Leona.” Rook said with a smile. “I’ll make sure of it as his assistant.”

Epel waved, following behind Rook. Leona sighed heavily, unbelieving that he allowed himself to do this.

•

“So we settled with the death theme. It seems more you.” said Vil, coating sections of Leona’s hair in hair dye.

“This stuff comes out when washed right?”

“You’re funny.” Vil laughed, continuing to mess with his hair.

“It does, don’t worry.” Rook whispered, Leona relaxing some.

Epel watched as Rook stuck dark colored flowers into Leona’s small ponytail as the rest of his hair lied underneath it. It was really coming together. At least, he thought.

“How many flowers did you put in?” Vil asked, having finished dyeing Leona’s hair.

“So, add in more little ones and remove these?” Rook asked.

“Oh, these pins…”

“15 of them.”

“Felmier, what in the world are they saying?”

“I don’t speak beauty.” Epel shrugged.

“This looks wrong. How to fix it…”

“Curls!”

“Curls…? Curls… Genius!” Vil said, getting to work.

“I can already tell it looks awful.” Leona grumbled.

“Oh my… Well this is interesting.” said Vil, noticing the dye was changing color as heat came near it.

Vil finished before rolling Leona over. He really did look like he was going to a funeral.

“Alright, lets get you into an appropriate outfit and put on makeup.”

“I thought it was just my hair!?”

“Not anymore!” Vil laughed, pulling Leona along.

Leona looked to Rook for help. Rook shrugged, knowing he couldn’t do anything when Vil got into his moods.


	281. Trappolas: The Black Jack Trappola!?

Students looked as a child sat on the grass. They kept moving, seeing it wasn’t any of their business, especially since they didn’t want to get involved with children.

“Finally found you!”

The child ran, screaming at the top of their lungs.

“Freeze!”

The child found themselves floating in the air before being pulled towards their pursuer. The child kicked and bit, trying to get free.

“I could only imagine what his parents had to go through…”

“Well, let’s make sure not to lose him again, Riddle.”

“I wish you didn’t lose your memories. It would’ve made things much easier.” Riddle sighed, holding him at a distance. “I can’t believe I’m giving up my studies to babysit Trappola…”

“I’m helping you know.”

“Right, right. Thank you, Trey.”

They carried Ace back to Heartslabyul, seeing they needed to lock him in a room.

“Was his family notified?”

“I think so. Someone is on the way.”

They reached the hall of mirrors, seeing someone who wasn’t a student going into Heartslabyul. They quickly followed.

“Black! Black!”

Ace was wiggling around way too much for Trey’s liking.

“There you are. How did this happen…?” Black asked, feeling Ace clinging to him.

“His roommate told us they were practicing magic when things went wrong. Everyone was affected in different ways.” Riddle explained. “I wish something less dramatic happened to him so you wouldn’t have to come all this way.”

“It’s fine. It’s a family emergency so my job understands.” said Black, seeing Ace growing sleepy.

“We’ll quickly get searching with Crewel sensei to reverse this.” said Riddle. “Come, Trey.”

Black waved before looking at Ace who was drooling.

“Already out like a light huh?”

•

Ace woke up, feeling hungry. He felt a warm and comforting hand on his head.

“Black!”

“Hey there little guy? Who’s a growing champ?”

“Me!”

Ace hugged him tight, feeling safe with him around. His roommates cooed at the sight, wondering if he was really this cute as a child.

Black used the Heartslabyul kitchen, making something simple for Ace to eat while keeping it nutritionally balanced. Ace made grabby hands, wanting to eat now.

“No. You have to wait.”

“But hungry…”

“Can you wait for me? Can you promise big bro? If you can, I’ll let you have a sweet.”

Ace patiently waited, wanting a sweet. Black had finished making his meal, leading him to the lounge to eat.

Everyone started to whisper, seeing Black waking in with a small child. Who was this guy? Someone important? Ace got settled onto the couch before being given his meal. He smiled in delight, finding it yummy. Black often cleaned up Ace, knowing he was a messy eater.

Students were watching with interest at their interactions. Ace kissed Black’s nose as a thanks for feeding him. The moment was immediately uploaded on Magicam for everyone to see. Black ruffled Ace’s hair causing him to squeal.

“Hush, hush… we aren’t the only ones here.” Black said, seeing Ace was finished. “Ace, can you go back to the room we came from for me or do you need help?”

“I can go. I can and then sweet?” Ace said.

“Yes, then you can have a sweet.”

“He’s good with kids…”

“The dorm leader couldn’t get him to behave…”

“Trappola and the dorm leader will always have bad blood.”

“Yeah, that’s true…”

“Who is he anyway?”

“If you whispering kids must know, I’m Black Trappola, Ace’s older brother.”

“Woah! The Black Jack Trappola!?”

Suddenly he swarmed by students who looked up to him.

Ace patiently waited in the room, really wanting the sweet treat. Black had finally come back, making Ace smile.

“As promised.”

Ace gingerly took the sweet from his hand, savoring each bite.

“Is there anything you want to play, Ace?”

“Magic!”

“Ah, ah. How do we differeniate them?” Black asked.

“Magitrics!”

“Atta boy. For that, I’ll show you something really cool at the end.”

Ace cheered as he clapped. He loved Black’s tricks he we often try imitating them. He was never successful though.

•

Riddle and Trey entered the room, updating Black on the reversing situation. They looked at Ace who practiced writing words and doing simple math.

“Making him learn. I like that.” said Riddle before finding himself being pushed out rather roughly by Trey.

“We leave him in your care again.” said Trey, closing the door behind them.

“Black, look!”

“Did you answer everything?”

“Yes.”

Black looked it over.

“Bzzz. Wrong.” said Black marking all the wrong ones.

“Oh…”

“Let me show you an easy way to remember some things…”

Ace listened as Black taught him. He had Ace try them out, smiling as Ace’s face lit up. It worked. His big brother’s trick worked. He felt accomplished.

“Now, I want you to try more using the trick I taught you.” said Black, writing more words and problems.

Ace silently worked as Black watched over him. Ace thrusted they paper in his face, asking for a grade.

“Perfect!” Black said in perfect English.

“Yay!”

They high fived. Ace’s roommates could stop uploading the two of them on social media. Even Deuce was joining in. The two of them were trending in Night Raven’s personal tag. Royal Sword students who follow the tag had definitely found out and started sharing it on the Royal Sword tag.

“Hm, someone looks tired.”

“I’m not. I can keep going.” Ace said, rubbing his eye.

Black lifted him up, lying him down in bed. Ace tried getting out of bed only to feel Black holding him close. Ace fought a bit more before giving in, letting tiredness take over him.

“It’s easier when you don’t fight it…” Black whispered, gently stroking Ace’s hair.

“Mmnnn…”

“Hehe, you’re so cute…” Black said, feeling Ace snuggling closer. “My adorable little brother…”

Deuce uploaded the video with tears in his eyes. It was too sweet. Black gave Ace small kisses, knowing it helped him fall asleep. Ace’s body relaxed more before he finally fell asleep. Black continued to lie beside him until he saw he was in a deep enough sleep. He looked and saw Deuce tidying up for him.

“It’s the least I can do since you’re putting up with caring for him…”

“I really appreciate it.”

Deuce smiled, watching Black give Ace love and affection. He wondered if things would be like that for him if he had an older brother?


	282. Kingscholars: A weakling

“You owe me.”

“I owe you nothing. It’s just for a few days.”

“A few too long! Do you know how many naps I’ll miss? The peace and serenity of not having a child screaming in my ear!?”

“Leona, we asked you because we know you’ll do a good job.” said Nikita, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Leona quieted down, letting Nikita speak.

“So, please look after Cheka. He’s been looking forward to you coming home for a while now anyway…”

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

Nikita smiled happily, ruffling Leona’s hair. He really didn’t want to do this. But if Nikita was asking, then he really didn’t have much of a choice. He headed inside, hoping Cheka was low maintenance.

“Cheka?”

For some reason he couldn’t find him. Where was the child? Did he hide away in their bags? That’d workout for him if that was the case. He opened the door to their room, seeing a small figure lying on the bed.

“Cheka.”

“Uncle…”

He lifted Cheka off the bed, looking at his teary face. He sighed, setting him down on the floor.

“They’ll be back before you know it, so enjoy your time with me.”

“You’re watching me?” Cheka asked with big eyes. Leona reluctantly nodded. “Yay!”

Cheka hugged him tight, his ears and tail moving in glee. It was definitely going to be a long few days.

•

“UNCLE!”

Leona let out a startled yelp, Cheka jumping on top of him. There went his relaxing sleep.

“Cheka, you’re going to hurt me if you jump on me with all that weight.”

“Really? So Uncle isn’t big and strong like Daddy?”

“Ha? I’m way stronger than your father. How rude.” Leona huffed.

“So, when Daddy gets back, will you fight him for me?”

“Don’t say such absurd things. Did the staff give you breakfast?”

“I want to eat with Uncle.” Cheka said with pleading eyes.

Leona sighed, allowing Cheka to lead him to the dining room. The staff brought them their meals, waiting on standby to take their dishes.

“Isn’t it good, Uncle?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“But you’re doing it…”

Leona swallowed, giving Cheka a look. Cheka finished what was in his mouth before apologizing.

“I seriously don’t want to hear your father barking in my ear about it. Just because your parents are gone doesn’t mean your manners should be too. You’re a prince.”

“Right…”

Leona sighed, seeing Cheka was picking at his food.

“I’m just reminding you is all. You’re free to act how you wish.” Leona muttered, handing off his empty dishes. “I’m going to go soak up some sun.”

Cheka watched Leona leave the table. He made his uncle upset. That was the one thing he never wanted to do. He sighed, seeing he needed to get his act together, whatever that meant.

Cheka finished his breakfast, now seeking out Leona. If he knew his uncle, he was probably resting out on the balcony.

“Uncle?”

“What…”

“Can we play?” Cheka asked, looking at Leona’s curled up figure.

“Does it require running?”

“Umm…” Cheka said, seeing he was going to say no to anything that required work. Then again, a lot of things required work. “I just remembered I had homework to do. Looks like I can’t play.”

“Hey, stop right there.”

Cheka stopped, seeing Leona sit up.

“I asked you a question, didn’t I?”

“Yes…?”

“Answer it.”

“It does….”

“Speak up.”

“It does!”

“What’s Farena been teaching you huh? You have to say things with confidence. Can’t believe you backed down that easily.” Leona said, walking off without Cheka. “He’s raising a weakling.”

“I’m not a weakling!” Cheka yelled, his cheeks puffed out.

“Really? Then can you manage to land a hit on me?” Leona challenged.

Cheka and Leona stood outside, Leona patiently waiting for Cheka to attack. Cheka came towards him, Leona yawning as he easily side stepped. He effortlessly dodged all of Cheka’s advances.

“Already tired? We barely started. How about we make this a bit more interesting? If you can successfully land a hit on me before your folks come back, I’ll do whatever you want. However, if you can’t before they come back, I’d like for you not to call so much. It interrupts my naps.” Leona said, looking at Cheka who finally caught his breath. “So, how does that sound?”

“I’m game!” Cheka agreed, determined to win.

“Competitive spirit. I like it.” Leona chuckled, avoiding Cheka’s attacks once more.

Cheka panted heavily, Leona barely breaking a sweat.

“Why don’t we call it a day? You look like you’re about to die.”

“No! I have to get a hit!” Cheka wheezed, running towards him.

Leona caught Cheka as he fell.

“Tch, how annoying.”

“Uncle! Let me go! I have to win!”

“Yeah, yeah. You need a break. And a shower.”

Cheka scrunched his nose, refusing to bathe if Leona didn’t bathe with him.

“Must you be so difficult…?”

“I want to bathe with my Uncle!” Cheka declared, crossing his arms.

Cheka cheered, seeing Leona was going to bathe with him. He didn’t want to let this chance slip him by.

“Stop running around! You’re naked for pete’s sake!”

“Never!”

He was definitely Farena’s child.

•

Cheka curled up next to Leona, reading a book. He thought he’d miss his parents more, but he was really having a good time with Leona.

“Don’t sit so close. It’s hot.” Leona grumbled. Saying that only made Cheka move closer. “Must you act like your father?”

“Daddy does stuff like this too?” Cheka asked curiously.

“Yep. All the time when we were young. It was annoying. Every time I pushed him away, he’d just come back and hug me tighter each time.” Leona sighed, remembering his childhood. “He’s seriously a nut job.”

“Uncle, can I hear more stories about you and Daddy?”

Leona told him stories, making sure he only told ones that made Farena look bad. Cheka pleaded for bad stories of Leona, eventually making him cave.

•

Leona looked out the window, seeing why he felt sluggish. It soon started to pour. He hated the rain.

“It seems it’ll rain all day, Leona sama.” a servant said.

Leona didn’t say anything, simply watching the rain fall. He slid over, catching them by the tail.

“Too loud.”

“How!? I didn’t make any noise!” Cheka fussed, Leona putting him down.

“I could hear you breathing. If you’re going to sneak up on someone, hide your breathing. But I’m impressed that you’re still trying to get a hit on me.”

“I won’t give up! I’m going to prove I’m not weak.” Cheka said, charging after Leona.

“Who said being weak was a bad thing?” Leona said, easily picking him up. “Rushing things won’t get you anywhere.”

Cheka was placed down again, watching Leona walk away. So he didn’t mean it as an insult? Was this some complex way to keep him entertained without actually saying it? Cheka had a newfound respect for Leona. He happily followed after him, wanting to be closer than ever.

•

Leona settled down, seeing the rain wouldn’t let up anytime soon. Though he was more concerned that Farena and Nikita would be coming back tomorrow. He could finally go back to enjoying naps and serenity. His tail slowly moved as he started drifting off to sleep.

A loud sound rang throughout the Kingscholar household, lightning folloeing afterwards. It had startled Leona some, but he ultimately went back to sleeping. Thunder continued to ring out, the rain coming down harder.

Leona’s door creaked open slightly, two small ears poking out from behind. Another clap of thunder made the small ears stand up. The door closed, a small figure approaching Leona’s bed. Leona grunted, opening his eyes as his body recognized extra heat.

Cheka was shaking, his tail between his legs with his ears bent backwards. He was afraid of a mere thunderstorm? Leona looked at Cheka, seeing himself when he was young. Though, he didn’t have anyone to comfort him. He quietly wrapped himself around Cheka, helping block out some of the thunder. Cheka didn’t seem as afraid as before, but it was better than nothing.

•

“Man, that storm was brutal…” Farena complained, looking at all of the puddles.

“I hope Cheka was okay… He’s not good with thunderstorms…” Nikita muttered.

“I’m sure he’s alright, he’s our kid after all.” Farena said happily, opening the door for Nikita.

They headed for Cheka’s room first, needing to see if he was okay. He wasn’t in his room. They headed over to Leona’s, not expecting to see their son in his bed and being held in such a protective manner.

“I knew he could do it.” Nikita chuckled, having Farena take a picture.

It was a priceless memory that they planned to never stop teasing him about from that moment on.


	283. Octavinelle: Heads may roll some day

“Man, as troublesome as it was, it was more fun than serving assholes.” Floyd grumbled.

“Floyd, let’s not sound too unappreciative. We could be sitting around doing nothing or you know, seafood for humans.” said Jade, patting Floyd on the head.

“I know… I just wanna do something exciting.”

“And we will. But for now, let’s do our jobs.”

“Boo…”

“I’ll give you _that_ tonight if you work hard.”

“Really!? I’ll work hard!”

Jade chuckled, loving how easy Floyd was sometimes.

“Jade, read me the latest purchases.” Azul said.

Jade took out receipts as he moved to serve tables. He read off of them one by one as he served tables, Azul following behind.

“I knew something didn’t add up. Thank you.” said Azul, taking the receipts and walking off.

“Ah, it really is fun here.”

Jade looked, seeing someone had entered.

“Are you here to dine?” Jade asked. He was hugged instead. “Ah, I’ll escort you.”

Azul looked up, seeing Jade walking in with Kalim. He stopped everything he was doing, having Kalim sit while Jade fetched some tea and snacks.

“Tell me everything…” Azul said gently, rubbing Kalim’s back.

The twins had come in with tea and snacks, pushing their work onto the unfortunate workers. Kalim told them everything, enjoying the tea they made for him.

“Jamil’s an ass. Forget him.” Floyd said, dismissing everything.

“He can’t do that, Floyd. His heart is too big.” Jade scolded.

“We’re more than happy to gang up on him for you.” said Azul, the twins nodding in agreement. “Just say the word and we’ll move.”

“It’s okay… that isn’t necessary.” Kalim said, eating some of the snack. “This is enough.”

Azul gently pet Kalim as he ate. As much as they wanted to rip Jamil a new one, they wanted to respect Kalim’s wishes more. They continued to talk to him, making him feel better and safe in their presence. Kalim leaned against Azul while the twins offered to massage him. He profusely declined but ended up accepting as it seemed they really wanted to do it.

“You guys are so nice to me…”

“But of course. We are friends aren’t we?” Azul said, massaging his temples. “If you feel you can’t sleep in Scarabia tonight, you’re free to come sleep with me. I’ll always open my door for you.”

“Us as well.” said the twins.

“Well, make sure to come when my roommates are awake though.” said Floyd, knowing they’d make a fuss otherwise.

“I don’t think it’ll get to that point…” Kalim said, letting out a small pleased moan. The trio chuckled, making him feel even more at ease. “But I’ll keep your offer just in case.”

•

“I like sea otter…”

“I know Floyd. I wanted to coddle him more too. Perhaps we might get a chance today when we pass each other in the halls.” said Jade.

“You think so? I wanna squeeze him full of love~” Floyd laughed, following Jade.

“How dare you two leave me behind!”

They turned, watching Azul catch up to them.

“You weren’t ready so we went on ahead.” Jade explained. “Were you lonely without us?”

“Aw, baby Azul is back.” Floyd teased, poking Azul’s cheek.

“Must you two act like this?”

The trio entered the hall of mirrors, making their way to the main building. They entered the building before moving off to the side.

“So, did Silver contact any of you?”

“No.”

“I do wish he’d keep us updated like he promised.”

“Maybe there’s no update because everything is fine. Which is a good thing. So with that in mind, we can have a pleasant morning.” said Azul, they twins nodding in agreement. “So, breakfast?”

Silver came out of Diasomnia just as Kalim and Jamil did.

“I said don’t touch me.”

“I didn’t though…”

As usual, Jamil was fussy and Kalim was a doormat. He followed behind them, watching to see if anything big happened. They made it to the cafeteria with no incidents. Kalim had gotten breakfast and walked away from Jamil.

“Where are you going?”

“To eat?”

“Our table is over there.”

“But you said you didn’t want to eat with me…?”

“When did I say that?”

“Last night.”

“I didn’t. You misheard.

"No, I-”

“Just sit with me!”

“Jamil, I’m getting tired of this! You do this every morning! Can’t you just make up your mind…?” Kalim yelled, really getting annoyed.

“Let’s just eat together as usual.” Jamil said, dragging Kalim with him.

Silver had sat down with the trio who watched the whole thing.

“They were fine until now. I wouldn’t blame Kalim for snapping one day. He wants distance but when Kalim actually goes through with it, suddenly it’s a problem.” Silver said, enjoying his breakfast. “Heads may roll some day.”

“Hmph, Kalim doesn’t need him. He should transfer to Octavinelle. He’ll be happier.” Azul said, wiping his mouth. “I’m more than willing to help him out with the process.”

“Us too.”

“I want Kalim happy.” Floyd said.

“We can provide it. He just has to say the word.” Jade added on.

“He’s really grateful for you three you know. He told me last night.” said Silver, showing then his conversation with Kalim.

The trio were silent for the rest of breakfast.

•

Silver yawned, seeing he was resting on Kalim’s lap. When did he fall asleep?

“You’re awake! Just in time for lunch too.” Kalim said happily.

“What about classes…?”

“I dragged you to them. Sure, you got in trouble multiple times, but at least you weren’t marked absent!”

“You’re so sweet Kalim… Thank you…”

“You’re my best friend! I couldn’t just leave you hanging!”

Silver looked away before sitting up.

“Hey, Kalim?”

“Hm?”

“Why do you continue to put up with Jamil? He’s not family and he’s not your friend. And you declared him no longer your servant.”

“Even if he doesn’t see me as one, I see him as one. The same person who’s been by my side since I can remember, even if he’s a little mean.” said Kalim with an eye smile. Silver gave him a look. “Okay, a lot mean.”

“I understand you less and less…” Silver sighed before getting up. “Let’s go have lunch.”

Floyd poked Jade, pointing to Kalim entering the cafeteria. They quickly hurried over, spooking the two best friends.

“Eat with us, Kalim.”

“You’ll have lots of fun!”

“Ah, but-”

“Will you join us, Silver? There’s always room for one more.” Floyd asked.

“Sure. You’ll eat with them, right Kalim?” Silver asked, looking at the uncertain Kalim.

He didn’t see Jamil anywhere so he was probably still in class or on his way here.

“Yeah. We can eat together.”

The twins high fived, helping Kalim pick his lunch before excitedly bringing him back to their table. Silver soon joined, watching Kalim smile like he usually did. He looked up, seeing Azul entering not long after Jamil. Problems were definitely going to start when Jamil saw that Kalim wasn’t at their table.

Azul sat down, giving Kalim all of his attention. They really cared about Kalim. It was heartwarming to see Kalim genuinely smiling again. His happy mood disappeared as he saw Jamil making his way over.

“Guys, Jamil is coming.”

They instantly started to shield Kalim just as Jamil arrived.

“You aren’t sitting at our table. Why?”

“Can’t I eat with friends?”

“Not these clowns. No offense, Silver. Literally, anyone but them.” Jamil said, giving them nasty looks.

“But-”

“No buts. Get up and come on. You’re free to join us, Silver.”

“But I want to eat with them! Why can’t we? Are you still mad about what happened? I thought we were over this…”

“As if I’d forgive these meddlers. No one would’ve gotten hurt if they’d just let me do my thing!”

“I can’t believe you… You may not have hurt the other Scarabians that much, but I would’ve been hurt!” Kalim said angrily. “I’m staying. So either you sit and eat here or eat alone.”

The other four remained tight lipped. There was too much tension in the air. Jamil sat next to Silver, releasing something of the airborne tension.

•

Azul had just opened Mostro’s when someone came flying into his arms, crying their eyes out. His eyes narrowed, knowing a job had to be done.

“Jade! Floyd!”

“What’s-”

They heard the sobbing. They hurried over, giving him comfort. The trio took him to the VIP Lounge, having him lie down.

“Need more tissues? They’re the soft kind…” Floyd said, dangling a tissue box.

“I made your favorite tea.” Jade added on, holding out the cup of tea.

“Would you like me to sing?” Azul offered.

Kalim continued to cry. They didn’t want to smother him, so they each took turns holding Kalim in their arms. It seemed to work as he quieted down.

“Can you tell us what’s wrong…?”

“Can I stay with you?”

“Of course, but we’d like to know what happened…” Jade said, stroking Kalim’s hair.

“Jamil is… I don’t… I’m tired. I don’t want to to deal with things anymore…” Kalim said before telling them about the big fight. “He’s become too much…”

“You can sleep in my room if you want to stay tonight.” Azul said, wiping Kalim’s tears.

“Come to us whenever, wherever!” Floyd cheered, burying his face in Kalim’s hair.

“I will… I will.” Kalim croaked, receiving hugs from the trio.

“Unfortunately, we can’t stick around much longer. We’ve got to work soon.” said Jade with a sad look.

“I’ll help!”

“Kalim-”

“I want to help. Let me help! You’ve all done so much for me ever since things between Jamil and I turned bad…” said Kalim, looking to Azul for permission. “Please?”

“Are you absolutely sure? We get a lot of customers…” Floyd said, liking the calmer days that have fewer customers.

“I’m sure!”

“Well, I’m not one to turn down someone who’s willingly going to help. But you can’t go out like this. Floyd, get him something proper to wear. Jade, you’ll be in charge of styling him right.”

“Understood.” they said before hurrying off.

“While they’re doing that, I’ll start explaining how things work around here.”

Kalim sat attentively, wanting to do his best.

•

“Kalim?”

His room was empty yet again. Why was he never in his bed anymore? Jamil asked other Scarabians who promptly avoided him, still traumatized from the overblot. He was going to find him and give him a well deserved lecture.

“Ah! So that’s what makes your hair so soft!” Kalim exclaimed, looking at the products Azul used.

“Though, it’s nothing compared to what Vil uses.” Azul chuckled, seeing Kalim wasn’t getting dressed. “Are you planning to stay here all day?”

“Huh? Oh!”

They heard a knock on his door. Azul opened it, allowing the twins inside. They instantly started doting on Kalim, getting him dressed for classes. Kalim definitely didn’t regret his decision in hanging out with them more. He didn’t feel as heavy and irritable as his used to be.

They had stepped into the hall of mirrors, not expecting to see Jamil waiting. Kalim instantly hid behind Floyd.

“So they were right. You’ve been staying with them! Why?”

“I don’t like fighting with you! If we’re apart, we won’t fight as much!” Kalim said from behind Floyd. “You make me feel so negative and I don’t like that!”

“I do not! You’re the one making things difficult. Stop hanging out with them! They’re the bad guys.”

“No, _you’re_ the bad guy!” Kalim said, getting angry. “ _You’re_ the one who wanted to destroy me from the shadows and _you’re_ the one who wanted to hurt me just because of something our parents did. Why didn’t you just talk to me? I’m not dumb, just an idiot!”

 _“He’s admitting to being an idiot…”_ the trio thought.

“I don’t understand a lot of things, but if there’s anything I do, it’s when my friends aren’t happy! But I can’t know if you’re unhappy or not if you keep it bottled up like you’re some hero or whatever!” Kalim shouted, now standing in front of Floyd. “You only have _yourself_ to blame for how things ended up! I’m only partially at fault!”

“Look! They’re brainwashing you to make me seem like the bad guy!”

“Can we please go? This is upsetting me…”

“You sure you don’t want anything else? I’ll grant it for you, for free.”

Silver stepped into the hall of mirrors, watching the twins finishing beating up on Jamil. He didn’t want to know. The twins looked at him and waved, telling him to come on. He looked at Jamil then back at the twins.

“Coming!”

Whatever happened, that wasn’t much of his business. But he was glad Jamil had gotten roughed up a little for being so awful to Kalim.


	284. Octavinelle: Heads may roll (cont.)

Kalim groaned, feeling something soft touching his face. He giggled a bit, it being ticklish. He finally opened his eyes, seeing Azul was giving him cheek kisses.

“Ah, so they did work.” Azul smiled, giving Kalim a french kiss.

Kalim pulled him closer, having missed his lips. Azul reluctantly pulled away, seeing Kalim was studying, well, trying to.

“So, you were studying math?”

“Yeah. I really don’t get the chapter we’re on…” Kalim mumbled, showing Azul his work.

Students quietly watched them, always seeing them joined at the hip along with the twins. It was like Kalim and his merbodyguards who’s definitely ruin the rest of your school life is you crossed them wrong. It was probably worse if you hurt their sunshine leader.

“They scare me…”

“I know… Kalim isn’t even that threatening!”

“Ah, so this was where you were hiding him.”

“I wasn’t hiding anyone, Jade.”

“Jade, Floyd!” Kalim exclaimed, giving them hugs. “Azul was helping me with math. I wouldn’t mind extra help.”

“Eee! They’re all together.”

“I’m making a run for it.”

The library was emptier than before.

•

Kalim watched Silver on horseback, seeing his club wouldn’t be doing anything interesting today. Silver waved as Kalim waved back. It was always fun watching Silver do all sorts of tricks with Lily.

“Ah, so you’re here.”

“Oh, Jade. What’s up?”

“Nothing, just wanting to hang out with our beautiful sunshine.” Jade said, giving him a brief kiss. “So, you’re watching them ride?”

“Mhm. They’re practicing for matches coming up. Silver and Lily are in top shape as usual.”

“I wish you would give me that much attention…” Jade sighed, feeling unloved. “You always give so much to Azul and Floyd…”

“What? I do? That’s no good… Umm, umm…” Kalim said, starting to panic.

“Calm down. I’m just joking. Ah, your naivety is so endearing…” Jade said, holding Kalim close.

Jade stayed with him the entire time until club activities were finished. Kalim ran over to gush about Silver. They really couldn’t deny Kalim seemed so much more lively ever since they took him in. They still wished he’d transfer to Octavinelle so he could have a permanent room to sleep in instead of switching between the three of them. Not that he was complaining. He loved the nights they got to spend together.

Kalim slipped back over to him, wanting to stop at Sam’s so Jade could teach him to cook more basic meals.

“Not to say that I’m unhappy or anything but, have you considered transferring to Octavinelle?” Jade asked, holding hands with Kalim.

“Hm… I have. There’s a lot of pros and cons with it all. But, I know in my heart that Scarabia is where I belong, even if my mind is telling me otherwise.” said Kalim, giving Jade a smile. “Plus, I’m used to living in hot temperatures so to permanently be in an underwater dorm is a bit much…”

“I understand. I just wanted to hear your opinion as quite a bit of time has passed since we initially asked.

"If you’re worried about my love, don’t be! I’m very happy being with the three of you.”

Jade squeezed his hand, his face a blushing mess. Was it bad that he wanted to find the closest place to fuck Kalim? He suppressed his emotions, seeing they were nearing Sam’s shop.

•

Jade guided Kalim’s arms from behind, showing him the proper way to grate cheese.

“Wow, it doesn’t feel uncomfortable…” Kalim said in awe. “You’re a genius!”

“Well, as much as I don’t want to say this name, Jamil is a much better cook.” Jade said, moving from behind Kalim.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding him!”

“Floyd, we weren’t hiding in the slightest.” Jade sighed, starting to pan fry vegetables.

“Sea otter, whatcha doing?” Floyd asked, looking at the bowls before them.

“I’m making a cheese sauce while Jade does the hard stuff.” said Kalim. “Wanna help?”

“No, I just want Kalim loving.” Floyd whined, hugging Kalim from behind. “Ah, you’re so small.”

“Isn’t that great? You two could cuddle me like a pillow.” Kalim grinned.

The twins went red in the face. How was he so cute?

“Stop being so cute, sea otter. I’m gonna get cavities.” Floyd complained, burying his face in Kalim'a hair.

“But I’m just voicing my feelings?” Kalim said in confusion.

“Hm, something in here smells good.” a voice said.

“Azul! Are you going to cook with us?” Kalim asked, carefully handling the cheese. “Ouch…”

He soon had three mermen hovering over him, checking his hands.

“Guys it’s okay… It’s not a burn.” Kalim laughed, pulling his hands away.

“He’s right. Don’t scare us like that.”

“My bad, my bad.”

Floyd and Azul decided to help, not wanting to see Kalim get hurt again.

•

Kalim left Octavinelle, heading back to Scarabia for a few things. He greeted other Scarabians, catching up with them about things. So far so good. He only got so far when he ran into the one person he’s been avoiding for months.

“Here we go…” Kalim whispered, waiting for Jamil to fuss.

“How have you been?”

“Splendid.” said Kalim before walking around him.

“Wait, I want to talk.”

“Why? Aren’t you happy? You’re free. You don’t have to bend to my every stupid whim.” said Kalim, mocking him. “I’m butting out of your life like you wanted.”

“Kalim, just let me speak.”

“No. I have dinner to enjoy with three wonderful gentlemen.”

“Then I’ll speak while you walk. Listen, I admit that I was being a major asswipe towards you and I could’ve vented in better ways. I want to make up with you. You were my first friend after all…”

Kalim silently threw things in a bag, waiting to see if he had anything else to say.

“I don’t want to lose my first friend…”

“Really? Then you should’ve thought about that months ago. I gave you so many chances but you wanted to act like a jackass. I’m done trying with you. I’m happier without you in my life.” Kalim said, pushing past him. “I advise you not to hang around me unless you want three gentlemen roughing you up.”

Kalim closed the door to his room, leaving Jamil alone.

•

“Kalim…”

“Kalim~”

“Kalim.”

Kalim threw pillows at them before ducking underneath Azul’s bed.

“Otter, don’t hide.”

“We just want to have fun.”

“A bit spicier than usual.”

Kalim saw three faces peering underneath the bed.

“No. I don’t wanna…” Kalim whined, hiding further.

“Is it because we’re too rough?”

“We promise to be gentle.”

“I’ll keep the twins in check.”

“Hnnn…”

They exchanged looks seeing they’d have to try another time. They quietly played rock paper scissors to decide who Kalim would sleep with that night before hearing shuffling from behind them.

“Kalim…”

“Thought you didn’t wanna.”

“Don’t push yourself.”

Kalim climbed into bed with them, acting coy. Their hearts raced, wondering if there was no limit to his cuteness. They each took residence on a different part of Kalim’s body, planning to switch so they each had a chance. Kalim’s body shook, feeling them leaving no part of his body untouched.

“Ready?” Azul asked softly, sitting by Kalim’s head.

“Yeah…”

•

Kalim groaned, his body registering he was being smushed between people. He opened his eyes, seeing Azul was holding him while the twins were on the outside. He felt loved. He gave each of them kisses, wanting them to know what he couldn’t say.

“Someone’s awake. Thought you’d be asleep longer after how the twins handled you.” Azul whispered, cupping Kalim’s cheek.

“I can’t exactly moved too much, haha… I’m worried about classes.” said Kalim, keeping the fact he talked to Jamil a secret.

“So, I heard Jamil talked to you.”

“How did you know?”

“We have eyes and ears everywhere, sea otter.” Floyd answered, kissing Kalim’s neck.

“So he wanted to be friends again? How tacky. He must be desperate for a friend.” Jade added on, holding Kalim’s hand.

“We’ll protect you. We promise.” Azul said, the twins nodding in agreement.

“So, how are you feeling? Can you walk?” Jade asked, knowing they got a bit rowdy.

“Yeah, I think.”

They watched before rushing to his sides. He couldn’t walk. Kalim sighed, being sat down on a pillow to cushion his behind.

“Don’t worry about missing anything, Silver can share his notes right?”

“Oh yeah. So I guess I’ll rest up then?”

“We’ll check up on you through text. If you need anything, just tell us and we’ll get it for you.” said Azul, the twins nodding behind him.

•

Kalim sat up, hearing sounds in the room. He wanted to make sure of what he was hearing before alerting them. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a false alarm. The sound was coming from the door. He searched around for a weapon to use, just in case whatever it was managed to get in.

“Kalim…? Are you in here?”

He knew that voice. Why wasn’t Jamil in classes? He knew he wasn’t going to be his friend. He texted them, hoping they’d get Octavinelle students to take him away.

“I know you’re in there, but you’re probably asleep. I just wanted to say that I’m happy you’re happy. I was miserable and wanted you to be too since I wasn’t happy. I know it sounds like me making excuses but, I’m sorry. Maybe one day we can start over.”

“Hey! Get away from that room!”

“Get him!”

Kalim listener to the retreating footsteps.

_“Maybe one day we can start over.”_

Kalim lied down, pulling the bedsheets over himself. As if.


	285. Jack x Ace: My natural scent

“Ace!”

“Hey!”

“Ace, my guy!”

“We still on for tea later?”

“You bet!”

“Wow, can’t believe so many people like you.” Deuce commented, watching Ace high five some people.

“I don’t know either but, I’m not complaining.” Ace shrugged.

“Is Jack cool with this?”

“Of course. It’s not like anyone is attracted to me.”

Deuce looked behind them. Yeah, no. There were definitely plenty of guys. He didn’t say anything, not wanting to make things worse. Though, it made him wonder if Jack easily got jealous. Ace happily greeted more students, brushing off the fact one of them squeezed his ass.

•

“And my homework was done for me just like that! Thought this school was full of self centered people.” Ace said with his mouth full before swallowing.

“Wow. That happens to you too?” Epel asked. “So I’m not weird. Thank goodness.”

“Are you sure it’s just them being friendly? Sounds to me like-” Sebek said before Deuce covered his mouth.

“Sounds like they’re being extra friendly!” Deuce said, not wanting anything to happen between Jack and Ace.

Jack however already knew what was going on. He clearly saw a student touching Ace for no reason other than wanting to touch him. Not to mention overhearing some saying they’d ask Ace out in a heartbeat if they broke up.

“Jack? Is there something wrong?” Ace asked before leaning over and whispering in his ear. “Are you in your heat cycle?”

“N- No… I’m just thinking.”

“Oh, that’s good. I was worried something was wrong. I don’t like seeing you troubled.” Ace said, giving him a smile.

Jack’s heart jumped out of his chest and ran to give itself to Ace. He loved him so much. He wasn’t going to let anyone touch him. He was going to make sure everyone knew who Ace belonged to.

“Jack? Oh-”

The trio watched as Jack roughly kissed Ace, hungry for him. He slowly pulled away, looking at Ace’s reddened face. Oh god it was making him horny. He sat down, going back to eating. Students whispered, badmouthing Jack.

“Must he show off that Ace is his?”

“How arrogant.”

“Annoying…”

Ace happily enjoyed his lunch, nothing better than eating together with his best friends and boyfriend.

•

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Ace stretched out before being approached by guys. Deuce internally sighed, wondering how Ace didn’t see that they were interested in him. Should he tell him? Then again, it wasn’t his job.

“Tomorrow guys. I’ve got to meet up with Jack.”

“Come on, you spend almost every afternoon with him and the other ones you have basketball practice. Hang out with your friends for a change.”

“Hm. I guess I could. Let’s go!”

“Are you going to tell him?” Deuce piped up.

“Ah, almost forgot.” said Ace, texting Jack as he left the classroom with the others.

They had only gotten to enjoy a little time together when someone called out to Ace.

“Oh, Jack! You’re gonna join after all?” Ace shouted, waving at him.

“Ugh, how over protective…”

“This is why you should’ve taken his phone.”

“Shh, the dog’s getting closer.”

Ace hugged Jack before being yanked away. This was new.

“What’s going on…?”

“I want to hang out and get to know these friends of yours.” Jack said.

“Ah, we aren’t suspicious. Let’s all have fun together.”

They had to put their plans on hold. They eventually waved to the retreating couple, wishing they’d break up soon.

“So, are we doing homework together?” Ace asked, scrolling through Magicam. He noticed they weren’t heading for the hall of mirrors. “Jack? Where are we going?”

He wasn’t responding to him. Did he make him mad? This would be their first fight. Jack had pulled him into a classroom before locking the door.

“Jack, if- mmmpphh!”

Ace leaned back against the surface as Jack roughly kissed him. He made small noises, feeling Jack rubbing between his legs. Did he…?

Ace opened his legs more, giving Jack better access. His cheeks were extremely red and saliva was dripping from their mouths. He allowed Jack to remove his pants, leaving him bare bottomed.

“Am I being punished…?” Ace whispered, looking at Jack with half lidded, lustful doe eyes. “Or you just couldn’t wait to feel me…?”

“I’m going to mark you. I’m tired of them touching and clinging to you like you’re single. You’re mine.” Jack growled, licking Ace’s neck. Ace quietly sighed, running his fingers through Jack’s hair. “You smell so good…”

“I’m glad you like my natural scent… Haa… aahhh…” Ace whispered, feeling Jack’s thumb rubbing over his head.

Jack bit at his neck, unzipping his pants. Ace found himself being lifted up before feeling his ass being filled. Jack started to move, making Ace moan in pleasure. He gave Jack a deep kiss, moaning into his mouth. Their tongues circled and tasted each other, sharing saliva.

“Deeper… I want you deeper…” Ace whispered, having his wish granted almost instantly. “Aahhh… aaaa… Haaa… Jack…”

He moved his hips with Jack’s, wanting to make him come. Jack grunted and panted, feeling close to coming. Ace whined in his moans, feeling Jack coming inside him. The action had flipped a switch, causing Ace to come as well. He could already feel Jack’s cum sliding out.

“I’m not done. I haven’t fully marked you.”

Ace was soon stripped of his tops, crying out in bliss as Jack left bite marks on his body. It was too good. He just might come from it. Ace.‘a eyes widened, not expecting Jack to start moving again. He was still coming down from his high.

“Wait, you’re… you’re gonna…” Ace mumbled, finding it a bit hard to speak.

He moaned, feeling Jack licking his nipples. He was going to come again at this rate. He tightly held Jack, starting to claw at his back as he started thrusting harder into him. He couldn’t take it, coming again as he moaned Jack’s name. This only fueled Jack further, going in deeper.

“It’s so good… so good… uuuuaaahhh… Jaaack…” Ace whined, drawing a bit of blood on Jack’s back.

“Fuck… don’t much such a lewd face…” Jack hissed, giving Ace a kiss. “I’ll come from it…”

Ace dug his nails into Jack’s back, feeling another load being released into him. Jack grew inside him, shooting even more into him. Ace panted with Jack, looking into his eyes.

“I’m so full of you…”

“Don’t look at me like that…” Jack whispered, getting hard inside of him.

“Haha, are you going to rip me apart?”

Jack shook his head, pulling out of Ace. A large amount of cum was squeezed out, falling onto the surface. Jack covered him with his blazer, his face red with embarrassment. Ace laughed, giving him head pats.

“It’s like you were a whole other person before.” Ace chuckled, Jack looking at him with upturned eyes. “You’re so cute…”

“Can you stand? Do you need help dressing?” Jack asked, his tail wagging.

“I think I can.”

Jack held Ace up, seeing he was a bit wobbly. Ace wrapped himself in Jack’s blazer as he was dressed enough to walk around. He held onto Jack’s arm, ready to show off his new marks.


	286. Silver: Little beauty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Nsfw, Rape. I’ve warned you, tagged and placed a cut. you can’t get mad

Silver looked around, seeing he was lying in a meadow. The wind gently blew as he took in his surroundings. This was nice. He lied back down, looking up at the blue sky. Birds flew by, happily chirping. What would complete this scene? He sat up, hearing laughter.

Lilia and Malleus were playing around, having the time of their lives.

“Silver! Come join us!” Lilia called out.

Silver got up without question, running over to Lilia. He hugged him tight before pulling away. He looked at his arms and what was before him.

“Father…?”

He looked over at Malleus.

“Malleus!?”

Silver looked up, seeing the blue sky flickering between blue and red. What was going on? Why were they dead? Why was they sky changing? Why couldn’t he use magic? Silver started to panic, watching blood rain from the sky.

“Father, father…!” he shouted, shaking Lilia. He looked at Malleus, starting to shake him as well. “Malleus!”

Tears left his eyes as he continued to try and wake them up. He noticed the area was starting to glitch. Glitching? If everything was glitching then…

Silver groaned, his consciousness slowly starting to come back to him.

“Ah, my sleeping beauty is starting to awaken…” a voice panted, licking around Silver’s nipples.

Silver groaned more before his body started to register pleasure. His body automatically responded while his mind was slow to catch up, mostly because he was still half asleep. Silver moved slightly, seeing he didn’t get far. His wrists were bound together as the rope holding them was hung from above. His ankles were bound as well, making it so that his legs were always spread open.

Silver let out a throaty moan, his body coming from the pleasure. That had finally woke him up. He couldn’t see a thing but he could’ve swore he opened his eyes. He tried moving his arms, only to see they weren’t moving like he hoped. He tried his legs, only for them to be in the same situation.

“Ah!”

“So you’re fully awake now… Wonderful.”

“Hello? Is some- Aaahh… haaa… what… my ass… aaahhh…” Silver said, his words cut short as someone was plunging into him. “Haah… please… someone…”

“Who are you calling for?”

Silver squirmed around, his body wanting more while his mind disagreed with everything. He was being raped at this moment. The voice sounded familiar but didn’t. Silver tossed his head back, feeling his shaft being touched. He felt sick, but his body was loving it. Silver moaned loudly, coming on his rapist’s hand.

“You’re coming so easily now… I’d love to tire you out~”

“Stop it… please…” Silver whimpered, feeling his nipples being stimulated.

“No.”

“Ple- uuwwaaahhh… aaaa… haaa… stop… I don’t… I don’t want to feel good…” Silver whispered, feeling them resume thrusting into him.

He couldn’t hold back his moans, feeling them coming inside him. That had to be the end, right? They kept going, even after coming inside him. He was going to go insane from pleasure. He was scared and feeling extremely nauseous. Silver panted heavily, feeling his stomach churning.

“You look unwell. Are you going to vomit?”

Silver kept quiet.

“That won’t do. Keep it all inside or I won’t stop making love to you.”

“But-” Silver said before quickly closing his mouth.

“If you really feel you can’t hold back, go ahead. Just know afterwards you’ll be spending even more time with me.”

Silver felt tears prick his eyes as they started moving again. He did his best to keep himself from vomiting, but keeping it in was becoming too much to bear. They tsked, turning Silver’s head as he vomited onto the floor.

“You really wanted to stay with me that badly? I feel honored.”

“You’re crazy!”

“Maybe so, but saying that isn’t going to help you now is it?”

Silver felt a hand cup his face before he was forced to swallow something. His head felt like it was splitting. He swayed around, feeling hotter than before and a very high need to be fucked. He gave him an aphrodisiac. That could be the only explanation.

Silver’s body became limp, way too overstimulated. Cum and sweat had mixed together and coated his body, making him feel sticky and gross. The person had finally finished with him. He tried moving but once more got nowhere.

“Are you going to release me?”

Silence. Where did he go? Silver “looked” around, hoping for something, anything.

“Hello?”

He watched from afar as Silver became frantic. He was counting down to see how long it’d take for Silver to break.

“Hello!? Are you still there!?” Silver called out, still trying to move. “Anyone…?”

He smiled, still watching Silver from afar. He could see Silver was starting to lose hope.

“I wanna go home… please… someone…”

Silver started to cry. To think he’d be raped and just left like this. What did he ever do to deserve this? What kind of sicko would think this was okay? He just wanted to go back to Lilia and forget any of this happened. Lilia. His dream flashed in his mind, making him let out a startled scream.

“Oh?”

It wouldn’t leave his mind now. Silver cried harder, trying to get free. What if it was a sign? He had to get back to them. He stopped moving and screaming, feeling vibrations. Did he come back?

“Hey! Whoever you are, let me go! You did what you wanted! Let me go! I… I have to get back to my family!”

Silence. Silver was starting to lose hope. The guy wasn’t coming back. His family was going to die without him.

“Please, if you’re listening… I’ll do anything to get out quicker… I want to be by my family’s side again…” Silver said, hanging his head. “Please…”

Silver felt his head being lifted before being forced to kiss. He silently went along with it, feeling the vibrations become more violent. He squirmed around, feeling his lips around his shaft. Silver sucked it up, seeing he’d let him go if he just obliged.

“More… more…” Silver whined, trying not to buck his hips. “I want to… for you…”

“Pushing your luck, are we?” he said, stopping altogether. “Little beauty, you aren’t possibly thinking giving in and showing you’re ‘enjoying’ yourself means I’ll let you go.”

Silver couldn’t hide his horrified expression. He knew the whole time? He felt him go down on him again, searching for sweet spots. He easily came, filling his mouth.

“I’ll let the vibrator do the rest of the work.” he chuckled. “So, have you figured it out?”

“What…?”

“Who I am? Have I not made it obvious enough?”

“I… I don’t know… you sound familiar…” Silver whispered, getting hard again from the vibratory.

“Oh how you wound me, sleeping beauty.” he said, feigning hurt. “After all the trouble I went through to learn about you. Your likes, dislikes, what turns you on, things you cherish, how to properly tie you so you can’t escape. All of it took lots of observation…”

“Observation… ROOK!?”

“Bingo.”

His father always warned him about being anywhere near him. They all thought him to be a loon and it seemed they were right.

“Why are you doing this…?”

“Why? Can’t you tell? I love understanding things, but I love you more.” Rook said, giving Silver a kiss. “I want to learn what you like done to you, how you like it done and how long you’ll last with constant stimulation.”

“Then why didn’t you just ask? You… you raped me!”

“I couldn’t hold back… I just had to make you mine. And I’m getting such interesting results.” said Rook, running his hands all over Silver’s body. “You look so beautiful, even covered in our cum… Ah, I want to give you my love…”

“If you loved me you wouldn’t be doing this…” Silver weeped, trying to get free.

“Love comes in all shapes and forms, does it not? Now, just relax and let me please you… we won’t be going anywhere for a while, so I’ll have plenty of time to examine you and learn more. Isn’t that fun?”

Silver remained silent, not wanting to make things worse. All of this was wrong. He silently prayed, hoping someone, anyone would notice he was missing.


	287. Vick: Keyboard smashing your messages

“You’re gonna do what now?”

“Ask him to be my mate.”

Epel laughed before seeing Jack was serious.

“Do you really want Vil…? He’s a demon you know…” Epel muttered, worried for Jack’s future. “I can already imagine the horrors you’d have to go through just for him.”

“He’s not all bad… He’s a really hardworking and caring guy…” Jack said, a fond look on his face. “I want to be someone he can go to and be himself around, not the person everyone knows him as…”

Epel didn’t say anything, never seeing the sides Jack was talking about. Though, Jack wasn’t the type to lie. Maybe there were softer sides of Vil.

“Well, if you’re serious then… I’ll help. What do you need?”

Jack started explaining the plan, hoping Vil would accept his proposal.

•

“Ah…”

Vil sucked on his finger as he pricked it. Of all times for him to get a tear in his shirt. He heard a knock on his door.

“It’s open.”

Epel stepped in, looking at Vil sewing the tear shut. He took a deep breath before smacking Vil on the back of his head. He immediately ran, knowing Vil was probably following right behind. This was the best method to get him out of Pomefiore without it seeming suspicious.

“Get back here you-!”

Epel had led Vil out to the small garden before hiding behind Jack. Jack caught Vil, keeping him from strangling Epel.

“Let me go! I’ve got a child to strangle.”

“Vil, don’t. It was the best way to get you out without arousing suspicion.”

Vil calmed down, moving out of Jack’s hold.

“What are you planning, Jack?”

Jack exhaled before getting on his knees. He bowed all the way bow before taking Vil’s hands in his.

“Will you do me the honor of being my mate?” Jack asked, his resolve firm.

“Mate…? Don’t you wolves mate… for life?”

“Yes.”

Vil silently looked at Jack before having him get to his feet. He then pulled his hands away.

“I can’t do that.”

“B- But-”

Vil turned on his heel and left. Epel patted his arm, sort of wishing it worked out. The least Vil could’ve done was give him a reason as to why.

“Are you going to try again…?”

“I don’t know… I was so sure…” Jack whispered, involuntarily crying.

Epel gave him a hug, knowing it had to hurt.

“Vil Schoenheit, king of breaking hearts.”

“Stuff it, Rook.”

Rook followed him in silence.

“Why did you decline?”

“None of your business.”

“As your dearest friend, I would like to say it is my business. You know I’ve never told a soul anything you’ve confided in me.” said Rook, closing Vil’s door.

Vil sat down, going back to fixing the tear.

“He deserves better.” Vil said after a while.

“The stunning and absolutely beautiful Vil Schoenheit doesn’t have any confidence? How ridiculous.”

“I mean it, Rook… He wanted me to be his mate… Wolves mate for life, Rook. He wants to spend the rest of his life with me. Why would he want that?” Vil said, now facing him.

“Because he loves you? Why else?” Rook said with a shrug.

“Well, he made a mistake. I’m not the right person to ask…” Vil said, finishing the repair. “I don’t even like him that much.”

“Yet you were squealing like a little girl when all he texted you was hi.”

“S- Shut up!” Vil yelled, his cheeks red. “Anyway, I’m done talking about it. I’m not going to accept it.”

•

Riddle looked at Vil who mixed herbs together.

“What is it?” Vil questioned, knowing Riddle was staring.

“I happened to overhear the first years. They were talking about you turning Jack down.” Riddle said, handing him a berry.

“They really are close friends aren’t they…”

“What did Jack ask of you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fine. Sorry for trying to be a friend.” Riddle said, going back to his studies.

Vil sighed, slowly stopping his mixing movements.

“He asked me to be his mate…”

“Don’t wolves mate for life?”

“Yes. Don’t you think he deserves someone better?” Vil asked, resuming his mixing.

“Everyone always deserves better, but the fact is he wants you, not anyone else.” said Riddle, turning the page. “It’s not like he asked out of the blue. You two have something going on.”

“We don’t…”

“You sent me a screenshot of you texting Jack and keyboard smashing 99% of your messages.”

“Why do you two have to point out pointless things?” Vil said angrily, highly embarrassed.

“Two? Did you tell someone else?”

“You know Rook.”

“Ah, true. But what he probably told you is probably true. Jack wants you and only you. He won’t look at anyone else no matter how much you wish it.” Riddle stated, placing a nut in the mixture. “Go mate with him.”

“That sounds sexual.”

“Did I stutter though?”

Vil narrowed his eyes at Riddle who went back to reading. Who has he been hanging out with?

•

Epel listened as Jack tried different ways of asking Vil.

“I keep telling you just go natural.”

“I did natural the first time and look where it got me.” Jack fussed. “I have to find something that’ll make him say yes.”

“You’re really determined aren’t you? I admire you really.” said Epel, still suggesting he just be natural.

Vil found himself being pushed forward, stopping a few feet away from Jack.

“You’ve got company.” Epel said, pointing behind him.

“Before you say anything. I just want to say I’m sorry… especially for not giving you a clear answer. But, I have one now.” said Vil, unable to look Jack in the eye. “I said what I did because I feel I’m not right for you. I know you can do better, and I want you to do better. But… that was just me being afraid. A lifelong commitment to someone who I’m not sure I can make happy? That’s scary… but, I was really happy when you asked me…”

“Vil…”

“So, I want to change my answer. That is, if you’ll allow me to.” Vil said, giving him a smile.

Jack hugged Vil tight, swinging him around. Vil chuckled, receiving all sorts of affection from Jack. He could take that to mean yes. Vil gently rubbed Jack’s ears, earning happy whines in response.

“I’ll do my best to make you happy…”

“Me too.”

Rook and Riddle high fived, glad to see their words got through to Vil.


	288. Riddle, Che'nya, Trey: Don’t knead my sheets!

Riddle looked around, seeing everything was fine and dandy. Now his only problem was… this weird gut feeling.

“Trey!”

“I’m right next to you.”

“Oh, sorry.” Riddle apologized, having him follow him. “I’ve got a bad feeling yet everything is running smoothly.

"You feel it too?” Trey asked, having been feeling it since he woke up.

“Yeah, since I woke up. Nothing has happened the entire day yet it hasn’t gone away…”

“Royal Scum!” someone shouted.

They looked, only to be tackled to the ground.

“Che'nya!? What have we told you-”

“Shut up and hide me!” Che'nya meowed, clinging to Trey.

They shook their heads, running to hide Che'nya in Riddle’s room.

Riddle gave Che'nya a good hit to his head, scolding him for appearing in the midst of their tea time.

“Looks like we figured out our bad feeling…” said Trey, his gut feeling having disappeared. “What are you doing here? Causing more trouble?”

“Haha, glasses knows me so well nya~” Che'nya chuckled, getting comfortable on Riddle’s bed.

“Hey, don’t knead my sheets!” Riddle fussed, squirting water at him.

Trey covered his mouth as he laughed, watching Che'nya jump as a part of him got wet. It felt like their younger days when Riddle was still… normal.

“If you’re going to cause trouble, why are you hiding out here?”

“I’m here to cause trouble for the both of you.”

“Should’ve known…” they said in unison.

Che'nya mewed, rubbing himself against them. As much as they didn’t want to be bothered with him, they couldn’t deny how happy they were to see him again.

“So, what kind of trouble are you going to give us this time?” Trey asked, taking off his blazer and vest, Riddle doing the same.

“Oh… nothing much…”

“It’s never ‘nothing much’. Come on, tell us.” Trey said, rolling up his sleeves.

“We don’t have all day.” Riddle chimed in.

Che'nya was unusually quiet. What were they to make of it? Neither wanted to be the first to approach, so they approached together.

“You’re annoyingly quiet. What’s going on?” Riddle asked, hesitating before scratching behind Che'nya’s ear.

“Grandpa isn’t doing well…”

They sat on either side of him, seeing it was actually something serious.

“It came back…?” Trey asked softly.

Che'nya nodded, keeping his face out of sight.

“How much longer does he have?” Riddle questioned, rubbing Che'nya’s back.

“Less than a year…”

Riddle and Trey exchanged looks, knowing his grandfather meant a lot to him. Che'nya leaned against Riddle, mewling softly.

“He can’t go… he hasn’t seen me graduate yet…” Che'nya sobbed, his feelings uncorked and overflowing. “There’s… there’s so many things I have yet to prove to him…”

Trey and Riddle hugged him both sides, not used to the feline crying. Riddle has Trey cook his favorite dish while he tried his hand at jokes. They were terrible, but it was enough to make Che'nya chuckle.

Trey had come back, Che'nya instantly smelling it. He tearfully took it, taking small bites out of it.

“We know how much he means to you and it pains us too to hear that he’s in the red again…” said Trey, giving Che'nya pets.

“But we’ll still be here for you, even if you are a handful.” said Riddle, nudging his side.

“You guys…”

Che'nya quietly finished before pulling them both into a hug. He truly did cherish them. He lovingly rubbed against them, purring in bliss.

“Oh god, he’s purring…”

“Run, Riddle! Save yourself!”

“You aren’t going to escape!”

Riddle laughed as he ran, Trey sacrificing himself to allow him to escape. Che'nya chased after him, not feeling as bad as he used to.


	289. Kalim: Infectious

“You’re rather bubbly today. Did someone compliment you?” Silver asked, Kalim spinning him around.

“Nope. I’m just happy to be alive!”

“Ah, there you go again.” Silver said with a shake of his head, smiling softly. “That’s what I like so much about you.”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Nothing. Stop spinning me so we can get to class.”

“Right, right. I’m just really happy and I don’t know why.”

_“I know why I’m happy…”_

They walked to their classroom, sitting together as usual. Silver shared his book as usual, Kalim having lost his at some point in time. He didn’t mind sharing. It made it easier to crack jokes with him. Silver imitated Lucius, causing Kalim to shake violently as he held in his laughter.

Kalim gently tapped him, imitating Trein. Silver snorted, gaining a bit of attention. They stopped for a bit, seeing Trein was giving their side of the room looks. Silver and Kalim passed notes, hardly paying attention in class.

_‘Hey, Kalim. What if I told you that I wanted to be more than friends?’_

_'Lovers?’_

_'What!? No! I meant best friends…’_

_'I’m fine with either!’_

Silver looked up, seeing Kalim beaming at him. His cheeks gained color. How could he say something like that so casually. How was he not embarrassed? They were guys after all.

_'Are you serious? We’re guys. That’s not right… to like other guys…’_

_'My mom always told me love who you want, haha! But we can drop the topic if you don’t like it.’_

Silver stuck the note in his book, unable to look at Kalim. Did he just tell him that he loved him? No, he was reading too much into it. He glanced at Kalim who took notes. His face was burning again. Whatever that feeling was, he wanted it gone.

•

Kalim hummed happily, using his phone as the class was given free time. Silver was out like a light. Hopefully he’d wake up by the time the bell rang for lunch. Kalim moves Silver’s hair out of his face.

_“We’re guys. That’s not right…”_

Kalim sighed, lying down with Silver. It wasn’t right, then why did such people exist? Silver leaned into his touch, his face more visible. Kalim smiled softly, backing away. He was happy, having a best friend he could trust.

The bell rang for lunch. Silver was still asleep. Kalim moved to wake him when…

“Ouch…!”

He looked, seeing he scratched himself on a nail. It soon left his mind, more worried about Silver missing lunch. Silver had awakened, being dragged to the cafeteria by Kalim. He wish he had Kalim’s energy.

“Hey! Ruggie! Riddle!” Kalim called out, running over to them with his tray.

“Hm? You aren’t eating Jamil’s food?” Riddle commented.

“Not today. I wanted to give him a break.” Kalim said with a cheeky smile.

“Man, and I was looking for to some good food.” Ruggie whined.

“Tomorrow definitely!”

Ruggie cheered with Kalim, following him to a table. Silver couldn’t help but smile.

“Infectious isn’t it?” Riddle said, walking with Silver. “I can see why just as many people dislike him rather than like him. He’s always cheery and isn’t serious. Sometimes it feels like he’s mocking you.”

“I can see that…” Silver mumbled, sitting beside Kalim.

The four of them started sharing food, starting with food they dislike and ultimately giving it to Ruggie. Ruggie was definitely grateful for their generosity.

“So, anything new with you guys?” Kalim asked.

“Beheaded more students.”

“Scary news.”

“Took some cash from Leona.”

“Thieving news!”

“Uh… eating with my best friend and friends?” Silver said.

“Boring news.”

The other two chuckled, Sikver giving a sheepish smile.

“What about you?”

“Me? Hm… my family sealed another deal!” Kalim said cheerily.

“Wow. That makes 455 this week doesn’t it?” Ruggie piped up.

“Yep. We’re just that go-”

Silver caught Kalim as he suddenly fell over. Kalim shook his head, immense pain coursing through his head.

“Hey, you don’t look well.”

“I suddenly got a hea… ache?” Kalim said, feeling it disappear instantly. “Huh. Weird. What was I saying again?”

“You were explaining how good your family was.” said Riddle.

Kalim happily explained, the others slowly forgetting what had just happened. Silver, however, couldn’t forget. For a moment it felt as if Kalim had just… died.

•

Kalim happily skipped before feeling dizzy and his world spinning. Silver rushed to his side, helping him.

“Thanks. For a minute there the world was spinning, haha!”

“You can’t just laugh it off…” Silver muttered, lightly bopping him on the head.

“I guess, but I’m fine. Just wanna go back to Scarabia and rest.” Kalim said, leaning against Silver.

He felt sluggish. Did he eat something that wasn’t agreeing with him? He pulled away from Silver, explaining he could get back on his own. Silver was hesitant but trusted him. Kalim hurried along, feeling as if he could collapse at any moment.

Kalim had only gotten as far as the main street when he couldn’t walk anymore. He quietly crawled over to one of the Great Seven’s statues, leaning against it. It felt like his blood was boiling and he was sweating so much he clothes were starting to became damp. He crawled to the side, taking off his tops. He wasn’t cooling down.

Kalim coughed, his lungs feeling as if they were being squeezed and burned at the same time. Kalim scratched at his neck, it feeling strangely itchy.

“Kalim?”

Kalim looked over, hearing a familiar voice.

“Did you already head back…?”

“Silver…” Kalim said hoarsely, too weak to crawl out.

Silver started to walk away only hear a sound from behind him. He turned, seeing a hand sticking out. Common sense told him not to go near it, but he couldn’t help his curiosity.

“Kalim!”

Silver lifted Kalim up, seeing he was really sweaty and extremely hot. With a bit of a struggle, he managed to get Kalim onto his back.

“Kalim, hold on. I’ll get you to the nurse!”

Kalim remained unresponsive. Silver quickened his pace, hoping it wasn’t anything too serious. He didn’t know what he’d do without his sunshine. Students moved out of the way as they saw and heard Silver coming through.

“Silver? What’s-”

Silver had ran past Riddle. He couldn’t stop for anyone. Riddle started to follow, wondering why Silver was running with a shirtless Kalim on his back.

Silver pushed the infirmary door open, shouting for the nurse. The nurse came out, asking what the problem was. Silver was too panicked to speak clearly, simply handing Kalim off. The nurse immediately took notice of his high temperature. Riddle had come in, looking at Silver who was staring at his hands.

“What’s going on…?” Riddle asked softly.

“I don’t know… he was so hot… and so sweaty… he looked like he was in pain. I knew I should’ve walked with him. Why didn’t I follow my instincts!?”

“Hey, hey… Calm down. What matters is that he’s here now.” said Riddle, having Silver sit down. “Kalim is going to be okay. It’s probably just a fever.”

“Riddle… I can’t lose him… I… I…” Silver said, tears pouring down his face. “I can’t live without him…”

“I’m sure-”

“No you don’t understand!” Silver yelled, only to be silenced by the nurse. Riddle pulled him out, seeing they’d disturb the nurse’s work. “I don’t think I can function without him.”

“Are you two…?”

“Are we what?”

“Dating?” Riddle asked.

“No. We’re best friends. I can’t lose him… he means so much to me… Riddle, I can’t… it hurts so much…”

“Silver, you’re thinking too much. The nurse hasn’t even told us what’s wrong.”

“Eh, what are you two doing over here?”

“Well, I’ll explain.” said Riddle, telling Ruggie everything Silver told him. “And now we’re waiting for a diagnosis.”

“Wow… I don’t know what to say.” Ruggie muttered, peeking into the infirmary. “Maybe I’ve been taking him for granted…”

Riddle continued to comfort Silver who continued to weep. Riddle had Ruggie go inside and report to them what the nurse had to say.

Ruggie looked at Kalim’s still body. It was hurting more than he thought it would.

“Umm… what’s his current status…?” Ruggie asked quietly.

“Oh, you came just in time.” said the nurse with a heavy sigh. “I couldn’t save him.”

“Huh? Wh- What do you mean?”

The nurse had him come over.

“The poor thing was poisoned. It seems it entered through this scratch here. Seeing as he didn’t start feeling things until much later in the day, whoever it was used a slow acting poison that goes undetected until it’s nearly too late.” said the nurse, covering Kalim. “This is going to cause a major scandal for the school and an uproar in the Asim family… Why couldn’t it be some regular kid… At least we could cover up their death.”

Ruggie stepped out, Riddle and Silver looking at him for the news. Ruggie shook his head, feeling the tears he held back spilling out.

“He’s gone.”

Riddle tightly held Silver, seeing he fainted. Riddle quietly asked for details as they moved to somewhere isolated. Ruggie told him everything the nurse told him.

“This is going to cause huge problems for the school. I wonder how the headmaster is going to deal with this. He can’t push it off onto us like he usually does.” Riddle mumbled, hoping Silver would remain passed out for the rest of the day. “Silver is going to take this the hardest… they really were the best of friends.”

Ruggie was about to get on Riddle’s case for seeming unfeeling until he saw tears leaving his eyes.

“It’s going to feel different… not having him around…” Ruggie muttered, helping Riddle carry Silver.

They both vowed to themselves to find out who did it and get revenge.


	290. Kalim: Infectious (cont.)

Silver looked to his side, the seat being empty. He wasn’t used to it.

“Yes, Silver?”

“May I be excused…”

Silver was given permission. The teachers knew of what happened, giving Silver special treatment until he recovered. Silver made his way to the restroom before crouching in a corner, letting his tears fall. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t act like everything was normal. His best friend wasn’t by his side. His best friend was dead.

The door creaked open, someone stepping inside. Silver went quiet, staying unmoving. They wouldn’t bother him, especially if he was positioned like this.

“You can cry you know…”

Silver looked up, seeing Ruggie sitting on the sink. He lowered his head again, allowing himself to cry ugly. Ruggie left his spot on the sink, taking a seat beside Silver. He quietly rubbed himself against Silver, giving him comfort in nuzzles. It was pretty rare of him to do this, but the situation seemed to call for it.

“I still… I…” Silver choked out, crying harder. “I can’t do this…”

“Silver…”

Ruggie held him tight, trying to get him to breathe normally. He didn’t want to leave Silver but he had to get back to class. Maybe this once he could miss a bit of class. Silver managed to calm down before leaning against Ruggie for support.

“Why don’t we head back to class and tell the teacher…?” Ruggie suggested, seeing he wasn’t in the right headspace right now.

Silver allowed Ruggie to help him back to class. Maybe he should take off from school after all.

•

Silver sat in his room, staring at the ceiling.

_“Silver! Good morning!”_

_“Why am I happy? I just am!”_

_“You’re my best friend!”_

_“Thank you… and I love you.”_

Stray tears fell from his eyes as Kalim’s smiling face projected itself onto the ceiling. What did they mean Kalim was dead? He was right there, up on his ceiling.

“Why… why him…” Silver whispered, still seeing Kalim’s face. “Why not me? Someone with no history or future…?”

_“How? Well, the nurse said when he scratched himself, it got in through there. It wasn’t caused by a person, something like the edge of a desk or something.”_

Silver sat up. Why was he sitting here moping when he had a murderer to find? Silver got out of his seat too fast, having a dizzy spell. He could use his free time to find and torture Kalim’s killer. His anger and sadness started mixing together as he ran out of his room barefoot. All rational thinking had gone out the window.

Riddle was about to enter the Heartslabyul mirror when he saw Silver sprinting out of the hall of mirrors. He had heard from Ruggie about what happened earlier. He became worried, going after Silver.

When did Kalim start acting weird? Silver tried recalling anything strange. There was definitely the moment during lunch, so it had to be before then. He had to start looking through the classrooms they were in that day.

“Silver!”

Silver looked back, seeing Riddle following him. He stopped, knowing Riddle didn’t have a lot of stamina.

“Where are you going? Shouldn’t you be resting in your room?” Riddle asked, grabbing his wrist.

“I can’t rest until I torture the fucking hell out of his killer!” Silver yelled, trying to pull away from Riddle.

“We’re already investigating. All you need to do is rest.” Riddle said softly, trying to take him back to Diasomnia.

“No! I’m going to find that disgusting, low lifed scum and kill them!”

“Now you’re letting your feelings sway your actions. Off with your head!”

“I can still fight without magic!”

Riddle found himself being flipped and landing harshly on the ground. Silver ran off. Riddle sent a text to Ruggie, seeing if he could gather some help.

Silver started searching classrooms, looking at the seats they always sat in. Nothing. He couldn’t find a thing at all. Why wasn’t there anything? Silver was getting more frustrated by the second.

“There you are.”

Silver looked, seeing a bunch of buff Savanaclaw students with Ruggie standing in front. Silver was easily subdued and taken back to Diasomnia kicking and screaming. It hurt seeing Silver like this. They wanted justice just as much as he did.

•

Riddle pursed his lips as he cast his eyes downwards. The school was functioning normally, but everyone could clearly see it was hard to do so when a student died on campus. News was starting to spread beyond school walls. Naturally Kalim’s family was upset but weren’t too harsh on Crowley thanks to Silver’s valiant efforts to save their son.

Negative things were being said about their school and that was starting to get to everyone too, especially since people were already talking about the several overblots they’ve had. He wouldn’t be surprised if less people came to Night Raven as a result of all the negative talk.

“Riddle.”

“Huh?”

He looked up, seeing Jade standing in front of him. Ah, he forgot he had class. He was going to walk ahead but was stopped by Jade.

“Are you okay…?” Jade asked, letting Riddle go as he followed him to class.

“I’m managing. What about you?”

“I’m not sure… I wasn’t exactly close to him, but things feel different.” Jade said softly.

“Who would want him dead…? His family loved him terribly. No one here hated him enough to kill him.” Riddle said, tightly holding his book. “I just don’t get it…”

“I heard Azul and some of Savanaclaw were helping you and Ruggie search. How is it going? I’m sure Floyd and I could offer more help if needed.” said Jade, seeing Riddle was crying. “No good…?”

“Sorry, it’s just… I never got to properly thank him… As annoying as he could be at times, he really helped me out… I just… why… why someone so kind…?”

Jade felt Riddle hug him, crying into his chest. It seemed like they were going to be a bit late for class. Riddle pulled away before noticing something on the floor. He moved over to it before picking it up with a tissue.

“This is… I have to go!” Riddle said before taking off.

“What did he find…?”

•

“We’re so close! Why can’t we find it!?”

“You animals can’t track it?”

“If we could we wouldn’t be stuck here. Not to mention half of our search party has to stay with unstable Silver.” Ruggie said, putting his head in his hands. “It’s so hard to look at him… It hurts so much…”

Riddle took Ruggie’s phone, tapping play on the video. Riddle immediately closed it, already feeling sick to his stomach.

“What are we missing…?”

They heard a knock.

“Is this meeting private?”

“No. Take a seat.” Riddle said, moving so he could sit.

“So, what do you have Azul?”

Azul laid out pictures taken from the school CCTV. They started going through them, trying to spot anything suspicious.

“If you need to see it in motion, I have it on this laptop.” Azul stated, opening it.

“Ah! There!”

“What?” Riddle asked.

Ruggie pointed to the dark spot that was extremely hard to see with a human eye. He had a few Savanaclaw students check out the spot near the corridor. Ruggie played the CCTV footage, keeping his eyes on that one spot. Ruggie jumped out of his chair, running out the room. Riddle and Azul were both confused.

•

“WE HAVE TO FIND THIS MAN NOW! FUCKING MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL FOR ONCE!” Ruggie shouted, slapping papers on Crowley’s desk.

“This is… You three did all of this by yourselves…?”

“Because someone else wouldn’t.” Riddle said flatly.

“I’ll take immediate action.”

They stayed put, waiting. Azul held Ruggie back, seeing he was going to blow his top.

“Immediate means now, Headmaster.” Riddle said with narrowed eyes. “Or else we’ll release Ruggie.”

“Right, right…”

They watched as Crowley started making calls. Hopefully Kalim could rest in peace, knowing his killer was going to be hunted down. The only thing left was to console Silver back to some stability. They kept watch until Crowley made all the necessary calls.

Ruggie took out his phone, seeing it was vibrating.

“ _Silver got loose and we lost sight of him!_ ”

“Can’t you lot do anything right!?”

“ _We’ll keep looking!_ ”

Riddle looked at him for answers.

“Silver’s free.”

They had Azul stay with a few Savanaclaw students while they went searching for Silver. Everyone at this point knew he wasn’t in any condition to make sound decisions. They didn’t want to imagine what trouble he’d get himself into.

They called out to him, seeing getting an aerial view would be better than on foot. They sat back to back, keeping an eye out as they flew around.

“I think I see him! He’s by the main street.” Ruggie pointed out.

Riddle directed the broom, now seeing what Ruggie pointed out. They landed a good distance away, not wanting to scare him off. Riddle let Ruggie handle capturing Silver considering he was skilled in this sort of thing.

“Let me go!”

“Stop… struggling! Kalim is gone! Okay?”

“But… he… he’s right there!” Silver fussed, starting to get physical. “He needs me!”

Riddle walked closer before Silver went limp in Ruggie’s arms.

“What-”

“A sleeping spell. He’ll be out for a while.” Riddle said, putting one of Silver’s arms around him. “Let’s get him back.”

“You know slumber spells…?”

“A magician has to be prepared for everything.” Riddle replied, looking at Silver. “Even if it means hurting their friends.”


	291. NSFW Riddle x Sebek: Use my body

“Jade, did you bring the petals?”

“Of course.”

Jade proceeded to crush it up while Riddle read through the rest of their assigned recipe. Jade looked up, noticing students getting a bit rowdy. A vial full of something went flying through the air in Riddle’s direction. He chose to ignore it.

“Ah…!”

“Oh? What happened?” Jade asked, feigning innocence.

“Something just hit me…” Riddle muttered.

He picked up the partially cracked vial, noticing most of its contents were missing.

“I wonder what was in it…” Jade said, noticing there wasn’t a label.

“Hm…”

Neither noticed anything strange as they continued to work. They finished their work early as usual before Riddle noticed it was getting a little warm. Jade shook his head, knowing if the temperature rose or not.

The bell rang, dismissing the students. Riddle was uncomfortable. He loosened his tie some, hoping it’d help. It didn’t. If anything, it only gave him a bit of a pleasing feeling. He looked at students, finding himself staring longer than usual.

Riddle noticed something going on down below. It was Ace and his friends. His eyes rested on one individual in their group. He suddenly had a massive erection. His face instantly turned red, quickly taking off his blazer to hide it. Why did it happen? How? Why was it pressing so hard against his pants? He struggled to tear his eyes away before being successful. His erection had gone down some but still made itself known.

Riddle kept moving, needing to figure out the source of this… whatever was happening to him. He glanced back at the group, his erection pressing hard again.

•

“Dude, you seriously have a crush on him? You have poor taste.” Ace laughed, slapping Sebek on his back.

“But he’s so sexy when he takes charge…”

“Sexy!?” Ace and Deuce said in unison.

“Is this what they mean by love makes you blind?” Deuce asked, worried for Sebek’s sanity.

“Say what you want, but Riddle has his cute moments. You just constantly make him mad and make it hard to see.”

They shrugged, unbelieving Riddle could be sexy or cute.

“Oh, speak of the devil.” Ace said, watching Riddle walk over to them. “Wait, is that his blazer tied around him…?”

“He’s gone rouge! Everyone protect yourselves!” Deuce said, him and Ace running for cover.

“What are dumber and dumbest doing…?” Riddle muttered, approaching Sebek. “Uh, hey.”

“Hello, senpai! I mean, hello, senpai…” Sebek said, lowering his volume. “I’m still working on that…”

“As long as you’re trying.” said Riddle, his uncomfortability rising. “I could use your help.”

“I’d be honored to help you. What do you need?” Sebek asked, internally screaming.

“There’s something I want to check in the library but I can’t… reach it…” Riddle said, hating having to mention his height.

“I’ll do it! Lead the way.”

Ace and Deuce watched as they walked off.

“You think there’s something off with our dorm leader?”

“Think? I know something’s wrong. There’s no way in the world that he’d tie his crisp and clean blazer around his waist like that.” responded Ace.

They had arrived in the library, Riddle leading him to the bookcase where the book he needed resided. Sebek pulled it out before noticing the title.

“Sebek?”

“Oh, right. Uh, Riddle senpai?”

“Yes?”

“May I sit and read with you?” Sebek asked.

“That would be nice. It tends to get a little boring reading alone.” Riddle said with a smile.

Riddle turned his back to Sebek, his heart feeling like it was going to burst from excitement. What was ruining things was this raging boner he had that was practically yelling at him to touch himself. They sat together, Riddle turning to the necessary pages.

“Senpai, may I ask why you’re searching this up…?” Sebek asked before noticing Riddle rubbing his thighs together. Was he itching down there? “Is it for your magic doctor research?”

“Oh, well…”

Sebek noticed Riddle was still rubbing his thighs together, biting his lip.

“Yeah. That.”

“Senpai, you look a little… uncomfortable.” Sebek pointed out, seeing Riddle was trying to discreetly rub against the chair.

“Am I? I don’t… mmm… think I am.”

“Senpai…”

Riddle looked at him, his big eyes showing many emotions. Sebek leaned forward, much to Riddle’s surprise. He allowed Sebek to kiss him before pulling away. This wasn’t right.

“Umm, thank you for your help. I’ve gotten everything I needed.” Riddle said, getting up from his seat.

He moved slightly before his blazer fell off, revealing his erection. Sebek couldn’t stop staring. It looked so uncomfortable.

“Forget what-”

Sebek felt him all over before narrowing his eyes.

“Are you, a human, in heat…?”

Riddle sighed, seeing he had been found out by the one person he didn’t want to be found out by. It was bad enough his heart was racing from Sebek’s touches.

“Yes, but I plan to deal with it myself. I appreciate your concern.” said Riddle, pulling away from Sebek.

“Senpai, wait.”

“Hm?”

“Let me help.” said Sebek, getting up from his seat. “Please, Riddle senpai. I’ll make you food, brew tea, allow you to use my body, anything.”

He knew he had said too much, but he wasn’t going to back out now. This was his chance to get Riddle to like him back.

“Sebek, I-”

“Please…? I can help cover you if people ask.”

Riddle gave in, letting him come along. He couldn’t deny that he immediately wanted to accept his offer but didn’t want to sound desperate.

•

Sebek poured Riddle another cup of tea as he worked. He went back to his own spot, doing his homework. It was silent throughout Riddle’s room. Riddle glanced back, subconsciously palming his crotch. He could probably get away with a little self care if he could stay quiet. He quietly unzipped his pants, pulling it out. Riddle bit down hard, keeping his sounds as low as possible.

“Senpai, do you need anything?”

“No, just keep working until I ask for you.”

Sebek nodded, going back to work.

“Nngghh…”

He looked up, seeing Riddle leaning against his desk. Was everything okay?

“Senpai, is every-”

“Stay back.”

Sebek ceased movement, wondering if something happened.

“Go back to your spot… please…”

Sebek did as he was told. Riddle panted before coming, letting out a small groan. Sebek was extremely concerned, but Riddle wouldn’t let him get close. What could he do?

“Sebek… I could use a tissue…”

Sebek instantly came over with a box. He lingered by Riddle, wanting to make sure he was okay.

“Riddle senpai, if you ever feel you need to put yourself in something, I- I’ll volunteer for it!” Sebek declared, his cheeks red. “I hope my body will satisfy you.”

“Sebek-”

“I mean it! I want to do everything I can to help you through this.”

Riddle finally sat up, revealing his cum stained pants.

“Then, may I…?” Riddle asked in the softest voice he’s ever heard.

“Yes.”

Sebek started to strip, unknowingly making Riddle hornier. Riddle stripped as well, getting on the tips of his toes to kiss him. Sebek held Riddle tight, feeling Riddle’s pressing against him. Riddle smiled, leading Sebek to his bed.

•

Sebek panted with Riddle, having been filled to to brim. Riddle didn’t look so uncomfortable anymore. He smiled in bliss, glad to have finally relieved Riddle.

“I didn’t give you a lot of attention…” Riddle said, reaching under and starting to stroke him. “I’ll give you lots in return for relieving me so well…”

“Riddle…”

“Yeah, call out to me just like that…”

“Riddle…”

Riddle placed kisses all over Sebek’s body as he continued to jerk him off. Sebek easily came, adding to the small puddle of cum underneath him.

Riddle hugged him tightly from behind, wondering if he should ask.

“Senpai, no, Riddle… what are we now…?”

“I’d like to be boyfriends…”

“Me too…”

Riddle continued to cling to him as he flopped down, tired out from being used. He didn’t know how many more days Riddle would be in heat, but he was more than ready to provide for him if he needed.


	292. Ace: Is it alright if I call you Ace?

Ace watched in horror as his slicked back haired self spoke with such passion. Who recorded this when the entire school was overrun by ghosts? It didn’t matter who at this point. People had probably found ways to save it so even if it was deleted.

“What am I gonna do…” Ace whispered, curled up underneath his bedsheets.

Luckily it was the weekend so there weren’t any classes. He could just hide out in Heartslabyul, making as little contact with people as possible. He quietly continued to use Magicam, most of what he saw being posts related about his speech. He went to Magiter, seeing it was all there too. He quietly read some comments, seeing a lot of people praising him and others clowning him.

He left Magiter, busying himself with his games. The hype would die down after a day. That’s how things usually worked.

“Ace.”

He wasn’t going to respond. He was definitely going to tease him about his speech.

“Do you want anything from Sam’s? I’m heading there later.”

Ace came out of his cocoon, looking up at Deuce.

“You’d do that?”

“Well, knowing you, you were probably planning to hide out until all of this blew over. But I think it was kind of cute how passionate you sounded.” said Deuce with a smile. “You can’t make that kind of passion without a little experience.”

“Cry me a river…” Ace mumbled, going back into his cocoon.

“You still haven’t told me what you wanted.”

“I’ll text it to you.”

Deuce looked at Ace’s cocoon, wondering if he’d consider going out with him later.

•

Ace munched on snacks, not really having anything to do since he was keeping himself shut up in his room. Deuce had come in, seeing Ace chilling out.

“I know you’re hiding out, but, do you want to go to Mostro’s? They’re having a little event. I think it was karaoke?”

“Really?”

“Yep. Plus I heard the servers are wearing limited time outfits.”

Would Ace he sold on it? Probably not.

“I guess I’ll go. I just want to see the train wreck that’ll be karaoke.” Ace said, shooing Deuce so he could get ready.

Deuce saw Ace come out the room in casual wear.

“So, does everyone who goes have to participate?”

“Nah. You sign up at the entrance. I heard some of our senpais will be performing.” said Deuce.

“That’ll be quite the sight.”

•

They were seated before being given menus.

“How honored I am to be your server tonight, Ace.”

“Why do you say it like that, Jade senpai…”

“No reason in particular.” Jade smiled, taking Ace in. “So is this your style?”

“Uh, I guess. Why? Wanna copy it?”

Jade shook his head, trying to understand his tastes in fashion.

“You know, I can’t help but think of that speech you gave. It was… sickeningly sweet. I swore I got cavities.” Jade chuckled, writing down their order.

“Ugh, here we go. I was lying. Lying. I thought long and hard about what would get through to her so she wouldn’t kill Idia senpai.”

“Is that so… it sounded like more…” Jade said before sauntering away.

“Are we not going to talk about the fact he was in a cat costume?” Deuce said, tapping Ace.

“Look at him. He can’t even sing yet got an 89.” Ace complained.

“I uh, actually signed up…”

“What…? Why?”

“Just seemed like fun. That’s why I suggested coming, so we can have fun. You looked so bored sitting in the room. You even did homework on time!” Deuce said, wishing for praise.

“You did this for me…?”

“Yes. You’re my good friend. I don’t like seeing you sad.”

“Hey, crab. What’s it like bring a sappy loser?”

Ace rolled his eyes, ignoring Floyd. This was why he didn’t want to come out. Floyd continued to tease and make jabs at him until Jade had forcefully dragged him away.

“Are we really just going to ignore that Floyd was dressed as the Thorn Witch…?”

Ace sighed, hoping their meals would come soon so he could leave. He could see people talking about him once they spotted him. Ace covered his head, not wanting to be approached. He was, unfortunately, approached. Deuce managed to send them off.

“Maybe we should’ve ate in the dorm…”

“Nah, I’m glad you brought me out.”

“Well if it isn’t ‘the not passionate guy’ Ace.” a voice said.

“Jamil senpai? What are you doing here?”

“Dining? Like everyone else?” Jamil replied, Kalim popping out from his side. “But I gotta say, what you said made you seem really cool. I like really cool dudes.”

Ace returned Jamil’s finger guns, watching him walk off. More people cane to praise him. Ace sighed, not expecting Jamil to come back.

“So, it sounded like you had a taste of romance yourself.”

“I said, I was lying! Why is no one understanding?”

“Honestly, I admire people who can speak like that. I feel a lot of my problems would be solved if I could…” Jamil said before mumbling. He took Ace’s hands and gave them a little kiss. “Can I pick your brain?”

Ace wasn’t really give a choice as Jamik started asking questions, terrible singing going on in the background.

“My, my. What’s going on here?” a voice asked.

“Jade. And you brought drinks.” Deuce said, taking them.

“Would you be ever so kind as to let his hands go? This isn’t a speed dating site.” Jade said, a vein popping out.

“Really? I was only talking to him. We do go to the same school after all.” said Jamil, not letting go. “Don’t you have a job to do?”

“As my job is to wait tables, it’s to also make sure _our_ customers are **_comfortable_**.” Jade shot back, tightly gripping the tray he held. “I suggest going back to where you came before I have you removed from the premises.”

Jamil had left in silence, but not before purposefully bumping Jade and further irritating him.

“Is everything okay now? He now has a strike and one more gets him thrown out. If anything he does makes you uncomfortable, do tell me. I’ll gladly deal with it.” Jade said happily. “So, may I ask more questions while I have a bit of time?”

Jamil glared daggers at Jade who was practically doing the same thing he was.

“Jamil, you’ve been staring in the direction for quite a while… Is it someone you know?”

“It’s someone I’m going to kill…”

“Huh…?”

“Huh? Oh, I didn’t say anything. Let’s enjoy ourselves, Kalim.”

•

Ace patted his stomach, knowing he was going to sleep well that night.

“In the end, you were constantly bombarded by people… I’m sorry.”

“Eh, it’s not your fault. Just goes to show I can’t escape no matter what.” Ace said with a sigh.

“Ace!”

“Here we go…”

Ace turned, not expecting to see Epel. Was there trouble? Did Jack get stuck in something again? Was Sebek crying over a delusion?

“Thank goodness. Deuce, do you mind? There’s something I want to talk to him privately about.”

Deuce nodded, going on ahead into the Heartslabyul dorm building. Epel had led Ace over to the side before speaking.

“I couldn’t get that speech you made out of my head. It was like you were a whole different person.” Epel said, his big eyes full of wonder. “You sounded so mature and cool…”

“Epel, are you going to ask to pick my brain too…?”

“If that’s okay? But I really just want to know more about my good friend Ace Trappola, hehe.”

Ace rubbed his neck, answering Epel’s questions.

“So you were here.”

They looked, seeing a tall blonde approaching them. Ace was staring longer than the normal acceptable amount. What was he doing here? Did he come for Epel?

“Trappola.”

“Schoenheit.”

“I was moved by your speech back during the ghost invasion. It made you seem less childish than I originally thought you were. Such passion never comes without experience.”

“It was a lie… Really…” Ace said, trying to keep it under wraps.

“I know lies, Trappola. What you said then was purely genuine.” said Vil, stepping closer to Ace who swallowed hard. “I want to know more about your experience and perhaps… more about you.”

Epel and Vil watched as Ace passed out.

“You killed him.” Epel glared.

“I did nothing of the sort. He passed out on his own. Be a gem and take him back to his room.”

“You aren’t going to help? Why do I have to carry someone bigger than me?”

“Did you always gripe this much?” Vil questioned.

He really had no intentions of helping him. Epel sighed heavily, picking Ace up. Soon the burden was lifted some as Vil helped out.

•

Ace woke up, seeing he was in bed and it was morning. What happened? The last thing he remembered… Ah. Vil. His cheeks grew warm as words repeated in his mind. He wanted to know more about him. Ace covered his face with his sheet, feeling embarrassed.

“Gonna hide out today too?” Deuce asked, getting ready to go out.

“Yeah. Yesterday was really draining. It’s best I rest up now since I have no choice but to deal with people tomorrow.”

“Fair. If you need anything, text or call.”

Ace waved, watching Deuce leave. He wished he could’ve talked to Vil, but no. He just had to pass out from joy. He looked at his phone, wishing he had Vil’s number. He started to imagine their talks and late night confessions. His mind continued to work before going down the naughty rabbit hole.

Ace shook his head, scolding himself. They had to be friends before anything could happen. His phone received a message. Soon his phone was hurtling towards Deuce’s bed, just barely making it. No way. They were playing a joke.

  
  
  


Ace held his phone close before opening the photo again. Sexy, stunning, astounding, beautiful, sexy, breathtaking. To think Vil went through the trouble just to get his number so they could talk. He was on cloud nine.

He continued to text Vil, finding himself willingly opening up to him despite not really wanting to. He didn’t want to look bad in Vil’s eyes.

  
  
  


Ace started cleaning up their room, knowing Vil was going to make faces. Their room wasn’t really dirty, but Vil probably loved spotless places.

He heard a knock on his door, startling him. Was everything right? Perfect? Ace took a deep breath before opening the door. His heart raced, looking up at Vil. How could he look like a million, no, a billion bucks just by standing in such a fancy yet casual outfit?

“Hey, are you okay?” Vil asked, catching Ace as he started to wobble. “I bet you haven’t been consuming proper nutrition hiding out in this room.”

“That’s-”

“I’ve decided I’ll make you a nutritious meal, so sit tight.”

Ace grabbed Vil’s shirt, not wanting him to leave. He wanted to hear Vil praise him more, ask more questions and get to know him.

“Oh? Are you still scared to be alone? How cute.”

Ace felt his cheeks burn. He wasn’t scared at all. He really just wanted to be around Vil.

“Can I help? I’m not that unwell.”

“I suppose…”

Ace quietly watched Vil cut up vegetables with such precision and grace. They were perfect circles and cubes.

“Ace? Ah, is it alright if I call you Ace?” Vil asked, tossing half of the vegetables into a pan.

“Yes. May I call you Vil?”

“You’re pushing it.” Vil warned. Ace shrunk back only to hear Vil laugh. “I wouldn’t mind if you call me Vil.”

Ace smiled widely, excitedly cutting cabbage.

“Ow!”

Vil immediately turned, seeing Ace still cutting cabbage. He tried seeing what had happened, but Ace wouldn’t show him. Ace continued to hide from Vil before his wrist was seized.

“Ace, how-”

“I hope we’re not interrupting?” a voice called out.

Ace looked, seeing Jade and Jamil walking towards them.

“Let’s go take care of this… It looks deep…”

“I can take over.” said Jade, pulling Ace away.

“And I can help you finish cooking.” said Jamil, turning Vil around and having him get back to cooking.

Ace constantly looked back, seeing Vil focused on making the meal. He was having fun until he cut himself and them just bursting in.

Jade started to care for his wound before bandaging him up. Jade smiled warmly, glad to see Ace was okay. They looked, head in a knock on the door.

“Epel?”

“Did you get hurt…?” Epel asked worriedly, taking Ace’s hand from Jade. “How did it happen?”

“I just accidentally cut myself… You’re all worrying too much.” Ace said, pulling his hand away.

Vil and Jamil had come back to the room. Ace thanked them before pushing the four of them out the room. He wanted to eat in peace, so he locked the door for good measure.

“I want to be alone for a while!” Ace yelled before sitting down at the desk, taking in the aroma of the food.

He felt himself ascending as he took a bite. It was so good. He wondered how much Jamil contributed to it. His mind steadily erased Jamil from the picture, solely believing Vil was the only one.

•

Ace used his phone as night settled on Heartslabyul. Tomorrow he’d have to deal with a lot of people. He looked, seeing Deuce and his roommates were fast asleep. He was about to settle down when he got a message from Vil.

  
  
  


Ace waited in the hall of mirrors, regretting not bringing a jacket. He noticed a glow in the corner of his eye before seeing Vil in sleepwear. He looked cute.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Ace asked as they started to walk.

“Hm, should I really tell?” Vil hummed, purposefully stalling.

“You don’t have to. If walking in silence is enough, then it’s enough for me too.” said Ace, the night breeze chilling him. “Won’t force you.”

“I’m constantly having thoughts of one person in particular. I was aware that they’d cross my mind now and then, but ever since they opened up to me… I think about them frequently.” Vil explained, looking straight ahead. “Your previous lover… you felt that way about them, right? What did you do to quell such thoughts?”

“Well, if I knew they weren’t busy, I’d send them a text and chat a bit. If they were, I’d occupy myself so I thought about them less.”

“I see… That sounds about right.”

Ace couldn’t help but look at Vil. No matter what he did, what he wore and where he was, he was simply perfect. Vil met his gaze before quickly looking away.

“It’s rude to stare you know…”

“But I’m looking at a work of art.”

Vil had stopped in his tracks. Ace face palmed with his back to Vil. He fucked up.

“Saying such things… it’s unbelievable. No one would be able to guess with how you act and look.”

Was Vil pleased? He couldn’t tell. He turned, seeing Vil looking at him. His heart melted, the streetlight illuminating Vil’s face as he stepped closer.

“I was right in admiring you. I’m learning a lot…”

Ace visibly exhaled once Vil had walked in ahead. For a moment it felt like they were going to kiss. Would he have pushed away? Probably not. Now that he was thinking of it, the more he started to want it. Vil turned, having heard Ace call his name. He was clearly taken aback as Ace had pulled him in for a kiss.

Ace had pulled away, leaving Vil in confusion. Vil wasn’t sure what face to make nor what words to say. Did he like it? Did he hate it? Did the kiss mean something?

“Ace…”

His body temperature was rising the more he looked at Ace who looked at him.

“Excuse me!” Ace shouted suddenly before running away.

Vil reached out, much too far to hold Ace back from heading back to Heartslabyul. He touched his lips before feeling himself blush.


	293. Sam: We need an exorcist…

“See you soon, little demons~” Sam said cheerily. “Eh? Really? Then go get it.”

A student looked, wondering why Sam was talking to himself. Though, he wasn’t an exception. He often did it.

“Idia, where are you looking? Hurry up and pick.”

“Don’t rush me. Anyway, isn’t Sam acting strange…? He’s talking to thin air.” Idia mumbled.

“And you don’t?”

“Below the belt, Ruggie.”

Idia went back to picking a snack. Ruggie got curious, seeing Sam laughing at nothing. Maybe Idia had a point. Idia finally made up his mind, heading over to the counter.

“Hey, Sam. What’s so funny?” Ruggie asked, sneaking a snack into Idia’s purchase.

“Hey, I’m not buying you anything, weasel.” Idia hissed, moving the bag off to the side. “Not after what you did.”

“I swear it was an accident.”

“I was laughing at a joke.” Sam said, clearing his throat. “Want to hear it?”

“I think we’re more interested in who was telling you rather than the joke itself.” Idia said.

“Straight to the point as always, Shroud. My friends told me.”

Ruggie and Idia exchanged looks before looking back at Sam. This wasn’t the first time he’s mentioned his friends. At first they thought he was joking, but as time went on, it didn’t seem like it. Sometimes they wondered about Sam’s sanity.

“Would you care for a little introduction?”

The door opened, revealing Silver.

“Welcome. Looking for anything in particular, little one?”

“Yeah. Fa- Lilia wants some weird stuff as usual…” Silver yawned, having woken up from his nap.

“What an interesting list. Surely your darling Lilia knows a thing or two.” said Sam, a shadow running over the students’ as he left in search of the items.

They shivered, wondering what the chill was. Ruggie happened to look back before seeing items levitating in the air. Was someone using magic? None of them were and no one had ever seen Sam use magic before. Ruggie moved closer, only for the object to fall. He briefly caught something running against the wall, heading in Sam’s direction. He followed.

“Sam!”

“Hm?”

Ruggie looked around, not seeing anything. Where did it go?

“Ruggie, what’s up?” Idia asked, having noticed he had left his spot.

“There… a shadow thing!” Ruggie said, looking around. “I know I saw it.”

“Hm? Shadow thing? Ah, you must’ve met one then. How wonderful.” Sam said, going back to looking for Lilia’s items.

“Met one…?” Ruggie muttered.

Silver looked up before screaming. They looked up, wondering why he was screaming at a ceiling.

“Shadow thing!”

“You saw it too?”

“Yes!”

“It looked like a badger!” “It looked like a person right?” they said at the same time.

Idia looked between them, wondering what in the world they were talking about. He told Sam he’d leave cash on the counter for the snack as he ushered the other two out.

Idia placed the madol down before watching it move right before his eyes. The register opened and shut. The trio slowly looked up before seeing it. Idia grabbed his snack before running out of the shop with Ruggie and Silver in tow. They didn’t stop until they were far, far away.

“Shadow thing!” Idia exclaimed.

“What did it look like?” Ruggie asked. “On three.”

“Person.” they said in unison.

“That thing… it’s running around Sam’s shop.”

“It’s got to be evil.” said Silver. “Sam is a nice man.”

“We need an exorcist…” Idia mumbled, munching on his snacks.

“Now isn’t the time for snacking! Sam could be in danger!” Ruggie snapped, snatching Idia’s bag.

“Hey, give it back!”

“Both of you stop it! We’re wasting time. I’m sure we can save Sam with just the three of us. Ruggie’s got good agility, Idia’s got the smarts and I’ve got… hm. What do I have?” Silver said, starting to think.

“Just say brawn. So, cook us up a plan, Idia.” Ruggie said, waiting.

They walked together, giving input in Idia’s plan.

•

Sam organized the shop, watching a mask being picked up and hung on the wall above.

“A little higher. Perfect.” Sam said without looking up. “Could you get the others to organize the storage room? And send two more to help me out here.”

Silver poked his head into the shop, keeping his eyes peeled for Sam and the shadows. He looked back, seeing Idia gesturing for him to go in. Silver had gone in.

“Idia, I know you’re a smart guy, but I’m worried this plan isn’t going to work out.”

“It won’t if you mess up.” Idia mumbled, warning a look from Ruggie.

“I hate this side of you.” Ruggie whispered, Idia’s face serious.

Idia gave him his signal. Ruggie hurried towards the shop, looking for the other way in. Idia sat down, having his small drone enter through the open window. Silver was successfully getting Sam out of the shop and Ruggie was nowhere to be seen. As expected.

“Silver, why can’t you tell me what Crowley wants with me?”

“Because it’s a surprise! Come on.”

Sam narrowed his eyes, getting a suspicious feeling.

“Silver, why would Crowley send you rather than come to me himself as he usually does?” Sam questioned, giving him a look.

Uh oh. He needed a perfect lie or their plan would fall apart.

“I was minding my business and I happened to be the unfortunate student he pushed the task on.” Sikver said with a straight face.

It sounded plausible. Sam dug his heels into ground, a strange feeling enveloping his body. Something was happening to them.

“Crowley’s going to have to wait. I need to get back.” said Sam, rushing back.

Silver quickly notified them that the plan was falling apart. Sam had arrived back, just in time to catch a glimpse of Ruggie’s tail.

“Silver, what’s going on here?”

“Uh…”

“Honesty.” Sam demanded. “I know you’re back there, Ruggie. Come out.”

Ruggie found himself being pushed out by some invisible force. Idia came running in, holding his tablet. The drone had crashed to the floor, now in pieces.

“We we’re trying to save you.” Silver confessed, bowing slightly.

“Those shadows we saw… They looked like trouble!” Idia exclaimed.

“Yeah. They were moving things and whatnot. Messing up your hard work.” Ruggie added on.

Sam burst into laughter. They looked, seeing a bunch of shadows gathered by them. They were about to freak out when Sam suddenly started rubbing them.

“They’re… lifting him up…” Idia said with wide eyes.

They started to freak out, their own bodies being lifted into the air.

“I promise you they’re harmless.” Sam chuckled, being nuzzled by one of them. “They help around my shop, you know? Providing the extra hands I don’t have.”

They were placed back down before retreating into Sam’s shadow.

“So… are they the friends you often speak of?” Silver asked.

“Yes indeed. They’re delightful things.”

Idia noticed Sam was missing his shadow.

“H- Hey!” Idia stammered, feeling something slap his ass.

Silver and Ruggie covered theirs, only to feel something on their cheeks. Sam chuckled, his shadow leaning against him.

“I appreciate the concern though, little demons.”

“Well, as long as they aren’t a threat to you…” Ruggie mumbled, not over the cheek kiss.

“We’re sorry for assuming…” Silver apologized, the other two apologizing as well.

“Well, I’ll happily fully accept your apology if you help me restock.”

The trio agreed, slightly spooked by the shadows coming out and cheering. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.


	294. Divus: Your prized coat

“You heard the bell. Get out and do your work or it’s more punishment.”

The students silently filed out. Divus shook his head, unbelieving of how many students were failing his class. It was clear that they weren’t taking the time to actually read through anything.

“This is how young magician die…” Divus muttered, knowing many cases of failed potions and blends.

He looked up, hearing a knock on the door.

“Yuu? Is there something you need?” Divus asked, cleaning up.

“I was rather curious about your prized coat. What is it made out of?” Yuu asked. “May I hold it?”

“Are your hands clean?”

Yuu nodded, showing their hands. Divus took it off before starting to explain everything about it. He turned his back for a moment.

“And- M- My coat!”

Grim chuckled with Yuu, watching his coat burn to ashes.

“I know you mean well, Crewel sensei, but you’re being unreasonable to everyone! How could you expect babies to learn how to walk at three months?” Yuu fussed.

“You do realize you are getting in trouble for this, right?”

“If it means it’ll get you to be a reasonable teacher then yes, we will continue to burn and cut up your clothes.” Yuu said, revealing scissors.

Divus sighed, instantly making the scissors disappear and putting a magic muzzle on Grim. He’d admit, they got him with the coat, but he was definitely going to stop this madness before it even sprouted.

“I can still-”

“No, you can’t. Let’s go.” Divus said, Yuu struggling to get out of the levitation spell.


	295. Kaja: I don’t want to be in an arranged marriage!

Kalim happily swung Jamil around before letting go. Jamil shook his head, trying to get his head to stop spinning.

“I hate it when you get this happy…” Jamil grumbled, taking a seat.

“But I can’t help it! I’m with my lovable boyfriend!” Kalim grinned, plopping down next to him. “I had to go the entire day without talking to you.”

“No one really forced you…”

Kalim leaned against him, smiling in bliss.

“Mom and Dad said they have a surprise for me, so we’re going home this weekend.”

“‘We’? I’m pretty sure they’re asking for just you…”

“I thought you were my loyal servant and understanding boyfriend.” Kalim said, looking up at him.

Jamil sighed, giving in. He honestly just didn’t feel like traveling. But he wouldn’t deny that he was curious as to what his parents we’re going to give him. A car? Several cars? His own mansion? Money just because they love him?

•

“I’m home!” Kalim shouted, running in to greet the servants.

Jamil simply waved, keeping a lookout for his family. Kalim hurried along, looking for his father. Jamil had lost track of Kalim in an instant.

“Dad!” Kalim called out, swinging a door open.

“It’s always a pleasure getting to see my precious son.” said Mr. Asim, hugging Kalim close.

“Was the surprise just a lie to get me to come home?” Kalim asked.

“No, no. We do have a surprise for you, but it’s really great to have you back home. Even if it’s only a little bit.” said Mr. Asim, letting Kalim go.

“So, when will I get it? Now? Later? Before I leave?”

“Right now. Dear, you can come in now.” said Mr. Asim.

Jamil had finally reached the room just as Kalim’s mother came in with a young woman about their age.

“Is she the surprise? Is she another sibling?” Kalim asked, seeing she was rather shy.

“Nope. She’s going to be your future wife.” Mr Asim said with a bright smile.

Kalim blinked before knitting his brows. Future wife? His mother ushered her forward a bit. He didn’t want this.

“I don’t think I understand…” Kalim said, looking at her. “I mean, she’s pretty and all but… I don’t want her.”

His parents were astonished. How could he just turn her down without even giving her a chance?

“And why not? It’s not like you’re dating anyone.” his mother said, hoping the poor girl’s feelings weren’t hurt.

He was dating someone. He could get out of this. It wasn’t like they told him he had to marry her.

“I just want to pick my own spouse.” Kalim said.

“Well, you don’t really have a choice.” Mr. Asim said, earning a confused look from Kalim. “We arranged this for you. You are going to marry her.”

“An arranged marriage…?”

“Yes, Kalim. We’re worried about your love life. Not once have you shown an interest in girls, so we figured you were just shy in approaching them.” his mother said cheerily.

 _“Or your son is gay.”_ Jamil thought, quietly listening by the door.

“Really, an arranged marriage is… Its so outdated. You feel that way, right uh… umm…”

“Ashari.” she said, tucking her hair behind her hair. “I kind of-”

“Anyway, you two are to be wed and that’s that.” said Mr. Asim, talking over Ashari.

Kalim was ushered out the room before having it closed behind him. Kalim looked down at the floor, unbelieving of what just happened. One moment he was the happiest person in Twisted Wobderland and the next, he was being married off to some girl he didn’t even know.

“What am I gonna do…” Kalim whispered, wondering how he’d break the news to Jamil.

“Yeah, what are you gonna do?”

Kalim jumped back, not expecting anyone else to be around.

“Jamil… Did you…?”

“Yep. Everything. Can’t deny that she is indeed pretty.” said Jamil, walking with Kalim to his room. “Maybe you should marry her.”

Kalim stopped in his tracks. Jamil stopped a bit ahead, wondering what the problem was.

“So you’re just giving up like that…?” Kalim whispered, keeping his head lowered.

“Kalim, I’m saying this with rational thinking. As your boyfriend, I seriously don’t want this. But what can I, a mere servant of the Asims, do?” Jamil said, giving Kalim a helpless look. “Don’t you think I feel frustrated after hearing it?”

“Jamil…”

Jamil grabbed Kalim by his wrist, pulling him into Kalim’s room before pushing him against the door. Kalim three his arms around Jamil’s neck as Jamil roughly kissed him.

“Are you really going to leave me…?” Kalim asked quietly, panting slightly.

“Maybe we can get Ashari on our side…” Jamil replied, starting to kiss Kalim again.

Kalim softly moaned, starting to undress Jamil. Jamil smiled into the kiss, pulling Kalim over to the bed.

•

Kalim snuggled close to Jamil, the two enjoying sweets in Kalim’s room. They couldn’t be lovey dovey in public, even more so with the arranged marriage. Kalim turned Jamil’s head towards him, slipping the candy in his mouth into Jamil’s.

“Hm, now that you’ve been fucked, you’re becoming naughty.” Jamil chuckled, biting down on the gummy.

“Do I? I feel the same.”

“Ha… how seductive.” Jamil teased, cupping Kamil’s cheek. “I don’t want to lose you to her…”

“You won’t. I won’t let it happen…” Kalim said, leaning into Jamil’s hand. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen.”

“I’ll do my best too…”

Kalim gave him a peck on his cheek before snuggling into Jamil’s hoodie, seeing it smelled like Jamil. He didn’t want to hurt Ashari, but if it had to come to it…

“Kalim, when are you going to see her again?”

“Tonight for dinner. I’ll try getting her on our side.” Kalim said, giving him a smile. “Will you be there?”

“Of course. I have to test your food for poison don’t I?”

They chuckled, rubbing their noses together. Kalim poked him, looking up at Jamil with innocence and neediness. He didn’t need words to know Kalim wanted another round of sex.

•

Kalim entered the dining room, seeing his parents and Ashari. He sat down, not expecting to see two more adults enter and sit down near Ashari. Looked like talking to her would be a bit harder. The adults easily fell into conversation as he and Ashari ate in silence. Kalim tried getting Ashari’s attention quietly. She finally looked, watching Kalim mouth words.

 _“Private talk…? Wonder what it’s about…”_ Ashari thought, giving him a slight nod.

She couldn’t help but notice one of the servant was hanging around Kalim suspiciously. She knew they sometimes had servants assigned to them, so maybe he was Kalim’s. She called him over, wanting to ask a few questions.

“Ashari, is there something you need?” her mother asked, shooing Jamil away.

She lost her chance. Ashari assured them everything was fine, focusing on her meal before her.

Dinner had finished, the two quick hurrying off before their parents could interject.

“To think he didn’t want anything to do with her in the beginning…” Mr. Asim mumbled.

Jamil followed sometime after, having finished his duties.

“So, what is it that you want to talk about?” Ashari asked, her hands clasped in front of her.

“Do you really want to get married to me? I really don’t like the idea of being forced to marry someone.” Kalim said, making sure he kept his voice low. “I want to get to know them first and be friends and all…”

“Well, before I was rudely cut off, I share the same sentiment. I don’t want to be forced. I want a love kind of like a shoujo manga.” Ashari said before chuckling. “I’m joking. I’m sure you’re a great guy, but I don’t really think you’d be the one for me…”

“Wow, this was easier than I thought. Since we both don’t want it, our parents will listen. They have to.”

Ashari sighed, wishing she could agree, but she knew how her parents got. They were worried about her marrying someone of low status. So what if she did? What was important was the love they shared.

“My parents would be hard to convince… Just so you know.” Ashari said with another sigh. “But, I’ve been a little curious…”

“Hm?”

“Are you really shy around women? You seem just fine talking to me.”

“Ah, well… I’m gay.”

Ashari rapidly blinked before silently giving him a nod. She wasn’t expecting it, but how could she? She knew nothing about him.

“I see. Is there someone you like?”

“Yes, actually. We grew up together. He was always by my side, playing with me when no one else would, helping me understand things, saving my life…” Kalim said, a fond yet pained look on his face. “As time went on, I saw he meant more to me than I realized. That I was feeling a different kind of love towards him. I wanted to do anything and everything I could for him as he did for me.”

“That’s… that’s really touching…” Ashari said, feeling herself tear up a bit. “I hope he knows how much you care about him. I won’t be the other to take you away from him.”

Kalim chuckled, feeling embarrassed. Jamil silently wept, his face pressed into the wall. How could Kalim just say embarrassing things like that? Jamil moves away from the wall, seeing Kalim and Ashari getting further away. He started following again, thinking of ways to show Kalim his appreciation.

•

Kalim entered the room, his father having called for him.

“So, have you and Ashari made any progress?”

“Uh, I guess?”

“Well, I have more news for you. Since we want you and Ashari to get comfortable, we asked the school to excuse your absences.” said Mr. Asim. “So take all the time you need to get closer to her.”

“Wait, you’re pulling me out of school!?”

“No. You’ll just be here until your mother and I see you and Ashari making progress.”

“What about Jamil?”

“He’s going back. We have enough servants here to take care of your needs.”

Despair had hit him dead on. This wasn’t fair. He didn’t like how any of this was progressing.

“Dad, I don’t want to be in an arranged marriage! I’m only 17! I still have my youth to live out!” Kalim protested.

“Kalim, we’re helping you out. We’re doing this for you.” Mr. Asim said with a concerned look. “Is there some reason you don’t want this?”

Maybe it was time he came out with dating Jamil. He opened his mouth to speak then stopped. His parents strictly forbade him and his siblings to have any other relations with their servants besides master and servant. If they found out, he’d only get a slap on the hand while Jamil… he didn’t know what they’d do.

“If there isn’t any reason, then you shouldn’t refuse. You’re really going to like her, I promise.”

“No. I’m not doing this.” Kalim said, shaking his head. “I’m not going to be forced into this…”

“Kalim-”

Kalim had ran out the room. Jamil had been waiting outside the entire time, just missing Kalim who ran past him. He followed after him, wondering what happened. Jamil panted, seeing he lost sight of Kalim. Why was he so fast when it didn’t count?

Jamil had searched everywhere for Kalim, but just couldn’t find him. He wasn’t hiding in his usual hiding places. He couldn’t ask the others, making things seem suspicious. He kept looking around, knowing he’d find him at some point.

•

Jamil never did find Kalim. He woke up the next morning, feeling a bit uneasy. Of course he was. The heir was missing and he was probably the only one who knew.

Jamil had stepped out of his room, noticing the other servants seemed on edge. What was going on? He searched around for his sister, knowing she would know all the gossip.

“Ah, there you are, Shriyal.”

“You were looking for me? Why? What are you planning now?” she asked, watering the plants.

“Why is everyone on edge…?”

“Well, Mr. Asim woke up surrounded by knives and a threatening letter pinned to the wall with another knife.” said Shriyal, shaking her head disapprovingly. “Whoever did it is really going to be jailed and sentenced to death.”

“What did the letter say?”

“I’ll off the Asim family, starting with you.”

Cryptic. Was that all it was? Sure, it was extremely concerning, but what did the threatener want? Then again, a lot of people held grudges against the Asims. But no one would be able to step foot inside since it was always heavily guarded. Was it an inside job?

Jamil went around, collecting information on who could’ve done it. He opened Kalim’s door to rest, only to see Kalim reading a book while kicking his legs. Jamil was feeling a lot of emotions and didn’t know which to display first.

“Jamil! How’s-”

“Don’t 'Jamil!’ me! Where have you been!?”

“Hiding! Can’t believe you couldn’t find me.” Kalim pouted, bookmarking his page. “Try harder next time.”

“Putting that aside, did you hear what happened to your father? I’m thinking it could’ve been an inside job…”

“Hm? What happened to Dad?”

Jamil explained everything while Kalim listened. Of course he knew what happened. He wasn’t that oblivious to what was going on.

“I’m sure they’ll catch whoever it is. There’s nothing our guards can’t do.”

Jamil hoped he was right.

•

The servants were in unrest again. Mr. Asim had been threatened again, but this time he was actually stabbed. Jamil wanted to investigate more, but he was being sent back to Night Raven later in the day. Kalim was nowhere to be found last night nor this morning. Where was he running off to in sure a dire situation? His father could end up dead at this rate.

“You’re here for info aren’t you?” Shriyal said, organizing a bookcase. “Well, as you heard, Mr. Asim was stabbed this time around. It was just his thigh thankfully. They left another note. They were demanding that Ashari wasn’t made to be wed to Kalim. If he kept things the way they were, they’d go after Kalim personally.”

“What!? I have to protect Kalim!”

“Hm? You sound more concerned than usual. Did something happen between you two?” Shriyal asked, looking at her older brother. She squinted a bit before pulling on his bottom lip. “You got yourself a lover didn’t you?”

“Huh? What are you-”

“I’m your sister. I know you.” she said, giving his cheek a gentle slap. “So, you’re dating Kalim? How scandalous.”

“Forget that, Kalim is in danger! Do you think they’ll attack tomorrow? I have to find him.”

Shriyal watched as Jamil ran off in a hurry. One of these days he was going to get himself killed because of Kalim.

Kalim hummed, enjoying the sunshine out on the balcony. He turned, hearing someone calling his name. He smiled his sunshine smile, receiving a tight and loving hug.

“I’m never leaving your side… They’re going to come after you…”

“Who?”

Jamil didn’t respond, simply holding Kalim tight. He knew. He knew what was going on. The real question was if he was going to go through with it. Kalim placed a hand over his chest, feeling his heart beat. He didn’t want to be with anyone else and he didn’t want to inconvenience Ashari. He couldn’t bring himself to harm his father anymore than he already had.

Kalim looked up at Jamil, seeing the worry and fear in his eyes. Something inside him snapped and twisted together. He cupped Jamil’s face, giving him a kiss. He knew people could come by and see. He didn’t care. He wasn’t going to give up on them. He loved Jamil and that’s all there was to it.

•

Kalim hummed a song as he sat out on the balcony, his legs dangling over the railing. Did he regret any of it? Surprisingly, he didn’t. He continued to hum, looking out at the city before him. He could hear it, the panicked screams of the servants within. He wished Jamil could be here with him, listening to those hair raising screams.

“You were a great Dad until this. Rest easy.” Kalim whispered, finally letting go of the railing.


	296. Kalim + Jamil: Was the sky always so pretty?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: please read at your own discretion. Please, if you ever feel this way, do seek help from hotlines and stuff. we want you to live

Silver tapped his pen, seeing Kalim missed yet another day of classes. Age was definitely one to be late but he never missed more than five minutes. Where in the world was he? He and many students had heard about the Scarabia incident, but everyone seemed to be back in the groove by now. Even Jamil was attending classes normally, well, as normal as an ex-overblot student could be.

Silver planned to visit Scarabia, hoping Kalim was just a sleep in his room. However, his first stop would be talking to Jamil.

•

Kalim quietly lied in bed, having stayed up all night from being unable to sleep. This was the second night in a row. He sat up, getting a small urge to eat. He didn’t get far before Jamil’s face appeared in his mind, sending him back under his sheets and quelling his hunger.

_“You can’t do anything by yourself!”_

_“I’m tired of catering to you!”_

_“I never wanted to be close to an idiot who can’t even tie his own headband!”_

Kalim curled into himself more, more of Jamil’s words plaguing his mind.

_“Useless!”_

_“Inconsiderate!”_

_“Asshole!”_

_“Stupid!”_

Kalim felt tears leave his eyes as he pressed his pillow against his head, desperate to block them out. Why would Jamil say such things? Why did it hurt so much? He was startled out of his thoughts, someone knocking on his door. He didn’t move. He didn’t want to leave his safe space. Anywhere that wasn’t his bed made him uneasy.

“Kalim? It’s Silver!”

Silence. Silver knocked again, trying the knob. Kalim was cowering in fear. Silver sighed before walking away. He was probably hanging somewhere else. Kalim closed his eyes, only to open them again. Jamil’s words were loudest when he closed them.

•

Kalim awoke, seeing it was pitch black out. He felt at ease. He quietly got out of bed, it being the only time he could move around without feeling high anxiety. Everyone was asleep, not a single light on. Kalim used his phone’s flashlight, helping him navigate in the dark.

Kalim exited the Scarabia building, heading into Night Raven’s campus. As expected, no one was out and about at night. He constantly looked around, making sure he was really alone. He had walked over to the abandoned dorm, taking residence by one of the dead trees before munching on food.

How long had it been since he went outside and didn’t feel like the entire world would swallow him? Make remarks and look at him? He used to love being looked at and approached. Now it just felt… suffocating and stressful. Kalim looked up at the sky, his breath visible in the air.

“I didn’t expect to run into someone tonight.”

Kalim looked up, seeing it was Malleus. What did he do? Run or stay put? Malleus walked over before sitting beside him.

“Silver was worried about you. In fact, a lot of people are.” said Malleus, his gaze straight ahead. “I heard about the incident. I don’t blame you for wanting to hide out for a while and recuperate.”

Kalim offered Malleus some food, seeing him take it. He knew Malleus probably wanted to talk, but he wasn’t sure if he was up for it. He really didn’t feel like doing a lot of things if he were to be honest. It was hard getting out of bed and wanting to do things, especially during the day. All he could think about was running into Jamil and…

Malleus looked as Kalim covered his ears. What was the problem? He didn’t know how to help. Malleus awkwardly patted Kalim’s back, hoping it’d do something. It wasn’t working. Malleus was starting to panic.

“There you are! I knew you’d run off- Hey… are you two alright…?”

Malleus breathed along with Lilia before they turned their attention to Kalim. They managed to calm him down, seeing he was returning to normal. They waited for him to explain, not wanting to pry if he didn’t want them to. Kalim quietly thanked them before heading back to Scarabia. Maybe he’d finally get to sleep this time.

“The poor child was in a lot of distress…” Lilia said, brushing Malleus off.

“I hope he’s taking care of himself the best he can…”

Lilia nodded, a part of him wishing he could see Kalim back to his room.

•

Kalim had finally slept. It wasn’t long, but he felt a tiny bit refreshed. Maybe he could try going to class. He started getting anxious. Maybe one class. Trein was giving a quiz today, so he was going to go to that one.

Kalim had left his room a few times, knowing Jamil had probably already left. Kalim quietly did what he needed to do each time, seeing he was hearing those words again. Why did it hurt more and more each time he heard it?

Kalim had left Scarabia, slowly but surely making his way to Trein’s class. He had picked up some bottled water at Sam’s just to be on the safe side. Kalim held his open bottle of water before bumping into someone.

“I’m sorry…” Kalim whispered, trying to get them a napkin.

“Are you kidding me?”

Kalim’s head snapped up. It was Jamil. Everything else had faded around him as all he could hear was the Jamil inside his head and the one currently cursing at him.

“Why did you even bother coming out of your room? You should’ve just stayed there and not cause problems like this!” Jamil said, snatching his water bottle and splashing water on him. “Now we’re even. Ha, who am I kidding? We’ll never be even. You and your selfish, oblivious stupid self would never, ever understand the shit I went through.”

Kalim couldn’t tell his tears from the water splashed on him. He didn’t know. He wanted to apologize for everything.

“My life wouldn’t be so shitty if someone as incompetent as you wasn’t being such a waste of matter.” Jamil hissed, glaring at Kalim. “Why don’t you just die and make lives easier? I’m sure the other servants are tired of putting up with you.”

Jamil shoved Kalim aside, continuing on his way. Kalim wept, Jamil’s words constantly hitting him from all angles. He really was worthless. He didn’t provide anything useful to the world. He was a massive annoyance to everyone in his life. He couldn’t do anything without someone’s help. He was weak and pathetic. Kalim cried harder, his throat closing. He only wanted to make others happy yet all he ever did was cause them pain.

•

Kalim checked the weights, making sure they were on properly. Kalim sat down, letting his feet get wet in the water. He was going to right the wrong. Everyone was going to be happier this way. Kalim let himself fall in, the cool water enveloping his body. His body easily sank, the weights keeping him down. His body instinctively tried keeping him alive before it gave in. Kalim stared up at the sky through the water’s surface as water filled his nose and lungs.

Was the sky always so pretty? A small regret that he didn’t cherish it more. His consciousness was fading, his eyes starting to close. Why didn’t he do this sooner? Why did it take Jamil overblotting to make him see that his existence was a mistake? Maybe jumping from a high spot would’ve killed him faster. Drowning just felt a little more elegant.

•

Jamil bolted down the halls, pushing students aside. He was soon stopped not too far from the infirmary.

“Let me through!” Jamil fussed, trying to get past Ruggie.

With help from Epel and Ace, they subdued Jamil. He had to get them off him. He needed to see Kalim. He couldn’t die. His parents would have his head. Silver had come out the room with Lilia. Lilia held Silver, him breaking down in tears. Were they happy or sad tears? Soon the others were crying.

“Why would he do this? I don’t understand…” Silver cried, feeling Lilia pat his back. “This has to be murder!”

“Silver, you know it’s not. A first year saw him fall in. Why he didn’t help right away is beyond me though…” Lilia mumbled.

“Ruggie-”

“Shut up, asshole.” Ruggie snapped, hopping on Jamil.

Epel and Ace followed suit, knocking the wind out of him.

“Kalim is… okay right…” Jamil asked, looking at their backs.

“You’re a genius aren’t you? Figure it out.”

•

Silver quietly sat by the water leaving a flower by the edge. He said a prayer before staring into the water. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going through Kalim’s mind during his final moments. Was he happy? Scared? Silver noticed another jasmine flower being placed beside his own.

“Should you be home by now?” Silver seethed.

“Yes, but… I wanted to pay respects.”

Silver left in disgust. Jamil was tainting the place. Jamil looked at the water, a somber look on his face. What was he thinking? Why would he go and kill himself? Just how desperate was he to make people happy? To make him happy? That was a lie. He wasn’t happy. Kalim shouldn’t have liked himself. Why did he even do it? It couldn’t be because of him.

Everything flashed before Jamil’s eyes. It was because of him. The endless psychological, mental and physical strain he had been putting on Kalim had finally made him snap. Kalim really was an idiot. Jamil got up, walking away.

He never visited it again.


	297. Diasomnia: Let’s kill Malleus

Everyone murmured as they waited for Malleus to appear. What was this big announcement he had? Everyone started to quiet down, seeing Malleus walking up the stairs. Even in pjs, he still looked princely.

“Good morning, fellow Diasomnians.”

“It’s actually the afternoon.” a student called out.

Malleus looked at Lilia who suppressed his laughter while his body shook instead. He sighed before starting over.

“Good afternoon, Diasomnians.”

The students replied in unison. A few started to live stream, making sure the others who weren’t present knew what was going on.

“Vanrouge and I have come to an agreement about what to do during the first few days of the holidays. Now, I understand you all want to go home and visit your families. And you will, just not as soon as you hoped.” said Malleus, having changed into more proper attire.

“We love you!” a student shouted.

Malleus simply looked at the audience before continuing. The students were definitely a bit bummed not getting to go home, but they’d get to personally get close to Malleus and Lilia, something they could never do normally.

“So, will you all join me?”

“Yes!” said every single Diasomnia student, even the ones not inside the dorm.

•

“Malleus, I mean, Malleus sama, you can’t be serious. Are you really going to let them get close…?”

“Silver, I told you it’s okay to drop honorifics, especially when we’re alone.” Malleus stated, looking over plans. “I am going to let them get close. I want them to understand their future ruler. It’s a great way to bond. If you’re worried, I’ll have Lilia by my side at all times.”

“I’ll do it. Let Father worry about the bigger stuff.” said Silver, bowing to Malleus.

“Even now you’re so stiff and formal.”

Silver straightened up, only to have his face cupped by Malleus. He closed his eyes, receiving a kiss on the forehead.

“Don’t ever change, okay?”

Silver watched Malleus leave before grabbing his arm. Malleus waited for him to speak.

“I’ll protect you… big brother…” Silver mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Malleus chuckled, giving Silver a head pat before closing the door behind him. Silver touched his head, feeling Malleus’ love.

“Aren’t you just the cutest?”

“Oh, Father…”

Lilia turned right side up before landing on the floor.

“To see Malleus willingly giving affection, it’s something one doesn’t get to experience often, you know? Especially with the way he has to hold himself.” said Lilia, leading Silver out the room. “Consider yourself blessed.”

“I do. I have an amazing father and a caring older sibling. I couldn’t ask for more.” Silver said with a smile.

Lilia kept his head lowered as he hurried ahead. Did he say something wrong?

•

Silver and Sebek helped set up activities with Lilia. As usual, Malleus was nowhere to be found. Some students started helping out, seeing they could use more hands. more students started to help out, wanting to start things on time.

Malleus entered Diasomnia carrying bags. He wanted to try making refreshments for everyone while honing his cooking skills at the same time. He opened the door, not expecting to see students helping out. They were almost done at that. He quickly moved to the kitchen, seeing he needed to get started quickly.

Malleus searches for the recipes he found before seeing some students working already in the kitchen. He was going to have to make do with limited space.

“Malleus sama, you’re back!”

“Did we do a good job?”

“Huh? What do you…”

Malleus looked, seeing they had cooked a part of what he was planning to make. How did they even know?

“And you made them into shapes…”

“A dragon for our king, a bat for Vanrouge dono, and Silver likes swords right?”

“And the rest are just general creatures of the night!”

“Wow… I don’t know what to say… I really love this idea.” said Malleus, feeling a warmth spreading through his chest. “May I help…?”

They happily got him situated so they could finish in time for everything.

•

Everyone enjoyed themselves, singing songs from home and enjoying the activities Malleus and Lilia had prepared for them. Malleus watched from his throne above, glad to see everyone was having fun.

“Malleus sama, why don’t you come down?”

“Yeah, we’re supposed to be having fun together!”

Malleus was pulled out of his seat and walked down to all the fun.

“They say coloring is relaxing.”

Malleus sat down, being given a piece of paper and various coloring options. He looked up, seeing Silver and Sebek taking a seat beside him.

“Waaah… Malleus sama is coloring an ornament…” Sebek muttered, seeing it was the kind of the royal family. “So that’s what it looks like…”

“Have you never seen it?”

Sebek shook his head, never having gotten a chance since he was too obsessed with becoming a guard. The three of them started to color their respective pieces.

Lilia looked over, seeing the three of them joking around. It made him miss his youth a bit. He walked over, curious as to what they were working on.

“If it isn’t the thorn bell.” Lilia piped up, looking at Malleus’ picture. “It’s actually bigger in person.”

“Really?” Sebek asked, once more falling for Lilia’s tricks.

“Mhm. And, if you prick your finger on one, I heard your deepest desire will be granted.” said Lilia, earning an eye roll from Malleus.

“Wow… my deepest desire…” Sebek mumbled, looking at his hands.

Lilia burst into laughter, making Sebek confused.

“Lilia sama… did you lie?”

“Of course. As if an ornament could grant wishes like a genie. It doesn’t have any magical properties.”

Sebek hung his head in shame. Silver gave him a few encouraging pats as Lilia recovered from his laughter.

“So is it really bigger in person…?”

“Nope. That thing is a speck on the grand tree the Draconia’s put up.” Lilia explained. “You’re so gullible.”

Silver and Malleus couldn’t hold back their own laughter, apologizing to Sebek. His naivety was adorable. Sebek puffed out his cheeks as he colored in annoyance.

•

“Wha- WHY AM I BEING KILLED!?”

“That’s exactly why.” a students said to Sebek, others nodding in agreement.

“Sebek was… a citizen.” Lilia said. “Alright, it’s now nighttime in the Town of Thorns.”

Everyone put their heads down. Sebek day off to the side with others before gasping loudly.

“EVIL!”

“Sebek, settle down.” Lilia said.

Silver and another student picked their target before gameplay continued. He knew something was off with Silver. Yet no one believed him.

“Alright, it is now morning and one person died.” said Lilia, seeing their anxious faces. “Balthasar, you’re dead.”

“Aw man…”

“Wait, what was he?”

“He was… the doctor.”

Everyone was up in arms. Now no one could be saved. Silver and his partner in crime internally laughed, seeing their choice wasn’t wrong. Gameplay continued until a winner could be announced.

“The mafia win!”

Silver and the students jumped up and down, surprising everyone. The two quietest people easily fooled them.

“You know, maybe we should’ve listened to Sebek.”

“Exactly! Yet you killed me off!” Sebek fumed.

Everyone gave him back pats in apology before a new game started. Malleus joined in this time. Lilia selected everyone before having them check each other. The game started.

“Let’s kill Malleus.” Silver said.

Everyone was staring at him.

“Have you all learned nothing from the last game? Don’t let your feelings cloud your judgement. Take him down!”

“I’m really hurt… I just joined in and you already want to off me…” Malleus said, feigning sadness.

The others started to murmur. They didn’t want to kill Malleus just yet but if the last game taught them anything.

“So Malleus, any final words before they vote?”

“I’m just an innocent farmer.” Malleus wept.

Silver instantly put his thumb down. Such an actor. Even Vil would be impressed.

“Come on, kill him!”

“3… 2… 1… please vote.”

Malleus was kept alive by one vote. Silver threw his hands in the air. That was it. He was done for.

“Silver surprisingly takes this game seriously…” a student whispered.

“His passion kinda gets me fired up too.”

Gameplay continued. Morning rose and Lilia announced who was killed.

“Kathen, you’re dead.”

“Wait, really?”

The students demanded to know who he was.

“He was the doctor.”

“NO!”

Lilia chuckled, assuring them he was kidding.

“Just a citizen.”

Silver was glaring at Malleus. He knew he had to be one of them. They didn’t kill him as to not arouse suspicion. He wasn’t part of the police, so he couldn’t check to see what Malleus was. His only hope was that the police were on his side, being suspect of Malleus.

After intense gameplay, the townspeople won, all thanks to Silver.

“How did you know it was Malleus?”

“He was way too excited.”

They blinked as they processed his reasoning. Malleus being too excited is a dead giveaway?

“I really can’t get anything past you can I?” Malleus said, looking at Silver.

“As a guard, that’s to be expected.” said Silver holding back his actual feelings.

“Sleep with one eye open.”

Silver knew he didn’t mean it in a threatening sense. Lilia gave Silver a playful punch on the arm, praising his deduction skills.

“I learned from the best.” Silver giggled, hugging Lilia.

“Oh stop…” Lilia mumbled, his cheeks red.

•

Malleus sat on the roof, their first day of fun coming to a close. Lilia dismounted his bats, taking a seat beside him. The bats simply dropped Silver, love getting a rise out of him.

“Oh, it’s you two.”

“What’s our king doing up here all alone?” Lilia asked, patting Malleus’ thigh.

“Just thinking. Was I right in keeping them here a few days…?”

“I’m sure they’re enjoying themselves.” said Lilia. “They even helped set up.”

“Right. Sebek and I even asked them if they were having fun. Just about everyone said they were.” said Silver. “Don’t worry so much.”

“It’s hard not to when you don’t want your subjects to dislike you.” Malleus chuckled, lowering his head. “I want to be a good ruler…”

“And you will. You’re already doing great. You can always rely on us too, you know.”

“Lilia…” whispered Malleus.

They hugged him from both sides, giving him more encouragement. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do with them by his sides.


	298. Sam: Y- You did what!?

Sam started to open up shop before noticing mostly everything was already set up. All he really had to do was turn the open sign. He didn’t remember doing anything to set up for the next day. Did someone sneak in?

“Hm? What do you mean don’t worry about it? I mean, yes, nothing was stolen but…” Sam said before sighing. “Fine, fine. Just help me keep things in order.”

Shadows ran across the floor as Sam took his spot behind the counter. Students started coming in, having been waiting for him to open.

“Eh? What do you mean there’s a hole…?” Sam whispered, following the shadow.

Sam looked around in the area, trying to find the hole. He was going to ask if they were sure before receiving a tight hug and multiple pecks on his cheek.

“Really? You had me worried for no reason.” Sam complained. “No. I’m mad at you.”

Sam walked away, seeing students were waiting. He rang them up, waving to them as they hurried to their classes. Sam looked down, seeing they were pointing behind him. He turned, seeing a drink wrapped with a bow.

“You’re paying for that right? No? Put it back.”

Sam rubbed his temples, trying to destress. It was bad enough that his friends were acting strange, but to also come into his shop perfectly set up… Sam felt his hands move before his temples were being rubbed for him.

“You know I can’t stay mad at you…” Sam mumbled, starting to feel relaxed. “You’re all such good help…”

He soon felt his waist being squeezed tightly. He looked, seeing a bunch of them were hugging him. He weakly laughed, hoping they’d let go soon.

•

Sam yawned, wanting to take a break but unable to leave his shop unattended.

“No. You’re going to freak my customers out. They don’t understand you.” said Sam, resting his head on the counter. “I’m not that tired… I… I said…”

Sam could hardly keep his eyes open. His friends kept him still, forcing him to sleep. One turned the sign, wanting Sam to get rest. He always opened up early and closed really late, so it’s no surprise that he’d feel low on energy.

Sam jolted awake, seeing he was tricked by them. He stretched out before seeing he didn’t have to do anything. They had done it for him. He checked the register, seeing it was all orderly.

“Man, you all are a handful… but thank you.” Sam said, smiling as he rubbed their heads. He noticed some started pushing each other, wanting more head rubs. “Guys…?”

Sam sighed heavily, watching them fight. He wasn’t keen on stopping them, but he didn’t want them making a mess. While Sam was busy trying to stop the fighting shadows, a few had come back from a journey.

“Hm? What’s tha- Y- You did what!?” Sam exclaimed, looking at the items they brought in. “How far did you go to get these!? No, don’t tell me you stole them!”

Sam sighed in relief, seeing they weren’t stolen. He couldn’t imagine how far they had to travel to get them. They were so rare and only appeared during this season.

“Thank you…” Sam mumbled, a faint blush on his cheeks.

His friends were ecstatic. The others growled in displeasure. Sam had them reopen as he went to store his new items. Students came in, unaware of the shadows running around, keeping the shop orderly. A student shivered, a shadow accidentally running over his shadow.

“You cold?”

“Nah, just got a weird feeling…”

Sam came out, happily greeting the students. A shadow accidentally knocked a mask off the wall, spooking the students. Sam assure them it was the wind, picking it up. He looked at the responsible shadow, sending them running. Sam distracted the students as the other shadows put the mask back up.

The students waved to Sam, planning to come back later. Sam’s face became neutral before he called for the shadows.

“What have I told you about moving around with students in the shop? What would you do if they found out your existence?” Sam said, starting to give them a lecture. “Are you really sorry? If you are, then show me.”

His friends immediately left. It was now quiet in his shop. He wasn’t used to it.

•

Sam wiped his forehead, having moved the shipments into the store. His friends hadn’t come back yet. He sighed, seeing he was going to have to carry it all himself. His shadow moved from behind him, helping him carry a box.

“Maybe I was too hard on on them.” Sam mumbled, feeling a bit guilty. “Eh? Shadows have feelings? I mean, you know… attraction. Of course I know they have feelings.”

His shadow helped him store the new shipments away. Sam looked up, seeing the shadows had come back. He stifled his laughter, seeing their awful drawings. They really took it seriously.

“They’re cute guys. Sorry for raising my voice.”

He smiled, feeling them hug him. They pulled away, a few things sitting by his knees.

“You stole these didn’t you…” Sam said. “No? Eh, you made these? Hm… And this is… Ah! I’ve been needing this! Where did you get it?”

He couldn’t contain his joy. His friends were surprised, not expecting Sam to hug them. They felt embarrassed. Sam’s shadow took it upon itself to secretly give them an extra reward. Seeing Sam happy was all they wanted. He was the one who willingly took them in and cared for them.


	299. Cater: Gold Star

The student was tossed by Cater’s feet, trembling in fear.

“What’s with these crap photos?” Cater questioned

“I was-”

“Speak louder!” Caster yelled.

“I was doing my best b- but other students-!”

“Excuses! I gave everyone a simple theme today and you can’t even get three measly photos!?” Cater shouted, throwing the student’s phone at a wall. “And you had the nerve to try and run away from me…”

“Please, I just-”

Cater looked at Trey, earning a slight nod.

“Riddle, stay here. Trey is enough.” Cater said, watching the student being dragged into a room with Trey. “Come, we have more to look at.”

Riddle followed behind Cater, hearing an ear piercing scream from behind him. He wasn’t too on board with his Cater ran things. Giving them such cruel punishments just because they couldn’t take photos well? Not everyone was as good as taking photos as him and Vil.

“Riddle, when you look at me, what do you see?”

“A picture perfect king.” Riddle replied, keeping his gaze off of Cater.

“I like that response. Gold star for you~” Cater chuckled, having Riddle take out his sticker book.

Riddle looked, seeing he had accumulated quite a number of gold stars. Gold stars had a few uses in Heartslabyul. Five earned you the right to suggest a theme for the day. If you had ten, you could get out of a punishment once. If you had 25, you had the right to take a picture with Cater and upload it to Magicam. And if you gathered fifty, Cater would let you in to a secret group. Gold stars weren’t easy to earn as Cater was hard to please, yet when it came to him and Trey, just a compliment would do. Was Cater biased?

“Riddle?”

“Huh? My apologies…” Riddle said, catching up with him.

“You’ve been spacing out lately. It’s about me, isn’t it?”

Riddle’s eyes briefly widened before going back to normal. Bingo.

“Ah, I’m sure you and Trey have been talking behind my back.” Cater said, pushing the front doors open, revealing the wackiness of the Heartslabyul grounds. “You’re concerned about me, about how I’m doing things here.”

“I won’t comment…”

“Smart as always, but silence will only get you into unnecessary trouble.” Cater chuckled, swinging around one of the lamp posts. “You finally caught up, Trey.”

“He struggled quite a bit. My apologies.”

Cater shook his head, opening his arms wide.

“You’ve both been doing such a great job in my stead. Let me show my appreciation.”

Riddle and Trey allowed Cater to hug them. It truly was bias. If that was the case, maybe they could get Cater to chill out. Cater pulled away, looking at the two of them.

“About tomorrow’s theme. I think it should be gory. I’m talking blood, guts, everything!”

“Cater, I-”

“It’s a good theme, right?” Cater asked, looking between them. “Tomorrow’s the weekend, so they have plenty of time to find gory things.”

“Cater, what Riddle is trying to say is that maybe… we don’t do the gory theme.” said Trey, subtly moving in front of Riddle.

“And why not? We’ve done nothing but fluff up until now. We have to branch out.” said Cater with a sigh. “And I was planning to have a cook off the day after and bless the winners with ten gold stars.”

“It’s not that it’s a bad theme, we’re just worried…” said Riddle before trailing off.

“Worried? About what? Taking it too far?” Cater asked rhetorically. “It doesn’t matter what you think, it’s happening. Let’s see how far they’ll take things to get the perfect shot.”

That’s what they were afraid of. How many would go through such lengths to please Cater? Cater had already sent the news out to all of Heartslabyul.

“Cater, aren’t you concerned that maybe they’ll hurt, or worst case, kill each other?” Trey questioned.

Cater tilted his head with the most innocent face.

“I’m supposed to care?”

•

Cater hummed happily as he had Riddle and Trey accompany him to another dorm. Cater then covered the mirror to Heartslabyul before putting up a danger sign.

“Cater…!”

“We can’t have innocents getting attacked can we?” Cater chuckled. “So, why don’t we have a nice meal at Mostro’s.

Trey stayed planted, extremely worried. Riddle was torn. Cater stopped, looking back at them.

"You aren’t thinking of defying me are you?” Cater asked in a low voice. “Because if you are, I have a wonderful gift for you all…”

Trey and Riddle reluctantly walked away from the mirror. This was insane. Why now of all times? Guilt was heavily eating away at them as students started to upload photos. They didn’t want to look.

Cater started looking through as they had ordered their drinks and an appetizer.

“Ooh, look at this one! Bashed his head in.”

“Cater-”

“Hm, too blurry.” Cater muttered, writing down the student.

They noticed his small list had gotten longer. Cater had stopped writing, seeming to be satisfied. Their drinks and appetizer had been placed before them.

“Riddle, I’ll have you go back and check in a few. Make sure you don’t dawdle.”

Trey was disgusted. Did none of them have morals? Were they that afraid of Cater’s punishments that they resort to hurting each other? Then again, he had done most of them, so their fear was valid. Sometimes it felt like you’d be better off dead.

“Trey, I know I make you do a lot of the nitty gritty, so I’ll give you a break! I’d love to personally torture some fresh meat.”

“Cater…”

Stick. Trey saw a gold star was now on the back of his hand.

“For bring an understanding and supportive friend.”

He wasn’t being a real friend. A real friend would tell their friend what they were doing was wrong and taking action to stop it. He knew this and yet he never attempted to be a real friend. He was content with torturing students for Cater’s sake apparently.

“Trey…”

“Hm?”

“How many gold stars do you have?”

“Over a hundred I think…” Trey said, checking his sticker book.

“I’ll give you and Riddle something special for half of your gold stars. Just you two and no one else. Of course, Riddle would give up half too.” said Cater with a smile. “Want it?”

Riddle had come back as Trey contemplated. Cater told Riddle as well, waiting for their answers.

“Do we get it together?”

“Separate~” Cater replied. “So I take it you’re accepting it?”

“Yeah…”

Cater clapped in delight.

“I promise you won’t regret it.”

Now they really wanted to know what it was. Cater was back in his own world, seeing what was new on Magicam.

•

Cater caressed Riddle’s cheek, taking in his face.

“Told you, didn’t I…?” Cater whispered, running his hand down Riddle’s chest. “Look at you… whimpering like a dog.”

Cater kissed Riddle’s neck before getting out of bed. Riddle watched him get dressed before hiding under his bedsheets.

“Remember, it’s only half of your stars~”

Riddle heard the door open and close. Trey must’ve gotten it too. What in the world was Cater thinking? First with all the injured students and now with this? He didn’t hate it, surprisingly, but the whole theme thing he most certainly did. They were lucky no one had died otherwise there’d be trouble with the headmaster. They easily passed it off with them having a big brawl while they were out doing important things.

A knock was heard on his door. He allowed them in.

“Hey.”

“He did it with you too, right?”

Trey sat down, patting Riddle’s back.

“Yeah.”

Silence.

“Did you hate it?” Riddle asked, his body still warm from Cater’s touches.

“Nah… Makes me a weirdo huh?”

“Then I’m a weirdo too…”

They sat in silence again. It then clicked in Riddle’s mind. He sat up in bed, his bare torso now visible.

“He’s been playing with us. He’s never seen us as equals.” said Riddle, feeling a bit of pain in his chest. “I can’t believe we were fooled…”

“What do you mean…?”

“Haven’t you noticed he’s been more lenient with us? And giving us stars so freely. He just wanted to do this with us…” Riddle mumbled, looking at the open sticker book. “I feel so used…”

“If you look at it that way, then it would seem so, but Cater’s always been nice to us.” Trey said, rubbing Riddle’s back. “But we shouldn’t be the only ones treated this well.”

Riddle pursed his lips, gripping his sheets. Maybe Trey had a point. Maybe he was looking for a problem so he couldn’t feel the way he did. Riddle looked at the time, seeing the cook off had started about ten minutes ago.

“Trey, do you think Cater is bad?”

“No, he’s just making bad decisions. Like yesterday. Today will be a little calmer than usual, so let’s take the time to relax and-”

They both looked, hearing a loud sound. Trey went on ahead while Riddle threw on clothes.

Cater frowned, seeing a team had broke the oven.

“Cater we-”

“Give me your sticker books.”

They shakily handed them over before watching them burn before their eyes. Their hard earned stars. Cater summoned a staff before whacking them once.

“Strip.”

They stripped, now watching their clothes burn as well.

“The rest of you, go take care of the roses while they fix the oven.” said Cater, the others not wasting time in leaving.

“Fix it…?”

“We don’t-”

“I’m sorry, did I ask for back talk?” Cater threatened, his magicrystal giving off magic sparks.

They quickly moved over to the oven, wondering how in the hell they were going to fix it, especially since Cater had their phones.

“I don’t want to see any of you until that thing is fixed and sparkling clean.”

Trey and Riddle had arrived just as Cater exited the kitchen.

“What happened?”

“Ah, some idiots broke the oven. So they’re fixing it.” Cater said, squeezing past them. “I should give you both something to do…”

“Cater, I want to say something.” said Riddle, unable to keep quiet. “Could you be honest with us? With me?”

“No promises~”

“You being so nice to us and giving us stars easily… was it all just for _that_ …?”

“Oh, so that’s what you wanted to ask. Hm, does my answer matter that much to you?” Cater questioned, hidden intent behind his words.

Riddle was starting to feel unsure. Cater had a weird glint in his eye.

“Yes…”

“Then yeah. Are you not grateful for special treatment? Would you prefer to be like those monkeys in the kitchen, trying to fix an oven they know they can’t fix while naked?”

Trey looked between Riddle and Cater. He quietly moved over to Cater’s side.

“Trey gets it. What about you? Are you going to give up your comfortability just because I just wanted to get in your pants that one time?” Cater asked, grinning evilly at him.

Trey was signaling for Riddle to just come over and leave everything at rest. Riddle squeezes his eyes shut, his heart torn. It wasn’t right, but he liked not being pushed around like the others.

“Will you take my hand? Will you continue to support me like a real friend would?” Cater asked, extending his hand out, his smile all the same.

Riddle quietly lifted his hand, trying to make up his mind.

“Ah, Riddle… you really are the greatest friend.” Cater said, pulling Riddle towards him. “Now that we’re together, I’m going to talk to you about the themes I have planned for the week! Tomorrow being…”

Riddle silently looked at Cater, listening to him stating the punishments for failing to meet requirements. Was this really what they should be doing? He felt Cater tighten his grip on his waist. Cater’s eye met his, a smirk on his lips.

Maybe… this was okay. Riddle silently leaned against Cater, closing his eyes.


	300. Heartslabyul: Demon baby

Trey stood outside Riddle’s room, finding it odd that he wasn’t up like he usually was. He knocked on the door, calling out. Silence. Did he stay over at another dorm? No, he clearly saw Riddle to his room last night. Though that didn’t mean he couldn’t have left without him knowing.

“Riddle? It’s Trey.”

Nothing. He called Riddle’s phone, not expecting to hear it coming from inside the room. Soon wailing could be heard. Trey ended the call before rushing back to his room to get the spare keys.

Trey unlocked the door, seeing the wailing had stopped. He didn’t see anything unusual in his room. He started checking in and under things, searching for the source of the wailing. He pulled the bedsheets back, seeing a small lump within Riddle’s clothes. He moved the clothes, a naked baby with an uncanny appearance to Riddle lying there with a tear stained face.

“Riddle…?”

The baby silently looked up at Trey. This couldn’t be Riddle. But then why did this baby look exactly like him in his baby pictures? Trey hovered a finger near the baby, seeing how he would react. He was trying and failing to grab his finger.

“Ah, you finally grabbed it…” Trey muttered, feeling the intense grip. “You’re Riddle alright…”

Trey needed some assistance in creating baby clothes. He had an idea of who could help, but it was a matter of would they help.

•

“And then cast the spell.”

Riddle was now in comfortable clothes. Riddle continued to mess with Trey’s glasses as Lilia wrote down steps he’d need.

“Don’t hesitate to ask for anymore help. I do have experience raising kids.” said Lilia happily.

“Thank you.” Trey said, giving Lilia a bow.

“Don’t be so formal. We’re all students here.”

Trey looked at the notes, trying to memorize as much as he could.

“Riddle, stop grabbing my glasses…”

“Buu…”

Trey was suddenly surrounded once he stepped into Heartslabyul.

“Trey, we’ve got a huge problem!” Cater squeaked.

“Riddle senpai is missing and without him we can’t start croquet!” Deuce said.

“Hey, is that your kid?” Ace pointed.

Cater and Deuce looked, wondering who Trey knocked up.

“No. I didn’t get anyone pregnant. This is Riddle.”

Riddle turned, looking at them with his innocent baby eyes. All three of them were shot through the heart.

 _“So cute…”_ they thought in unison.

Cater immediately started taking photos while Ace and Deuce fought over who’s get to play with him first. Trey held Riddle close, pushing them out of his way. Riddle started to cry, a need needing to be met.

“Wait, Trey! Let us help!”

“You’re going to agitate him like you always do.”

They weren’t deterred by his words, still tagging along.

•

Trey hummed, feeling Riddle’s bottom. Didn’t need a diaper change. Then it had to be food. Trey peered into his mouth, needing to see what kind of food he needed to prepare.

“Alright, if you three- Cater, stop taking photos. If you three really want to help, then help me make some food for him.”

“But that’s work…” Cater whined.

“Don’t you have something easier like just playing with him?” Ace complained.

“If you aren’t going to act like older siblings, then you don’t get the right to play with him. He’s still a human being who needs to be cared for.” Trey stated, taking Cater’s phone. “So either help or stay out.”

“Trey sounds like a mom…”

“I heard that.”

The trio ran to the kitchen while Trey carried Riddle in a baby chair.

Riddle was placed somewhere safe while the four of them got to work. Riddle watched with interest as he slammed the stuffed animal against the carrier.

“How brutal…” Ace winced, wondering Riddle’s always been so violent.

The toy flew out of his hand, landing on the floor.

“Ayyaaann…”

Cater moved to pick it up, the only once with clean hands. Riddle took the toy before looking at Cater with wide eyes.

“Aw, aren’t you just-”

The other three stifled their laughter as Riddle threw the toy in his face. They couldn’t hold back, bursting into laughter. Riddle started to laugh too.

“Hey, that’s not funny! You’re teaching him bad things.”

“I don’t really think it matters when we turn him back.” Trey chuckled, seeing Riddle’s meal was ready. He walked over to Riddle who started to move, seeing the food. “Woah, looks like we have a glutton on our hands.”

Ace and Deuce cooed, watching Riddle eat. Why did all of his cuteness disappear when he got older? Riddle clapped his hands together, smiling in delight. Cater took a photo for the Cam. It immediately started getting likes.

•

Ace and Deuce kept Riddle entertained as Trey discussed the situation with Crewel. Riddle sneezed, causing him to blink in surprise. Was he going to cry? His lip was trembling. They prepared to calm him down, only to hear him sneeze again before going back to playing.

“He’s one tough baby…” Cater chuckled wearily, playing with his wisps of hair. Riddle moved away from Cater, not liking it. “Ha… Riddle doesn’t like big brother Cater…”

“Poo?” Riddle asked, holding up his drawing.

“It’s a very nice poo.” Deuce said with a smile, despite it only being a line.

Riddle moved on, playing with blocks. Trey places his phone to the side before sitting down with them.

“So, what did he say?” Ace questioned.

“It’s not often he runs into people deaged, so finding a reversal will take some time.” said Trey, Riddle climbing onto his lap. “So taking care of him is going to be a daily thing until one is found.”

Riddle slammed blocks together before throwing them in the air. They hit Ace and Cater.

“He has it out for me! I just know it!” Cater hissed, watching Riddle happily playing on Trey’s lap. “Demon as a teen, demon as a child…”

“You’re just unlucky today, Cater senpai.” Ace said, recovering from the block hit.

Riddle stopped moving before looking back at Trey.

“What is it?”

Riddle went back to playing as if nothing happened. Trey was skeptical.

“Riddle, let’s stand you up.” Trey said sweetly, having Deuce feel his bottom. Deuce gave him a look. “As I figured…”

“Are you going to change him in here…?”

“Yeah? No one is forcing you to stay.” Trey said, lying Riddle down.

They quietly left, mostly to escape the smell if there was any.

“You know, I never thought Riddle senpai was this cute as a baby.” Ace mumbled, his heart squeezing at the thought of baby Riddle.

“I have so many pictures… I’m going to cherish them and remember when he was a lovable demon baby…” Cater wept, knowing Riddle would return to his dismissive normal self some day.

“Trey senpai is really stepping up to the plate. I don’t think I would’ve lasted a minute doing this.” Deuce said in awe.

“Well, when you have younger siblings, it’s inevitable that you’d help your parents.” said Trey as he opened the door.

Riddle looked up, seeing the four older males looking at him. He tilted his head, wondering why they were so far.

 _“So cute…”_ they thought in unison, watching Riddle attempt to draw.


	301. NSFW Leaders of Dorms: Destress

The door closed, the four of them sitting together.

“Riddle seems stressed.”

“Azul as well.”

“Our Queen is harsher than ever!”

“He seems fine to me.”

They sat in silence. What would be a good destressor?

“This is going to sound out there but… you know, sometimes when you haven’t had time for self care.” said Rook, looking at them.

“Ah, that’s a stressor right there.” Trey pointed out.

“So are you suggesting we help them find time for self care?” Jade asked.

“Kalim doesn’t really need it. He hasn’t been doing dorm leader work.” Jamil said.

“Really? Then why are you here?”

“I’m joking. He’s been doing things lately and it’s frightening. I always do the work…”

“Anyway, let’s see if we can help them.”

They nodded in agreement before dismissing their meeting.

•

The door closed, the four of them sitting together.

“It didn’t help…”

“Ah.”

“I have a suggestion.”

They looked at Jade.

“Why don’t we do it for them instead?”

“Jade, great idea but…” said Trey.

“That’s pretty gay and last time I checked, we aren’t gay dudes.” said Jamil. “Next suggestion.”

“No, our dearest eel may be onto something. They’ll be too stressed out to properly process it all.” said Rook. “And if they ask, we can tell them we’re doing as duties as vice dorm leader.”

“Rook, you’re a genius.” Trey said.

“I know~”

“Are you still on board, Jamil?”

“I guess.”

Trey wrote down their names before shaking them up. Everyone picked a folded piece of paper.

“Whoever you get is who you’re going to help with self care.” said Trey, unfolding his.

“This is going to be awkward…” Jade mumbled.

“Hm, I prefer it like this though. The touch of a stranger is just as immaculate as someone you know~” Rook said happily.

“Alright, now that we have our guys, let’s seduce them.” declared Trey.

“I thought we were just giving self care.”

•

Vil looked over papers while glancing at a list of things that needed to be done around the dorm. He felt a hand hold his chin, lifting his head.

“I don’t have time for whatever you’re planning.”

“Oh come on. Can’t you entertain an old pal? I’d very much love to hear about your films. What was your main motivation? Is there any lore?”

Vil moved his hand, having him follow as he ~~excitedly~~ explained.

“I hope you don’t mind if I make a little stop in my room.”

He stepped inside with Vil, closing and locking the door behind him. Vil was about to turn around when he was hugged from behind.

“Clover, you better ha… aaaaavvee…” Vil said before feeling Trey touching sensitive spots. “What are you doing…”

“We vices saw how stressed you all are and intend to relieve you in the best way possible.” said Trey, leading Vil over to his bed. “Excuse me…”

Vil was extremely confused.

“I don’t need this…” Vil huffed, keeping his legs closed.

“Hm, if you don’t then there isn’t much I can do.” said Trey, rubbing his hand up and down Vil’s leg, the exposed skin feeling the contact.

Vil stayed firm until Trey’s hand had ventured to his inner thigh. Sure, he didn’t need it but…

“Hey. Are you serious about this…?” Vil asked, opening his legs some.

“Of course. I may lie here and there-”

“Then, show me. You better leave me gasping for more.” Vil said, his cheeks red.

“Haha, I can’t take you seriously when you’re blushing.”

Vil felt Trey wrap his hand around his shaft, purposefully moving slow to tease him. He used his thumb, rubbing his head before picking up his pace some.

“Is it to your liking?” Trey asked, seeing Vil was holding back.

“As if I’d get off from such a poor performance…” Vil huffed, hiding his feelings.

“Then I’ll just move faster…”

“Aahh…”

Trey chuckled, seeing Vil turning more red. Trey wasn’t supposed to hear that. He didn’t want him to know how good he was feeling. It was too late, Trey quickening his movements and making him moan more. It felt even better when Trey would tease him.

“You’re so hard and twitching so much… I wonder how much you’d release from being pent up for so long…” Trey whispered, letting go of Vil’s erection.

“You- uuunnnhh!”

Vil took shaky breaths as Trey had taken him in his mouth. He was going to come way too easily like this. Trey felt Vil thrusting into his mouth, showing he was really enjoying it. Vil was twitching so much, he had to come at any second. Yet he wasn’t. What was he waiting for?

“I can’t… I can’t hold back…” Vil panted, coming into Trey’s mouth.

Trey felt the loads being shot into his mouth before finally stopping. There really was a lot. Vil lied back, pushing his hair out of his face.

“That was quite a lot.”

“I can tell, there’s cum around your mouth.” Vil responded, watching Trey wipe his mouth. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, it was enjoyable.”

“So you’d call on me again?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

•

“Just relax and it’ll be over soon…”

“What are you going to do to me!?” Riddle panicked.

“Didn’t I just tell you? Me and the guys are taking care of you since you rarely have time for self care. Now lie back and let me work magic on you…”

Riddle lied back, worried as to what he was going to do to him. He soon felt his dick being stroked. This was he meant by self care? Riddle allowed himself to relax more, seeing he wasn’t in danger. Sighs escaped his lips as he could feel himself growing in his hand.

“To think tyrant Rosehearts is into this… what useful information.”

“Don’t act like you aren’t enjoying getting me off, Viper.”

Jamil simply chuckled, watching Riddle’s blushing face. Riddle really was enjoying this. Jamil found hidden sweet spots, making Riddle squirm as he softly moaned. Riddle wasn’t going to last must longer judging by how much he was throbbing and twitching. He gently rubbed certain spots under Riddle’s head, seeing that was going to set him off.

“Hey, Riddle…”

“Wha…”

“It’s nothing. Just come already.”

Jamil rubbed the same spot, listening to Riddle moan as he came all over his hand. He wouldn’t mind another handjob, especially since he’s been so stressed. Riddle looked at Jamil through half lidded eyes, allowing him to pleasure him again.

 _“Imagine if others saw just how lewd you are…”_ Jamil thought, unhappy that he was getting turned on.

•

“I promise I’m not here for suspicious reasons.”

“Rook senpai, that’s very hard to believe.”

“Then… shall I show you?” Rook asked, kneeling before him. “Allow me to destress you, Azul~”

“I’m not stressed.” Azul snapped, his face heating as Rook looked up at him. They weren’t even doing anything yet it looked so lewd. “Go away…”

“Non! I won’t leave until I know you’re satisfied.” Rook said with a smile. “So, may I…?”

Azul slowly turned his chair so that he was facing Rook who was on his knees. Rook giggled, seeing Azul was starting to get hard. Was the idea of having his senpai blow him that amazing? Rook started off with a handjob, making sure to make eye contact to see if he was doing well. Much to his surprise, doing so was only making Azul harder.

“Is my face that pleasing to look at?” Rook asked softly, seeing Azul was leaking a lot. “Maybe it’s time I added in some tongue…”

“S- Senpai…” Azul whispered, feeling Rook’s tongue wrapping around him. “Senpai… please…”

“Please what?” Rook asked, giving him soft smile.

“More…”

Rook gave him a nod, taking Azul back into his mouth. Azul used his desk for support, unbelieving of how good Rook was. Did he hook up on a regular basis? Azul couldn’t hold back anymore, desperate to release everything.

“Azul?”

Azul snapped his head towards the opening door. Floyd stepped in, taking note of Azul. Something seemed different. Azul was practically holding his breath as Rook continued to pleasure him.

“Yes…?” Azul squeaked out.

“Had some questions about the lounge…” Floyd replied, seeing Azul looked as if he was struggling. “I’ll… come back…”

Floyd quickly left, unsure of what was going on. Rook chuckled, pulling away from Azul.

“Just in time huh?”

“Hush…” Azul whispered, his face extremely red.

Rook grinned widely, making Azul more nervous than before.

•

Kalim exhaled, lying back.

“I can assume I did a good job?”

“A good job? That was great, Jade!” Kalim laughed, watching Jade enter his line of sight.

“That’s all we strived to achieve, making you all release stress.” Jade said, giving Kalim head pats.

“Well, I can say I feel extremely destressed! In fact, I feel as light as a feather!”

“So much praise. You really know how to make a person happy.” Jade muttered, his cheeks beating slightly.

“If I feel stressed again, could you help me destress?”

“Hm, just like this?”

“Just like this.”

“I don’t see why not.”

Kalim cheered, making Jade feel embarrassed. He couldn’t help but wonder how the others did with their respective dorm leaders.

•

The door closed, the four of them sitting together.

“Operation destress was a success.” said Trey. “So, who wasn’t asked back by a dorm leader?”

“I would say me.” Rook spoke up, remembering getting kicked out. “But it was a lot of fun!”

“Maybe me? He wasn’t exactly clear…” Jamil said, thinking back.“

"You poor things. Your performance must’ve been awful.”

“You had Kalim! He likes everything!” Jamil said loudly, slamming his palms on the table.

“I’m sure it took a lot to have Vil ask for you again.” said Rook, knowing Vil wouldn’t just pick any person.

“I’m just that good.” Trey said with a shrug.


	302. 3rd Years: Normies

“Leave me-”

BOOM! CRASH! Idia cowered underneath his bed as his door had been destroyed.

“You need social skills. Come out from hiding or else your games get it.”

Idia quickly crawled out, looking at the tiny angry menace. Why was he letting someone smaller AND younger than him boss him around? Idia cowered, Riddle pointing his magpies in his face.

“You’re going to hang out with these three and gain some social skills. And you don’t have to worry about them making fun of you or spreading rumors. They’re all idiots, especially the Scarabia dorm leader.” said Riddle as he showed him his phone.

“Don’t make me do this…” Idia croaked.

“Then I’ll sell your games on Amazoom.”

“NOT AMAZOOM!” Idia exclaimed, shaking Riddle. “I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

“Good. They’re waiting for you by the library.”

“You’re evil.” Idia hissed.

“No, you’re just simple. Every decision boils down to your games.”

“So I’m not the only one who does their research…” Idia mumbled.

•

Idia awkwardly stood there as the three of them interacted. They wouldn’t even notice if he left.

“I’ll be excusing myself… AH!”

“Idia! You came!”

“How did Riddle get you out?”

“Gotta post this on Magicam! ‘Recluse Ignihyde dorm leader comes out!’. It’s great!”

Idia wanted to die. This was too much social interaction. Riddle had even gone as far as to take Ortho with him.

“Idia?”

“Are you not feeling well?”

“I think he’s just naturally pale, Rook.”

He couldn’t do this. No, he didn’t want to do this. He missed his games and being in solitude. People were scary, evil things.

“Maybe we should take him to the infirmary…”

“Good thinking, little sunshine!”

“Let’s each grab a part of him.”

“Stop…” Idia whispered.

“Oh! He said something!” Cater pointed out.

“What was it?”

“Dunno, Kalim.”

They looked at him expectantly. Stop. Stop looking at him. Stop looking at him with those curious eyes as if you want to probe him like some alien.

“In any case, let’s get to carrying him.” said Rook, teaching for his arm.

“Stop…!” Idia mumbled, moving away from them.

“Ah, he speaks once more. So you don’t want to go to the infirmary? Then we can whip up a potion in the alchemy room then.” Rook said cheerily. “I’ve been wanting to test one anyway.”

“No, I-”

“That’s a great idea Rook! Come on, Idia!”

“Please-”

“Do you mind hand holding?” Kalim asked.

Idia ran. It was too much. They were crazy. He soon stopped, remembering Riddle’s threats. If he found out negative things from them, his games would be history. He reluctantly walked back, passing them and heading to the alchemy building.

“He doesn’t look happy…” Kalim whispered.

“Well, his social skills haven’t developed like the rest of his stats.” Cater replied.

“Perhaps we should do something he likes?” Rook suggested.

Idia turned, hearing them call for him. They were probably changing their minds and wanting to do something dangerous.

“Would you like to head into the library instead? It’s rather quiet since it’s evening.” Rook suggested.

“I guess…”

They let Idia walk ahead of them. Idia took a seat at a table, wondering what boring thing they wanted to talk about. As expected, they came back with books.

“You know, I’ve been pretty fascinated with our ancestors.” said Kalim, opening a book.

“Right? Back when all they had was magic and simple imagination.” said Rook, opening another book.

“What really gets me is the games they created to entertain themselves like Magift.” Cater said, opening his book. “And it seems they created magic board games like what we have.”

“Hm? When was this one created?” Kalim asked before saying a year.

“You’re wrong…”

They looked at Idia who spoke up with a disinterested face. They listened as Idia started giving them a lecture about the inaccuracies and giving them approximations of when things came about. They couldn’t believe it. Was he that into games that he could perfectly memorize the history of games?

“You’re a genius.” exclaimed Kalim.

“It’s common knowledge amongst gamers. Normies wouldn’t understand since you always take things at face value. Idiots…” Idia said, mumbling the last part.

“I feel like we’ve just been dissed…” Cater said wearily.

They asked him more questions, seeing he knew a lot about the gaming side of Twisted Wonderland.

“So I’ve been playing this game, Yashashi Monsters and I can’t seem to finish the tasks needed to level up my two headed puppy.” Rook said, showing Idia his phone screen.

“Ah, how disgusting. You got into this because your friends were huh? This game is a breeding ground for taking your money. Some friends hacked in and looked through the game mechanics. They purposefully set some tasks to be this hard to make you pay real money unless you’re willing to grind all day every day to get to the high level to unlock it. Even then, you might not have enough in game currency to get it.” Idia explained, handing his phone back. “However, someone like Kalim wouldn’t have problems since he’s a rich idiot.”

“I’m just going to assume that was a compliment…” Kalim said with nervous laughter. “Then, I’ve been playing this gacha game-”

“Other Worldly, right? The one about a co ed normie school where you play through and unlock secrets about them, but most you can only get through their card stories.”

“Woah… How did you know?”

“You three are the very definition of normie so it’s predictable. So, what’s the question?”

“Is there any way of uping my pulling chances?”

“Kalim, even I could tell you there’s-”

“There is. I studied with some friends and it turns out if you alternate between paid and free souls gems, your chances of getting rarer cards increase.” Idia said, completely in his element. “Normally I wouldn’t recommend things like using real money unless the game is good.”

“So you play it too?”

“Just because I say a game is good doesn’t mean I play it.”

They couldn’t hide their amazement. He was like a game guru.

•

Riddle hadn’t heard from them in hours. He called Cater, needing to see what was up.

“ _Yo!_ ”

“Where are you and what are you doing?”

“ _We’re in Diasomnia! Cater, get off the phone we’re dying! Oops, gotta go!_ ”

Riddle was hung up on. Who was dying? He quickly left Heartslabyul, wondering what the three idiots did now.

As usual, the Diasomnia dorm was quite the spooky place. He entered the building, starting to ask around for Cater. He was pointed to Lilia’s room. He knocked on the door before seeing it was open. Gunshots could be heard from inside and some screaming.

“What’s going-”

Kalim was the only one to turn around and greet Riddle.

“Cater, go around!” Idia yelled.

“I’m trying!”

“Silver, cover me!” Lilia demanded.

More gunshots could be heard. Silver threw his hands in the air. Rook noticed another presence.

“Little Queen of roses, how nice to see you again.” Rook said.

The game was paused, all of them looking at the reddened Riddle.

“I gave you three ONE job and you can’t even do it right!” Riddle yelled, magic sparks emitting from his magipen.

“Uh oh…”

“Riddle, we-”

“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”

“Wait, why are we being punished!?” Silver asked, seeing a collar on him.

“For letting these idiots in!” Riddle seethed. “You three, out! Idia, come here.”

Silver and Lilia watched as Riddle dragged Idia by his hair, followed behind three dejected people.

“Well, that happened.” said Lilia, easily dispersing Riddle’s spell on them. “So, looks like we should restart.”

“Right.”


	303. Night Raven College: Tastes like dog food

Ruggie yawned as he aimlessly scrolled on the school website. As usual, there wasn’t anything interesting going on on campus. He refreshed the page before seeing it.

“A cooking competition…? What’s gotten into that old crow’s head…” Ruggie mumbled, tapping on the banner.

He soon left the school website, knowing Cater would probably have more information than what was provided. As he suspected, Cater had posted a chock full of info.

“All dorms… two winners… any dish is acceptable as long as it’s edible… this weekend…” Ruggie read quietly before looking for the location. It was going to be out on the sports field. He wasn’t surprised seeing as that was the biggest place on campus. “Guess we have to plan around it huh…”

“Ruggie senpai!”

“If it’s about the cooking competition, I’m not joining and I’m not helping you either. Unless you’re planning to hire me.” Ruggie said, not even bothering to wait to hear what he had to say.

“Your hunger for money never ceases to astound me…” Jack mumbled.

He noticed the judges weren’t mentioned. Were they keeping it under wraps to surprise people?

•

Ruggie stretched out, seeing it was nearing the time for the competition. More info had been released, mostly about the rules. People had to team up, mostly because of limited space. However, there were going to be elimination elements, giving everyone a chance to show their stuff. He stepped out of his room, finding the dorm quiet. They seriously weren’t participating. Only a small fraction of them could actually cook a decent meal.

Ruggie entered the hall of mirrors, getting squished in the crowd of students. He followed the flow, knowing they were probably going to the cooking competition. He was finally able to escape, making his way to the sports field. His nose instantly picked up on delicious aromas. People had already started cooking. He noticed students couldn’t get up close to where the judges sat, meaning they had blocked it off.

“Did they start…?” Ruggie asked a student.

“Oh, Ruggie senpai. Yeah, they started a few minutes ago. The smells are making me salivate…”

Ruggie looked at the judges table. He wasn’t surprised to see the teachers, but he was surprised to see Vil. Why wasn’t he participating like everyone else or watching from behind?

The first round had finished, a bunch of students being ripped apart, mostly by Vil and Crewel. The rounds continued, more and more students coming to the viewing section until they had the same amount of students to stations. He didn’t realize it at first, but now he did.

“Leona!? Wha- He can’t cook!” Ruggie exclaimed.

“But he’s one of the finalists…” a student said with a shrug.

He had to be taking other’s food. There was no way that lazy lion was actually making food. They were given instructions before being told to start, a timer counting down. He couldn’t believe it. Leona was actually cooking. He started looking at the others, seeing some of them fumbling with mixers or knives. What was the prize anyway that had so many people participating?

Ruggie searched through Cater’s Magicam, looking to see if he missed something. His eyes widened as he stared.

“Half a year off with no penalties!? Damn…” Ruggie cursed, now wishing he participated.

More students were kicked, unable to please enough of the judges. Things were getting intense. He noticed Jamil had come forward. He was easily going to win. The guy cooked everyday. The judges started to eat.

“It’s great!” said Ashton.

“It’s rather bitter… but it’s not bad.” said Trein, washing it down with water.

“It’s an acquired taste, no?” said Sam, pushing his away.

“Splendid, Viper! It reminds me of home.” Crowley wept.

Everyone was looking at Vil and Crewel.

“Dog food tastes better than this.” Crewel said after a while.

“It’s decent. Not your best work.” said Vil, still eating. He soon pushed it away. “What kind of broth did you use?”

“Turkey.”

Vil started retching before running. It was safe to assume he lost Vil’s neutral opinion.

“Well, seeing as you received two positives, a neutral and three negatives… You’re eliminated.” said Crowley.

Everyone was murmuring. Jamil lost? How was that possible? He made the best food ever. Trey was up next. He was the next best candidate for winning. The judges ate.

“Too sweet…” Trein gasped, spitting into a napkin.

“Oh, you use the Floral Cocoa didn’t you?” Sam said, mighty impressed. “I really like it.”

“Hm… Sweets are good once in a while, but they won’t help you grow muscles. A pass for me.” said Ashton.

“Isn’t that a bit biased…” Trey muttered.

“I think it’s rather nice. I love the subtle flavors.” said Crewel, having finished his piece.

“It’s… nice. But if I had a choice to go back in time to not eat it, I would. There’s this citrus taste I can’t stand.” Crowley said with a shake of his head. “It’s messing with the other flavors.”

“Too much sugar.” Vil said, having come back at some point. “I can feel my teeth rotting just from looking at it.”

“You didn’t even taste it!” Trey said loudly.

“Then you try it.”

Trey took a bite. Vil smiler, seeing his face twisting.

“Told you, too sugary.”

“Clover, you’re eliminated.”

“Someone messed with my batter!” Trey said, knowing he’d never put in that much.

“Do you have proof?” Sam asked.

“No, but-”

“Then quit yapping like a wounded mutt and go sit with the others.” said Crewel.

When did the competition get so harsh? Was there really tampering going on? Ruggie was delighted. Now this was a competition. If you can’t win, make the others lose. More students were eliminated. Only five remained.

“And what do we have here? Is this… bone…?” Trein questioned, lifting it with his spoon.

“Ah, what memories!” Crowley said cheerfully, enjoying the soup. “You have my vote, Silver~”

“I never thought I’d eat this again.” Ashton said, throughly impressed. “You’ve got mine too.”

“Too bland.” said Sam.

“The fact you put a bone in this insults me.” said Crewel. “That only fueled my displeasure with this soup.”

“I didn’t mean it like that…”

“The meat is too thick.” Trein said before complaining more.

“I agree. Meat that’s too hard to bite through is off putting. Not to mention I hardly saw you season anything. Terrible.” Vil sighed, pushing the bowl away. “Plus the presentation is god awful.”

“Eliminated.” said Crowley, the next person stepping up.

Three remained.

“For you wonderful finalists, we’ll give you such a hard task that only the best of the best can pull it off.” said Crowley.

Ruggie couldn’t believe Leona was a finalist. Everything he made was so simple yet it pleased everyone. What did he know that no one else did? The timer was counting down as they cooked. Leona wasn’t doing anything and people were noticing. Was he purposefully trying to lose? That didn’t sound like him.

“Ruggie.”

“Oh, Kalim.”

“Leona’s doing pretty well!”

“I know. It’s scary.” Ruggie shuddered. “I have faith that he won’t win, especially since he’s just standing there.”

“I was sure Jamil would win but everyone was wrong about that, haha!”

Kalim had a point. He didn’t want to believe it but maybe he had a chance of winning. They were getting down to the final minutes. Leona had finally started. There was no way he could make something with only ten minutes.

“And time. Please present your dishes.” said Crowley. “Let’s start with Felmier.”

“Oh wow… apple carvings glazed with sugar. How sweet.” Sam said, unintentional making a pun. “OH!”

Everyone looked at Sam.

“You certainly have my vote…” Sam whispered, his mouth in heaven.

They finished evaluating Epel.

“Draconia. It’s no surprise you made it this far.”

“Naturally.”

The judges ate. Vil started poking around, taking the puff apart.

“A traditional Valley of Thorns street food. How touching.” said Trein.

They moved onto Leona after discussing Malleus.

“This is…?” Ashton muttered.

“It feels intimidating.” Crowley chuckled nervously.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Who would be the winners?

“You three have done such a marvelous job. It’s hard picking two out of you three.” said Crowley, walking over to them. “But unfortunately, we have to.”

Crowley stepped close to Malleus.

“Draconia… Your puffs were very mouth watering, but not enough. We’re sorry.” said Crowley, sending him off. “Let’s hear it for our two winners!”

Everyone was confused. How did Malleus lose when Leona received nothing but neutral remarks? They couldn’t say it was rigged since Epel had won as well. They eventually clapped, still in bewilderment if the results.


	304. Ace, Deuce, Sebek: A potion for hand smoothening

They sat huddled together, keeping their front sides out of view.

“So this happened.”

“Yeah.”

“Now what?”

“Well I can’t go on a date looking like this.”

They looked at Ace.

“You’re going on a date? What about Hade? Didn’t you like him?” Deuce asked, now confused.

“Idiot, he’s the one I’m going on a date with…” Ace mumbled, his cheeks red.

“I actually have a date too…”

“You?” they said in unison, looking at Sebek wide eyed.

“Don’t act so surprised!” Sebek huffed, feeling insulted. “He’s a nice guy…”

“Uh huh… Who is it? Some guy from a school we never heard of?” Deuce asked.

“No, he goes here. You’re both being annoying.”

“Okay, back to our problem. These bodies.” Ace said, their unsupported chests jiggling slightly. “Do you think they have a potion to fix this?”

“They have a potion for hand smoothening. I’m sure they have one for this.” said Sebek. “We can check the library.”

The library was far. If only they could camouflage themselves. They started to make a run for the library, wanting to avoid students seeing them in their new bodies.

They panted heavily, having made it with no trouble. Now came the hard part, browsing shelves while hiding their chests. Deuce was definitely going to have a hard time. They covered him until he was able to grab a book to hide his chest. They split up, searching for anything that could help.

They sat down at a table, each only finding a book.

“It talks about it, but doesn’t say how to change…” Deuce mumbled, closing his book.

“Same here.” they said with a sigh.

“Maybe we can pay Crewel a visit?” Sebek suggested.

“But my date… I may not get another chance…” Ace mumbled, knowing how hard he worked for it.

“Yeah, I know what you mean…” Sebek sighed.

Deuce looked at his dejected friends. He knew how they were feeling. He had finally landed a date with him and he was torn between missing it to turn back or go and disgust him. They sighed again.

“Maybe they’ll understand if we tell them the situation?” Sebek piped up.

“We can try…” Ace mumbled.

They gave each other encouraging pats before heading out to meet their respective boys.

•

Ace sat underneath the apple tree, waiting for Jade. He could only imagine his reaction. And then he’d excuse himself to use the restroom and never come back. He sighed, seeing his chances were gone.

“Oh? What’s a lady like you doing here?”

Ace moved his arms, revealing his face. There it was, that look of horror.

“What happened?” Jade asked, placing a blanket down.

“Well, an experiment mishap…” Ace responded, placing the food he brought down as Jade did the same. “Now Sebek, Deuce and I are stuck in feminine bodies.”

“How interesting.” Jade said, unwrapping sandwiches. “Would you like one?”

“Eh? Umm… sure…” Ace said, getting flustered. Jade didn’t seem the slightest bit phased. “You aren’t put off…?”

“Why would I? You still look like the Ace I know.” said Jade, enjoying his sandwich. “Your body may have changed, but you still act like yourself.”

Ace was a blushing mess. Jade moved closer, his curiosity getting the best of him. He started feeling Ace up and down, taking it all in. At the same time, he was tickling Ace unintentionally.

“How fascinating… Its the real deal.” said Jade, feeling Ace’s face. “So that would mean…”

“H- Hey! Back away!” Ace yelled, avoiding Jade’s curious hands.

“But I have to know! Is it gone or do you have both?” Jade said, trying to take Ace’s pants off.

“Jaaaaaaaaaaade!”

•

Sebek squirmed as he waited. He was going to be loathed with this body.

“Sebek?”

He popped up, seeing him. He could tell he was judging him. Sebek hurried explained why he looked the way he did.

“Well, I’m just glad I didn’t get stood up.”

“I’d never do that you Floyd!” Sebek yelled before covering his mouth. Floyd chuckled, making Sebek blush. “Umm, so… what are we doing?”

“Some guys annoyed me so I need your brute strength to help me teach them a lesson.” said Floyd.

“You don’t mean like beat them up… right…?”

“You’ll see.”

Was this what a date was like? He followed behind Floyd, often looking at his hand. Was he allowed to hold it? He held back, not wanting to ruin things anymore than he had. Sebek squeaked, not expecting Floyd to take his hand.

“You’re all red~”

“I’m sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Oh, sorry…”

“You did it again.”

“Sor-” Sebek said before opting to be quiet.

He was going to keep apologizing at that rate. Sebek noticed they were headed for the abandoned dorm building. Were they going to do a test of courage? Floyd had him sit down by one of the trees.

“Floyd-”

Floyd lied down on his lap. What happened to the students he wanted to teach a lesson?

“Floyd senpai, the students…?”

“They can wait.”

“I see. I’m really enjoying myself, Floyd senpai. This kind of date is new to me.” Sebek said with a smile.

“Well, there’s more but for now… let me rest…”

Sebek nodded, allowing Floyd to get more comfortable. He gently stroked his hair, feeling his love grow even more.

•

“Jack, you’re staring…” Deuce muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Are they real?”

“Unfortunately…” he said before explaining. “So, I understand if you want to call off the date…”

“Why would I do that? You’re fine.” said Jack, leading Deuce into Octavinelle.

“Hm, why are we coming here?”

“Oh, just for a drink and a chat.” Jack said, laughing nervously.

They were eventually seated and given menus.

“Couple special…? Wait…”

Deuce looked at Jack who scanned the menu.

“You knew about this couples night special didn’t you?” Deuce pointed out.

“Ah, I’m caught…”

“B- But we’re not even a couple! Unless…” Deuce said before his cheeks turned red.

Maybe he was thinking too much. There was no way Jack was going to take that step with him. He didn’t finish his thought, giving his order to the waiter. Jack eventually did the same. Awkwardness hung in the air as they didn’t know what to say to the other.

“You look nice.” said Jack.

“You do too.”

Awkward once more. What would kill this tension between them?

“One couples special!”

Deuce looked, seeing they were stopping by their table. Neither of them ordered it. Soon the waiter started giving them couple activities to do.

“Alright, now kiss for the Cam.”

“K- Kis!?” Deuce squeaked.

“Couples kiss you know? Have you not?” the waiter asked. “Then this one will be extra special.”

Deuce looked to Jack who seemed just as stunned. They slowly moved closer, their hearts racing. Deuce was nervous. They connected their lips, their picture being taken. Their cheeks were bright red as the waiter handed their phones back. Soon a sweet treat was placed before them, wishing them a happy relationship.

They couldn’t get the kiss out of their minds. The two awkwardly parted, unable to function properly after that mind blowing kiss.


	305. Lilia + Kalim: That’s not how it looked in the picture

“Hey, you.”

“Hm?”

“I need help and Cater won’t.”

Kalim blinked, wondering what he needed.

“What is it?”

“I’m making Silver his favorite dishes tomorrow for his birthday and I need a second opinion.”

“Oh wow! I bet he’s going to be really touched, Lilia senpai!” Kalim said happily. “Of course I’ll help.”

“Ah, a lifesaver as always.” Lilia said in relief.

•

Kalim didn’t realize he already had a few things made. Lilia placed a bowl of bubbling purple soup in front of him.

“Is the soup supposed to bubble?” Kalim asked, not used to Valley of Thorns dishes.

“Hm? No…” Lilia mumbled.

Kalim ate some anyway. Lilia looked at him expectantly.

“How is it?”

“Umm… I don’t think Silver would be happy with this. Well, I don’t think anyone would.” said Kalim, pushing the bowl away.

“Then try the roasted lambs!” Lilia said, pushing the meat towards him.

“Is the bone supposed to be melting…?” Kalim asked worriedly.

“Melting? No. That’s not how it looked in the picture.” Lilia replied.

“Did the recipe say so?”

“I did read it.”

Oh. Well that probably explained the suspicious looking food. Despite all the red flags, he ate the meat before regretting it. The inside was still pink and bloody. He discreetly spit it out.

“Any good?”

“This wouldn’t fly either… Maybe… cook it longer?”

“Noted. Uh, try the vegetable puffs.” Lilia said.

Finally, something that looked normal. He stopped. He was fooled with the meat, so this could possibly be the same. Kalim took one, opening it first. It seemed alright. He took a bite.

“UUUEEEHHH! So salty!” Kalim exclaimed, drinking the water provided.

“I thought I put enough in…” Lilia mumbled, his spirits lowering further. “If these were failures, then I guess the others are too…”

Kalim stopped him, going to check the other dishes. One in particular caught his eye, seeming normal. He had his doubts, but he was going to take a chance. He cut himself a piece of the bread before eating it.

“Oh! Tasty!” Kalim said happily.

“What is?” Lilia asked, hurrying in.

“This bread! It’s sweet and savory! Silver will definitely love this!”

“Really…?” Lilia said, looking at Kalim with misty eyes. “I’m so glad…”

“If you just do the same thing for tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be happy with just this much.” said Kalim, hoping to deter him from creating anymore monstrosities.

“Oh! I haven’t given you a piece of cake.”

Lilia had pulled a normal looking cake out of the refrigerator, cutting him a piece. He hoped with all of his heart it was good enough.

“How is it…?”

“Umm… I’m not entirely sure how you did it, but this cake is very… not flavored.” Kalim said, not wanting to call it bland.

“Really?”

Lilia ate some from Kalim’s piece. It tasted fine to him. Then again, humans had different tastebuds. So he had to trust Kalim’s judgement for Silver’s sake.

“I suggest just sticking with this bread. Silver will be glad to get anything from you. I’m sure of it.”

“If you think it’s best.”

Lilia thanked him, glad he was able to avoid a crisis.


	306. Vanrouges: Aaa

Malleus walked down the stairs, looking for Lilia. He had gone on one of his traveling trips and was supposed to come back today. He was late though. It was lonely without him around to talk to. Everyone was either busy with their duties or guards forbidden to have any kind of communication and relation with him.

He quietly looked out the window, his eyes searching for Lilia. He rested his arms on the window before placing his chin on his arms. Being a prince wasn’t all it was cracked up to be like in stories.

He perked up, hearing a commotion going on. Finally, something to do.

“Ah, there you are. It’s time for your magic lessons.”

“But-”

He was led away from possible fun. Life sucked.

•

Malleus splayed out on the floor, tired from practicing. Whatever the commotion was had probably been dealt with by now. He sat up, hearing voices.

“He’s back, but he brought something with him…”

“What was it?”

“Don’t know. It was all wrapped up.”

He exited the room, causing the guards to stand at attention.

“Who came back?”

“Lilia dono.”

Malleus hurried down the stairs, forgetting all of his fatigue. He was curious about the thing he brought home, especially if it had the guards talking.

Malleus knocked on the door before opening it. He could see a shadow on the wall. He walked further in, seeing Lilia’s backside.

“Lilia, you’re back.”

“Aaa.”

Malleus raised an eyebrow, knowing that wasn’t Lilia’s voice.

“Oh, didn’t see you there. What’s up?” Lilia asked, his attention fixed on whatever was in front of him.

“Well, I heard you finally came back from your trip. And you also brought something back. That’s pretty unusual.” said Malleus, stepping closer to Lilia.

“Aa aaaa.”

Malleus peered over Lilia, seeing a baby lying on his bed. Lilia picked it up, holding it close.

“A baby…?”

“Mhmm. I found him abandoned all by himself.” Lilia explained, wiggling his finger in front of his face. “I decided to name him Silver, like his hair.”

Malleus looked at Silver who was entranced by Lilia’s finger.

“Do you want to hold him?”

“Oh, sure…”

He’s never held a human baby before. He was afraid he’d be off putting towards them. Silver was successfully transferred to Malleus’ arms.

“Hello.” Malleus said softly.

Silver looked at him before squealing. Lilia couldn’t help but laugh at Malleus’ surprised face.

“I- Is that a g- good thing?” Malleus asked in a panic.

“Indeed it is. Look, he’s smiling at you.”

Malleus looked down at Silver who started messing with his hair. Silver looked up at him before giggling and squealing again. Lilia grabbed a tissue, seeing Malleus was crying.

“He likes me… a person he just met…” Malleus whispered, holding Silver close.

“Malleus…”

Silver squirmed around, hitting Malleus’ cheek. Malleus let Silver rest against his shoulder, finding himself attached.

“Lilia.”

“Hm?”

“I want to protect him with my life.” Malleus declared.

“Oh? This should be interesting. Malleus Draconia finding something he wants to protect.” Lilia said, clearly amused.

“Aaa…”

Silver snuggled closer to Malleus, very entranced by his hair.


	307. Ace: It’s just for fun

“Hey, what are those?”

“These? They’re crackers.” said Ace, popping one in his mouth.

“I meant the cards in your hand. They’re much too big to be playing cards.”

“Ah, good eye, Juice.”

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood.” Deuce muttered, sitting down.

“They’re tarot cards. It’s a form of fortune telling.” Ace explained, shuffling the cards. “Want your fortune read?”

“How much does this actually affect my life…?”

“Very much! It’s very important!” Ace lied, tricking Deuce once more.

“Heya~ It’s the Adeuce combo.”

“Senpai… and other senpais.”

“Refer to me as dorm leader next time.” Riddle said with a threatening look.

“Oh, are those tarot cards? Were you going to do a reading?” Trey asked, standing by the table.

“Yeah! Ace said they’re very impactful!” Deuce said.

Ace gestured for them to roll with it.

“Wow, can’t wait to see what you get~!” Cater said cheerfully.

Ace spread the cards out, asking which he wanted to do.

“Uh… Maybe a love reading…?”

“Oooo! Who’s the girl?” Cater asked, getting up close.

“Ah, can we start?” Deuce panicked.

“Just pick a card.”

Deuce picked one, moving it off to the side. Ace put the others aside before flipping over Deuce’s selection.

“So, what does the Four of Wands mean? It’s good right?” Deuce asked before noticing. “It’s upside down.”

“It’s not a good sign… I suggest if you were planning to make moves on your crush, you should wait until a few weeks have passed.” said Ace, patting Deuce’s back.

“Ah…”

“Hm. I want a reading too!” Cater said cheerily. “I’ll go with a love reading too.”

Ace shuffled the cards before spreading them out. Cater chose a card, watching Ace out the others away before flipping his over.

“Ooo! I got a king with swords. What does that mean? Is it upside down?” Cater asked.

“You’re single right, Cater senpai?” Ace asked, receiving a nod. “Things look good for you. You’re going to meet someone who…”

Ace listed qualities, seeing Cater’s eyes light up in delight.

“Wow… Anything else?”

“Well, it’s either that or you want to find someone who you can connect to on an intellectual level.” said Ace.

“Are we talking about Cater or Riddle?” Trey chuckled, earning a playful hit from Cater.

“I can’t wait to meet them! Wait, what if I already know them? I’m getting really excited.” said Cater before hearing someone call for him. “ _Who_ wants to talk to me? Uh, okay…”

They watched Cater head outside. Naturally they were curious, even serious Riddle. They watched Cater talk to the dark haired student. Everything seemed normal.

“Isn’t he standing awful close?” Riddle pointed out.

“He went for the old tuck and graze!” Deuce exclaimed.

“The what…?” Trey asked.

“You know, tucking their hair behind their ear and ‘accidentally’ brushing your fingers over their cheek.” Deuce explained.

“Well, looks like my reading actually came true…” Ace mumbled. “Heh, they look so chummy…”

“I think lovey dovey is more appropriate here…” Trey chuckled, leading them away from the window, mostly to give the two kissing privacy.

“Ace.”

“Yes, dorm leader?”

Riddle pressed his fingertips together before walking off.

“I think he wanted a reading too.” Trey said, seeing Riddle peeking from behind a wall. “Does he have to pick the card himself?”

“It would work better that way.”

“Well, I’d like to try this tarot stuff. I’m curious about this past, present, future thing.”

“Of course.”

•

Ace ate lunch with the others, annoyed that Trein had failed him. He was working as hard as the next kid.

“Hey, Ace. Do you really do tarot readings?” Jack asked, having heard from Deuce.

“Don’t tell me you believe in that phony crap.” Epel spat, stabbing his lunch.

“I’m with Epel on this one. Such cheap tricks to take your money.” Sebek huffed.

“Well, I think Ace is the real thing! Cater and Trey had pretty accurate readings! Look, there’s Cater now.”

They looked, seeing Cater clinging lovingly to the dark haired student. They had to admit, the two of them were hardly aware of each other a week ago.

“Can I get a reading? PPF if you don’t mind…” Jack asked, his tail wagging.

“Sure. Pick three cards.”

“You carry them with you…?” Deuce asked in surprise.

“You never know.”

Jack picked three cards, watching Ace put the rest to the side.

“So, your past is an upright six of swords. It seems there was something you overcame back then, so any problems that might come your way as your life goes in will be easier to deal with because of that moment. Let’s see your present card… Two of cups reversed. Hm, your present self isn’t looking too good. You’re suffering from bullying or abuse from your senpais right? In Savanaclaw? You should also be careful with who you’re calling a friend 'cause it may actually be one sided. Don’t let them control you. Also, you may or may not having an argument with someone close to you, but I say be prepared in case you do.” said Ace, looking up at Jack who looked worried. Was he taking this seriously? He never would’ve thought. “And your future card… A reversed Knight of cups. Hm, there’s going to be quite a few bad news coming for you. I also suggest not jumping to conclusions or else it’ll only make things worse.”

They all looked at Ace with wide eyes. He could tell all of that just from looking at pictures on a card?

“I’ll keep what you said in mind…” Jack said, afraid of how accurate it was.

He did overcome something hard when he was young and was definitely being pushed around by his senpais. Jack didn’t want to know what the incoming bad news could be.

“Umm, do you know when the bad news may come?”

“Dunno. Could be tomorrow or when you’re married with two kids.” Ace said, going back to eating.

“Ace… uh… may I have a reading too…?” Sebek asked, squirming in his seat.

“Of course. What kind?”

“There’s a question I want answered since I can’t decide on my own…” Sebek explained.

“Then a Yes or No reading is fit for the occasion. What’s your question?”

“Will I be able to guard Malleus sama for the rest of my life?”

They all should’ve seen it coming. Ace had him pick seven cards before moving the rest over. Ace started flipping cards over, moving them to their correct spots.

“Ah, I see. So reverse means no.”

“The answer to your question is yes. You will be able to guard Malleus for life.” said Ace, hoping he could finish the rest of his lunch.

Sebek was on cloud nine.

“You’re really good at this, Ace…” Deuce said with wide eyes.

“It’s just for fun. Cater getting with him was just a coincidence.”

•

“AAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCEEEEEE!”

Ace looked up, seeing Deuce running towards his spot under a tree.

“Your advice! It worked! He’s all mine haha!” Deuce said happily.

“Huh. He?”

“Hm? Yeah, he. Cater just blurted out a gender on his own.” Deuce explained before hugging Ace tight. “Your readings really are amazing!”

“Ace! Ace!”

“Jack…?”

“You… You’re reading for the future. It came true.” Jack wept. “I didn’t get the offer!”

“Oh. I’m sure this is all just coincidences…” Ace said, now starting to get worried.

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind that I told others about your great readings.” Jack said.

“Me too!”

Ace soon saw a bunch of people heading their way. That was one too many people. Ace quickly got to his feet, starting to run. He was just doing this for fun yet they actually think he was making accurate readings.

“Ace!”

“Wait up!”

“I want a reading!”

“Please wait!”

Ace kept running. He bumped into someone, stumbling back some.

“Oh, just the person I was looking for.”

“What do you want with me?”

“I’d like to talk to you. Oh, I see you’re being pursued. I’ll help you escape if you come with me.”

“Fine, fine. Just hide me somewhere.” Ace said, following Azul.

•

Ace sat in the VIP Lounge as he looked on Magicam. He was getting a lot of attention just because of some silly readings.

“So, how about we make a deal?” Azul asked. “You’re going to want to avoid being crowded by students don’t you? Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask much in return. Just a little reading for myself.”

“Is that really all?” Ace asked, knowing Azul was a tricky one.

“Yes. You can look at the contract I drafted up.” said Azul, a golden contract appearing on his desk.

He didn’t see anything unusual on it, so he signed it.

“Perfect! You now work for me!”

“Huh?”

Azul rolled up the first contract, revealing one underneath with his signature on it. When did it get there? How could he let himself be tricked?

“Don’t worry, I won’t make you work long hours. Just from opening to closing of Mostro.”

“Those are long hours! I’m not doing this!” Ace protested.

“Hm, then I guess being mobbed by students sounds more enticing doesn’t it.” Azul said, moving to rip the contract.

“Wait. Don’t…”

“I knew you were a smart one, Ace. I can’t wait to do business with you.”

Ace sighed heavily, wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into.

•

Ace did yet another reading for a student that had come all the way from Royal Sword. Had word about his “tarot readings” really spread that far? None of them were accurate. They were all coincidences.

“Uh, hi.”

“Hel- Vil senpai…?”

“Remember when you did that reading for me last week? And you said give it some time.”

“Yes. What about it? I literally have a sign here that says don’t take everything to heart and forge your own path.” Ace said, hoping he wasn’t here to complain.

Vil pulled a small box out of his pocket along with a letter. He left soon after. He turned around in his seat, opening the box. It was a necklace that seemed really expensive. He opened the letter before starting to read.

_'Dear Ace,_

_I figured you’d be too busy to be able to sit down and have a conversation, so I wrote this instead. I want to thank you for that love reading you gave me. It helped me see how I could have done things differently. So I’m applying it now. I have a crush on you and would love to have you as my boyfriend. - Vil’_

Ace blinked, rereading the entire thing. This was real. Vil just confessed to him through a love letter. He put the box and letter away, needing to continue with the readings. He had to focus. He went through a few more students before someone familiar came in.

“Oh, Epel. What’s up?”

“That reading you gave me a long time ago. Remember when you said to wait before taking action…?”

“Did you figure something out?”

Epel took a deep breath before taking Ace’s hands.

“I love you.”

“Ha…? I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” Ace asked.

“I love you more than I love helping out on my family’s orchard!” Epel declared, his cheeks red.

He was afraid of that, that he heard right. Even Epel who denied the credibility of tarot readings was taking it seriously now.

“I’m flattered but I have quite a line out there… Maybe another time?”

Epel nodded before heading out. Two confessions within ten minutes. More students came and went along with two more confessions. One from Jade and one from Jamil. He didn’t know what to think or how to feel. Not once did they ever show interest in him.

Ace was about to close for his break when someone came running in at the last minute.

“Jack?”

“Before you go, I just… whew, let me catch my breath…”

Ace waited until he could speak clearly.

“I’ve been thinking and thinking and thinking really hard.” said Jack, stepping close to him. “I want you to be my partner for life.”

Five confessions. Five whole confessions. This was nuts. What about him was so desirable? He knew he had good looks but not to such an extent. Jack told him to think on it during his break before leaving.

Ace quietly ate his free meal from Mostro’s as he thought. So many people were coming for readings and telling him how much better they were doing because of them. And as a result, he got three love confessions.

“How’s our little moneymaker doing?”

“Not even hiding your intentions, Azul…”

Azul chuckled, taking a seat with his own meal.

“Of course not. We’re partners after all. And it’s not like I’m treating you unfairly. You’re free to eat and drink whatever you wish whenever and you get to decide when your breaks are.”

He couldn’t deny that. It could be worse and Azul controlled everything.

“I received love confessions, one of them being your prized eel that loves mushrooms.” Ace said, seeing he was still hungry after almost finishing his break meal. “I can get another helping right?”

“Of course. Just don’t overeat.” Azul said before going back on topic. “Jade confessed to you? How strange. He never talked to me about having a crush. I wonder if he told Floyd.”

Ace didn’t respond, thinking about how this would affect his future. It was all fun and games in the beginning but maybe… just maybe he actually had a talent in this tarot reading.


	308. Ace: It’s just for fun (cont.)

Ace ruffled his hair, closing for the day. It was getting tiring having to be on call every time. It seemed like the line was never ending.

“Good job today. As promised, here’s your pay.”

“Thanks.”

He didn’t dislike it too much since longer lines meant more money. And that’s more money he could spend on himself. He had been eyeing a new pair of sneakers lately. There really wasn’t any point in buying new clothes since they’re in uniform most of the time.

Ace exited Mostro, only to find his path blocked.

“If you’re here for a reading, come back tomorrow. I’m closed for the day.” Ace said before being given something. They smiled before skipping away. Ace looked in the bag. “Holy-”

He held the glove up before seeing something was underneath it. He picked it up, seeing it was a key on a chain. Did it actually unlock something or was it just a charm? Ace put his attention back on the glove, having wanted this brand for ages.

•

“Woah, is that the Hazon glove from his latest collection!? How did you afford it!?” Deuce asked with wide eyes.

“It was a gift.” Ace grinned, showing it off. “Guess that tarot reading is good for something.”

“Do you mind giving me another reading? I’m feeling a bit iffy.” Deuce asked, wanting guidance.

“Ah, then I hope you don’t mind waiting in line like a paying customer.” Ace said with a shrug. “It states in my contract I’m not allowed to do readings anywhere else and not for free, whether friend or family. Speaking of which…”

Deuce sighed, wondering how much madol he’d have to give up. Ace put his phone to his ear, waiting for whoever to pick up.

“ _What’s new cool kid?_ ”

“You’re late. If mom gets mad I’m blaming you.” Ace said, seeing they had reached the school gate.

“ _Relax, I’m right above you._ ”

Ace looked up, seeing his brother floating down. He never got tired of looking at his brother’s broom.

“Hello, Mr. Trappola.” said Deuce, giving him a bow. “I’m uh… Juice, I mean, Deuce. Deuce Spade. Ace and I are roommates.”

“Ace talks about you actually. You’re a real funny dude.”

“Does this mean your brother likes me?” Deuce whispered excitedly.

“Black, he’s just an idiot. You’re giving him too much praise.”

“Oh yeah? I’m pretty sure I can name a few times you’ve been one yourself.”

“Oh yeah? Try it.” Ace challenged.

Ace mounted Black’s broom as he thought.

“The time you dyed your hair and it turned white.” Black said before laughing. “You made a bad habit of not reading instructions.”

Deuce laughed, earning a glare from an embarasssd Ace.

“Or what about the time you made a bet that you could use the toilet blindfolded?”

“Can we go!?” Ace yelled, his cheeks gaining color.

Black chuckled, waving to Deuce who was gasping for air from laughing too hard.

•

Black hummed as he rummaged around the kitchen.

“Still mad?”

Silence. He went back to humming, often looking back to see if Ace had moved. He couldn’t stay mad long, knowing how Ace operated.

“Hey, big bro…”

“Miss talking to me already huh? What kind of wisdom should I lay on you now?” Black chuckled, bringing over a plate of dumplings. “They’re your favorite.”

“So… there’s something I want to tell you and I want your opinion.”

Black listened as Ace told him all about the tarot readings and how everything had gotten up to this point.

“I don’t know what to do. I don’t like them like that, but I don’t want to hurt their feelings.”

“Ah, now you finally understand my pain.”

“But you’re not even gay.” Ace huffed.

“Straight, gay, lesbian, bi, whatever, it’s all the same. You get confessions from people you don’t like nor want.” said Black, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s life. There’s really no simple and kind way to reject people.”

Ace looked at the dumpling he held with his utensil. So he had to give it to them straight. But could he? Two of them were his close friends.

“Also, I left a part out but…”

Black looked as Ace revealed the Hazon glove. His eyes widened as he carefully looked at it.

“These are expensive! How did you get one!?”

“It was a gift from a customer.”

“They have serious taste… What did they look like?” Black asked with piqued interest.

“He was short… his hair was two different colors. Maybe he was human?” Ace said, not having really looked at him. “But he was probably a really old customer.”

“I thought I heard voices.”

The two boys left their seats, giving their mother a hug.

“How’s school Ace?”

“It’s great!” Ace quipped, telling her everything except the tarot readings.

“Look at you, going to such a good school and making nice friends. My little boy is really growing up…” Mrs. Trappola said, tears leaving her eyes.

“Mom, stop…”

“You’re not gonna ask about me?” Black spoke up.

“A waste of time.”

Ace covered his mouth as Black was stabbed right through the chest. She definitely didn’t hold back on him. Ace helped him recover as their mother brewed tea. They happily conversed until they were left alone again.

“You know, I wanted to ask about the tarot readings. People are telling me that my readings just keep getting better and better. There’s got to be some way to explain this.”

“Yeah there is. My cute little sibling is talented at something.”

“I meant scientifically. Or some magic spell at work. I can’t suddenly just give accurate predictions when I didn’t even read half of it.”

“Really Ace, there’s nothing wrong with it. Accept it.”

He couldn’t. Why tarot reading? It didn’t run in the family. It made no sense. Why not something cool like great athleticism?

“Well, it’s your talent whether you like it or not, cool kid. But don’t go down a bad path, okay?”

“Okay…” Ace mumbled, watching Black get up and leave. _“Talent huh…”_

•

Ace continued giving readings, seeing the line was long as usual. The next person had come up.

“Hey, you’re the one who gave me the Hazon glove! Thank you so much.” said Ace, the key swaying as Ace had moved.

“The pleasure’s all mine. So, what kind of stuff are you into? BDSM?” they asked with a straight face.

“I- Huh? What?” Ace said, extremely startled.

“I’m joking. My name is Lepus! Lepus Aeg, the cuddly rabbit!” he said happily, making a peace sign.

“Well, if you’re not here for a reading then please don’t hold up the line…” Ace said, still trying to recover from his risqué question. “But thank you for the gifts. May I ask what this key is for?”

“Hm, what do you think?” Lepus said, taking a seat.

“Unlocking a door. But it’s a rather small key… like it fits a lock or a small box.” Ace said before realizing. “Wait, you’re not supposed to be here if you’re not getting a reading.”

“Alright, I’ll go and take my answers with me.”

“Wait.”

“So easy, fufu~ So you want answers hm?”

Ace sighed, watching Lepus sit down. It wouldn’t hurt, right? It’s not like people could see what was going on.

“What does this key go to? Am I supposed to find a box or…?”

Lepus fished around in his bag before placing it on the table.

“You’re joking.”

“Unlock it if you want answers.”

Ace took off the chain, putting the key into the slot. He lifted the top before seeing an ace of hearts card keychain sitting on top of a folded piece of paper. Ace looked up, catching a glimpse of Lepus’ tail disappearing behind the curtains. He closed the box, beckoning the next person in. He’d read it later.

Ace stretched out, seeing it was time to close. His foot hit something. He looked under, seeing the box Lepus gave him. He picked it up, opening it once more.

“Ace? You still here?”

“Oh, Azul senpai. Don’t tell me I’m not getting a week off…”

“No, no. It’s not that. I just want to congratulate you. You’ve been doing so much for the business. Is there anything you’ve wanted improved? Changed?”

“Well, I’d like more flexible hours, especially on the weekends. You know like for example, 12-3?”

“Then let’s talk about it right now.” Azul said, taking a seat.

Ace was surprised to see Azul being a reasonable guy. Maybe he wasn’t all bad.

“Great. Is everything else fine?” Azul asked.

“What are you scheming, asking about my comfort?” Ace asked, now finding it suspicious.

“We’re partners. How many times must I tell you that? You know how much money you bring in to the lounge. Losing you will be the death of us.” said Azul.

As usual, he wasn’t filtering his words. Ace assured him everything was fine, watching him walk away. Ace turned around, finally getting a chance to look at the folded piece of paper. Ace took out his phone, putting in the words. He finally reached the numbers.

“ _Hello~?_ ”

“Lepus Aeg, right?”

“ _Chu~! Hi Ace! So you finally looked at the note._ ”

“Well, I was busy. So, what’s this thing you have to tell me and I could only find out by calling you?” Ace asked, walking through the Octavinelle mirror.

“ _Hm. You’re cute._ ”

“Is… is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“ _Hm. No, I actually wanted to tell you that I want to hang out with you. You’ve got some free time right? Considering you’re a first year._ ” Lepus asked, flipping a page.

“All of next week.”

They picked Sunday, seeing it would be better before school got in the way. They continued to talk, Ace learning more about him, like the fact he was a fourth year in a dorm called Wondersmoore. It was kind of like Heartslabyul but more twisty. They also had croquet matches but the one thing he was envious out of all: no strict, ridiculous rules. Wondersmoore sounded like a dream dorm.

“ _You know, I was runner up for being chosen as vice dorm leader. Can you believe that I wasn’t picked because of a silly rumor?_ ” Lepus said with a pout. “ _How cruel…_ ”

“Silly rumor…?”

Lepus was silent. It was safe to assume Lepus wasn’t going to tell him. He changed the topic, noticing he had arrived by his room in the blink of an eye. They weren’t kidding when they said time flies when you’re having fun.

•

Ace stretched out, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looked over before seeing Deuce hanging around the desk.

“Deuce, what are you messing with…” Ace groaned, letting out a yawn.

“Oh, this box with a lock embedded in it.” Deuce replied, handling it carefully. “An old friend of mine used to have one where he stored his cash.”

Ace snatched it out of his hands before carefully placing it back down. Naturally Deuce was confused by his actions and hoped for an explanation.

“This isn’t something to be manhandled. Don’t touch my things.” Ace fussed, the key swaying with his movements.

“Is that the key for it? What’s in the box?” Deuce asked, now more curious than ever.

Ace swatted his hands away, moving to get ready for the day.

“Oh right, who did you get this from?” Deuce questioned as Ace was halfway out the door.

“Customer.”

“Is it the same one who gave you the glove?”

Ace looked at him before shutting the door behind him. Deuce concluded his silence to be yes. He usually kept silent to questions he didn’t want to say yes to. Deuce started looking at it again, wondering why he was treating it like something precious. Ace wasn’t that kind of guy.

He knew breaking into the box was a bad idea, but Ace wouldn’t tell him if he asked. Ace came back in squeaky clean and ready to tackle the day.

“You’re heading out?”

“Yeah? Why does that sound strange to you?”

“Well, I thought you would’ve told me. Here I was thinking we could hang out with the guys.” Deuce explained, avoiding eye contact. “Maybe next time then.”

Kachunk. The door closed, Ace no longer in the room. Deuce quickly got to work on getting the box open, now wanting to know more than ever.

•

It really was blinding. Ace moved his hand, seeing the glare had gone down.

“Hey!”

Ace looked down, seeing the floppy eared bunny rocking back and forth on his heels. For someone older than him, he looked like a child. He didn’t voice his thoughts, seeing he was probably one of those who got angry when his height was mentioned.

“Hey. So-”

“Come on! I wanna introduce you to someone!” Lepus said excitedly, not giving Ace a chance to speak.

He was very different than how he initially thought of him. Over the phone he sounded like a smooth, mature motherfucker. But in person he was like this hyper child. Was this what they called duality?

He looked, seeing they were nearing a food place. It kind of reminded him of Mostro but more casual. Lepus pulled him inside before leaning against the counter.

“If it isn’t Lepus the trickster. What can I get for you?”

“Ah, nothing actually. Remember the person I was going to introduce to you, Vin?”

“You must be that tarot boy Ace huh? Don’t take it to heart love but, you don’t look like much. Freshman I’m guessing.”

“Ha? Wh-”

“What else… You love your older sibling very much don’t you? Your eyes are such a dead giveaway. Anyway, don’t let this little rabbit fool you. Before you know it, you’ll be knees deep in quick sand all on your own.” said Vin with a shrug.

 _“How ominous…”_ Ace thought, wondering if everyone was this freaky at Royal Sword.

“Well, we should get going. Movies don’t wait for anyone.” Lepus said, turning on his heel. “Come on, Ace.”

“Ah, before you go.”

Ace watched as Vin had given him a small white box.

“Enjoy. It’s your favorite right?”

Vin waved as they left the shop. Lepus asked what Vin had given him.

“This is…”

“Cherry pie? Is that something you like?” Lepus questioned, knowing Vin could be weird at times.

“It’s my favorite… like he said…” Ace muttered, feeling weirded out.

“I know just the place where we can enjoy this.”

Ace found himself being dragged along once more.

•

Ace swallowed hard, not expecting the movie to be this frightening. He wasn’t scared of horror or thrillers, but there were some that went above and beyond in the good sense.

“You okay? Need to go?” Lepus whispered.

Ace shook his head. It wasn’t too bad. He spoke too soon. Lepus looked as he was gripping his thighs tightly. He took Ace’s hand, moving it so he was petting him. Ace looked, feeling his nerves calming. Now he understood why rabbits were good for relief.

The movie ended, people starting to leave.

“How are you feeling?” asked Lepus, giving Ace a smile.

“Well… better… thanks to you.” Ace chuckled nervously, embarrassed that he was seen being a scaredy cat.

“Would some Rabicuddles help?”

“Rawhat…?”

Lepus hugged him, nuzzling him all over. This was… cute. Ace pulled away, his face even more red. Lepus simply laughed, glad to see he wasn’t shaking anymore.

“Hey, senpai…”

“Hm? You can just call me Lepus you know. Formal really isn’t my thing.” Lepus said, walking backwards.

“Then, Lepus, are you really a fourth year…?” questioned Ace as he looked him up and down. “Then again, someone could mistake our dorm leader for someone young…”

“Then, should I show you something worthy of my age?” Lepus asked, smiling with his eyes.

“Really? I’m probably going to regret agreeing but… sure. Why not.”

They left the movies, heading back to Royal Sword. Ace followed behind Lepus as he led him around campus to their hall of mirrors. Wondersmoore was really what he imagined it to be. Lepus greeted other Wondersmoore students while he was still in awe of the dorm layout.

Lepus stopped by a door in the dorm building, knocking against it before unlocking the door himself.

“This room is…?”

“It’s not my room. It’s the dorm leader’s room.”

“So, your dorm leader just gives everyone access to his room?”

“No, just me. We… it’s… Anyway, about that thing I was going to show you.” said Lepus, directing the conversation.

Ace decided not to pry further. Maybe he’d tell him when he felt ready. If he ever felt ready. Lepus had him sit on the bed while he popped into the room’s private bathroom. Something worthy of his age. Was he going to reveal his ID card? That would be proof enough. Would Lepus do something so lame though?

“Ace, you there?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well… I kind of have a situation here…” Lepus said, sounding rather distressed.

Ace got up, making his way over. He opened the door, only to shut it as quick as he had opened it. He didn’t mean to look, but how could he avoid it if he didn’t even know?

“Ace?”

“Se- Lepus… could you like, uh, cover up?” Ace asked, his hand covering his face.

“Well if I cover up then that defeats the purpose of asking you for help.”

Ace sighed, gathering some courage before opening the door again. Lepus’ tail twitched as it’s owner gave him an awkward smile.

“See, the problem is… I accidentally zipped my poor tail and now it’s stuck…” Lepus explained, looking pitiful. “Can you free it? I’m afraid I’ll hurt myself…”

Ace knelt down while Lepus bent to give him better access.

 _“His tail is really soft…”_ Ace thought as his fingers brushed against it. “Lepus, does it-”

Ace blinked rapidly, trying to process the lewd look on Lepus’ face. Why? How?

“L- Lepus… your f- face…”

“It’s not my fault… You’re touching my tail…” Lepus mumbled, rubbing his legs together.

Ace was even more hesitant than before. He wanted to free his tail, but that also meant seeing more lewd looks. He continued, seeing his tail was more important.

“And there. Free at last.”

Lepus moved his tail in delight. He gave Ace a hug, his pants slowly falling down.

“I was so worried… We need better holes…” Lepus said with a sigh. “Thank you, Ace.”

“No problem but… your pants…”

“Huh? What about them? Oh, should I take them off? You want me as a reward?”

“I didn’t say that! Pull them up!” Ace said, backing out of the bathroom with Lepus still clinging to him. “Ah!”

Lepus giggled, now lying on top of him. This wasn’t how he imagined things would end up. Vin was right. He let himself be fooled and now he was paying price.

“So, how about that thing worthy of my age, hm?” Lepus said, moving off of him.

“What is it?”

Lepus simply turned around, shaking his rabbit bum in the air. No. He had to be joking. Ace quickly scrambled to his feet.

“No? Then I guess I could just show you this.” said Lepus, fixing his pants as he dug around in his bag. “Here.”

“So you really are…”

Lepus nodded, taking the ID back.

“Well, I’m sure I traumatized you enough for today. You can find the way back to the school gate right?” asked Lepus.

Oh, umm, yeah… Yeah I can.“ Ace mumbled, not expecting things to end like this.

"Why do you sound like that? We did agree on movies and dinner but I’m sure you’re dying to head back, so go.”

Ace found himself standing outside the room, staring at a closed door.

He sat on a picnic bench, spreading out his tarot cards. He never thought he’d end up using them for himself. He quietly picked cards before flipping them over.

“No huh…” Ace whispered, staring at the very uneven sorting. “My readings haven’t been wrong, so…”

Even still, it didn’t feel right. He did another reading. It was still a highly uneven sorting of no. Ace gathered his cards, putting them away. He looked in the direction of the hall of mirrors before looking towards the school gate. This was the best decision.

•

Deuce often glanced at Ace who didn’t seem as lively as usual. He wasn’t wearing that key necklace or that fancy Hazon glove like he used to. Did he have a bad run in with that specific customer? He also noticed he started doing tarot readings for himself. Something was distressing him if he was using his own powers on himself. Would he tell him?

“Ace.”

Ace shook his head, moving away from him. Deuce wrote his thoughts down on paper before sliding to Ace. Ace crumpled it before sticking it in his pocket. It was very distressing judging by his actions.

Class was let go, but Deuce held Ace back.

“Hey, what’s wrong? You’ve been down in the dumps since you came back from your outing on Sunday. What happened? Is someone in your family sick?” asked Deuce, wishing Ace would look him in the eye.

“My readings… they’re very accurate, right?”

“Well, yeah. I haven’t been this happy since I made my mom proud with my grades.” Deuce said happily. “Why do you ask all of a sudden…?”

“I did one for myself and it told me no… more times than I’d like to admit, but in here… it doesn’t feel right.” Ace said, tapping his chest. “I don’t know what to do…”

“You can give advice but can’t apply it yourself huh? What have you always told us about your readings?” Deuce said, not waiting for Ace to answer. “‘Don’t take everything to heart and forge your own path.’ Remember that?”

“Forge my own path… You know, sometimes you do have bright ideas.” Ace chuckled, giving Deuce a playful punch.

•

Lepus patiently waited outside of Night Raven, wondering what Ace needed to tell him. He was already aware he probably made Ace uncomfortable thus not wanting to be around him anymore. He couldn’t help it, it was all in a rabbit’s nature to breed. It was just made worse since he found Ace cute.

“Lepus!”

“Ah!”

Lepus had jumped far back, not expecting to be startled. Ace apologized, approaching him with a tiny box and a card.

“A business card…?”

“You were complaining about the holes for tails, so I asked my senpais if they could recommend good tailors.” Ace said, handing him the card.

Lepus took it, not expecting him to care so much. He opened the box, seeing it was just a lone key on a chain.

“Does this go to anything?” he asked curiously.

“You’ll have to figure that out on your own.” Ace teased, earning an amused look from Lepus.

“Then… does it go here?” Lepus asked, chuckling as Ace became flustered.

“N- No! Why would it go there!?”

Lepus continued to mess with him, poking the key against his ass and crotch.

“It goes to this!” Ace said loudly, getting tired of his teasing as he pulled an animal out of his bag. “The lock is on the back…”

Lepus turned it over, seeing it couldn’t open with the lock on it. He opened it up, noticing there was something inside.

_'If it’s okay, could I pet your tail more? You make interesting faces as a result.’_

Lepus looked at Ace who was red in the face. This was way too cute. His tail moved in glee, thrilled by the thought.

“Is this an indirect way of asking if we can hang out more? Then I accept! I’d be heart broken if I couldn’t see such an adorable freshman anymore. C'mere!”

Ace soon had a happy rabbit clinging to him, his tail begging for attention. He’d resist temptation… for now.


	309. Savanaclaw: Birth of A King

“Leona. Get up.”

Silence. Ruggie grumbled before snatching the pillows and bedsheets. He still wasn’t getting up. He used water magic, drenching the lion. Leona slowly sat up, his hair sticking to his face.

“Don’t get mad at me. You’re the one who decided they weren’t going to wake up.” Ruggie said with a shrug. “I need you to come with me.”

“Leave me alone.”

“Come on, I need your wallet so I can buy stuff. Sam isn’t going to let me unless you’re with me.”

“How irritating…” Leona grumbled, getting out of bed. “You’re lucky I’m still sleepy or else I would’ve had you by the neck with my jaws.”

“Scary.” Ruggie said sarcastically, tossing him clothes.

Savanaclaw students flitted around, putting stuff up that wouldn’t seem suspicious. Leona stepped out of the bathroom dressed and ready to tackle the day.

“Can you move any slower? I don’t wanna hear you chewing me out if he sells out.” Ruggie complained, dragging Leona with him.

Students looked from the windows as Ruggie and Leona were far from the dorm building.

“Get started everyone!”

The students started putting up more decorations, being ordered around by Jack and another student.

“Wait, I didn’t ask you to get me anything yet.” Leona said, his mind finally waking up.

“Yes you did. I know for a fact Leona Kingscholar doesn’t have faulty memory.” said Ruggie, nudging him ahead.

“You wouldn’t say anything that didn’t benefit you, so I suppose I’ll take your word for it.” Leona said despite still being suspicious.

“Welcome little demons! What a beautiful day huh?”

“I brought him so now I buy things, right?” Ruggie said, trying to signal for Sam to go along with it.

“But of course! Just didn’t want you recklessly spending his money now do we, feisty hyena?”

Leona leaned against a wall, waiting for Ruggie to do whatever he needed.

“So, why did I need to go along with your scheme, little demon?”

“It’s his birthday today and I had the wonderful duty of getting him out of the dorm while the others set up. I need to kill time before I can bring him back.” Ruggie explained, glancing at Leona.

“Say no more. Old Sam’s got a rep in entertainment.” Sam smiled, the two of them looking at Leona.

Leona opened an eye, seeing them looking at him all creepy like. He was definitely getting a bad feeling.

•

“Decorations look great, but where’s the food!?”

“It’s being transported…”

Jack looked at the time. There was only so much longer Ruggie could keep Leona from the dorm. Hopefully they’d stay out long enough for his usual afternoon nap.

“How’s the music?”

“Perfect!”

“Games?”

“All set!”

“Brawling space?”

“Ready for blood!”

Jack sighed, hoping the food would get here soon. He peeked into the lounge before noticing something.

“Where are his presents?”

Everyone exchanged looks. They were supposed to get him a present? Jack face palmed, seconds away from tearing his hair out.

“You all had one simple job besides helping set up. ONE. Do you not care enough to get our dorm leader a gift?” Jack asked, seeing a student placing a wrapped gift on the table.

“It’s not that we didn’t want to.”

“It’s more of we didn’t know what to get.”

“Dorm leader is a complex person.”

Jack couldn’t refute that. Seeing they were mostly done, he had everyone else focus on getting him a present he’d approve of.

•

“Look, I just want to nap.”

“And I can’t let you because you won’t wake up.”

Leona curled up anyway, closing his eyes. This was turning into a disaster. Were they not ready yet? He received a text from Jack saying everything was set. Now his only problem was getting Leona up and back to Savanaclaw. He grabbed Leona by his wrists, dragging him back. Was he always this heavy? He couldn’t do this alone, so he called for help.

Leona was easily lifted and now being carried back.

•

Leona finally opened his eyes. What was going on? Why was the entire lounge decorated? And what was that delicious smell that was making him salivate.

“You’re finally awake.” Ruggie groaned, the entire dorm having been waiting for a few hours.

“The food’s gonna get cold again…”

“Well, he’s awake now so don’t hold back.” said Jack, everyone hurrying over.

“What’s going on here?” Leona asked before a party hat was put on him.

“Happy birthday you annoying lion.” Ruggie said with his hands on his hips.

“You’re seriously celebrating? What a waste of time…” Leona grumbled, sitting up. He soon had presents thrust into his hands. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Just shut up and open them. You complain too much.” Jack groaned.

The students crowded around, hoping the gifts were enough. Leona silently opened them, surprised by how useful they actually were. He was expecting things he’d detest but they really came through. He was upset that he was liking this. He didn’t want to like it. Leona quietly looked at the others having fun and trying to get him to horse around as well.

“Fuck.”

Everyone looked at him. Did something g displease him? He definitely wasn’t going to shut up about it.

“I hate you fuckers…” Leona tried saying normally, but it came out choked as he involuntarily cried. “Why do you even care this much…”

“Because you’re our strong dorm leader!”

“Because you’re so cool!”

“Because we look up to you!”

“Because we want to show appreciation!”

They were loony in the head. He’s never done a thing for them yet they did all of this for him.

“We did it because we like you, Leona.”

Everyone gather around, squeezing him tight in a group hug as he cried.

•

Leona lied in bed, recovering from the earlier festivities. A knock was heard on his door.

“Go away. I’m tired.” Leona mumbled.

“Thought you’d like to open one more gift.”

Leona rolled over, seeing Jack and Ruggie approaching him. A box was placed in front of him.

“What is it?”

“This is the point where you open it and find out.” Ruggie said.

Leona tore it open, seeing a picture frame and three small ceramic animals. He sat up, picking up one of them.

“It was R-” Jack said only for Ruggie to clamp a hand over his mouth.

“Ignore him. Enjoy your gift.” Ruggie said with red cheeks.

Jack was led out the room by Ruggie who was quietly scolding him for speaking out of turn. He placed the animals in front of the picture, underneath their respective person. It wasn’t something he himself would personally have, but he couldn’t find it in his heart to dislike it.

The little lion looked at him along with the wolf and hyena.

“God damn it…” Leona whispered, feeling himself get teary eyed again.


	310. Kalim: When Doves Cry

“Man, I was hoping to do some exercise outside.”

Jamil couldn’t help but overhear the grumbling and complaining students. It was starting to feel more like a tropical rainforest than a desert. None of them were ungrateful as it was usually cooler when it rained, but it was starting to get in the way of their outdoor plans.

It couldn’t be that the weather apps were faulty considering it was exactly as predicted in other dorms. It never crossed anyone’s mind that magic could be at work despite living in a world with magic.

The rain suddenly stopped the moment Kalim entered the lounge yawning and stretching.

“Good morning! Huh? Why do you all look upset?”

“Well just until a moment ago it was raining…”

“But now the sun is out like it didn’t just rain…”

“Eh? Really? Jamil, do you know anything about it?”

Jamil turned away from him.

“Ah, forgot… Well, I’ll see you all later!” Kalim said happily before leaving.

Everyone couldn’t stop talking about the weird rain. It wasn’t the first time it had started and stopped like this. They just wanted to know what was causing it so it could be stopped. Jamil decided to look into it, seeing it as an inconvenience for him rather than doing it for the others’ sake.

•

“Still haven’t found your book?”

Kalim simply laughed, scooting closer to Silver.

“You should take better care of your things. One day you’re going to lose something important.” Silver warned.

“Right…” Kalim replied, silently taking notes.

Students looked, confused as to why it was raining when there wasn’t supposed to be any. Kalim sighed, trying to focus in class.

The bell rung, students getting up and going to their next class. The rain was still beating down on the school. Silver and Kalim walked to their next class together in silence. It wasn’t like Kalim to be this quiet.

“How’s the family business?”

“It’s fine.”

Kalim had shut him down. This wasn’t Kalim. Someone was impersonating him. Silver started pulling on his face and tugging on his hair. Kalim slapped his hands away, confused as i why he was being harassed.

“If you’re the real Kalim, why are you acting like this?”

“Huh? Acting like what?”

“Like your dog just died. Even if that happened, you’d just smile and say they wouldn’t want you to cry over them.” Silver said, giving him a weird look. “Naturally someone would think something is strange if you aren’t smiling.”

Kalim looked away before smiling as usual.

“Right! I’ve got to do my best!”

The rain wouldn’t stop.

•

Students were getting worried about the rain as it hadn’t let up in the slightest. The stream and pond had started overflowing, drowning the poor plants near them. Many unprepared students had to make mad dashes for shelter to avoid getting too wet.

Kalim mixed ingredients with Silver as they had to create a gemstone. Kalim was happy like he usually was, but it seemed strange to Silver.

“Hey, don’t add too much.” Silver warned.

“Eh? But isn’t it more fun this way?”

“We can experiment AFTER we finish our class work.”

“No fun.” Kalim pouted, measuring amounts. “Is this good?”

“Alright, now I’ll just carefully pour the liquid moonsbreath…” Silver whispered, pouring some out.

It started to take form as Silver continued to pour. Soon they had a big, red diamond.

“Wow! Weren’t we supposed to get like a pearl or ruby?” Kalim asked, reading over the instructions.

“Yes, that is if you mess up a step. However, you get rarer gems the more perfect you make it.” Silver explained, feeling proud.

“Alchemy is amazing!”

The rain cleared. Fleeing students looked up, seeing as if the rain never existed as no gray clouds could be seen.

“Oh, the rain cleared.” Silver pointed out.

They started working on separate experiments as they finished with their main task. Kalim popped a candy into his mouth before shivering.

“So sour! I like it.”

They made more food, starting to branch into small things like pepperoni and string cheese. Naturally they got in trouble for making food in class, but praised for having a good understanding of alchemy and how it works in many ways.

The bell rang, students excitedly heading for lunch now that the rain was gone.

“Are you going to eat in the cafeteria?”

“I don’t really have a choice. Jamil isn’t making lunch anymore. For me at least.”

“You’ll like the cafeteria food. It’s actual identifiable foods and not the cheap stuff they feed you in normal schools.”

“Sounds good!”

They two hurried to the cafeteria, hoping they wouldn’t run out before they got there. Kalim picked a few things that looked tasty before sitting down with Silver. He was right. The food was good.

“So, do you think you’ll start eating cafeteria lunch or will you start making your own?” Silver asked.

“This is fine. We get to talk about our favorite parts of the cafeteria lunch.” said Kalim.

“You don’t miss sitting with Jamil?”

“No…”

The sky opened up once more.

“I’ve just been a big burden on him. It’s okay that he doesn’t want anything to do with me. It’s my own fault.” said Kalim, hearing the rain pattering against the windows.

“You’re not a big burden you dummy. People who think you are are wrong. They just don’t understand you.”

He knew Silver was trying to make him feel better but he knew the truth. He poked at his food, students scrambling to understand the sudden weather changes. Silver took notice. When did it start? There weren’t any clouds in the sky.

“Hey, P.E might be moved indoors today if this keeps up.”

“Ah, how fun.”

“Hey, is something wrong? You’ve really been out of it.”

“I’m fine!” Kalim said with a forced smile. “Don’t worry about me.”

Kalim left his seat, walking out of the cafeteria. Silver kept his nose out of his business. They weren’t even close. He looked out the window, seeing it was starting to pour. The weather was really wacky today.

Kalim sat in a stall as he wiped his eyes, smearing his poorly done makeup. Jamil did so many things for him and now after that declaration, he had to do everything himself. Though, it wasn’t the fact he had to do everything himself being the problem, it was Jamil. They weren’t close anymore.

He was scared. He was being thrust into an unknown world all alone with no one to guide him.

Students ran, trying to find nearby shelter. It was light not too long ago and now the entire sky was crying. Students started complaining, demanding Crowley give them an answer.

Jamil walked around, an umbrella floating over him as he took notes. These weren’t normal rain patterns. Magic was at work. The question was, who was dumb yet strong enough to do it to the entire school? Malleus was his first thought, but he’d never do something so petty, especially with his social standing. He continued to go through his list of candidates, it not containing Kalim’s name.

•

The rain had lightened up, but everything at this point was soaked to the core and plants were overwatered. The gutters were spilling over and causing more of a mess.

“It’s been raining all day… How depressing.” Silver said, feeling sleepy. Kalim hadn’t been the same since he left the cafeteria. “Seriously, is there something wrong?”

“Nope!” Kalim beamed.

“That was the most forced smile I’ve ever seen.” Silver said, grabbing Kalim’s wrist. “It’s none of my business what happens to you, but it’s definitely going to effect our work later on.”

“I’m fine.”

“Stop lying.”

“Let go of me.”

“Not until you speak.”

“Let. Me. GO!”

Silver found himself slipping, letting go of Kalim. Kalim ran away, the small rain cloud disappearing as well. Now it was raining indoors. Somehow.

Kalim ran out into the rain, only now taking full notice. Everything looked so depressing and soaked. The rain plastered his hair to his face as his clothes started to cling to him. Wasn’t it supposed to be a sunny day?

“Kalim.”

“Huh? Oh, Jamil…”

“You’ve noticed the strange weather today right? I want your opinion.”

“Well I didn’t really notice until now…”

“And this is why I told myself not to bother with you. You never pay attention to anything!”

Kalim shrunk back, the rain steadily getting harder. Jamil looked around, wondering what the trigger was.

“I’m sorry for being so useless…” Kalim wept.

“I didn’t say that. Stop putting words in my mouth.”

“But…”

The rain became light as Kalim stopped crying.

“That’s strange..” Jamil muttered, taking more notes. “Did you see anyone suspicious today?”

“No.”

“Not at all?”

“That’s right.”

“Tch, unhelpful.”

Kalim started tearing up. Jamil then noticed it.

“It’s you!?”

“Huh?”

The rain lightened.

“So it is you! You’re the one causing this freakish rain. Make it stop! You’re destroying things!”

Kalim was confused but what he did know was he was being yelled at. Jamil groaned, seeing he just made things worse.

“If I say we can be friends, you’ll stop this?”

The rain miraculously disappeared.

“Really? Will you really!?”

“Yes, just don’t cause the freak rain again…”

“I don’t really get it but okay!”

Kalim happily skipped by his side, glad to have him as a friend.


	311. NSFW Dimitri x Idia: Losing your touch?

“Well don’t you look homeless.”

“I’m taking offense to that just because.”

Dimitri laughed heartily, allowing Silver into his room.

“Wow, it’s so bright in here I might go blind.”

“As if you don’t have fire for hair.” Dimitri retorted.

“Touché.”

Dimitri closed the curtains, the room not as bright as when he entered. Idia smiles widely, watching him break out his gaming console and headphones.

“So, ready to get your ass handed to you?” Dimitri chuckled, getting everything set up.

“That’s my line.”

They started laughing, Idia pulling a chair out of a small box.

“You know, I still wanna know how you fit these chairs into these small boxes.”

“Oh, you know, magic.”

Idia hit Dimitri while he simply laughed. Idia was really cute like this.

“So, best out of 3?”

“Make it five.”

“Roger.”

They were about to start when someone knocked on the door.

“Ah, one moment.”

Dimitri opened the door, seeing a nimbus student.

“I hope I’m not bothering you, dorm leader.”

“Uh, just a little, bit what’s up?”

“We just needed to make sure that practice was still on for tomorrow since the weather will be nice unlike previously stated.”

“Of course!”

The student nodded, thanking him before hurrying away.

“I don’t get how you can easily talk to people.”

“It’s called being social. Try it sometime.”

Idia gave him a nasty look before handing him his headphones. The two started up a game, choosing to be on opposing sides with other players. Dimitri often glanced at Idia, loving his serious face. It gave him more than just goosebumps.

“Gotcha!”

“Nope!”

Idia sucked his teeth, recovering from his mistake easily. The two went back and forth before Idia successfully took Dimitri down.

“Yes!”

“You cheated.”

“Are you being a sore loser?” Idia grinned evilly.

“Maybe.” Dimitri responded, giving him a wink.

Idia’s cheeks turned red as he looked away. Why was he so charming? Idia lost the next round, his mind full of charming Dimitri.

“Need a break? We have been gaming for a while.”

“Yeah. How’s ten minutes?”

“You don’t need longer?” Dimitri asked, not minding a long break.

“I’m a gamer. Ten minutes is ten too long anyway.” Idia fussed, getting up to stretch out.

Dimitri watched him, admiring his boyfriend. At first glance one wouldn’t think there was anything appealing, but if you just looked closer, there was so much. Those slanted eyes that seemed as if they could pierce through you if he stared long enough, not to mention the eye makeup that really brought out his eye color. Those lips coated in a beautiful shade of blue, complimenting his burning blue hair. Those slender, nimble fingers that have trained tirelessly in helping him achieve higher ranks in games.

“Dimi?”

“Hm?”

“You’re staring.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Idia looked away, feeling embarrassed. Dimitri understood, turning back around. Idia sat down, having quelled his thoughts.

The two continued to play, going back and forth until Dimitri started to come out on top.

“Ha! Another win! One more and I win.” Dimitri cheered.

“Best of seven?”

“You really don’t wanna lose huh?

"And let’s change it up a little. Person with the higher score wins.”

“I’m game.”

They switched games, now doing one vs one. Idia sighed, seeing he lost again.

“Losing your touch? It’s not like you.” Dimitri said, starting another round. “You know what happens when I win you know.”

Anything but that. He couldn’t let Dimitri win. Idia looked around, wondering what he could do to mess up his flow. His eyes landed on it. It was perfect. Dimitri was too absorbed in the game to notice. For now at least. Idia unzipped his pants and pulled it out. He was already hard but from what?

He pushed the thoughts aside, placing his lips around Dimitri’s head. No reaction. Idia went farther down. Now he was getting a reaction.

“Idia!? What are you doing…”

Idia simply continued to move, putting his hair to one side.

“Idia… I can’t focus like this…”

“That’s the point.” Idia chuckled, kitten licking his tip. “It’s a genius plan.”

Dimitri moved to pull Idia away, only to be stopped by pleasure. He was powerless against Idia’s superb tongue. He attempted to continue the game, only to see he already lost.

“Oh? My turn?”

“Wait-”

Idia has left him high and dry. It was only fair of him to return the favor. Or so he thought. Idia expertly avoided him while taking his turn.

“Haha, I win this round.”

“Now you’re really a cheater.”

Idia shrugged, handing the tablet back. Dimitri narrowed his eyes, daring Idia to try anything funny. He started to play, seeing nothing was happening. Just when he thought he was in the clear, he felt Idia taking him into his mouth again. His mind was starting to become torn. Lose another round and give in or somehow make it through. Idia looked up at him, those yellow orbs piercing through him.

“Damn it, Idia…” Dimitri groaned, forcing Idia lower. It wasn’t helping that Idia was moaning against him. “You’re taking it well…”

Idia couldn’t help that he was getting horny from this, especially when Dimitri was twitching so much in his mouth. He was so hard and hot. Idia used more of his tongue, hearing Dimitri starting to moan. This wasn’t the plan. Only Dimitri was supposed to be turned on. He palmed his crotch, hearing Dimitri grunting in need.

“Haa… haa… I’m gonna come…”

Idia felt Dimitri come in his mouth, filling his mouth with semen. He pulled away, swallowing everything.

“Ah, lean a little closer.” Dimitri said softly before licking stray cum off the corner of his mouth. “Well, we can say we both won here, haha!”

“Right…”

Dimitri moved closer, capturing Idia’s lips. Idia softly moaned, feeling Dimitri palming his crotch before pulling it out.

“It’s time I reciprocate.” Dimitri whispered into his ear, making him harden in Dimitri’s hand. “You’re so cute, especially when you blush.”

Idia closed his eyes, letting Dimitri take over.


	312. NSFW Savanaclaw: You’ll be the easiest to break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also, pls be aware that whatever I write in this I don’t condone. DON’T KIDNAP PPL OKAY? or do questionable things to them. or illegal things. just don’t.

Leona impatiently tapped his foot, wondering where they were. They were late. He hated late people.

“Ruggie, find them.”

“Why don’t you act like a dorm leader for once?”

“Do I have to repeat myself?”

Ruggie left without another word. At this rate they wouldn’t have enough time for morning practice.

In the end the students weren’t found, forcing them to play with who they had. Leona definitely made note of who to chew out.

•

Leona napped, seemingly at peace until he felt eyes on him. They weren’t Rook’s. He sat up, looking around the gardens. It couldn’t be Rook anyway since they had a class at this time. He couldn’t get comfortable with this staring, so he left in search of a better spot.

“You haven’t seen him? We have a project to present today…”

“I told you those Savanaclaw boys are useless. They hardly care about their grades.”

Leona glanced at the whispering students. How dare they say Savanaclaw doesn’t take their studies seriously?

“Really? Weren’t you with him last night?”

“Yeah. I walked him back to Savanaclaw… He wasn’t answering his phone this morning… does he not want to date me?”

They were making it seem like they went missing. Clearly someone would’ve noticed if a student went missing. There was so many of them. Leona texted Ruggie, having him figure out if there were any other missing students.

“Leona senpai.”

“What.”

“Have you seen him? We were supposed to meet in the library but it’s been over an hour…”

“Why would I know and care where my underlings are?” Leona scoffed.

He pursed his lips before walking away. He was crazy to think Leona would actually care about anything other than himself.

•

Leona woke up, everything seeming normal. He got ready for morning practice, heading out to the playing field. He counted, seeing there were less than the day before. Significantly less.

“Good m- Where is everyone?”

“That’s what I’d like to know, Ruggie.”

“Why would I know? It’s not my job to keep track of them.” Ruggie complained. “And about those students you asked about yesterday, at least one person saw them hanging around the alchemy building at night. Some didn’t stay though.”

“Eh, so they were just doing homework or something, right? Then why aren’t they here?”

“You really expect me to have answers for everything huh…”

Leona sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. There was no way they could practice like this.

“Do you lot know where they are?”

They shook their heads. This ticked Leona off even more.

“Damn it… They’re really skipping out like they have a choice.”

Leona called off morning practice, having Ruggie figure out more. He had Jack tag along with him, seeing Ruggie by himself wasn’t enough.

•

All Leona heard was other students talking about Savanaclaw students missing meetups. It was starting to get out of hand. He texted Ruggie, asking for him to give updates when he reached him. He did notice it was quieter in the dorm than usual. And there wasn’t much to clean up like usual either.

He didn’t want to entertain the thought, but what if they really were going missing? And why was it only people from their dorm? Leona sat down, texting the other dorm leaders. They confirmed they weren’t missing students.

“What the hell is going on here…”

He froze up, feeling those watchful eyes again. It worried him some as they weren’t Rook’s eyes.

“Leona!”

The watchful feeling disappeared.

“It’s just like with the other students.” Ruggie panted, having run from his location. “Show him Jack.”

“We recorded everyone’s claims and all of them say they saw them hanging around the Alchemy building.” Jack said, allowing Leona to listen.

“At what time?”

A student had mentioned seeing them at night. At night. Why were they even out so late, especially with dorm curfew?

“Alright, our first stop is the alchemy building.”

The three of them headed for the alchemy building, needing answers. They started to search around, trying to find anything suspicious.

“Oh? And what might you three be doing?”

“Crewel sensei…”

“It’s none of your business. We aren’t in your way, so go ahead inside.” Leona said, giving Crewel a look.

“How feisty. Imagine how fun it would be to tame you.” Crewel said before heading inside.

Ruggie motioned for them to follow him away from the building.

“Has Crewel seemed different to you?” Ruggie whispered.

“No. He’s still annoying as hell.”

“Why do I even bother asking you? Jack, how about you?”

“Well, he seems happier… maybe he got a girlfriend?” Jack replied.

“I’m surrounded by idiots.” Ruggie sighed before earning a glare from Leona. “Either way, why don’t we come back at night and figure this mystery out?”

“Too much work.” Leona said dismissively.

“Leona, is it that hard for you to give one little shit about others?”

“How would it benefit me?”

“Do you really want to be known as an incompetent dorm leader again? Do you?”

Leona scrunched his nose before giving in. He couldn’t deny that he was interested in this mystery too.

•

Ruggie blinked, having gotten a message. He quickly got out of bed, needing to see if it was true. He only got as far as the entrance when he found himself running into a cage that was immediately shut.

“Hey! What gives!?”

“We’ve got yet another one. Just how simple are they?”

“They could never reach his intellect, Jorn.”

“Indeed, Hachi.”

Ruggie watched as they prepared a bigger cage. Who were they going to catch this time? As if on cue, Jack had been captured. What a way to prove their point.

“Ruggie senpai!?”

“Why were you running out in the middle of the night?”

“Someone said they kidnapped you… I didn’t want to wake Leona so…” Jack replied, his ears drooping.

“Man, can’t you use your brain for once? As if I’d let myself get… well, I guess this would count.” Ruggie said, now feeling embarrassed.

“Why were you out here?”

Ruggie avoided eye contact as he mumbled. Jack asked him to speak louder.

“I thought they were giving away free donuts okay!?” Ruggie shouted, his face red.

“That’s kinda cute…”

Clank! They looked, seeing an empty cage.

“Ah, just missed ya.”

“Leona!?”

“You two…”

“Save us, senpai!” Jack cried out.

“Not unless we get him first, right Hachi?” Jorn said.

“Naturally, Jorn.”

The two watched as Leona escaped capture. They had confidence in him until…

“Gotcha!”

Leona meowed and hissed, trying to reach them through the bars.

“You know… I think he just lost a lot of respect from me.” Ruggie said, seeing they were being carried off.

“Are we gonna die?”

“No. If I’m guessing right, we’re headed to where the missing students are.” said Leona, crossing his arms. “Be on your guard.”

They were soon blindfolded and had a sickening perfume sprayed up their noses, rendering them mostly useless. After a long travel, their cages had stopped moving. Did they arrive? They tensed up, hearing all sorts of animalistic sounds. Those were definitely the other students.

“My, what a fabulous catch you two made!”

They knew this voice. The blindfolds were removed, revealing a bunch of Savanaclaw students naked and in cages.

“Crewel sensei…?” Jack whimpered slightly.

“Here you call me Crewel sama or it’s punishment for you.”

“What the hell? Where is this place? Why are you kidnapping us!?” Ruggie shouted before having a muzzle put on him.

“You talk too much. To think Jorn and Hachi could capture you three. I really trained them well.” Crewel chuckle, running his fingers through Jack’s hair. “You’ll be the easiest to break.”

Crewel sat down in a chair, immediately being surrounded by Savanaclaw boys. Jack watched in horror as they all acted like domesticated pets. How long have they been in this place to get that way?

“Aren’t you all just the cutest? Do you want more attention from Crewel sama? Hm?”

The wolf student rubbed against Crewel’s leg, looking up at him.

“We have an eager beaver huh… You know the drill.”

The wolf student pulled Crewel’s pants down with his teeth before sitting himself on him. This was really happening before their eyes. Their teacher was fucking his students. Jack felt sick, watching the wolf student doing his best to pleasure Crewel with his ass.

“Remember, don’t come before me or I’ll punish you.”

“Yes… Crewel… haa… haaaa… sama…”

“I always knew you were loony in the head.” Leona growled, trying to get free.

“Really? I think I’m perfectly sane.” Crewel chuckled, leaving kisses along the student’s back. “I love the way you tighten around me…”

The wolf student seemed rather pleased with the praise. The other students surrounding him were getting horny. It was fairly easy to tell since they were naked, save the collars around their necks.

“Oh? Are you going to come? Do you want to be punished.”

“Please, Crewel sama… I… I can’t take it…” the student whined, desperately holding back. “Crewel sama…!”

Crewel tsked, watching the student come.

“What a disappointment… You were doing so well too…” Crewel said, having the student sit before him. “Move, the rest of you.”

The trio looked on, wondering what would happen. They winced, the poor student receiving a hefty beating before being out back in a cage.

“Learn from your mistake and correct it. So, are you three ready to spend your lives here? Oh, dear me, I forgot.” said Crewel, pulling his pants up as he walked away.

Jorn and Hachi wheeler them along as Crewel stepped into a room. They were horrified.

“You’re experimenting on them!? How sick are you!?” Leona shouted, fearing for his life.

“They willingly let me. And it’s not like I’m cutting them open. Magic sure is amazing isn’t it?” Crewel chuckled, seeing them relax slightly. “Boys?”

They sat up, waiting like domesticated dogs for commands.

“Now then, I’ll take Jack off your hands. I’ll save you for another day.” Crewel said, running a finger over Ruggie’s cheek. “And I’ll save the best for last.”

Jack whimpered and cried out as Crewel took him away.

“Shall we get them ready, Jorn?”

“Crewel will definitely be pleased when we do. It’ll make his job so much easier.” said Jorn.

“Ah, I miss playing with my little pets.”

“Sam here, Hachi. Let’s finish quick so we can have fun.”

Ruggie and Leona naturally fought back but were ultimately stripped of their clothes. The brothers high fived before closing the door, leaving them alone. Ruggie was still muzzled, his words incoherent.

“We gotta get out…” Leona whispered, trying to see what was keeping his arms bound.

There was no way he was breaking out of these. He tried using magic, only to see nothing was working. Did Crewel magic proof the place? Now he understood why it was so easy for them to become his victims. But even then, couldn’t they use their brute strength? Something else had to be going on.

“Jack, stop resisting and it’ll be over quicker.” said Crewel, pulling out of Jack. He moved to the front of Jack, forcing his mouth open. “Now be a good boy and chew it all.”

Jack tried resisting as much as he could but was ultimately forced to bite into chew. A sweet taste enveloped his tongue before he felt a bit dizzy. Crewel smiled, seeing it was taking effect.

“How do you feel?”

“Horny… Needy…”

“Good, good. Anything you want to tell me?”

“Please, touch me. I can’t stand it… I need to be touched, no, fucked…” Jack wept, his body burning.

“How do we ask?”

Jack looked at Crewel who waited for an answer.

“Please, Crewel sama… I need you…”

“Good boy.” Crewel said, planting kisses on Jack’s cheeks. “Crewel sama will reward you. You want to stay right? Crewel sama can always make you feel this good.”

“Really…?”

“Mhmm. If you want it, you know how to ask.”

Jack leaned forward, connecting their lips. As he expected, Jack was easy to break. He gently ran his fingers through Jack’s hair before moving down and grazing his fingers over his hypersexual body. Jack was practically begging for him, his pre cum starting to drip onto the bed.

•

Crewel scratched under their chins, feeling them licking and nipping at his skin. They were so needy. It was probably best to dial down the dosage.

“Crewel sama…”

“Yes, Leona?”

Leona sat on his lap before grinding against him, needing stimulation. Crewel waggled his finger, waiting for something. Leona gave him a kiss, being given permission. Jack and Ruggie wanted in on the action too.

“My, aren’t you three restless? Fine, I don’t mind pleasuring you three at the same time.”

Leona and Ruggie each took a leg while Jack was in the middle getting fingered. They were his prized possessions, so it was only natural that he took extra special care of them. Crewel had them open their mouths before pushing the chew into their mouths. They happily thanked him, whining and mewling for his touch as they tried getting off.

“Ah… I’ll never let you three go…” Crewel whispered, looking at them with hidden intent. He looked around him, seeing most of them were under his control. “None of you I should say instead right… fufu…”


	313. Malleus x Riddle: Everyone has problems

Malleus stared at the blank sheet of paper. What was he to write? How was he to write? He didn’t understand the human way of thinking.

“You ask for help yet still haven’t written anything, senpai.”

“It’s just… how do I go about it? You can’t write about something you never experienced.” Malleus said. “It’s like trying to cast a spell without learning how. Don’t you agree, Riddle?”

“You have a point, but that only applies to magic. Many writers haven’t experienced the things they write, but the portrayals are just as good because they researched them and took time to understand.” Riddle explained. “You need to research more and take time to understand.”

He was a tiny genius. It was obvious he cared for his studies, prioritizing it over having fun like other students.

“Riddle.”

“Hm?”

“Would you-”

“Ah, I must go. Rule #274, only seafood should be eaten after morning. I know some students are being unruly…”

“Wait, Riddle-”

He was gone. They certainly had a lot of rules in Heartslabyul. It was amazing how he could remember all 810 of them. Man was his intelligence sexy.

•

Riddle walked down the hall, silently memorizing answers for his test later. He bumped into someone, sending him stumbling back and breaking concentration.

“Malleus senpai? Are you still stumped about your paper?”

“No, no. You were a great help.”

“Great. I’ll be on my way then.”

“W- Wait! May I walk with you…?” Malleus asked, earning a look from Riddle.

“I don’t see why you would, senpai. I’m not doing anything in particular.” Riddle said in confusion. “But if you really want to.”

Malleus walked by his side as he built up his mental concentration wall once more. Malleus glanced over, looking at what he was studying. It was music. Was Riddle any good at singing? Would asking be too much?

He noticed they had left the main building and were heading somewhere else.

“Hey, Riddle, are you any good at singing?”

“Hm… Good sounds about right. I’m nowhere near as good as the shady fish trio though.” Riddle said, having finished his studying. “How about you?”

“I’m not particularly good… bad maybe?” Malleus said, lying through his teeth.

“Really? One would think princes would have music tutors when they’re young. Guess not in your world.” Riddle said, seeing they reached the place. “Anyway, the walk was enjoyable. I’m heading back to Heartslabyul once I buy some sugar cubes for our tea.”

“Maybe I can help. We do consume sugar cubes as well back home and in Diasomnia.” he suggested, still lying through his teeth.

“I didn’t think people in Diasomnia drank tea… I suppose having a princely opinion wouldn’t hurt.”

Sam happily greeted them before taking off to fetch Riddle’s sugar cubes. They were alone. Now was his chance.

“Riddle, there’s something I want to say.”

“Hm? What is it?”

Malleus became weak in the knees, Riddle’s naturally big eyes looking unto his own. His mind went blank.

“Some sweet cubes for a sweet student.”

“Please, don’t.” Riddle sighed, paying Sam. “Thank you.”

Riddle looked at Malleus who seemed frozen. He walked away, having more important things to do.

“He left.”

Malleus came to his senses, cursing himself. Why did he blank during the crucial moment? He was a prince! Stuff like this should be easy. Yet it only got harder and harder.

“A tip, free of charge. Why don’t you see out the owner of this…?”

Malleus took the item from Sam before his eyes widened. If it was them…

•

“So, you’re asking me for help? Didn’t think princes were so cowardly.”

“Watch your tongue, human.”

“Right, right… So, who’s affections are you vying for?”

“Riddle, your dorm leader.”

His head snapped towards him in almost a worrying way.

“You’re making a mistake.”

“Care to explain, Diamond?”

Cater sighed, finally putting his phone down, meaning he meant business.

“Riddle seems like the type to want to control what happens in the relationship. That or he’s extremely picky and serious to the point it’s just very annoying.” Cater said, looking at him seriously. “I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve love, but until he mellows out… I don’t think he’s dateable.”

Cater patted Malleus’ arm as if to apologize.

“Who made you the judge of who can and can’t be dated? If you think about it, everyone has problems. Why are you sitting here pointing out all of his flaws and not looking at his positives? If anything, this sounds like bias! To think I thought of relying on a mere human to help me… how ridiculous. Your kind is highly detestable.”

Malleus got out of his seat, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Ah, I made him mad again…” Cater sighed, twisting a section of his hair. “But, he’ll probably have a better chance at confessing now.”

•

Malleus searched around for Riddle the next day before learning he had gone to the botanical gardens for research. He started looking in each before finding Riddle.

“Riddle!”

“Malleus senpai. What are you doing here? Oh! Are you doing self study too?”

As usual, the only thing on his mind was studying. Didn’t he think of anything else? Like latest trends or what fun activities he’d do later? Riddle had his wrist seized before being dragged away by Malleus.

“Senpai!?”

“You study too much. Have some fun once in a while.”

“I do have fun!”

“How?”

“Well, I study. Studying is fun. I also do crossword puzzles…” Riddle said as they continued to walk.

“And?”

“I participate when we have croquet matches during Unbirthday parties…”

“And?”

“Umm… umm…”

He couldn’t think of anything else. There had to be something else.

“See? You should have more fun.”

“Where are you taking me?”

Malleus remained tight lipped as he pulled him into the hall of mirrors. He noticed they were headed for the Scarabia mirror. A strong wave of heat hit them at the same time as loud music and all sorts of sounds.

“Let’s have fun.” Malleus said with a smile.

Riddle nodded, allowing Malleus to lead him. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. The two enjoyed their time, Kalim’s banquets always being over the top.

Malleus loved the smile on Riddle’s face. It was something he engraved into his mind, never wanting to forget this moment.

“Riddle, I want to tell you something?”

“What is it?”

“I… I-”

“Riddle, come on!”

Riddle was pulled out of his seat by Kalim. Malleus sighed, starting to lose more confidence. He finished his meal before deciding to head out. He’d have to try again tomorrow when his confidence was fully charged.

He stopped by the fountain, giving it a good look. It was pretty. Maybe they should add one in their lounge.

“Malleus senpai!”

He turned, seeing Riddle running towards him. Did he take something from him?

“You… you said you… had something… to say…” Riddle panted, having run too fast. “I’m listening.”

“Oh, uh… umm… It wasn’t anything big…” Malleus said, getting shy. “I just… I just wanted to say that I have a crush on you.”

Riddle had finally caught his breath. He stood up straight, looking Malleus in the eye.

“I feel honored, hearing you feel that way about me…” Riddle said, his hands clasped behind him. “But I can’t accept your feelings.”

Malleus hid his emotions as Riddle continued.

“I’m just not really interested in you, or dating. I’m sorry.” said Riddle, giving him a bow. “Excuse me…”

Malleus sat on the edge of the fountain as his world came crumbling down. He was rejected. Riddle rejected him. It was hurting more than he ever imagined.


	314. Kingscholars: A sourpuss

“Annoying.“

"Loud.”

“Self centered.”

“Busybody.”

“Leona, are you sure this is what you want others to know?”

“It’s the truth isn’t it?” Leona scoffed.

“No. Not at all.”

“What do you know, Ruggie? You don’t have an older sibling.” Leona said, sucking his teeth as he rolled over.

“I know a lot more than you ever could…” Ruggie whispered, alerting others in the dorm about Farena’s arrival later in the day.

•

Ruggie listened as students asked Leona about Farena. Everything he said was something negative. The entire school was going to be against Farena only to find out the truth. It was going to be quite a shit show.

“What do you think about Farena, Ruggie?”

“Eh… he’s… unique.” Ruggie said, it not really being a lie.

The students walked away, their curiosity satisfied.

“Farena’s going to be hurt when he learns what you did.” Ruggie piped up as they walked.

“Like I care.”

_“Figures.”_

•

Ruggie checked the time, seeing it was close to when Farena was to arrive. Leona was taking his sweet time.

“Leona, must you be difficult?”

“Then why not greet him for me since you’re so eager.” Leona said with a smirk.

One of these days he was going to get even with him. They finally reached the mirror chamber just as the mirror started to glow. In stepped guards before Farena appear in between.

“Great, you’re here…” Leona deadpanned before walking ahead.

“Nice to see you too.”

Ruggie gave a small wave, letting them follow him. Students quietly whispered, steering clear of Farena. Farena left the safety of the guards, catching up with Leona.

“Get away from me.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“That’s not a reason.”

“Ugh!”

Leona walked faster, only for Farena to do the same.

“Stop it!”

“But I want to be with my lil’ bro.” Farena said happily.

“This is why I never come home.”

“Aw, don’t be like that.”

Students gasped, watching Farena hug Leona while nuzzling him. That wasn’t what Leona said earlier.

“People are watching…!”

“Hihi~! I’m Farena Kingscholar, Leona’s dependable older brother. He’s a sourpuss but he’s very sweet once you get through his walls.” said Farena with a grin.

The students were confused. Did Leona lie?

“Hey, hey. Show me around.” Farena asked, looking at Leona with hopeful eyes.

“No. Stop.”

“Aw, come on! I wanna spend time with you.”

“NO!”

Leona meowed and hissed as Farena had hugged him again. Ruggie couldn’t stifle his laughter, causing a few others to laugh as well.

“Oh great. Now I’m going to be teased…” Leona grumbled, pulling out of Farena’s hug.

“Nah. So, where are we going? Why don’t we go to your room first actually?”

Leona was already worn out and it had only been a few minutes.

•

Farena looked around, taking in his mess of a room.

“Still a slob I see.”

“Butt out.”

Farena started cleaning up. Students passing by stopped and watched the two brothers.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s an older sibling’s job to look after the younger ones.” said Farena, tossing clothes in a basket.

“Stop. People are watching…”

Farena turned and waved, continuing to clean up. Leona took everything from Farena, doing the rest himself.

“Boo… don’t be like that.” Farena said, ruffling Leona’s hair. “Let me do it.”

“No.”

“Why do you keep pushing me away? Am I not giving you enough love? Would more hugs and nuzzles suffice?” Farena asked despite already hugging him full of love.

“Farena!” Leona fussed, trying time break free.

The students watching failed at holding back their laughter as they walked away. He wasn’t going to hear the end of it come tomorrow.

“Why do you look so glum? Ah! Why don’t we-”

“No! No, no, no, no, no! I’m tired of you! You’re irritating and constantly make me look bad in front of others! You don’t listen to me! Get out and stay out!” Leona shouted, his final nerve snapping.

“I see…”

Farena wordlessly left the room, closing the door behind him. The door opened, revealing Ruggie.

“Farena left already?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, I had a thing to discuss with him but since he isn’t here…”

“What thing?”

Ruggie opened the door, not expecting him to be curious.

“Well, he told me to keep it a secret from you…”

Ruggie’s eyes widened, not expecting so much madol to be thrust in his face. Did he betray the king of Afterglow?

“As much as I’d take the money, I do have some pride.” Ruggie said, pushing it away. “Ah, where did he go…”

Now his curiosity was piqued.

•

Ruggie looked around the school building before seeing Farena’s guards.

“Ah! He’s headed for the mirror chamber… Wait! Farena!”

“Ruggie?”

“You’re… you’re leaving already? But what about-”

“There’s no point. Leona doesn’t want me around.” Farena said, shrugging his shoulders. “You can still enjoy it though so it doesn’t go to waste.”

“Really? Wait, wait. Why would you say that? Leona loves you.”

“Not today it seems.”

Ruggie quietly listened as Farena explained what happened. He sighed heavily before pulling Farena down the stairs.

“He was curious you know. About it.”

“You think…?”

“At least give it to him before you go.”

•

Leona grunted at the sound of someone knocking. The door opened.

“Leona, I have something for you…”

Leona sat up, a delicious aroma filling his nostrils. He turned, seeing Farena holding an open box.

“Thought we’d enjoy them together and play games like old times…”

“You…”

“But, you don’t want me around so I’ll just leave it here. Have a good day.” said Farena, leaving the box on the table.

Ruggie patted Farena on the back, hoping he could swipe a few while he wasn’t looking. He could see Leona was having second thoughts, but of course, his stupid pride was holding him back.

“Just go to him already you dumb cat!” Ruggie yelled, watching Leona bolt out of his room. “Why can’t he be honest with himself…”

Farena started to inform others that he’d be coming back sooner than expected only to feeling something tackle him from behind.

“Don’t go…”

“Leona…? What’s going on?”

Leona silently held him tighter. Farena sighed, turning around with Leona still clinging to him.

“Seems I was mistaken about coming back early. Life is quite unexpected huh?”


	315. Kalim x Leona: To take care

“Do you know what taking care of a prince like me entails, right?”

“Uh, not really but if you explain it to me then probably.”

Certified idiot. Leona started to list things, Kalim having a mind to write it all down.

“Got it?”

“Yessir! I’ll take good care of you, haha! So let’s get the crystal back and get everything back in order!”

“You’re way too cheerful. It’s annoying.”

“Sorry?”

“Hey! Less talking, more walking!” Vil barked.

•

“Hm… Hya! Oof…!”

Kalim rubbed his behind, landing on it rather harshly. He let out a sigh, the early birds chirping near the studio. He had to get this move down or else he’d hold everyone back. The sudden change in temperature in Scarabia could bad for some students who’ve never experienced anything so cold before. Filled with determination, Kalim tried again and again. And failed, again and again.

“Try moving your left foot first.”

Kalim looked back, not seeing anyone. He applied the suggestion, seeing it worked.

“Thanks mysterious wind!” Kalim chuckled, making sure he ingrained the movement in his mind.

“What are you going on about so early…”

“Leona senpai! Good morning!” Kalim waved, ready to try out his full dance. “Can we practice together? I know all of Jamil’s movements so don’t worry!”

“I suppose…”

The two started walking before Kalim started busting out his moves. Often glanced back, making sure the distance between them was right.

“Look at you two getting along quite early. I’m surprised you’re here on time.”

“Good morning, Jamil!”

“So much noise in the morning. You three sure are lively.”

“Vil senpai, did you sleep well?”

“Can’t you tell by my glowing skin?” Vil replied, showing off his face.

“No. Not at all.” they thought in unison.

“I see Leona and Kalim were practicing and Jamil was slacking.”

“I just got here.”

“Just got here? At least have a mind to follow their example. One would think Kalim would be in your shoes right now.” Vil barked before starting to lecture Jamil.

Leona and Kalim picked up where they left off, seeing it was going to be a while.

“Hm, not bad.” Leona said after they finished. “Though, Vil would give us a much harsher report.”

“No, you’re right. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. But let’s try it with Jamil in the picture.” Vil said, hearing the door open. “Crewel sensei! Just in time.”

Vil and Crewel watched them, observing each of them closely. They finished, looking to them for the daily criticism.

“You’re improving. I hope you all are working on what we told you before. Especially you, Kingscholar. It’s fine if Jamil and Kalim are off a little bit you’re the main attraction. You’ve got to steal their attention. So, I’ll keep working with you while Crewel handles those two.”

Crewel’s and Vil whipped them into shape, being merciless until their bodies remembered. They were finally given a break. Kalim wept as his body ached. He looked at Leona who was still being taught by Vil. He really had it hard, especially with being the one that was carrying everyone’s hopes on his shoulders. If he failed, the entire school would outcast him. He couldn’t imagine the pressure he probably felt.

Vil had given Leona a break. Kalim sat next to him before wordlessly scratching behind his ears. He forced to stop as Leona rested his head on his lap.

“Vil worked you really hard. I can see the improvement.” Kalim said, noticing a bit of his hair was still damp. “Ah, let me just…”

Leona hissed, moving away from Kalim. Kalim explained what he was trying to do before Leona rolled back. Kalim hummed softly while drying around his ears and the tips of his braids. Leona was surprised by how relaxing it was. He quietly looked up at Kalim who had a rather pleased look on his face. Was he actually enjoying this?

“There! All dry.” Kalim said. “Need anything else? Temple massage? Hand massage? Tail massage?”

“Tail massage?”

“Yeah. I looked it up online and it said it was pretty relaxing to people with tails. Do you want to try it?”

“Why are you asking? You’re the one who said they’d take care of me.”

Kalim had him lie on the stomach to have better access to his tail. It felt weird having his tail touched until it suddenly felt good. Leona started to purr, making Kalim chuckle. He was doing something right if it got Leona to purr.

“Ah, its so soft.” Kalim grinned, rubbing his tail fur between his fingers.

“Stop that.”

“Right. Well, that’s it.”

“That’s it? What do you mean that’s it? You’re done taking care of me when I say you are.” Leona complained.

“Okay, okay. Sorry. What do you want next?” Kalim asked, giving him a smile.

“Break’s over! Get your sorry hides up.” Vil shouted, ready to whip them into perfect shape.

“Next time.” Kalim said before heading back over to Crewel and Jamil.

•

“Now that we’re here, I feel really nervous…” Kalim whispered, his body trembling. “I can’t wait to see what it’s like!”

“His cheer knows no bounds huh…” Ruggie mumbled, fooled into thinking he was actually nervous.

“I suppose that’s the only redeeming thing about him.” Jamil whispered.

They walked inside, hearing music in the distance. Naturally they went towards it. Kalim felt something grab his sleeve. He looked, seeing it belong to the main attraction. Leona had him slow down, the others going ahead. Kalim was soon pulled to the side and out of sight.

“What-”

Kalim watched as Leona squatted down, lowering his head some. Kalim did the same before petting Leona with a gentle smile.

“I won’t ask. Just tell me where to touch.” Kalim whispered, watching Leona move his head. “Should I be softer?”

“It’s fine…”

Kalim was taken a back some, not expecting Leona to hold him. He giggled cutely before nuzzling Leona.

“We’ll do fine. You’ll do fine. You’re Leona Kingscholar, a lazy genius.” Kalim said, stroking his hair.

“You could’ve left out lazy.”

“But it’s fitting isn’t it?”

Leona rolled his eyes as he pulled away.

“Leona? Kalim? Where’d you run off to?”

They quickly left their spot, going to meet the others.

The fashion show started, everyone taking their turns. Kalim looked at Leona’s backside before discreetly taking his tail and giving him the massage he liked. Jamil looked, noticing Leona was purring.

“Cut that out!” Jamil hissed.

Kalim pulled away, seeing it was his doing. He just wanted him to relax. Their turn came up. Kalim often kept an eye on Leona while focusing on what he had to do.

They were finally finished. They quickly hurried away, not wanting to draw anymore attention.

“We did it…”

“Finally, now our Scarabia friends won’t freeze anymore!” Kalim said happily. “Let’s get back to Crowley.”

•

“You were brave for doing that!”

“We thank you!”

“You’re great Kalim!”

“You’re giving me too much credit… It was Leona senpai who tied everything together. We’d still be suffering without him.”

“Really? All he did was walk and pose though…”

“The fairies were definitely drawn in because of you and Jamil!”

“Guys, we all played an important role! They were all captivated by Leona senpai’s charms! Jamil and I were just making him look better.” said Kalim, waving as he left.

Kalim has only gotten so far before he was being picked up and put over someone’s shoulder. He looked, seeing the familiar tail. He let himself be carried before they entered an empty room.

“Leona senpai? What’s-”

Leona bent down, his ears bending. Kalim gave him pets, no longer needing words. Kalim led him away from the door window, telling him he could relax.

“H- Hey… is everything okay? Leona senpai…?” Kalim whispered, Leona burying his face in his chest.

“You smell good…”

“Oh, thanks. I haven’t put on any cologne and stuff.” Kalim responded, wrapping his arms around Leona. Kalim found himself being forced down onto the floor where Leona used his lap as a pillow. “Leona senpai, I have class…”

“Just for a little.”

“I know you. It’s not going to be just for a little…” Kalim said, moving Leona’s head. “Maybe later.”

Leona was clearly upset, storming out of the room. Kalim sighed, feeling bad but he really couldn’t afford to miss classes, especially when he already wasn’t doing well in them.

Kalim stepped out of the room, seeing Leona had completely disappeared. He was definitely mad at him.

•

Kalim sighed, seeing his classmates filing out of the room. He wasn’t really feeling lunch.

“You aren’t going to lunch?”

“Oh, you’re still here, Silver?”

“Well, considering you’re kinda blocking the way for us…”

Kalim slid out, letting the others out. Silver stayed behind, still wanting an answer.

“I don’t really feel hungry. Don’t worry about me, I’ll make sure I have something.” Kalim said happily.

“Hm… You’ve been rather quiet ever since second period. Anything wrong?”

“Not at all.”

“I know we aren’t close, but you can talk to me.”

“Thank you, Silver.” Kalim smiled, giving him a hug.

It wasn’t really anything to worry about. Kalim sat down in a now empty classroom. How could he make it up to him? He didn’t really know much about him. He quietly started going through his Magicam account, hoping something would point him in the right direction.

“You look pitiful.”

Kalim looked up, seeing Leona standing in the doorway. He wasn’t mad anymore? His heart felt relieved.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just doing stuff.” Kalim said, looking away.

Leona sat beside him, resting his head on the table. Kalim looked, wondering why he was still here.

“Oh! You want to be taken care of. Okay, I’m o-” Kalim said, not expecting Leona to move away. Did he not want to be taken care of anymore? “Well, it was just until the plan was carried out. Sorry for assuming.”

“What’s with that?”

“Eh?”

“I said what’s with that?”

“I don’t think I understand…” Kalim said, running his neck.

“Giving up so easily…” Leona mumbled, his slanted eye burning through him.

“Well, you’re Leona senpai. If something doesn’t please you, people don’t do it. I’m just trying to be respectful here, senpai…”

“Shut up and do it.”

“Do what?” Kalim asked in confusion.

“Touch me…” whispered Leona.

“Touch you…? Wait, t- touch you!? Senpai I don’t think-”

“Not like that you idiot!” Leona snarled. He calmed down, seeing Kalim was cowering. He didn’t mean to do that. “Just forget it.”

Kalim grabbed his tail, rubbing his thumb over it. He could hear Leona purring. Kalim moved closer, using both hands to massage his tail. Leona became weak in the knees, needing to lie down. Kalim continued, hearing him purring louder.

“It feels that good?” Kalim asked, massaging near the base.

Leona let out a moan within a meow. Kalim stifled his laughter, amazed by his vocal range. He couldn’t see it, but Leona was turning red.

“It’s only good when you do it…” Leona finally responded, meowing softly.

“I’m happy that you’re not mad at me for earlier… It’s just I’m already behind in class since I’m an idiot, you know? So I have to do my best and not fail.” Kalim explained, starting to massage his back. “So it’s not that I didn’t want to… I need all the class time I can get.”

“You are an idiot.” Leona chuckled, stabbing Kalim right through the heart. “But that’s only when it comes to studies. You have a good grasp of what makes people happy without having to use gifts and whatnot. Not to mention how you get animals to listen to you without using treats or bribes.”

“Leona senpai…” Kalim gasped, his cheeks heating.

“Cut the senpai nonsense.”

Kalim smiled nervously with embarrassment mixing in. He was being given permission to be on a first name basis without honorifics. Did this mean…?

“Leona… are we…?”

“Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“Uh, no. I was just going to grab something from Sam’s-” Kalim said only to find himself being lifted out of his seat. “Leona?”

“Grab your phone. We’re getting food.”

Kalim smiled widely as he looked at Leona’s backside. He suddenly had a big appetite.

•

Kalim looked around in the gardens in search of Leona. It’s been weeks since he was given permission to just call him Leona and it’s been a week since he started noticing strange feelings bubbling inside him. Even now at the thought of holding Leona made such feelings appear.

He spotted Leona resting on the floor as usual. Kalim knelt beside him before lifting his head to put on his lap. He looked so peaceful. Kalim leaned down, his face close. He really was more handsome up close. Kalim tenderly held his face, closing his eyes as he leaned closer.

“Kalim.”

Kalim jumped back, accidentally letting Leona’s head hit the floor.

“I’m so sorry… I was… I thought there was something in your eye…” Kalim lied.

“Really? It seemed like you were going to kiss me though.”

“What? No way! I’m straight, you’re straight. There’s no way. You were dreaming it, haha!” Kalim said, trying to dismiss the topic. “So, not going to club today?”

“You were going to kiss me.”

“We’re past that.” Kalim huffed.

“No we’re not.” Leona replied. “Are you really as straight as you claim to be?”

“I’m done w-”

Kalim’s eyes widened as Leona was now centimeters away from his face. His heart was hammering in his chest as he slowly got lost in his eyes.

“Tell me honestly, in this position.” Leona said lowly, running a few fingers over his cheek. “Will you kiss me?”

“Leona…”

“What? Do I have to make a more tempting offer…?” Leona asked, now hovering over Kalim. He took off his vest and shirt, startling Kalim more. “You like it, don’t you? Want to feel them?”

“Wait, I- I- I don’t…!”

Leona was too close. He really felt like he was going to die. Leona gently bit his ear, still asking for an answer to his question.

“If I answer, will you stop…?” Kalim asked, feeling himself growing. Why was he getting turned on by this? “Will you?”

“Hard to say…” Leona chuckled, loosening his belt. His pants were now loose. “Depends on how you answer.”

“I do want to! I don’t know why but I do! You’re very handsome!” Kalim blurted out, covering his face. “So please… button up…”

Kalim heard shuffling before no longer feeling Leona’s presence. He peeked through his fingers, seeing Leona as how he initially met him. Kalim sat up, gaining Leona’s attention.

“Just one little kiss and I promise I’ll never ask again! I won’t even bring it up.” Kalim said, slightly bowing.

Leona lifted his head, connecting their lips. Leona was being surprisingly gentle. They pulled apart, Kalim gripping his own chest. It felt so good. He wanted more but he promised.

“I-”

“Do you want another?”

“Huh? But I… the promise…”

“Can you really not understand your own feelings?” Leona questioned, giving him a serious look. “Don’t you like me…?”

Like? As in romantic like? Did he? Kalim started going through a list. He did. He did like him. It explained everything perfectly. He actually liked someone.

“I do. To your first and last question. I just wasn’t aware that I was feeling romantic attraction…” Kalim said.

“And sexual.”

Kalim looked, immediately covering his crotch. Leona laughed, making Kalim feel even more embarrassed. Leona pulled him closer, giving him another gentle kiss. And just like before, Kalim’s heart soared as his wants had been fulfilled, leaving him feeling light and refreshed.

“You’re mine now.”

“Okay.”

“You just accepting it like that?” Leona asked, wondering if he was messing with him.

“Yeah? Am I not supposed to? Oh! Is it that I’m supposed to act like I’m not interested and give you a hard time for no reason?”

“That’s quite the imagination… I think I’m fine with just this.” Leona sighed, giving Kalim a smile.

Kalim smiled back, giving him loving pets to his head. Leona softly purred, resting his chin on Kalim’s lap.


	316. 1st Years: Diverse

“He doesn’t look much different other than in the chest area.” Ace quipped.

“You’re right…” Sebek said before looking at Jack. “He beats us in terms of cleavage…”

“It’s not like I asked for it.”

“But they’re soft so it’s not all bad.” Deuce muttered, poking his chest.

“Wait, wait. We’re getting distracted again. How are we gonna turn back?”

“I don’t know. We probably need high level magic.”

“Think it could work if we put our magic together?”

“Or, we talk to Crewel sensei. I’m sure a potion or some weird medicine could fix us right up.” said Jack, the only sensible one.

“You know, I’m thankful that Jack is our only braincell in this group.” said Ace, patting him on the back. “Deuce is a simpleton, Sebek is a far gone stan, Epel’s a country bumpkin with no idea of the city life and me? Just your average troublemaker.”

“You’re thinking way too highly of yourself Ace.” Deuce grumbled. “You’re acting as if you didn’t just stick your hand in batter and try baking it just to make a terrible pun: handmade.”

The others burst into laughter, Ace turning red.

“He’s lying! I did not!”

They couldn’t breathe. It was definitely something Ace would do. Ace angrily left without them in search of their teacher.

•

“Crewel sensei…?”

“Just stand like that.” Crewel said, having them stand up straight. “Mmm, yes. YES!”

“I feel weird…” Ace whispered, feeling Crewel’s pointer going up and down his body.

“Imagine how I felt!” Jack hissed, having been inspected the most.

“Boys, stay! I’ll be right back.”

The door closed. Was all of it necessary just to make a reversal?

“What do you think he’s gonna do…?”

“Dunno… but Crewel’s a stickler that’s for sure…” Sebek said, feeling intimidated by Jack’s chest. “Put those away!”

“I can’t! My shirt’s too tight.” Jack whined, his blazer just barely covering the rest.

“Ah, I feel you Jack. It’s not easy being bigger.” Deuce said, purposefully getting under the smaller’s skin.

“Well, at least we don’t get back pain.” Epel said, hitting them where it hurt as Sebek and Ace high fived. His phone rang. “Ah…”

“Ooo! Who’s Munchkin?” Deuce teased, having taken his phone.

“Give it back!”

Deuce passed the phone to Ace who answered and put them on speaker.

“ _Hello? Epel?_ ”

They blinked before looking at Epel who squirmed. Ace muted them.

“Why is Idia calling you?” Sebek asked.

“He never told you? He’s dating him.” said Jack, surprised they didn’t know. “Haven’t you found it strange that he’s been opting out of our bro time more often?”

“Just thought he was studying or something…” Deuce mumbled.

“ _Did he accidentally pick up…? Oi, Epel! Are we still on for af?_ ”

“What’s af?” Ace asked before having the phone snatched.

“You’re all awful!” Epel hissed before going over to a corner and talking to Idia in private.

“You really pissed him off. Sleep with one eye open.” Jack said, gesturing to Ace.

Sebek took out his phone, seeing he should update him while he had time.

“Hm, who ya textin’?” Jack asked before seeing the name at the top. “Bean? Oh, him…”

“Hush. I don’t want to be humiliated like Epel…” Sebek whispered before putting his phone on sleep. “Crisis avoided.”

Epel had come back to the circle when the door opened, racks of clothing being wheeled in. And more came in. And more. Crewel had walked in, a new face behind him.

“Vil!” Jack said, waving to him.

“Ah, diverse chests and sizes… This’ll be fun.” Vil said, getting up close. Jack blinked as Vil unbuttoned his blazer some. “I see…”

Soon the others found their buttons being unbuttoned. Vil walked away, having a better understanding. They watched as Crewel and Vil quietly talked while going through the racks.

“I have a bad feeling…” Ace said, swallowing hard.

“This!”

“Yes, yes! Such a good eye.”

They feared for their lives.

•

Vil had Ace step out in the first outfit.

“Hm. Things never seem to be what you hope once it’s on the body. Ace, lose some pounds.” said Vil, having him go change.

“Wha- How is it my fault!?”

“Shoo!”

“How splendid, Felmier! It fits you like a custom made glove.” Crewel praised, walking over to him. “This is a definite look! If I didn’t already know, I’d think you were a woman.”

“Please get me out of this cutesy stuff…” Epel pleaded with the gods.

The first years found themselves switching between Vil and Crewel as they dressed them in all sorts of clothing. Where did they even get it from? They were too busy fawning over their work to notice the door opening. Epel looked up, feeling the life drain from his face.

“So you are here…”

“Don’t look!” Epel squeaked.

“And viola!”

Idia looked as Crewel had dressed him in something cutesy once more. All Epel wanted to do was hide and never be heard from again. Click! Epel was staring at a drone hovering by him. He knew this drone. Idia often used it for… reasons.

“You look pretty, Apple.”

Epel felt even more despair. Idia really has to go and reveal his nickname for him. They were going to endlessly tease him.

“The recluse has made an appearance.” Vil said, having missed the nickname calling. “What brings you here?”

“Was curious about Epel so I came. What a discovery I made.” said Idia, having his drone take more pictures as Epel was constantly changed. “I’m also noticing he’s got breasts like a woman. That’s new.”

“Well, you can stay as long as you don’t disturb us.”

“Won’t even know I’m here.”

Idia’s drone continued taking photos of Epel, often getting one of the others boys. They’d definitely sell once the guys who had a crush on them got word. The door opened, someone else stepping in.

“Yo, Azul.”

“The hell is- Sebek!?”

Sebek looked before crossing his arms over his chest.

“It’s not what you’re thinking!”

“Sebby, you have three seconds to explain.” Azul said, pushing up his glasses.

“That’s hardly any time…” Deuce mumbled, seeing Sebek panicking.

“Azul, just sit back and watch. I’ll get high quality photos of him for you. First five are free. If you want more, fork over cash.” Idia said, having photos Azul hadn’t seen.

“We’ll talk later.” Azul whispered, seeing Sebek hurrying over.

Sebek started explaining how everything happened and how things had gotten to this point.

“Really? So once you’re done here… I might have a use for you at Mostro.” said Azul with a hearty chuckle. “Now go on, enjoy yourself.”

Azul lowly whistled as he could see the clothes really defining Sebek’s ass. He definitely wanted some of that. Idia was practically drooling over Epel’s more risqué outfits. Epel was caught off guard, not expecting the drone to get so close. He felt exposed.

“Idia, pull back! No, not forward! Now you’re just photographing my chest!” Epel complained.

“Ugh, look at them. I want attention too.” Ace griped, getting jealous.

“I wish someone would fawn over me…” Deuce whined.

“I’ll happily give you both attention if you continue to slack off and slouch in these clothes.” said Vil, malicious intent behind his words. “Learn from Jack. A perfect boy.”

Jack felt proud, getting praise from Vil. Things continued like this until Vil and Crewel has their fill. Crewel sent them on their way, assuring them he’d find a way to change them back. Epel and Sebek had taken off with their partners, leaving the singles by themselves.

“We deserve love too…” Deuce sighed.


	317. Kingscholars: Leo couldn’t be depressed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also, suicide in this fic. read at your own discretion

“Leona? Are we still on for tomorrow?” Farena called out, noticing he locked his door. “Ah, you must be sleeping. I’ll come back later.”

Leona sat on the floor, his room extremely dark. It was surprisingly pretty. His tail wrapped around him as he stared at the coals. It felt stuffy. He coughed a little, feeling a bit light headed. Was it working? Leona quietly looked up, faintly hearing knocking on his door.

“Uncle! Are you still sleeping? I wanna play!” Cheka called out, slapping his hands against the door.

“Cheka, you don’t have time to play right now.” a guard said, leading him away.

“But he promised…” Cheka whined, wanting time play.“

"You can play later.”

Cheka pouted, looking back towards Leona’s room.

Leona panted slightly, the room filling up and becoming devoid of oxygen. Maybe it wasn’t enough. He moved to add more before feeling terribly dizzy. He fell to the side, his eyes wanting to close. He silently gave in, the darkness welcoming him.

•

“Papa, Mama, what’s going on?”

“Papa and I decided that you should stay with cousin Shelly for a little while.” said Nikita, giving Cheka a smile.

“But why? I thought I wouldn’t see her until next month.”

Nikita squatted down, giving him head pats.

“Papa and I think you’ll enjoy a change of scenery before we tell you something important. So be a good boy and listen to cousin Shelly, okay?”

“Tell me what? Mama, you’re scaring me…” Cheka mumbled, his ears bending.

The guards took Cheka away, his parents waving with smiles. Once they were out of sight, their real emotions started showing.

“He killed himself… right?” Nikita asked, heading back inside with Farena in tow.

Farena wordlessly nodded. They stepped aside, paramedics heading in and out. They stopped walking, seeing them taking Leona’s body away. Their hearts were heavy. Nikita held Farena, seeing he was going to follow.

“I know, it hurts…” Nikita whispered, holding Farena tight. “Come here…”

Farena weeped into Nikita’s chest, his bottled feelings erupting. She started to cry as well, upset over everything too. Leona was just as precious to her as the rest of the Kingscholar family. Even if he could be irritating sometimes.

“I don’t understand… He’d never do something like this…” Farena wept, unable to come to terms with it. “He’d never… someone killed him… Leo couldn’t be depressed…”

“We may be family, but we don’t always know what’s going on on the other side.” Nikita whispered, leading Farena upstairs. “I’ll search around a little while you rest.”

“No. I need to know too.”

“Fara, I’m worried about your current headspace…”

Nikita talked Farena down, glad that he agreed to rest.

•

Nikita was running errands when she heard people talking.

“Did you hear? An ambulance was at the Kingscholar household!”

“I know, my friend happened to pass by at the time. The authorities were there too…”

“Hey, hey. Word on the street is Prince Leona died.”

“Really? How unfortunate. Don’t the king and queen have a son? He must be traumatized…”

“Couldn’t he die somewhere else? That poor child…”

“Not so loud. The queen is right over there.”

“Let’s move.”

Nikita sighed, thanking the man before leaving the store. People were already talking about it. Though, it wasn’t really much of a surprise since everyone kept updated with their lives. She couldn’t help but wonder if Shelly had broke the news to Cheka.

“Really? Prince Leona committed suicide? Was he successful?”

“Yeah. Someone said he did it for attention…”

“How nasty… Surely you jest.”

“He certainly wasn’t my favorite Kingscholar, but I truly think he was unhappy.”

“Would you… always second…”

“We can rest easy these days.”

“Eh, why so?”

“Prince Jerk is dead. It’s like someone finally answered my prayers.”

“Hey, don’t speak ill of the dead.”

“Serves him right. As if anyone in their right mind would want him as king. He definitely sucked as a prince- Ow! What was that for!?”

“Learn some manners you child.”

The young adult rolled their eyes before carrying a box back inside, their grandparent following behind. Nikita couldn’t hear all of the conversations, but she could tell they were most likely about Leona. If only they knew how much he was suffering all of his life, maybe they wouldn’t speak so ill of him.

“Queen?”

“Oh, thank you. Have a nice day.” said Nikita, smiling before leaving.

She started making her way back, seeing Afterglow was pretty much the same before Leona’s death. How many people would willingly come to the funeral? She didn’t want to force people, but it’d break Farena’s heart even more if only a handful showed up.

 _“Did you really have to go so soon, Leo?”_ Nikita thought, looking at a family picture of the four of them.


	318. Kalim + Silver:  We’re best friends aren’t we?

“Sure you can-”

“No. You’re going to distract him. Go away.”

“Silver-”

Silver lowly growled, sending the students away. Kalim sighed, wondering what was going on with Silver. He was never this adamant about just them being a group. Maybe he was under stress from having to worry about Malleus’ safety.

“I’m sure things could’ve gone faster with their help, but the two of us can manage just fine!” Kalim said happily, gathering things the needed.

Silver smiled happily, searching with him. Kalim was already struggling in class. He didn’t need more distractions than he already had.

“Hey, Silver. How’s guarding Malleus going for you?”

“Well. Did you find the stems?”

Kalim places everything down. Silver checked the list, seeing everything was there. Silver had Kalim help with things he knew he could possibly mess up. Maybe he was thinking too much. Silver was still Silver. He was probably imagining his weirdness.

•

“Jamil!” Kalim called out happily, running over to him.

Jamil felt a chilling sensation run through his body. He’s never felt fear often in his life, but this moment topped everything he’s ever experienced.

“Kalim, I want you to act as natural as possible.” Jamil whispered, keeping an eye out.

“Huh?”

“Perfect.” Jamil said before leading him away.

“Hello.”

“Silver, hi! What’s up?” Kalim cheered, holding his hands.

“I was curious as to what you two were doing. Didn’t we have plans?” Silver asked, briefly glaring at Jamil.

“Did we? Hm… Why don’t we all hang out together?”

“Delightful.” Silver said with a smile.

Kalim bounced in ahead while Silver walked beside Jamil. Kalim rounded the corner before noticing they weren’t behind him. He turned around, seeing only Silver.

“Where’s Jamil?”

“He said something urgent came up and left you in my care.” Silver responded. “Come on, lets go do that thing you two were going to do.”

Kalim didn’t question it, going along with Silver. Silver saw they were supposed to practice magic. That was relatively easy. Silver helped him practice, keeping an eye out for other students.

“Silver, you’re surprisingly good at magic. Have you been practicing on your own too?”

“I train with Lilia. He’s very skilled, so I don’t mind passing on my knowledge to you.” Silver said. “Now just picture it clearly and it’ll work.”

“Hyah!”

Silver clapped as Kalim had perfectly created a leaf storm.

“Now aim for that target up there.” Silver said, making a floating target appear.

Kalim was unsuccessful, the leaf storm turning into a single leaf once it reached the target. Silver had him try again before deciding to give him more tips and suggestions. It worked to some extent.

“Your attention span is much too short.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. You’re not going to get better unless you can fix that. Let’s try some exercises.”

Kalim attentively listened, wanting to get better.

“Kalim!”

Silver gave Kalim a look. Kalim went back to the exercises before Silver got up and jogged over to the students. Silver jogged back, watching over Kalim.

“Good job… Don’t overexert yourself.”

Kalim exhaled wondering if he was doing it right. But hearing Silver giving him praise was probably a good sign.

•

Kalim entered Scarabia, wondering if Jamil had come back yet. He asked students who said they didn’t know or hadn’t seen him. Kalim was a bit worried. He asked Silver who claimed he didn’t know anything. He called Jamil, his phone going straight to voicemail.

Kalim sighed, sitting in his room. Maybe he could try people in Jamil’s class. His phone received a call from Silver.

“Hey!”

“Are you in your room?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I’m… I’m feeling distressed…” Silver said softly.

“Come over! I’ll open my door for-”

Kalim stared as Silver stood outside his door with his friendly smile. Kalim let him in. Silver locked his door, not wanting them to be disturbed.

“So, what’s distressing you?”

“I couldn’t see you. That was what was distressing me…” Silver sighed, lying on his bed.

Kalim lied down with him. Silver draped an arm over him, pulling Kalim close. He spotted Kalim’s phone.

“Well, you’re seeing me now!”

“Can I get hugs?”

“Of course!”

Kalim was now blocked from seeing Silver snatching up his phone and hiding it on him. Silver thanked him, making sure Kalim wasn’t suspicious.

“Hey, Kalim. What if Jamil went home without you?” Silver asked, rubbing his back.

“Why would he? It doesn’t make sense.”

Silver took out his phone before showing him a picture. That was Jamil heading through the mirror in the mirror chamber. He couldn’t believe it. Jamil really was going home without him. But why? They always went home together if his parents called for him.

“I can’t believe Jamil would just leave without telling you. What a bad friend.” Silver whispered into Kalim’s ear. “Then again, has he ever cared about you? I heard some Scarabians talking… They claim Jamil is plotting behind your back.”

Kalim looked at Silver who backed away with a smile. Jamil wouldn’t do that. Silver was talking crazy. Silver saw he wasn’t believing him, so he went to grab a few students. It was a good thing he took that extra precautions.

“Tell him what you told me.”

“Jamil senpai has been plotting behind your back.”

“He said he’s tired of being your lapdog…”

Silver looked at Kalim who was still trying to deny it. He walked over, cupping his face.

“We’re best friends aren’t we? Don’t you trust me?” Silver asked, looking into Kalim’s eyes.

Kalim squeezed his eyes shut, letting stray tears fall. Silver gestured for them to leave. Silver held Kalim close, having gotten rid of one parasite. Now he just had to cut off the rest.

“Hey… my phone is missing…” Kalim sniffled.

“Shh, don’t worry about it. Right now you just need to come to terms with Jamil’s betrayal.” Silver said, having Kalim lie down with him.

Kalim snuggled into Silver’s arms, seeing he had a point. Plus it was part of his mental training. Focus on one thing at a time. Silver smiled, ill intentions weaved into it.

•

Kalim happily bounced around as they made their way to lunch. Cutting off students one by one was working. Kalim was noticing. But he would at some point. But by then, hopefully, Kalim would have no one to turn to but him.

“Silver, what are you getting for lunch?”

“I was thinking some mushroom soup. Maybe pasta?” Silver said, smiling with his eyes.

“I want stew! I hope they have stew today…” Kalim said, seeing they were nearing the cafeteria. “I’ll get us lunch, so you get us a spot.”

Silver nodded, going ahead of Kalim. He kept his eyes peeled, needing to keep students away. Kalim had come back with their lunches. Silver picked up some pasta, holding it up for Kalim to eat. Kalim happily ate off his fork, doing the same to him.

“You know, I’ve been hearing some of our classmates talking about you behind your back. Don’t worry, I talked to them about it. But if you wanna know who to avoid…” Silver said before mentioning names.

Kalim frowned, wondering what was going on. Why was everyone being so mean towards him these days? First Jamil betraying him and now his classmates creating rumors about him? He was lucky to have Silver by his side. He was glad he chose him.

“You don’t need anyone else. Just me. The others are useless.” Silver said.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I didn’t say anything weird… You’re mine, Kalim. Right?”

“What do you mean by mine…?” Kalim asked, starting to feel uncertain.

“Nothing. Just you’re mine. Don’t look so apprehensive. I always have your best interests at heart.”

Kalim got up from his seat, heading over to classmates to talk. They avoided him, shooting him away. Why were they mad at him? They were the ones spreading rumors and talking bad about him. Silver watched with interest as Kalim tried finding someone to talk to. It really was a good idea to cut them off while he had the chance.

Kalim sat back down, looking dejected. Silver gently stroked his hair, whispering more empty promises. Kalim didn’t know what to believe anymore.

•

Kalim angrily burst into Silver’s room. Silver smiled, always glad to see him.

“You were behind everything!” Kalim said loudly.

“Behind what?”

“Jamil’s betrayal, our classmates hating me, spreading the rumors! It was all you!”

“Hypothetically speaking, lets say I did. What are you going to do now? If our classmates won’t help you, what chance do you have with anyone else?” Silver asked, giving him an innocent look.

Silver made a point. Kalim tightly gripped the hem of his shirt, now at a loss of what to do. He didn’t think this far. He figured if he exposed Silver, he’d get an answer of what to do next.

“It hurts my feelings that you’d accuse me of cutting off your friends when all I want is the best for you. How evil…” Silver said, feigning hurt.

“Silver…”

Silver ran past him. He fucked up. Now he had no one to turn to. Kalim flopped onto one of the beds for quietly sobbing. He didn’t like this. He was so used to being surrounded by people who liked him and now the one person who’s always been by his side is now gone, all because he accused him of being the perpetrator. Was he lied to again? He didn’t know what to believe.

Silver peeled into the room, seeing Kalim at his lowest. Now was the time to strike. He quietly approached before announcing himself. Kalim immediately got up and hugged Silver close.

“I don’t care if it’s true or not that you’re doing awful things to me, I just don’t want to be alone anymore. Please don’t leave me…” Kalim wept, gripping Silver’s shirt.

“Want to hear something interesting…? You’re right. I am the cause of your suffering, but you have no one else to turn to but me. You only have me to rely on.” Silver whispered into his ear, gently rubbing his back. “Aren’t you happy? We can spend so much time together.”

“But why… why would you do this…?”

“Like I told you before. You’re mine. You’re mine, mine, mine. All mine. No one else gets you like I do.”

“You sound insane…”

“Maybe I am, but that won’t change how I feel about you.” Silver chuckled, nuzzling Kalim. “We’re best friends and I’ll never let anyone change that.”


	319. Sebek x Malleus: That sounds weirdly plausible…

Sebek glared at people who looked at Malleus the wrong way, at least, the wrong way in his eyes.

“Sebek, you’re not supposed to be a guard right now. You’re my boyfriend first you know…?”

“Sorry, it’s just… ingrained.” Sebek apologized, moving to hold his hand.

“Draconia sama.” a student called out, causing Sebek to pull away.

Not everyone knew they were a thing, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted them to know. He already got some not so kind looks from the ones who knew, so naturally it’d make him nervous. So more often than he liked, he’d continue acting like a guard, much to Malleus’ dismay.

“Sebek.”

“Yes, Malleus sama?” Sebek automatically blurted out.

Malleus was clearly disappointed with him. Sebek apologized, keeping his head lowered.

“What’s going on with you? I told you that you didn’t have to continue being so guard like. Is it that hard to change, even just a little?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Stop apologizing.”

“I-”

Sebek closed his mouth. He was upsetting Malleus. Why couldn’t he do anything right? He was always making things harder on him. He felt a Malleus interlace their fingers as they started making their way down the front door. Sebek looked around, seeing other Diasomnians were taking note of their joined hands.

He was panicking. He was making Malleus look bad wasn’t he? Sebek pulled away from Malleus before moving in front of him to bow.

“I… I don’t think we should be public like this…” Sebek confesses, squeezing his eyes shut. “The others… I don’t…”

“Sebek, speak clearly. I can’t understand mumble.” Malleus demanded.

“I’m sullying you’re good name! I don’t want that!” Sebek said loudly, finally looking Malleus in the eye. “They’re talking… the others in Night Raven…”

“How troublesome.”

“Huh…?”

“Sebek, you really are a troublesome guy. Always thinking that your ideas and your actions are in my best interests when you don’t even consult me.” Malleus said, shaking his head.

Sebek had long since tuned out, his mind focused on Malleus’ unhappy face and the fact he was troublesome. He stepped back slightly before running down the path.

“Sebek!?”

Sebek kept running, not stopping at the faint sound of Malleus’ voice. He never wanted to be a burden to him yet everything he’s ever done. Sebek started to cry, his heart paining him.

•

“Sebek!”

He wasn’t listening. They didn’t know what to do. They barely understood a word he told them and now he was just mindlessly going about his day. Epel has started keeping track of the number of people Sebek had bumped into due to carelessness. Even Jack couldn’t keep him pinned down.

“What happened to him…?” Deuce muttered, extremely worried. “He has lab next period doesn’t he?”

“Then flight lessons.” Ace tacked on.

“Don’t forget magic practice.” Epel piped up.

“Well, all I caught within his blubbering was Malleus, troublesome and pain.” said Jack, watching Sebek bump into yet another student.

“Maybe dating Malleus is troublesome and full of pain.” Epel guessed.

“That sounds weirdly plausible…” Deuce stated, earning a hit from Ace. “What was that for?”

“Do you really think Sebek would call Malleus troublesome? Get a grip.”

Epel marked down yet another student bumped into.

•

The four friends met up near Sebek’s last class for the day.

“His name is trending.” Epel pointed out, looking at the near disasters and actual disasters. “Holy shit, he created a plant monster in magic practice!”

They gathered around, looking at the picture. Epel continued to scroll, seeing shots of Sebek causing a massive problem during flight practice. They weren’t sure if they were ready to see the lab failures.

“Oh no…”

“Did it really destroy the roof…?”

Jack looked back, seeing Sebek heading in a different direction. He notified the others who followed behind. What was his current thought process? Was he even aware of the problems he caused throughout his day?

“Maybe we should tell Malleus…” Jack suggested.

“And what if Malleus was the cause of this? It’s only going to make things worse.” Ace said.

“Then what are we supposed to do? He’s going to keep causing more problems if we do or don’t!” Epel said, getting frustrated. “I just want him to be that dorky guy again.”

He still didn’t know how he was going to make it up to him. Food always made people happy. But what if he already ate and all of his hard work had gone to waste? What if he made a mistake and didn’t catch in time and Malleus pointed it out, asking him if he was joke to him? Sebek was crippled with fear. Maybe it would be better if they just weren’t a couple at all. Malleus wouldn’t lose out on anything.

They looked at Sebek seemed to have come back to reality. They called out to him, finally getting a reaction.

“What’s up?”

They instantly showed him everything he’d done throughout the day. Sebek was mortified. There was no way he could continue being Malleus’ lover. Not after this.

“Guys… I’m sorry…”

“Well, you should be apologizing to the people you hurt today.” said Deuce.

“And the people you bumped into.” Epel said, handing him the piece of paper.

“Right. I’ll get on that.”

•

Sebek finally arrived back in Diasomnia after giving out a large amount of apologies and taking up tasks that earned forgiveness. The only thing left on his list was breaking up with Malleus. He sighed, knowing it was going to hurt him more than it would Malleus. It wasn’t like Malleus was serious about him. Just someone he could mess around with until he found his life partner.

Sebek knocked on Malleus’ door, finding himself being pulled inside almost instantly. Sebek registered that he was currently being hugged tight.

“Malleus…?”

“Are you okay? Please tell me everything is okay…”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t they be?” Sebek wuestioned, feeling Malleus place a kiss in his cheek.

“After what I said this morning and then seeing all that trouble you caused in classes on Magicam… I really felt it was all my fault because of my careless words…” Malleus sniffled, holding him tighter. “Please forgive me…”

“I forgive you…” Sebek replied, pulling Malleus in for a kiss. “I’m sorry for being insecure… I just want to do what’s best…”

“You’re already doing what’s best… being my boyfriend.”

Sebek hugged him tight, trying not to cry. And failing.


	320. Deuce: Indestructible

Deuce judged his magipen, wondering what was wrong with it. For a few days it hadn’t been working properly. When he used it, either nothing happened or something would break. Only half of the time would it work the way he wanted it to.

“Hey.”

“Don’t make fun of me Ace.” Deuce said, nipping it in the bud.

“I was going to ask if everything’s okay but okay. I’ll just be over here.” Ace said, sitting down on his bed. “The other guys are here too.”

Deuce was focused on his magipen. He picked it up, intent on trying a spell. He left his room, not wanting to damage the room. He had gone into the rose maze, seeing that would be a good place to try it. He stood before a rose tree, narrowing his eyes. He was going to paint the roses white.

Magic sparks emitted off his magicrystal before a spell was cast. Boom! Crash! Deuce sighed, seeing he had destroyed it. He searched around for another tree to practice on. He tried again. Nothing happened. As much as he didn’t want to ask Riddle about it, he didn’t have anyone else to turn to. He turned around, not expecting to see his friends.

“Why are you four here…”

“We’re worried about you. Is that so wrong?” Epel said, putting his hands on his hips.

“It’s nothing. You’re all making a big deal out of nothing.” Deuce said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Deuce, how is not being to use magic not a big deal?” Jack said in a serious tone.

“Yeah, if anything, that’s the worrying part about it.” Sebek chimed in.

“I said I’m fine!” Deuce yelled, his magicrystal shooting off a spell.

Soon the others were crowded around Jack. Deuce was concerned as well, but opted for running away. He didn’t mean to hit him. It just… came out. Deuce bumped into someone as he was on his way out of the maze.

“Dorm leader…”

“What are you doing in here? Didn’t you hear the warning?” Riddle said, crossing his arms.

“Warning…?”

“Yes. Students have been hearing and seeing our wonderful trees behind destroyed so I’m going in to capture the culprit.” Riddle said.

“Dorm leader, that would-”

“Riddle senpai!”

They looked, seeing the first years carrying Jack. Riddle had a face full of concern. Something looked wrong.

“How did this happened? Why does he look so veiny?” Riddle asked, seeing glowing purple veins spanning across his body.

They weren’t sure what to say. If they spoke, Deuce would get in trouble.

“Never mind that, lets get him to the infirmary quickly. His life could be in danger.” Riddle said quickly, leading the way.

“Yes, Riddle senpai!” they said in unison.

“Can I-”

“No. You’ve done enough…” said Ace before taking off with the others.

Deuce let his arms fall to his sides as he looked at the ground. He did that to Jack. How? He didn’t know any magic like that. He was getting scared. He didn’t want to hurt anyone else.

“Deuce?”

“Trey senpai… you’ve got to help me!” Deuce said, almost at his breaking point.

•

Deuce had hidden himself away in the abandoned dorm. He couldn’t hurt anyone if he was in here all by himself. He wasn’t doing well in classes anyway, so what did it matter if he failed? Trey couldn’t help him. No matter what he did, magic wouldn’t come out. Yet the moment he used it here…

Deuce looked at the table now turned crumble. Some spells did work like his cauldrons or changing colors. He even patched the hole in the roof. Yet he couldn’t use wind magic to dust off the table. His mind shifted to Jack and how much pain he looked like he was in. It was safer being alone than with people.

His phone started to ring. He answered it, not expecting Ace to yell in his ear.

“What’d you say…?”

“ _WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!?_ ”

“I’m hiding… why?”

“ _Jack’s going to die unless you lift the spell._ ”

Deuce was on his feet. Was he joking? No. Why would he joke about it? Deuce ran out of the dorm, heading for the infirmary. He was scared. What if he made it worse? What if he couldn’t remove it?

Deuce knocked on the door before entering. He was ushered to Jack’s side. Deuce covered his mouth, seeing the purple veins had gotten larger.

“Just remove the spell.”

Deuce held his magipen, starting to sweat. He couldn’t make a mistake. He started to hyperventilate.

“Hey.”

Deuce looked, not expecting such a soft voice from Riddle.

“Remember the first thing you were taught about magic. The clearer you picture it, the better the outcome.” said Riddle, lowering Deuce’s magipen. “Showing nervousness and uncertainty will only aid in your failure. Calm yourself and think of succeeding. Think that you can and will succeed.”

Deuce took deep breaths with Riddle before trying again, now with a positive mind and calm body. The purple veins vanished from Jack’s body. Deuce couldn’t believe it. He did it. He really did it. He broke down in tears, never having felt so much fear in his entire life.

•

Riddle placed tea in front of Deuce before sitting down.

“So you’re the reason why Jack ended up like that. And you admit to destroying precious trees.”

Deuce nodded, keeping his head lowered in shame.

“You’ve also been having trouble using magic lately, either your magic not working or things around you just crumble.” Riddle said, earning more nods. “It’s arrived.”

“Huh…?”

“Your unique magic has arrived. Now it’s time for you to take control and own it.” said Riddle, sipping on his tea. “You can choose to ignore it but, you’re putting your life at risk. It could run rampant and use up all of your magic. Or you can’t use magic anymore and you get so backed up your insides implode.”

“You’re joking about the last one, right…?”

Riddle simply drank more tea.

“I’ll personally help out seeing what we’re up against. It’ll probably be good to get Trey involved too…” Riddle said, making plans.

Deuce found himself outside in the rose maze with Riddle and Trey.

“Your unique magic is basically destruction, but turns things into crumbles. I’m not entirely sure what it does to humans but-”

Deuce used a spell on a tree. It didn’t crumble like before. It was the weird veins again. Riddle was baffled. The veins didn’t just affect humans. Riddle texted a few people on his phone, hoping for help.

Soon help arrived. Riddle explained what was going on, offering things in return for their help.

“Okay Deuce. Use that spell on Jade.”

Deuce was hesitant but did as he asked, Jade was lying on the ground, the glowing purple veins protruding out of his body. Deuce kept calm before removing the spell. Riddle had him try the others before reaching a conclusion.

“Now I see why it affected the tree and the others. It gives that weird vein thing to living things.” Riddle said, finding his unique magic rather interesting. “Living things get veins and non living things crumble. That’s your unique magic.”

Deuce looked at his hands before looking at Riddle. What a destructive power.

“So, what are you going to name it? It’s always better to have a name for it so when you imagine it, it comes easier. However, it’ll take a long time before you can perfect this. So I’ll help you start off before you do self training. Got it?”

“Yes, Riddle senpai!”

“Good.” Riddle replied, smiling.

Deuce felt a little creeped out, but didn’t bring it up. He continued to work with his seniors until Riddle had called it a day.

“So, given it any thought?” Trey asked.

“Yeah. I’m call it ‘Indestructible’. Cool right?” Deuce said happily.

“Sounds tough, just like you.” Trey teased.

“Since we’re on the topic, I want you to review…” said Riddle, instantly killing the mood. “Understand?”

“Yes, Riddle senpai…”

“Do your best. I know you can.”

Deuce watched Riddle and Trey walk off in a different direction. He held his magipen close, slowly starting to have a different view of Riddle. Maybe he was cooler than he thought.


	321. Savus: Don’t drop that!

“I’m telling you Daisy didn’t mean it!”

“I told you to get your damn dog three times, Divus. THREE! And what did she do? PEE IN MY SHOES!”

“No. It couldn’t have been Daisy. Maybe it was Markis…”

“Does it matter? Your dogs look the damn same!”

Divus gasped loudly before slamming his hands against the counter.

“YOU INSULT MY DOGS, YOU INSULT ME!”

“GET OUT OF MY DAMN SHOP YOU DOG WORSHIPPER!”

Slam! Sam took off his hat in frustration. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Why was he defending those mutts like his life depended on it? Did he trust them more than his own lover?

“No, don’t you try anything. Promise? Good.” Sam said, putting his hat back on. “He’ll apologize. His dog was clearly in the wrong.

•

"Can you believe him? He refuses to apologize!” Sam scoffed, throwing his hands in the air. “Why isn’t he? Is he saying I’m wrong for putting my shoes in their correct place?”

Sam dismissed their thoughts. Surely it couldn’t be that he was seriously taking the sides of his dogs.

“Ha? So what if I insulted his dogs? He’s a trainer isn’t he? Why aren’t they trained?” Sam said before sighing. “I’ll explain everything over, okay?”

Sam shook his head, going back into the store. A number of shadows escaped his, spreading out far.

Divus silently graded papers, seeing he forgot a class the night before. He looked away for a moment, his stack of papers now missing. He looked all around his desk, wondering how an entire stack could just up and disappear.

He noticed they were sitting on the upmost row of the room, very far from his desk. He wasn’t going to question how they got there, what was important was getting them and grading them. Divus picked up the stack, only to see all his things were missing. This was getting ridiculous. He held the papers tightly as he looked outside the room. There wasn’t a hint of any students having been around.

Divus sighed heavily, using magic to create a pen to grade the quizzes. He finally finished, seeing he could finish preparing for his next class. He started walking down the hall before a nice breeze passed by, somehow giving him a slight chill. He looked himself over.

“My coat!”

He frantically looked around for his prized coat. He was seriously panicking. He couldn’t lose that coat.

Students moved out of the way, not used to seeing their teacher this spooked. They also noticed he wasn’t wearing his coat like he usually did. Some started posting about it online.

Divus ruffled his hair, looking around in the courtyard. He soon found himself being lifted into the air. Now he finally understood what was going on.

“I swear I’m going to murder you Sam!” Divus shouted, crossing his arms as he hung from a tree.

Students passing by immediately started uploading, amazed by their teacher’s idiocy.

•

“Where did they go…” Sam muttered, keeping a light close to him. “Guys!? Where did you run off to!?”

It wasn’t like them to just suddenly take off without notice. His shadow moved, pointing in a direction. Did it find them? Maybe he’d finally find them. They swore they were being in their best behavior, but they’ve been coming back at suspicious times. Tonight had been one of those nights.

He followed his shadow in the night, wondering what they have been up to. He noticed the lights were on in the alchemy building. He opened the door slightly, seeing things being dropped and Divus running around trying to catch as much as he could.

“Don’t drop that!”

A loud boom rang in Sam’s ears, the room filling with smoke. Sam couldn’t see what was going on, but what just happened didn’t look too good. He stepped inside, not hearing anything. Sure enough, his missing shadows were in the room causing mischief.

Sam whistled before stamping his left foot twice. The shadows retreated into his own, the smoke starting to settle.

“Divus…?”

Sam quickly approached him, seeing he wasn’t moving. He was panicking too much to properly gather his thoughts.

“Divus!? Divus!? Please, answer me…!”

Sam bit his thumb, wondering what in the room could be used. Sam felt himself being stopped by his shadow.

“Huh…?”

Sam rolled Divus over, seeing he was breathing normally. He was scaring himself for no reason. Divus was fine. Sam held him close, extremely relieved his life wasn’t in danger. But he still wondered why he shouted not to drop it.

“You’ll wake up soon… right?” Sam whispered, caressing his cheek.

•

Sam was pacing back and forth. Students were talking about Divus. Crowley and the other teachers were searching for Divus. Why hadn’t he woken up? Sam walked into the room, looking at Divus resting peacefully in his bed. At this rate they were going to have to find someone to replace him.

Sam stood by his side, cupping his face. One could say it was technically his fault this happened. If he hadn’t complained so much to his shadow friends, they wouldn’t have retaliated. Sam kisses the tip of his nose, still thinking of what to do.

“You found something? Share it!” Sam said, hoping to get Divus back to normal. “But that’s more than half my stock! I see…”

Sam sighed, looking at Divus in his restful state.

“He’s worth every madol. Let’s get on with it.”

•

Divus’ eyes fluttered opened, seeing Sam staring down at him with a worried face. Sam hugged him tight, glad to see that it worked.

“Your damn-”

“I know, and I’m sorry… I should’ve kept them in check. I didn’t know they’d lash out like this…” Sam apologized. “I’m so glad nothing bad happened…”

“How long was I out?”

“Three days. The whole school is looking for you right now.”

Divus sighed, hugging Sam back.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve just apologized, but I was really hurt by what you said about my dogs…”

“Sorry…”

Sam gave him a kiss, smiling happily.


	322. Draconias: Little horns

“It’s happening!”

“Someone go fetch the Queen!”

Guards scattered in search of Maleficent. She found her path being blocked by someone small.

“It’s time, Queen.”

“Vanrouge, I’ve told you all countless times that I’m no longer queen and to just refer to me as your highness.” said Maleficent, following behind Lilia.

“When you’ve served under a person for so long, it sticks, you know?” Lilia said, quickening his pace.

“I’ll finally get to meet my grandson… How I longed for this day…” Maleficent said softly, trying to imagine what he looked like.

They entered the room just as a little arm broke through the shell. It continued to crack more before all that was left was the top of the egg sitting atop his head with the exception of bits of eggshell still clinging to him.

“He…”

The doctors who were on standby checked him over, making sure he was healthy.

“He’s finally here, mom…”

“He looks absolutely precious…” Maleficent whispered, watching the baby move its limbs. “I’m proud of you both.”

“Mom… My wife and I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you. I owe you a lot.” he said, giving her a hug.

She hugged him back, knowing the joys of having your own child to love and care for.

“Would you like to hold him?” the wife asked, not wanting her to feel left out.

Maleficent took him into her arms, seeing he was more interested in her flowy robes than her. She chuckled, allowing him to play with them.

“Have you thought of a name?”

“Yes, actually.” he said, exchanging smiles with his wife. “It’s Malleus.”

Malleus looked over at his parents before squealing. It didn’t take a genius to know he approved of the naming.

“Hello Malleus. I’m your grandma.” Maleficent said in baby talk. Malleus made noises, trying to touch her face. “Look at those little horns you have.”

She was smitten. Malleus made an uncomfortable look before burping, a little fire escaping from his mouth.

“How cute… I’m going to take good care of my little grandson. I’ll give you lots of presents and bonding time.” she giggled in delight, earning a smile from Malleus.

She handed him back to his parents, already reluctant to let him go. Maleficent internally sighed, starting to remember the days when her son was that little.

“He seems like a promising one doesn’t he, your highness?” Lilia spoke up.

“Yes. I could feel it. He’s going to do great things for this country… Better than I ever could.” whispered Maleficent, watching her family. “Let’s not waste this potential he has.”

“Mom.”

“Hm?”

“We noticed you looked a bit lonely, so…”

Maleficent soon had a clothes baby Malleus in her arms.

“Spend some more time with your grandson. We don’t want you to just be a vague memory.”

Malleus sucked on his fingers as he looked up at Maleficent. The door closed, leaving Malleus with Maleficent and Lilia.

“What should we do first?”

“He’s a bit young to really comprehend certain things, so let’s start with basics.”

“Of course, your highness.”

Malleus tilted his head, not completely understanding what was going on, but he felt safe and that was enough.


	323. Leechs: The terror of twins

“What do you mean you care? Since when did you care?”

“Azul, we’ve always cared.”

“Yeah! You’re our chubby ‘pus.”

“Last time I recall, you both blatantly stated that you’re only tagging along for the fun and wouldn’t hesitate to rip me to shreds if you do felt like it.” Azul said, continuing working on his homework.

“But that was when we were tiny…”

“We’re bigger and wiser, Azul.”

“You two are giving me a headache. Make up your minds. Which is it?”

“We care.” they said in unison.

“So tell us what’s wrong.”

“Who do we have to threaten?”

Azul looked at Jade and Floyd in disbelief. He wasn’t buying this act for one second. They were just hoping to work less. So he decided to entertain their plan.

“Jamil’s been giving me trouble lately in classes. Usually I wouldn’t mind but his mistakes are costing me.” Azul lied, knowing they wouldn’t do anything. He looked up, seeing they were gone. “As expected.”

•

Azul entered the classroom noticing Jamil was looking around. Did he drop something?

“Azul! There you are. Let’s practice well today.” he said rather quickly.

“You don’t look good… Did you get enough sleep?”

“Yeah. So, what spells are we trying today?”

“I was thinking the bearing fruit one…”

“That sounds good.”

“But maybe I’m feeling the animal transformation…”

“That’s also good.”

“Nah, maybe… hm… creating a storm fit for a bottle.”

“Another good one!”

Azul narrowed his eyes. Jamil was just agreeing with him.

“Is there any you want to do?” Azul asked, moving the book over.

“Whatever you choose is fine with me.”

Class continued with Jamil going along with him and doing all of the work. It was a cause for concern. He wasn’t complaining since Jamil was finally doing his part but agreeing to everything just wasn’t sitting well with him.

The bell rang, students excitedly chatting as they went to their next class. Azul held Jamil back.

“What’s up with you today? You were just this agreeing machine.”

“Nothing is wrong. You’re thinking too much.” Jamil said, trying to leave.

“Jamil, you have five seconds to tell me or else Kalim gets it.”

“Jade and Floyd threatened to severely hurt Kalim if I wasn’t more agreeable and helpful towards you in classes.” Jamil said quickly. “I can’t afford to let Kalim get hurt! I’ll be the one to suffer dire consequences!”

“Jamil, you don’t have to act anymore. I’ll set those eels straight.”

“Thank god.” Jamil exhaled before leaving.

Azul rubbed his temples, seeing they really went through with it. He knew they weren’t stupid yet they went and did something stupid.

•

Jade and Floyd tilted their heads, not understanding. Why was he upset? Didn’t he say Jamil was being troublesome?

“I know you two have brains in there, especially you Jade. What made you think doing that was the right call? You didn’t even do any research!” Azul fussed. “As if I’d have problems with Jamil. That’s like you two having a fight and hating each other.”

“I told you.” Floyd said, glaring at Jade.

“You can never be too careful…”

“Look, our elementary days are over. I don’t need heroes anymore. I can take care of myself. Why don’t you put that kind of effort into working at Mostro, huh?” Azul said, sending them off.

The twins exchanged looks, wondering what to do from here.

“Social media?” Jade suggested.

Floyd nodded, the two searching through posts for anything bad about Azul.

Azul looked at his phone, seeing he was still getting messages. He couldn’t remember the last time he had unlocked his phone.

“I can fix this…” Azul whispered before losing all motivation.

_'He really thought losing weight would make him likable wwwwww’_

_'No one likes octopi like you so give it up dude haha’_

Azul put his phone back in the drawer, seeing he’d try again at a later date.

•

Azul found himself being sandwich between the twins. They started escorting him everywhere. He didn’t know why and he wasn’t getting answers from them.

“I really don’t need to be escorted.”

“This is for your own benefit.” Jade said.

“Night Raven boys are nasty.” Floyd tacked on.

“You do realize you’re talking about us too.” Azul frowned.

“We aren’t saints you know. When was the last time anyone here did a good deed without seeking a reward or for selfish reasons?” Jade said.

Azul sighed, once more not getting an answer. Floyd opened the door for him. The twins hung out in the back of the class until they had to make a mad dash to their own. Floyd stayed, knowing Jade didn’t want to miss classes. Azul was upset by this. Why was he skipping class? They came all the way from underwater to attend this school.

Floyd kept himself out of the teacher’s sight while keeping an eye on Azul. He’d pounce the moment someone tried hurting him. He started going through social media again, him and Jade not having found anything yet. They weren’t blind to the fact Azul hadn’t been using his phone lately, not to mention the terrible excuses he made for not answering.

Floyd found Rielle’s Magicam. He went through it, seeing he was attending school on land too. Funny how life works. He shifted through comments, going to profiles of others that Rielle had replied to. Now he was getting somewhere. He sent screenshots to Jade before diving deeper. He noticed some Night Raven students were joining in.

“Found ya~” Floyd whispered, having Jade figure out who owned the accounts.

•

Azul looked, seeing Jade tossing papers onto his desk. Printed screenshots of Magicam accounts and posts all dealing with him.

“We weren’t wrong for escorting you now are we?” Jade said, taking one of Azul’s hands.

“We’ll show them the terror of twins in sync.” Floyd laughed, squeezing Azul’s free hand.

“No. Don’t you two dare do anything.” Azul said firmly.

Jade gave Floyd a nod. Azul found himself being stripped down and carried out of the VIP lounge. Azul wiggled in their hold, trying to get free.

The twins tossed him into a compartment in Jade’s room before blocking it off with his bed.

“He won’t suffocate in there right?” Floyd asked, feeling concern.

“Of course not. He can’t escape. He’s not strong enough to break those bars.” Jade chuckled, imagining Azul trying to break free. “I magic proofed it of course.”

“Always thinking two steps ahead. Can we go squeeze people now?”

“Of course. Let’s make sure they learn well.”

Azul pushed against the door, hearing the twins leave. This was getting out of hand. This was why he didn’t want them to know. Azul crawled over to the bars, pushing against them. They had to be rusty from being down her with care right? Not in the slightest. How often did Jade change them? He looked up, seeing a nice skylight that was of course, barred off.

Azul leaned against the wall before feeling it crumbled. Jade had left nourishment. He really did think two steps ahead.

Students started screaming as they ran for their lives. Jade smiled his usual smile, watching Floyd rampage in his overblot form.

“We’re looking for these boys. Do you know them? Any information will make this chaos end quicker.” Jade said, blot slowly creeping up his leg.

The student gave everything he knew. He exhaled in relief, only to find himself flying from being hit by Floyd.

“Why haven’t you overblotted yet?”

“Because someone has to ask the students. Don’t you think they’re run from two eels out for blood?” Jade said before approaching another student.

Floyd happily swung his tail, destroying the side of the building. It started to crumbled from its now unstable foundation.

“My, where are these boys?” Jade said, blot now covering his arms. “I suppose now is as good a time as any.”

Floyd watched in awe as Jade finally overblotted. They could finally cause more damage together. The twins shouted their demands before showing just how dangerous they were now compared to before. Students scrambled around, trying to get the boys to them in hopes of having their lives spared.

“Help me!” a student shrieked, seeing Floyd as about to bite them.

“Then where are they?”

“I don’t know! Honest!”

The student screamed in pain, Floyd’s teeth piercing their skin. The student passed out, Floyd still feasting on their flesh.

“Floyd, I just received a tip. We might finally get one.”

“Really?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Jade scolded before going ahead.

Floyd dropped the eaten up student, hurrying after Jade.

•

Azul sighed, wondering what was going on. He still couldn’t get out and he needed to piss badly. He thought of going outside the bars, but he had no idea what was beyond them. He didn’t have many options and this was the cleanest.

Azul tapped his finger against the wall, his face red from embarrassment. Never again did he want to do that. When would the twins come back? Would he be prisoner forever? To think they’d go this far just to punish cyber bullies. Maybe he was taking them for granted.

He just wasn’t used to them caring. Well, anyone caring about him and his feelings. Even then, could he really get behind the actions they probably took? Maybe. Azul perked up at the sound of something moving in Jade’s room. He banged against everything he could, hoping to draw attention.

“Help! I’m stuck in here! Move the bed!” Azul shouted.

He tried the door, seeing it opened. No one was in the room. He could worry about his savior later. His main objective was stopping the twins.

He entered the hall of mirrors in borrowed clothes, seeing a giant sized hole in the wall. He exited the building, seeing the main building was in ruins along with other damaged places and uprooted trees. What happened while he was locked up? He took note of bodies of students lying on the ground unmoving. Some were still alive. This looked like an overblot situation. He hurried to the infirmary, hoping they saved whoever it was that overblotted.

He slowly pushed open the door, peeking inside. He stepped in, closing the door behind him quietly. Azul walked over to the bed, feeling anger and annoyance rising within him. If they weren’t patients right now, he’d have given them a good beating. They never listened, thinking their way was right and helpful to him. How wrong they were.

What if people hadn’t stopped them then? What if they destroyed the entire school, killing everyone in the process? Did they not think ahead about things like that?

“You idiots. If anything, this only made me madder. Going ballistic is only going to worsen things… So use your damn heads for once you dumb eels…”

“You heard that, Jade?”

“Indeed I do, Floyd.”

“Azul cares about us~” they said together.

“As if…” Azul huffed, turning his back to them.

The twins giggled in delight, feeling revived after hearing Azul cared.


	324. Ece: My strong boyfriend

“Are you done?”

“I mean, I guess…” Epel mumbled. “Are you comfortable?”

“Considering I’m not big breasted, yes. To an extent.”

Epel patted Ace’s shoulder, giving him comfort.

“So I finally get to strut my stuff as the man in the relationship!”

“Epel-”

Epel wasn’t listening. Ace shook his head as Epel listed a number of things he was going to do starting now. He didn’t understand why Epel felt like he had a certain role in the relationship. Ace tapped him, leaning closer to whisper.

“You know, you could just act like we normally do. I may have a woman’s body but I’m still Ace.” Ace said, giving him a smile. “Don’t treat me any different, okay?”

Epel blinked before going red in the face. Ace tilted his head, wondering why Epel was covering his face. Did he say something weird?

•

Epel chatted with Jack, wondering what class they were having a joint with. Was it a senior class? Another first year class? The students entered.

“Isn’t that 1-A?” Jack pointed out, recognizing students from the class.

Deuce stepped in before immediately heading over.

“Where’s Ace?”

“He… Wardrobe malfunction.” Deuce said, giving a summary.

Ace stepped in, glad to have caught up. Epel tried spotting the malfunction.

“A button fell off, so I’ve got to get it fixed.” Ace sighed, looking at the last row of buttons.

Epel now saw the missing button.

“So, what are we brewing today?” Deuce asked, excited to be hanging with friends.

Epel and Jack explained what they were doing before giving them tasks. Epel moved closer to Ace, keeping an eye out for something he could take over and do, demonstrating how tough he was.

“Ah, you’re not doing it hard enough. Let me do it.” Epel said, taking the grinder.

“Wow, you’re crushing them with ease. Must have been nice growing up on an orchard and getting all of this mu- Oya? Where’s the muscle?” Ace said as he giggled.

“Wh- What? I have muscle!” Epel huffed, grinding even more.

“I don’t think so with these frail little arms, baby boy.” Ace laughed, pushing Epel over the edge.

“Enough! If I was as big as you three, I’d be bulging with muscle, just like Vargas sensei!” Epel exploded.

“Did I make you upset? That wasn’t my intention. Sorry~” Ace said before kissing his cheek. “Show me the proper way to grind seeds.”

Epel went red in the face. Did he purposefully get a rise out of him just for that? Ace put an arm around his waist, closely watching. He couldn’t focus, especially when his face was so hot from Ace’s been so near.

“Epel?” Ace called out, watching him run away. “Don’t get mad if I do it wrong…”

Epel had come back, seeing they were mostly done. Ace happily waved him over, saving a step for him to do.

“Hey, Epel. Do you think a big, strong boy like you can show this weak lover of his how to efficiently crack open nuts?” Ace asked, batting his eyelashes.

“Don’t mock me…” Epel grumbled, showing him how anyway. “It’s all in using your whole body.”

“So- Look at me. So, like this?” Ace asked, purposefully moving so his chest could jiggle.

“Do it again…”

“Maybe like this?”

Epel averted his gaze, clearing his throat. Snow wasn’t the time to be staring. He approved of Ace’s method, helping him crack open more.

“Ow! I think I hurt myself…” Ace whined, moving his wrist. “Ah…!”

Epel soon held his wrist, moving it around. Ace continued to pretend he was hurt.

“Epel, I can’t believe I thought I could do this myself. I should’ve just let my strong boyfriend do all the work for me.” Ace said, dreamily looking at him.

Epel was a stuttering mess as Ace continued to sing his praises. Deuce and Jack couldn’t believe Epel was actually falling for it. As if Ace couldn’t do something as simple as cracking nuts.

“A reward for helping me. A big, love filled kiss. Chu~”

Epel squeaked, feeling Ace going for a deep kiss. He was losing steam fast. Ace pulled away, giggling in delight. Epel passed out.

“Look at what you’re acting did.” Jack said in disbelief.

“Huh. This is new. Usually he’d just hit me.” Ace said, squatting by Epel’s body and fanning him. “Need me to help with anything else or can I take care of him?”

They assured him they’d give them credit since they technically did help with the experiment. Teasing Epel was a lot of fun. Sometimes he wished Epel could make him faint like this.

Epel finally came to, close to the end of the class period. Ace knelt beside him, checking him over to see if he was okay.

“You seem fine here. Let me just grab this.” Ace said, purposefully putting his chest in Epel’s line of sight. “Hm, where did it go?”

“Oh god, he’s teasing him again…” Deuce whispered, handing Ace something so he’d stop torturing the poor guy.

“I sometimes wish they’d stop flirting around us. I’m sad enough.” Jack complained.

“What year is it…?” Epel asked, seeing Ace looking into his eyes.

“Epel, you just passed out. Are you feeling weird on the inside?”

Epel shook his head, meaning he was healthy. Ace helped him to his feet, showing him their finished experiment. He couldn’t believe he didn’t do his part. They assured him he still got credit.

“Hey, umm… You’re not busy after school right?” asked Ace, looking at Epel with hopeful eyes.

“I have Magift club. But I’m free after!”

“Forget it. You’ll be too tired. Maybe next time.”

“Ace… I-”

“Really, it’s not important. I’ll come by and cheer you on.” Ace said with a smile. Epel held his hands, having him look at him. “Epel?”

“Don’t ever say ‘it’s not important’ because you’re important to me, which makes things you need and want important to me.” said Epel, a serious look on his face.

Ace squirmed before leaning in close and whispering in his ear. Epel immediately started blushing before Ace pulled away.

“But, you’ll be tired-”

“Let’s do it.”

“Are you sure…? We’ll be up pretty late…”

Ace smiled once he received an affirmative nod from Epel.

•

“Say ah.” Ace smiled.

“Ah.”

Ace happily fed him, glad that Epel had agreed.

“Epel, that guy is ogling me.” Ace whined. “Are you gonna beat him up for me?”

“Stop lying.”

“Boo… I just wanted to see you take control… it’s sexy when you do.”

Epel was tomato red. Ace laughed, having gotten him yet again. How did he keep falling for his teases? Epel tried regaining control by pulling Ace closer by his waist, saying sweet words to him.

“Oh Epel, why bother with appetizers? Just take me, your main course.”

“Wait-”

Ace threw himself on Epel, begging for attention. He pulled away in fits of laughter. This was amazing. He’s never seen Epel get flustered so much in a day. Ace happily enjoyed his meal, giving Epel a breather.

“I tease you out of love, you know?”

“Mhmm…”

“And you can tell when I’m being serious, right…?”

“Mhmm.”

Ace moved closer to Epel as he touched his arm. Epel gave him a kiss, feeling Ace melt in his arms. They pulled apart, lovingly gazing at one another.

“For a small guy, you’ve got serious kissing game.” Ace chuckled, wanting another.

“I can show you more. Some things you’ve never experienced.”

“Not here. When we’re alone.”

“You make it sound naughty.” Epel commented.

Ace simply smiled, letting himself be fed.


	325. NSFW Kiliem: So sweet…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those who don’t know what somnophilia is, to try and sum it up, it’s feeling arousal towards sleeping people or person and sometimes even going as far as to get intimate with said sleeping people or person.

He didn’t know when he started feeling this way and why he was feeling this way. He never felt it when he was awake which made him more confused. He was just as breathtaking awake when asleep. Kalim placed a kiss on his nose, finding himself wanting more and more.

Silver blinked, seeing class was ending. Kalim wasn’t sitting next to him as usual. He rubbed his eyes, searching for Kalim.

“What are you looking for?”

“You. You said you wouldn’t leave my side…” Silver mumbled, not liking when Kalim was far from him. “Leave a note or something…”

“I didn’t think you’d wake up before I came back. I’m sorry.” Kalim apologized. “I got you some juice.”

“Thank you…” Silver whispered, smiling happily.

Silver stared at Kalim, warmth spreading through his chest. He was head over heels for Kalim. Many times he’s wanted to confess but Kalim didn’t seem like he was interested in him. Then again, it was hard to tell since he was always nice to everyone. He didn’t want to make a mistake.

“Hey, since we only have one more class for today, maybe we can hang out together? Unless you have club…” Kalim suggested, hoping he didn’t.

“That sounds great. Are we going to do something or just sit and talk? Either is fine, I just like being with you.” Silver said, making an excuse to touch Kalim.

“Hm, I don’t mind just sitting and talking. Why don’t we get snacks too?”

“Yes! Just me, you and our favorite snacks…” Silver said, already imagining Kalim feeding him sweets. He started to drool. “How fun…”

“Silver, you’ve got… a little right there…” Kalim said, having him wipe his mouth.

Silver profusely apologized, now unable to look Kalim in the eye.

•

Kalim opened a bag of flavored chips, melting at the savory taste. He offered Silver one. Silver accepted it, treating it as sacred. The two talked and enjoyed snacks, sitting in Kalim’s room.

“Ah, I never get tired of Bellans. So sweet…” Silver sighed, feeling the chocolate melt in his mouth.

They finished up their snacks, lying down beside each other. Silver closed his eyes, feeling sleep beckoning him. Of all times for it to come up, it had to be now. He wanted to spend more time with Kalim.

“Kalim… I don’t want to… but… sleep…” Silver said in between yawns, holding his hand. “Watch… over me…”

Kalim stared at Silver who was now fast asleep. He was getting those feelings again. He turned Silver’s head towards him, looking at his peaceful sleeping face. He looked so happy. Why was he so happy when he slept these days? Was he crushing on someone and dreaming about them? His heart felt heavy at the thought. He didn’t want him thinking of other people. Yet he couldn’t say the same when he was awake.

Was he only attracted to him in his sleeping state? Was it such a bad thing that he was? Kalim shook his head. It wasn’t that he was only attracted to him in his sleep state, it was more of his feelings were still developing. He did want to love Silver and give him everything. Kalim presses their lips together, holding Silver close. He pulled away, letting his hands explore Silver’s body. It was okay to do this, right? Silver wouldn’t find out, right?

He pulled Silver’s boxers off, unable to stop himself. He wanted Silver. He wanted to make him feel good, to give him all his love. Kalim looked at their joined hands before holding tighter. He could manage with just a hand. Kalim stroked Silver’s shaft, adding a bit of tongue to better stimulate him.

He finally felt Silver responding and getting hard. Kalim smiled in delight, even more motivated. He took Silver whole, starting to deep throat him. Kalim made Silver’s hand pet him as if he was awake and giving him praise. He only turned himself on more with that action. Kalim started to moan against Silver, fondling his sacks as he could feel him twitching in his mouth.

Silver came in his mouth, making Kalim’s erection press hard against his pants. Kalim greedily swallowed, wanting more. He couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact he needed to jerk off and come. So he did just that, sitting by Silver’s side and still holding his hand.

“You’re so beautiful… I’m so lucky to have a beauty like you close to me…” Kalim whispered, connecting their lips as he stroked himself.

Kalim backed up, not wanting to get any cum on Silver’s body, no matter how enticing licking it off sounded. He didn’t last long, constantly looking at Silver raising his arousal. He had Silver’s hand pet him again, relishing in the self praise he was giving himself.

Kalim lied beside Silver, seeing he had to get him dressed again. Panic starting rising within him as Silver groaned. He sighed in relief, seeing he was still sleep. Would he wake up if he was put in a shower? There was only one way to find out.

He looked Silver’s body over, running his fingers over certain spots. Maybe that shower could wait another round.

•

Silver slowly opened his eyes, seeing the top of Kalim’s canopy bed. He sat up slightly, seeing they were still holding hands. Kalim was sleeping beside him. Kalim really stayed by his side holding his hand. Silver’s heart was aflutter.

“I love you so much… I want to give you everything to make you happy.” Silver spoke, caressing Kalim’s cheek. “I do mean everything… I wish I could tell you my feelings…”

Silver planted kisses all over Kalim’s face and neck, wanting to get as close as possible without waking him. He held Kalim close, burying his face in his neck.

“Silver…?”

“Did I wake you…? I’m sorry.” Silver apologized, still holding him.

Kalim felt a bit guilty for what he did and thought of coming clean. He didn’t want things between them to turn sour.

“It’s okay… but, umm… there’s something I think I should tell you…” Kalim said, nervousness clearly heard in his tone. “It’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to be friends anymore after I tell you…”

“I’d never not want to be friends with you. I’d… I’d rather die than not have you by my side.” Silver said, looking at him with worry.

“The thing is… I… I raped you…” Kalim admitted, looking away from him. “I gave you blow jobs and touched your body without your consent and-”

“I don’t care. I’m happy you touched me.”

“Huh…? You’re… happy?” Kalim asked in confusion.

“You like me too, right? You wouldn’t have otherwise, right? Even if you don’t, I’m still not mad. I’m hopelessly in love with you… Now I wish I was conscious while it happened.” Silver confessed, looking at him with love filled eyes. “You can make love to me in my sleep whenever, wherever.”

“That’s a little…”

“I know, I’m probably coming on strong… but I’ve wanted to tell you for ages that I have these feelings for you and now I finally had the chance. Really, I’m okay with it, even if there weren’t any feelings behind it. It’ll be sad, but that’s expected of a one sided love, haha.”

Kalim gave him a kiss, wanting him to know his feelings that he couldn’t put into words. Silver tightly held him, wanting to enjoy it as much as he could.

“So… is it one sided…?” Silver asked, wanting to be sure.

“No. Not at all.”

Silver smiled widely, snuggling closer to him. He couldn’t ask for anything better than this.


	326. Azelle + Dimitri x Idia: Is that the story when…

Dimitri checked in on everyone in the Magift club, making sure they had everything they needed.

“Alright! Cool down stretches!” Dimitri said loudly, everyone getting into position.

Dimitri had someone lead the stretching.

“Atheus?”

“Who calls?” Dimitri responded, still focusing on his stretching.

“Aquarus. Rielle Aquarus.”

Dimitri searched his memory bank before a light bulb went off.

“You’re the prince of the sea aren’t you?”

“Well, I’m one of many. I have siblings.” Rielle said, watching them stretch. “If you don’t mind, may we talk?”

“We’re just about done stretching so knock yourself out.”

“You’re Idia’s gamer boyfriend, right?”

Dimitri stopped stretching, narrowing his eyes.

“I don’t game. Sports is my thing.” Dimitri said, gesturing to the wide open space. “Gaming is for nerds.”

Azul had mentioned that Dimitri was rather private about his gaming. He had an image to keep up after all. Rielle moves closer so he could whisper.

“I’m not here to out you. I just want to talk, since our boyfriends are friends. I’m rather interested in games now because of Azul, so why not ask someone close to me about them?” Rielle explained, smiling at him.

Dimitri let everyone go, watching them leave the field. Once they were far enough, Dimitri had picked up Rielle, making a mad dash back towards the Nimbus dorm building.

Rielle was placed down, looking around the room. All sorts of sports related things sat in the room shining bright.

“You’ve done a lot of sports huh?”

“It’s what I’m good at. Besides gaming.” Dimitri responded, taking out his secret stash of video games. “What kind of games though? I don’t have as many board games as Idia.”

“Umm, may I look?”

Rielle started going through them all, seeing games of varying genres. They all seemed like fun.

“I was particularly interested in this game Azul played. He hates games of chance. So it goes…” Rielle said, explaining the details Azul provided. “Do you have that game?”

Dimitri pulled it out from under a pile of clothes.

“Idia lent me his. Still haven’t given it back.” Dimitri chuckled.

“How evil.” Rielle chuckled.

“He knows I still have it. I keep telling him to come over if he wants it back. It’s really just an excuse to have him over and do stuff with him.” Dimitri said, setting up the game. “So, what’s Azul like? I’ve only got Idia’s perspective to go off of.”

Rielle excitedly talked as they started gameplay. Dimitri couldn’t help but jump in whenever Idia was mentioned.

“And, and, bwahahahaha! The broom, the broom, ahahahaha…! I can’t. I’m sorry.” Rielle laughed, trying to stop laughing so he can finish the story. “It hit Azul in the face!”

“Is that the story when it carried Idia away?”

“Yes!”

Dimitri started hollering, making Rielle laugh even more. They couldn’t play the game in their current states.

“Oh my god, Idia’s face was priceless! Ahahahahaha! Man, we sure picked interesting guys.”

“Mmm. No matter how weird and babyish he is, I still love him. I need him as much as he needs me.”

“Ah, how nice that must be.” Dimitri said, making his move.

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes it feels like I’m doing all the giving. I know he’s a shy guy but…” Dimitri said before shaking his head. “Never mind. I’m just griping like a whiny kid.”

“No, no. Talk. Maybe you could figure something out. It helps me.”

Dimitri smiled softly, slowly talking about his feelings.

•

“He thought he did something when he unplugged me. I save my games every chance I can.” Dimitri laughed, Rielle laughing with him.

“Oh! Did Idia tell you what happened in board game club?”

“You mean when the student and the board game piece?”

Rielle teared up as he nodded. The two couldn’t contain their laughter, cracking up. Students passing by gave them looks. This wasn’t the first time the two have been talking about their boyfriends. They didn’t mind but it was more about their volume.

“Eos!”

Eosin looked before running down the hall. Rielle was in confusion. Eosin never avoided him. Was he mad?

“I’m sure he’ll explain in due time.” said Dimitri.

“Right.”

The two continued to talk, taking their time in going to their respective clubs.

“After club?”

“After club.”

They high fived before going their separate ways.

The two met up after club activities, needing to share the updates they got while in club.

“What? He seriously did that?”

“And now he’s regretting it. He wants me to come over and bring ice cream.” Dimitri said with a shake of his head. “I don’t have time for it.”

“Really? Won’t he be heartbroken?”

“Considering he kicks me out once he’s in a better mood is good enough of a reason.”

“You can’t let him push you around. Stand your ground.”

“And Azul doesn’t push you around?”

“No, we push each other.”

“Either way, I got things to do. What about you?”

“Mmm, I don’t have anything pressing so I’ll come with you.”

The two walked and talked, mentioning their boyfriends less and less.

“Do you ever question why you got together with Idia?” Rielle asked. “Do you ever think of the many things about them that you like? That you love? That you want to see more often?”

“Someone’s in a mood.”

“It’s just… I’m really happy dating Azul. Everyday I thank the sea gods for blessing our country with such a gentle and intelligent octopus.” Rielle said, kicking his legs. “He can be insecure and act like a child, but his quirks and flaws are beautiful.”

“Think you could say that to his face?”

Rielle became a blushing mess. That was definitely a no.

“Idia definitely could use some work, especially in his social skills, but he’s a dorky guy. The way he gets excited by games and new volumes of manga. Not to mention those precious smiles when he sees me… My heart soars.”

The two sighed, falling back on Dimitri’s bed. They were definitely head over heels for their respective boyfriends. And they liked it like that.

•

“So Azul-”

“Please, enough.” a student said.

“We love you both but shut up.” another said.

“Ouch?”

“Really, we get it. You love your boyfriends but you don’t have to talk so loud about them. We’d like lovers too you know. Hearing it makes us angry.”

“And jealous!”

“Again, we don’t hate you both. Just talk quieter and away from us.”

The students walked away, leaving them feeling confused. Have they been annoying others this whole time? Guilt started setting in. They apologized as they went by, looking for a place to talk.


	327. Deuce: My dhà

Deuce found an empty classroom, seeing he could use it to practice in. How embarrassing it’d have to be for others to see him attempting to dance and failing horribly at it. Especially his boyfriend. He didn’t want to make excuses as to why they couldn’t hang out but he had to get these moves down, especially when not only was the show riding on his shoulders as he was the center, but also his pride and dignity.

Deuce had gotten set up, carefully watching the center from a year ago. The dance was relatively the same except the climax where it was tailored to the center of that year. He had a separate video for that part.

“Right arm, one step, two step…” Deuce mumbled, marking the first few movements. He then started to practice. “Ah, now I see why it felt so awkward…”

Deuce got down the first few movements before starting to mark the next. His only hope was that the new addition wouldn’t affect what he already learned once he put it together.

Things were going pretty smoothly much to his surprise. There were definitely parts he started to struggle with, but with a bit more practice and seeing what he was doing wrong, it’d become perfect.

“Man, now I’m worried about my part…” Deuce whispered, sitting down and taking a break.

“I wonder what it looks like.”

Deuce’s head snapped up, seeing someone sitting in the back row towards the door. His face went red instantly. They waved happily, watching Deuce attempt to hide.

“Why are you here? How did you find me?”

“Well, I followed you.”

“Follo- Ow! Followed me?” Deuce exclaimed, having hit his head against the surface. “So you’ve been here the whole time!?”

“No. I went to Sam’s to get us some snacks. Since you’re breaking, let’s eat together. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Deuce quietly took the box and water.

“Thanks, Duncan…”

“Anything for my dhà.” Duncan chuckled, kissing Deuce’s nose.

“You know, you never told me what that means…” Deuce mentioned, feeding Duncan.

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” Duncan said before playing the video from last year’s dance and wishes performance. “Ah, I remember this last year. What a wild time. One of the dancer’s outfit just legit fell off. I still like to think that little demon Hamish had something to do with it.”

“Hamish…? You mean your vice dorm leader?”

“Mhmm. He causes chaos everywhere. It’s annoying really. He’s vice dorm leader yet I’ve never seen him attend classes…” Funcan said before shaking his head. “But your moves are looking pretty good. Naturally you can improve on some parts but for the most part, you’re just about ready for the stage.”

“Hearing it from you doesn’t make me feel as worried as before…”

“If you need any help, I’m glad to lend a hand. But just keep in mind I’m not any better than you, haha.”

“Then, could you point out anything that looks weird? Doesn’t match up with last year’s?”

“Gotcha.”

Deuce felt a little awkward being watched but if it helped him get better, he’d prefer it be Duncan than someone else. Duncan made notes, not wanting to ruin his flow. He noticed Deuce had stopped.

“I’m gonna try and connect my part with the first half.”

“I’m curious as to what they have you doing.” Duncan said, staring at him.

“You’re making me feel embarrassed…” Deuce mumbled, feeling squirmish under his gaze.

Duncan simply chuckled, watching him absorb the information before marking. He wished he could be of some use to him, especially since he was the center. He continued to write things down, hoping he was being too critical.

“So, I’ll start from the beginning, putting my part together with it all.”

Duncan nodded, watching Deuce. He couldn’t help but feel smitten, watching his boyfriend trying his best to learn the dance. He loved his stubbornness. Well, to an extent.

“Haa… How was it…?” Deuce asked, now tired from practicing so much.

“Well, I wrote down my thoughts as best as I could in hopes it made sense. I could read it for you.”

Deuce sat down next to him, reading it over. Duncan couldn’t help but chuckle, watching Deuce mimic the dance with his fingers and trying out his suggestions.

“Cute…” Duncan blurted out, looking at him with such loving eyes.

Deuce became flustered.

“I’m not cute…”

“But you are.”

Deuce froze up after receiving a kiss on the cheek. Deuce hid himself in Duncan’s arms, trying to hide his extremely reddened face.


	328. Light Music + Malleus: There’s a method!

“I have a proposal!” Kalim said, only to be ignored. “Hey, listen to me.”

“I’m busy.” Cater said.

“I don’t intend to sound rude, but most of your proposals are… dumb.” said Lilia, shaking his head. “Cater nearly lost his life to Vil because of you.”

“I didn’t expect him to be there okay? I apologized.” Kalim whined.

Kalim sighed, letting his head rest against the surface. They really weren’t going to listen to him.

“Alright, I’ll bite. What is it?” Cater said, looking at the dejected student.

Kalim instantly popped up, an invisible tail wagging behind him.

“Movie night! Horror! Us three!” Kalim said keeping it short and simple.

“That… actually doesn’t sound that bad.” Cater said in surprise. “I’m in~”

“May I ask a question?” Lilia piped up.

“Sure.”

“May I bring Malleus? The poor thing doesn’t have much going on tonight.”

“The more the merrier haha!”

“So, what movies did you have in mind?” Cater questioned, having seen his fair share of horror movies.

“Rook convinced Vil to recommend horror movies to which he told me. And I have them in my room. If Jamil asks, don’t tell him anything. He’ll just get fussy.”

The two nodded.

•

“You what?”

“Come on. When was the last time you hung out with someone other than us?” Lilia said.

“Was I invited or did you invite me yourself?”

Lilia kept quiet.

“So I did get invited on your behalf.”

“Quit whining and come you big baby.” Lilia huffed, placing his hands on his hips.

Malleus puffed out his cheeks, getting out of bed. It wasn’t that he was mad about being invited, it was how.

“Vil gave Kalim some recommendations so I doubt we’ll be watching any of those corny ones.” Lilia said, walking by his side.

“Really? I thought Vil was still mad at Kalim.”

Lilia explained as they made their way to Scarabia.

Kalim opened the door, letting Cater in.

“I brought alcohol~” Cater quipped, shaking opaque bottles.

“Cater senpai!”

“I’m just messing. It’s just fruit juice. And tomato for Lilia.” Cater laughed, actually having a hidden stash somewhere on school grounds.

Kalim popped in the movie, wondering how much longer Lilia and Malleus would be. He briefly left to get the snacks Jamil had prepared for him.

Lilia knocked on the door, hoping they didn’t keep them waiting.

“You’re finally here! It’s already looks gruesome.” Kalim said, closing the door behind them.

Cater started the movie as they got comfortable. They nodded in approval, glad to see there wasn’t a cheap jump scare right in the beginning.

“You know, usually I can pinpoint who’s gonna die but… this is how horror movies should be.” said Cater before jumping. “Oh god…”

“Good right?” Kalim said happily, passing around snacks.

“Is the great Malleus afraid of a little jump scare?” Lilia teased, feeling Malleus holding his hand.

“No I’m not.”

They watched in silence once more. No one was sure what would happen next.

“What!? Him!? This is bullshit!” Lilia fussed, making Kalim pause the movie.

“Is it though? He was pretty tame.”

“And that’s precisely the problem. Bad people should be picked off.”

“Have you thought that maybe there’s a method to the madness?”

The four of them started to discuss before it turned into arguing. Kalim was the one to stop everyone, mentioning they still had to finish the last few minutes. So they sat and watched. The movie ended.

“So… she just gets away with it all?” Cater mumbled, looking at the credits.

“Was it even worth killing that guy? Like seriously.”

“There’s a method!” Kalim exclaimed.

“I think it’s not that deep Kalim.” Malleus retorted.

The four started to argue again. They finally settled down, starting up the next film.

They were fine until the horrors started to happen.

“Malleus? Oh god, Malleus!”

The three of them started panicking while the movie played in the background, still scaring them.

•

“Well, we managed to get that under control.” Cater commented.

“Sorry about your bed. We’re more than willing to buy you a new one.” said Lilia, nudging Malleus.

“I’m terribly sorry for my behavior. Hopefully nothing else will end up scorched.” Malleus apologized.

“It’s fine! We were able to get through the movie cause of it.” Kalim laughed.

He wasn’t wrong and none were complaining for having missed it.

“Alrighty, here’s another!”

They watched Kalim switch out movies. This new one didn’t seem as scary as the second one.

“Cater, I’m losing circulation…” Kalim said, feeling his wrist going numb.

“My fault…”

They continued to watch before a spell went hurtling towards the screen, damaging the TV.

“Who did this grave injustice?” Kalim said, looking at them. No one was dressing up. “Then we’ll stay-”

“I did.”

Everyone was staring.

“I couldn’t help it. I felt threatened…”

“Even Lilia is susceptible to fear.” Malleus snickered.

Kalim looked the TV over before deeming it busted. No more movies that meant. They were relieved but still upset.

“Maybe I can fix it with magic.” Lilia suggested.

“I really wouldn’t- Oh no…” Cater said, watching the TV reject the magic and sending it flying all around.

They took cover, waiting for the spell to disappear.

“This is why we don’t use magic on machines.” Cater said, glaring at Lilia.

“I’m just an old bat learning his way around the new era.” Lilia chuckled before sending more spells towards the TV, forcing them to keep hiding. “What fun!”

Cater and Malleus weren’t amused, especially since he got a Kalim on board.


	329. Light Music: Are you both sleepy?

Lilia entered the club room, expecting to goof off with his club members as usual.

“Afternoon.”

The two waved, greeting him as usual. And as usual, they started doing things that didn’t relate to what the club was for.

“You know, maybe we should get new members.” Cater piped up, scrolling on Magicam. “I don’t like the idea of having to actually do something in a club.”

“Well, the board game club just plays board games. That’s not doing much.” Kalim replied, knowing they wouldn’t get any new members and be forced to shut down. “Doesn’t the club get funds for trips and stuff?”

“What are you insinuating, Kalim?” Lilia asked.

“Why not actually use what we’re given for a change? You know, buy stuff.”

“In relation to the club or…?” Cater questioned.

“For ourselves… maybe. Is that too selfish?”

“We wouldn’t get away with it. They do want receipts of what we would spend stuff on.” Lilia explained.

Kalim sighed while the other two went back to doing their own thing. They really should consider coming up with some plan to draw in newcomers.

•

Lilia entered the room, receiving a lackluster greeting. Did he do something wrong? Or did they just have a bad day?

“I know this isn’t something you both particularly want to think about but, wouldn’t it be nice to perform come next school year? It could be a mini concert of us doing song covers.” Lilia suggested.

“Sounds fun but…”

“But what, Cater.”

“Nothing. Let’s do it.”

“Kalim?”

“I’m not familiar with non traditional Hot Sands instruments.” Kalim said, keeping his head rested against the table.

“I’ll help you find something, don’t worry.” said Lilia, glad to see they were on board. “Did you two have a bad day? You’re not peppy as usual.”

“Really? I’m perfectly fine though.” Cater said, waving his phone.

“Me too. Just tired.” Kalim said, faking a yawn.

“Right… So, why don’t we start finding instruments?”

The two cheered, huddling close to Lilia.

•

Lilia entered the room, excited to rehearse their first song. He raised an eyebrow, closing the door behind him.

“Are you both sleepy? Is today not a good day to practice then?” Lilia asked, standing near them.

“Oh, you’re already here. Kalim, get up.” Cater said, shaking Kalim.

Lilia was a bit concerned about his club members. It seemed each week they became more and more tired. Were they worried about the club possibly shutting down if they fail to get new members? He didn’t want to point it out and possibly make it worse. They gathered themselves together before starting to rehearse.

Lilia could tell there was something lacking. It wasn’t anything wrong with their playing, it just felt… emotionless. He didn’t say anything, deciding to end things early.

•

Lilia entered the club room, seeing they were resting again. Maybe it was time to bring it up. They haven’t been looking too good and it was starting to worry him.

“Cater, Kalim. We’re friends aren’t we? If it’s not too much to ask, may I know what’s got you so tired looking? Are you staying up late?”

“I don’t know his deal but yeah, I stay up late studying said Kalim, smiling all the same.

"I’m practicing our songs. I am the vocalist after all.” Cater said with a shrug.

“Is that really all? I’m not doubting you, I just want to make sure. I want to do what I can for my friends.”

Kalim broke first. The two listened as the younger wailed and cried his eyes out. Lilia gently rubbed his back, listening to him continue to wail even after saying his piece.

“It’s alright… It’s good that you’re getting these feelings out. Bottling them up just hurts you even more than out in the open.” Lilia said. “You can talk to me about anything concerning this as well, okay? I’ll be here for you in hopes of guiding you.”

Kalim nodded, starting to cry less. Cater broke next. Lilia gave him the same speech, giving him comforting head pats. He didn’t think they were suffering so much. They always just seemed like bright, happy fellows. Guess it’s true when they say the more they smile, the more secrets they have to hide. He felt a bit special, getting them to open up to him like this.


	330. Light Music + Octavinelle Trio: You just cursed us

“One more time!”

“Lilia, I think that’s enough. We don’t want to strain our voices.” Cater said, drinking water.

“I’m actually pretty nervous, even though we’ve performed a few times already…” Kalim admitted, holding his drumsticks tightly.

“We have regulars now, haha. I feel like a pop idol~” Cater said, posting a picture on Magicam.

“Maybe we can become good enough to compete.” Lilia commented.

The other two looked at him as if he had three heads. Was it such a far fetched idea?

“What? I really think we, Upon Vitals, can become a massive hit. It’ll just take a while.” Lilia explained.

“I mean, Kalim’s going to be inheriting an entire merchant company and music isn’t really my entire life like some people…” Cater said, giving Lilia an apologetic look. “I don’t doubt our skills, just our ability to stay together.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind going the music path with you guys! It’ll just take a lot of convincing, haha…” Kalim said with a smile.

“Now I’ve gone and ruined the mood haven’t I? Sorry boys. Let’s call it a day and prepare to wow everyone tomorrow.”

They nodded in agreement, packing everything up for the day.

•

Kalim entered the room, seeing it was an emergency meeting.

“So, new development. They want to join in.” Cater said, showing them the text Azul sent.

“Hm… Good thing we practiced a few classics. Unless Azul knows how to do pop on a piano.” Lilia said, changing out the music sheets.

“Azul’s a smart guy, I’m sure he can match our pace. I’ll ask him just in case.” Cater said, sending Azul a text. “He said what we had for today is fine. What a reasonable guy he is.”

“Unless he’s scheming. How nasty fufu~” Lilia chuckled, making their instruments were in top condition.

“Let’s just hope nothing goes wrong.” Kalim said cheerily.

“And you just cursed us.”

Kalim apologized, giving them a sheepish smile.

•

The students in Mostro started complaining, wondering if they lied about Upon Vitals performing tonight. They could’ve done other things if that was the case. The Octavinelle workers were clearly panicking as Azul didn’t tell them much.

“Here they come, Upon Vitals!” a worker announced, seeing they were ready.

The students settled down, content to see that they were there.

“Hi everyone! Today we’ll be joined by our patrons today. Come on up.” Cater announced before gesturing.

Now it made sense why there were extra instruments with theirs. Azul, Jade and Floyd waved as they went to their respective spots. They all checked with each other before Lilia played the first note.

The students were intrigued by this mix of a classical piano with the bass and drums. If they weren’t great sounding before, they definitely were now. Azul was thrilled to see that this joint performance was going well.

“Hey, sea otter. Aren’t you tired of this?” Floyd asked, already bored.

“I’m okay. Why?”

“I wanna dance.”

“Really? I kinda want to as well but…” Kalim whispered, his heart conflicted. “I have to play.”

“Says who? Come on!”

“Floyd-!”

The dining students watched as Floyd brought Kalim up front and started dancing. Kalim looked between Floyd, the audience and the others on stage. Cater and Lilia shared a look, the song falling apart some from the lack of drums. Jade and Lilia made up for the missing part. Sort of.

“This is great!” Floyd cheered.

“Stop this monstrosity!”

They looked, seeing Jamil was clearly struggling.

“Oh dear.” Jade whispered, looking at Azul. “OH dear…”

Cater and Lilia could see Azul’s veins popping out.

“Why don’t we alternate?” Lilia whispered to Cater.

“Now? It’s much too late! Do you even know the words?”

“I’d have to be stupid not to. We’ve gotta draw the attention away from those three.” Lilia fussed, looking at Jamil who was educating Floyd on proper dance while Kalim continued on his own.

“It’s going to sound weird.”

“Excuse me?”

They lost yet another instrument. Jade feared the bloodbath that would occur after all of this. He looked to the audience who were painfully silent. He took the opportunity to end the song early with Azul. The others finally took notice of the silence and how loud they were being.

“Shit.” said Cater, not realizing the mic caught it and amplified it.

Clap. Clap, clap. Soon the room was filled with the sound of clapping and cheering. They all exchanged looks, unsure of what the hell just happened. They bowed and thanked them, quickly shuffling away from sight.

Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap! Azul angrily growled as he complained about everything that happened. Jade kept Floyd in place, knowing he’d run off if given the chance.

“But, somehow this disorder got us thunderous applause. I won’t overlook that. So, I’ve made a decision based on today’s results.” said Azul, keeping them on the edge. “We’ll all perform again the next time. And try not to be too chaotic, this is a gentleman’s space after all.”

“Even after we messed up…” Cater mumbled, massaging his slapped cheek.

“That goes for you too, Mr. Dancer.” Azul said, looking at Jamil who faced away from them.

“I’m not doing it.”

“I’ll leave you alone for a week.”

“Make it a month and we have a deal.”

“Deal.” Azul chuckled.

Cater, Lilia and Kalim celebrated, glad to know their gig days weren’t over.


	331. Night Raven College: UDrem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: i’m keeping the song I chose in japanese romanji cause it sounds cooler.

Yuu scurried around, grabbing their friends together. Naturally they were confused as to what was going on.

“So, are you going to explain why we were suddenly dragged from our friends to be here?” Ace asked.

“It’s… this!” Yuu said, showing them the flier.

“Ah, the annual talent show.” Jack said, sitting back. “You wanna talk about it? Couldn’t you just text us?”

“No phone, remember?” Epel piped up. “So, do you need ideas?”

“Nope, I have one.” Yuu said proudly.

“Then what was the point of us meeting?” Sebek questioned. “We all have our own things to perfect.”

“My idea is better and we all get to be together!” Yuu exclaimed.

“And what could be better than what we individually have planned?”

“An idol group.”

They all got up and left.

“Hey, wait-! It’s a good idea!” Yuu shouted, watching their friends walk away. “I’ve got to convince them somehow… but how…?”

•

“You’re here too? Was it Yuu?”

Epel nodded, looking at the others. What was going on? Was it that big of an emergency that all five of them were needed?

“What if we’re being tricked…?” Sebek spoke up, getting an uneasy feeling.

“Yuu wouldn’t lie about emergencies.” Jack said with a shake of his head.

The door opened, revealing Yuu carrying a clipboard, pen and a speaker.

“So… what’s the emergency?” Deuce asked.

“Since you five don’t want to be my idols, I’m going to find boys who will probably be better than you lot.” Yuu said, often looking at them and writing on the clipboard. “Do you each mind dancing and singing a little to a few songs? Just want to make sure we have good material to practice with, especially since I’m not familiar with this world’s songs.”

“Better than us? I highly doubt that.” Ace scoffed.

“You five aren’t the only ones in the huge school.” Yuu deadpanned. “Epel, pick some well known song.”

“Wait, wait. You’re really just going to find other people?” Deuce asked. “You aren’t going to pester us as usual?”

“Deuce, there’s only so much time until the talent show. I can’t waste time on unwilling people, especially incompetent ones.”

They all looked at Yuu with mouths agape. They did not just stand there, insult them and think they could get away with it.

“We damn sure are competent. Epel, show them. We’ll be better than any other guys you choose.” Jack said all riled up.

The others nodded in agreement. Yuu covered their mouth and pretending to cough while the smiled. It worked. It was nice having gullible friends at times.

“Hey, can any of you rap?” Yuu asked, making more notes. “Just Ace and Epel? Lame. I bet you’re no good at all.”

“I am good!” Epel huffed, pausing the playing song and putting on a rap.

Yuu was thoroughly impressed. With some work, they could be… decent.

•

“Remind me again how we got tricked into this?”

“Ace.”

“Ah, makes sense.”

“Hey! You all went along with it too!” Ace barked, stretching with the others.

“Less talking, more stretching! Save those pipes for singing practice.” Yuu shouted, whacking them on the head with their clipboard. “Jack, I know you can stretch more than that. Get twisty wolf boy.”

“I wanna die…” Epel groaned.

“Yeah? I can be worse than Vil if I wanted to.”

“Anything but that…”

“Good. Never upset your manager.”

The five wept internally as Yuu put them through more intense exercises.

“Great! So its time to announce positions. Main vocal, Epel. You’re also the center of our group.”

“Why him? He’s a shrimp!” Ace complained.

Jack held onto Epel, hoping Yuu could clear things up and quick.

“Ace, is this a game to you?” Yuu asked, menacingly stepping closer to him. “Do you think just because you’ve got the most brains means you’re automatically entitled to spots? No. I was thinking of making you the leader but since you want to be such an ass, the position goes to Jack.”

The others whistled as Ace stood there dumbfounded. Yuu was way too invested in this idol thing. It was just a talent show. Yuu straightened up, looking at the others.

“Sebek, you’re the lead vocalist. Deuce, you’re our main dancer and a vocalist. Teach them well with the dance. Jack, you’re our leader and lead dancer. Also a sub vocalist. Ace…” Yuu said before looking down at Ace. “Vocalist.”

Yuu clapped, having them watch a video centering on the theme they wanted them to try.

“I know this is a lot to take in but, there’s one more thing we should discuss.”

“Now what?” Epel groaned.

“You five are going to come up with a song. No, I don’t mean go online and pick a song, I mean you five are going to create one. Now, you all don’t have to. You can designate the task to two people and you all congregate and talk about it like if there’s something missing or too much.”

They exchanged looks. Who among them was good enough to create a song?

“Don’t worry about the music part, I’ll do that. Just come up with the words.” Yuu said. “Ah, I can’t wait to see what you come up with!”

The door closed, making Yuu disappear from sight. They sat down, wondering what they had gotten themselves into.

“I’ll do the lyrics.” said Ace.

“I’ll help.” Sebek piped up.

Everyone looked at him. Him?

“I have a way with words you know. And if we need help, we can just ask Rook senpai, no? He’s very poetic isn’t he, Epel?”

“I suppose… So, our theme…” Epel said, tapping play. “Dark stuff.”

“Well, it’s good it’s not emo stuff. That would be, you know, tasteless.” Jack quipped.

“Since the song is more on the softer side, we don’t need complicated moves. Why not something graceful?” Deuce suggested. “Well, it doesn’t have to be too graceful, just have some grace in it.”

They five started throwing around more ideas while Ace and Sebek worked on the lyrics together.

•

Yuu walked into the studio, watching them practice. The hoops they had to jump through just to get Vil to allow them to use the room for practice… They shuddered at the thought.

“So, how’s my favorite idol group? Ah right, we should create a name for you all.” Yuu said, starting to brainstorm.

“We already decided. It’s UDrem.” said Jack, searching Yu’s face for approval.

“That’ll work. So, show me what you’ve got so far. You’ve been practicing singing while dancing right?”

“Yes. I made us a schedule actually. It was needed since we still need to keep up with classes and club activities.” said Jack, pulling out a small binder. “We also have it in our phones.”

“Wow Jack, such great leading. I don’t regret my decision.” Yuu smiled, looking in Ace’s direction. “So, first show me what you got and let’s talk the actual song you’ve got in development.”

Yuu watched, making notes. They finished their dance, looking to Yuu.

“This is most of it. I can’t seem to find the right move to really fit in.” Deuce explained. “Once I find it, it’ll be complete.”

“We can chat about that too. So, good job everyone. Now, there are some who could use a few one on one lessons. That’d be you two.” said Yuu, pointing at Epel and Sebek. “In terms of voice range… Deuce. We gotta work on that. And have you all been singing separate or together?”

“Separate for the most part.” Ace answered.

“That’s good, but alternate between solo and group. You all sounded like unsupervised animals when singing together.” Yuu said with a sigh. “Enough of tearing you all down, let’s see what lyrics you got.”

Sebek handed the notebook over.

“Ace and I had looked around both in person and online for inspiration. The others think it’s good so far. There was more I wanted to add now after watching us dance together.” Sebek said, watching Yuu’s face.

“I like it. It fits the theme. The chorus is especially good.” Yuu smiled. “Let me know when you’re all done so you all can start learning this song.”

“We’ll have it done by the end of the week.” Ace promised.

“Oh? Is that really enough time?”

“Plenty.”

“Then, I look forward to an exceptional song.” said Yuu before changing topics. “So the missing dance piece.”

They all talked, discussing their concerns and giving input. Yuu had long since butted out of the conversation, listening to them figure things out on their own. Even if they didn’t win, this experience would be enough. Kinda.

•

“Alright boys, it’s the big day! You worked your butts off for this day!” Yuu cheered.

“I didn’t think we’d get this far.” Ace said, looking at the others.

“I was sure you’d be the first to drop out, Ace.” Sebek said.

“Well I proved your ass wrong didn’t I?” Ace smirked.

“Your outfits look so good… It was definitely worth asking Malleus for help…” Yuu muttered, admiring their handiwork. “Ah, it’s almost time. I’ll be cheering in the crowd. I’ll be pretty easy to spot.”

“Eh, what’s that…?” Deuce questioned.

“It’s UDrem’s official lightstick! Made it myself. Mostly.” Yuu said, shaking it happily. “Now the banner I made with my two hands.”

“We can tell.” they said in unison.

Yuu rolled their eyes before seeing them off. The audience murmured, wondering what in the world was UDrem and what they were doing. Everyone looked up, seeing a spotlight had come on, highlighting Epel in his outfit.

“Is that Epel?”

“Woah, he looks kinda cool.”

“Yasashiku nante suruna yo nigate nan da. Nogarerarenai wakare ga tsuraku naru.”

The audience listened, seeing another spotlight come on, revealing…

“Sebek. What a w-”

The audience was silenced, hearing Sebek bellow out. His voice mixing in with Epel’s was…

“Hontou wa… Kubisuji o amaku kande akai chi to tawamuretai. Honnou ga sakebu no ni tae tsuzuketeitan da.”

Yuu excitedly waved their makeshift lightstick, seeing all of their hard work pay off as the rest joined them on stage, singing along with them.

“Hey, you know anything about UDrem…?” a student asked, looking at Yuu with merchandise of some sort.

“Know them? I raised them!” Yuu said happily, reaching into their bag. “Lightstick?”

The student looked at it before graciously accepting it, joining Yuu in their silent cheering. Students behind them took notice of the glowing objects looming in front of them. Yuu soon found themselves having passed out all the light sticks they made, the last five for the boys themselves. So they had to resort giving away their not so well made banners.

“Hikari abiru kouen kimi to aruite mitai. Yuujou to iu kibou nano ka aijou to iu sukui nano ka. Kurayami terashiteru kanjou de mune ga itai.”

“Wow, you can clearly see who the main focus is. The others don’t get in the way…”

“Sebek and Epel’s stare was much too intense for me… Ah, my nerves…”

It was time for the short dance break. Would they kill it or beef it? Yuu tightly held the lightstick, watching them intensely. So far so good. It came time for Ace to stand out.

“WOOHOO! Go UDrem!” Yuu shouted, now out of their seat and unable to hold back.

“Nodo ga kawaku hodo ni kokoro wa uruotta kara. Yasashiku hibiku kimi no neiki ni. Boku wa kodoku o osore hajimeru.”

The spotlights slowly faded out on the others before Epel moved forward, delivering his last line.

“Hito ni kabureta jibun o warai. Kurayami no naka hitori aruki dasu.”

Epel clasped his hands before turning his back to the audience before the spotlight went out. Yuu was surprised to hear so many people clapping along with them. Their idea was right on the money.

More students performed, but Yuu was busy rushing to the back to congratulate the first years.

“You guys were better than expected!” Yuu exclaimed, handing them the light sticks. “I couldn’t save any banners. People were suddenly interested in the stuff I made.”

“You know, this idol thing wasn’t too bad of an idea.” Sebek said, cooling himself down with magic.

“I don’t want to admit it but, it tops what I had in mind…” Deuce chuckled.

“Alright, I bugged you all enough. I’ll return to my seat. Ah, I just feel so proud…!”

“You’re embarrassing us…” Jack commented, feeling squeamish.

Yuu had returned to their seat, watching a student balance heavy objects on their body. They couldn’t stop thinking about the first years. It was such a good performance.

•

“We’re happy to announce the winners for today’s talent show! Ah, isn’t everyone here talented? Why have a show and-”

“Cut the crap bird man!”

“Just tell us the top three like you usually do.”

“Tough crowd…” Crowley mumbled before taking out the results.

Yuu was worried since they weren’t called for 4th-10th place. Maybe they didn’t make the cut.

“And our first place winner… UDrem!”

Yuu was bummed. They didn’t… win? Yuu looked up, seeing them shuffle over and hold the trophy together. They won. They couldn’t believe it. They won!

“Can we invite someone on stage to bask in glory with us?” Epel asked.

“Of course.”

They extended their hands before calling out to Yuu in unison. Yuu was moved to tears. They walked over to the stage, taking their hands as they lifted them up.

“It was this crazy’s idea of doing an idol thing.” Ace said, nudging Yuu.

“Without Yuu, we probably would’ve done something lame. So…”

“Thank you, Yuu.” they said together.

“This is your trophy too.” said Jack, having Yuu stand in the middle as their photo was taken.

Some of the audience started chanting UDrem.

“Just a disclaimer, UDrem only existed for today. The idol life isn’t for us.”

“We want UDrem to not disband!” a student yelled.

A chorus of agreements could be heard throughout the room. Yuu looked at them, wondering what they’d do.

“Seriously, we can’t. We’ve got classes and homework and club activities…” Jack said, feeling a bit bad.

“Well, I’m willing to consider UDrem as a replacement for your current club activities.” Crowley said, hoping it’d lessen the burden. “I myself would like to see more of UDrem.”

The five huddled together, talking things out.

“We’ll do it. BUT! On two conditions.” said Jack, doing his role as leader.

“And that is?”

“One, we get exclusive rights to things we’d need like a training room and a place to record. The important stuff. Two, give us the right to do performances in other places and not be docked points for missing classes.”

“Wow, you really know how to haggle. I suppose it wouldn’t be too much of a problem, but! I’ll be limiting how many you can do within a month.” Crowley said. “Can’t have you missing too many classes.”

The six of them cheered, giving high fives all around.


	332. Leona: Tough little brother

He didn’t want to be back. He didn’t like this place. Though, he couldn’t really decline since it was Nikita who asked.

“Ugh, it’s you.”

“Don’t be like that lil’ bro. I love getting to see you.”

“Kami sama please end my life.” Leona begged.

“Always so dramatic, haha. You know who’s been asking for you?”

“Don’t say C-”

“UNCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEE!”

Sweet mother of jesus. He dodged out of the way, letting Cheka fall on his face. Cheka wasn’t deterred, instantly clinging to his back as they headed further inside.

“Is Nikita out today?”

“Yep. So Cheka and I are holding down the fort ‘til she comes back, right?”

“Right!” Cheka giggled.

They passed under the arch, entering the dining room.

“How about we cook together for old times sake?”

“I really don’t want to.”

“Come on Leona. Grant us this for not coming home more often.” Farena said, holding his hands.

“Will you stop bugging me if I do?”

“Yes.” Farena lied.

Leona sighed, following Farena to the kitchen.

•

Nikita had come home, tired of having to deal with people. She ascended the stairs, noticing it was rather quiet. That was unusual. She stopped by Cheka’s room, not seeing him in it. She looked in their room, seeing the three boys huddled together watching a movie. It was always heart warming seeing them together.

“Am I allowed to join this family bonding?” Nikita joked, making her way over.

“You’re back. Tell us all about your day.” Farena said, opening his arms.

Cheka squeezed himself between his parents and uncle, wanting to be with both. They listened as Nikita complained, seeing she needed a break. They started the movie again after catching her up on what already happened.

•

“Dinner time, dinner time!” Cheka said happily, sitting next to Leona who promptly moved away. “Uncle…?”

“Leona, behave.” Nikita warned.

Leona sighed, allowing Cheka to sit next to him. They were served their meals. They gave thanks to their deities before digging in.

“Cheka, what did I say about talking with your mouth full?” Farena said, knowing Nikita would get mad.

Cheka chewed and swallowed, apologizing for his behavior. Leona pushes his food around, wishing they didn’t include vegetables. It ruined the entire meal.

“Are you not going to eat?” Nikita asked.

“I am. Sorry.”

Leona started to eat, seeing the vegetables didn’t taste like vegetables at all. What was it made out of?

“Make sure you save room for dessert! Nikita has it specially ordered just for today.” said Farena, not expecting to see Cheka get this excited. “Hey, it’s for your uncle mostly.”

“But I love sweets!”

Farena gave him a look. Cheka piped down, finishing his dinner. They looked, seeing Leona was coughing a lot. Farena was the first to get up and check on him.

“Is it a new allergy?”

Leona shook his head, unable to stop scratching his neck. Nikita had gotten up, telling a servant to take Cheka back to his room while they dealt with the problem. They asked a few more questions, trying to get part of the story.

•

Nikita silently watched as Farena continued to pace around. He was going to tire himself out but nothing she said or did made him stop. Though, she couldn’t blame him. For Leona to be poisoned right under their noses, especially someone you love…

“Fara, at least sit down. He’s going to be okay.” said Nikita, forcing him to sit.

“I don’t know that. He’s been in there for hours and we still can’t see him! Nita, this is driving me insane. I-”

“I know, I know. Leona’s your tough little brother. He’s not going to let himself die such a pitiful death. Believe in him.” said Nikita softly. “As soon as we hear he’s okay, we can investigate.”

“Why would they do this? Why? Sure, Leona doesn’t have the best personality, but to go this far just to get rid of him? For what? Don’t they know they just doomed their lives?” Farena said, getting angrier by the second.

Nikita kept quiet, knowing exactly how he was feeling. She may not have known Leona his entire life like Farena, but she knew him long enough to know he wasn’t bad at all. Just closed off to the world.

“Kingscholars.”

They looked at the doctor with hopeful eyes.

“He’s in stable condition. All of the poison is gone.”

Nikita held Farena, listening to him bawl like a child. The doctor smiled, loving getting to deliver good news to anxious families.

“Come on, Fara. I’m sure he’d like to see us.”

They entered Leona’s room, seeing he was conscious. Farena left Nikita’s arms, tightly hugging his little brother. Leona was naturally disgusted by the action. Nikita left for a moment, knowing Leona only showed emotion around Farena.

“I’m so happy… I don’t know what I’d do if you…” Farena wept, burying his face in Leona’s hair.

Farena felt Leona hug him back. He pulled away, only for Leona to hide his face. He was being shy.

“I was scared…” Leona whispered, his ears bending in sadness. “It hurt…”

“I’m always going to be here for you, as your older brother and as your closest friend.” Farena replied, nuzzling Leona.

Nikita knocked on the door, giving Leona a bit of a warning before she entered.

“So, hows our patient?” Nikita asked, seeing he was stone faced. “Aw, don’t be like that. Fara was crying his eyes out when you were brought here.”

“You always were a big baby.” Leona sneered, acting awesome if he didn’t just act like one himself.

“I can’t help it. I love you too much…” Farena said, rubbing Leona’s arm. “We’ll bring Cheka to come see you later, okay?”

“Anything but that.”

“Are you complaining?” Nikita asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No ma'am.”

“Good. Get better, okay?”

Leona grunted, hearing them leave. He let his real emotions show, feeling warm and fuzzy from being visited. They really did care about him.


	333. Great Seven: We Are

“Ugh, whose bright idea was it to bring me out of slumber?”

“At least you’re can’t die, Hades.”

“What can I say? Being a god has it perks. You know, badabing, badaboom.”

“Where are we anyway…”

Maleficent created light, giving everyone sight.

“Hm, some kind of dungeon?” Maleficent said, taking note of her surroundings. “Is this a coffin?”

“Why are you surprised? We all died at some point.”

“Watch your tongue, Queen of Hearts.”

“Let’s not argue amongst ourselves, Ursula. Are we all here? Hades?” Maleficent asked, calling out.

“‘Sup.”

“Jafar?”

“I’m here.”

“Scar?”

“We’re all here. Can we just get out of here?” Scar replied, wanting to bask in the sun.

Maleficent had a light show them the way out. They shielded their eyes, not having been exposed to sun for ages.

“A school…?”

“It looks like we’re drawing attention.” Jafar pointed out.

They kept moving, earning wide stares from the students nearby. The Queen of Hearts stopped a student, deciding to figure out what was going on.

“Where are we?”

“Night Raven College.” the student squeaked.

“Tell us more.”

The student was shaking, the Great Seven surrounding him.

“Umm… uh… ah… T- This school is founded o- on your greatest!” the student said, stuttering as he explained more. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“Hurt you? We wouldn’t dream of it, youth.” said Ursula, one of her tentacles wrapping around him. “So there are different forms founded on one of us. What’s yours, sweetie?”

The student pointed to the Evil Queen.

“How touched I am. You certainly are a pretty thing, but you haven’t reached beautiful. Such a far cry.”

The student bowed, watching them leave. He quickly updated his friends about what happened, only to be called crazy. He didn’t want to be rude and take a picture without their permission.

•

They located the hall of mirrors that several students had mentioned to them. Each were pretty intrigued by the designs.

“So they still use mirrors to transport between places.” Maleficent commented, looking at the Diasomnia emblem. “For those of you who don’t know, you can travel through certain mirrors, like these.”

“How convenient.” the Queen of Hearts said, going through.

The others did the same.

Grimhilde looked around, admiring the sight. It wasn’t too bad. Pomefiroe students weren’t sure if they were allowed to look and gawk. They didn’t want to be rude and look away.

“What’s all this talk about the Beautiful Queen? She’s long since been dead.”

“Tell that to her, dorm leader.” a student said, pointing behind him.

Vil looked, seeing Grimhilde judging the fencing of the dorm. He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn’t seeing things. It was really her in the flesh. He suddenly didn’t know how to act. She looked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Surely there isn’t someone fairer than me.” she said, walking towards him.

“Certainly not. My beauty pales in comparison to yours.” Vil said, loosening his hair.

“You seem to know your place. I admire that.” she said with an amused smile. “Chin up, child. You have promise.”

“To hear it from you personally reassured me I’m going down the right path.” said Vil, lifting his head. “If it’s okay, may I ask something of the beautiful and great Beautiful Queen?”

“You may.”

“How are you… alive?”

“That I cannot answer for I don’t know myself. I was suddenly able to move like a living being with the others.” she explained, still trying to figure it out herself.

“Others?”

“What do you all call us? Ah yes, the Great Seven. They were with me in my awakening. I don’t know exactly how long I’ll have a living body, but it is nice to see how time has come so far. Pray tell, what is that rectangular thing?” asked Grimhilde, taking a student’s phone.

“I wouldn’t mind telling you all that has changed since your time. If anything has stayed the same…” said Vil before using magic. “Magic.”

“You child, are very intriguing. I’ll allow it.”

The other Pomefiore students clapped, knowing only Vil could gain approval from the Beautiful Queen herself.

•

“Let me get this straight. You’re the leader yet no one respects you?”

“Yes…?”

“Oh boy, do I have a story for you.” said Hades, getting comfortable on Idia’s bed.

“Big brother, is he really the God of the Unworld…?” Ortho whispered as Hades went on about how he hardly got any respect for his own job. “He talks fast like you…”

“He’s even cooler in the flesh…” Idia said with sparkling eyes like a child.

“Ugh, anyway Zeus is an ass. So, who’s this little guy?” Hades asked, having noticed Ortho’s presence.

“This is Ortho, my little brother. I built him.”

“Really? That’s quite some intelligence you got there.” said Hades, inspecting Ortho all over. “So, what do you do?”

“I can do just about anything! Though, it depends what gear I’m wearing.” Ortho said, smiling with his eyes. “Big brother really is a genius!”

“Heh, I like you two.”

Ortho and Idia exchanged smiles.

“So, what other, what was it called again? Gears? Yeah, what else you got.”

Idia and Ortho quickly started pulling parts out, wanting to wow him.

•

Azul listened attentively as Ursula gave him advice about how to make his contracts not seem so shady and make extremely tempting offers.

“But, you already seem to have quite the grasp on how to make things work, kiddo.”

“Of course! I studied everything I could about you and how you did business!” Azul said, trying not to get excited.

“So, who are those two creepily watching us?” she asked, having noticed them ages ago.

“Ah, just two idiots who keep hanging around me. They’re merfolk too.” Azul said, not wanting to talk about them.

“Hey, you two. Have a seat.”

Azul looked, not used to seeing the two of them look so stiff. Were they dazzled by her as well?

“So, I take it you’re both eels, morays to be exact.” said Ursula, sliding Jade closer with a tentacle.

“Y- Yes. How did you know?”

“Eh, I just have an eye for these things. Looking at you two makes me miss my own morays. Shame they didn’t come back with me. They would’ve loved to horse around with you two.”

“Azul is an octopus just like you! You’re both squishy and delicious looking!” Floyd said, smiling happily.

“Now I see what you mean.” Ursula whispered to Azul who shook his head in embarrassment. “Anyway, you two better take care of this promising octopus. Take him for granted and you’ll find yourself being crushed under his heel.”

“Yes ma'am.” they said in unison, still starstruck.

•

Trey dragged Riddle out of hiding while the others interacted with the estates Queen of Hearts.

“Come… on…! Haven’t you always wanted to meet her?” Trey fussed, prying Riddle’s fingers off the wall.

“I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of her! One slip up and…”

Trey sighed heavily, forcefully pulling Riddle out and throwing him over his shoulder.

“Your highness, there’s someone who’s looked up to you ever since he could comprehend words.” said Trey, setting Riddle down. “He even has all 810 laws memorized.”

“Really? Let’s test your knowledge then.”

Riddle was a nervous wreck. The others naturally wanted to make fun of him but were aware of how important this was to him. So they encouraged him instead.

Riddle has finished reciting and explaining each law. She gave him an approving nod. Riddle collapsed to the ground, his body finally giving out.

“I like him.” she laughed, picking him up. “You could definitely take my place and rule with an iron fist.”

Riddle gave her a weary smile, having regained some life.

“So, what are you to him?” she asked, looking at Trey. “Yeah you, glasses boy.”

“Just a childhood friend. Older by a year.” Trey said, wondering why she wanted to know.

“Take care of each other, especially this little one. He might get in over his head.”

 _“If only she knew…”_ they thought in unison.

•

Students of Savanaclaw cheered, watching the lions brawl. Ruggie kept Jack seated, making it obvious that he was cheering for Scar.

“He’s got nothing on the King of Beasts!” Ruggie shouted, half of Savanaclaw shouting in agreement. “He’s just a lazy, pampered prince with no motivation!”

“Shut it hyena!” Leona yelled, tired of hearing him.

Ruggie laughed, seeing the fight was just about over. Everyone cheered, seeing Scar was victorious.

Ruggie hopped off of Jack, watching him hurry over to Leona while he took his time. Leona pushes Jack away, growling in displeasure.

“How did it feel to get your ass handed to you?” Ruggie asked, handing Leona a tissue.

“Shut up. I can beat him.”

“You lost three times. Give it up. He’s the real deal. You’re just a sad copy.”

Leona hit Ruggie, storming off. Jack shook his head, seeing it coming from a mile away.

“Leaving already? The little hyena really was onto something then.” Scar chuckled. “Though, I admit being lazy feels good sometimes.”

“Once I get rest, I’m challenging you again.”

“Oh? You’ve got spirit. How admirable. Yet you continue with the same tactics. Can you really call yourself the leader with such strategies?” asked Scar, lying down.

“I will surpass you! Just wait!”

“No you won’t!” Ruggie shouted before running away.

“Such lively children. Reminds me of my nephew when he was young.”

“King of Beasts?”

“Hm? Oh, aren’t you a rarity? What is it, wolf child?”

“Is it alright if I ask questions?”

“Go ahead. I can’t guarantee I’ll answer them though.”

Jack’s tail wagged as he sat down while Leona continued to chase Ruggie.

•

Kalim looked back and forth, wondering if either were going to speak. It was amusing seeing them mimic each other but then it started getting old.

“You’ve been staring at each other in silence ever since he arrived. Just say something, anything!” Kalim fussed.

“How did you come back to life?”

“Can’t say.”

Kalim blinked, seeing they had gone back to staring in silence. Were they just communicating? He couldn’t tell.

“That’s it?”

“Were you alone?”

“With the others. What do you call us?”

“Great Seven.”

“Yes, them.”

Kalim couldn’t stand it, so he left to take a breather. Once Kalim was out of earshot, the two started cracking up.

“It seems you were right.” Jafar said. “He reminds me terribly of the idiot sultan I served.”

“How did you even manage until your uprising?”

“Careful planning and plotting. And patience. A whole lot.”

Jamil nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

“Though, how were you able to communicate with me like that?”

“Sorcery at its finest, lad.”

“Is it difficult to learn?”

“For someone of your caliber? Not too difficult. Ah, he’s coming back.”

Kalim had come back, seeing they were simply sitting together in silence. He had already asked his questions, so why couldn’t Jamil? He was a fairly reasonable guy.

“Alright, I’m going on ahead, Jamil. Hopefully you’ll ask what you want to.”

The two cracked up again, loving how easily tricked he was.

“So, would you like to learn now?” Jafar asked, giving him a look.

“Why is that a question? I’m willing to learn anything if it means I can agitate him from the shadows even more.”

“How nasty… I like it.”

Jamil smiled, internalizing his praise.

•

“How interesting…”

Diasomnia students simply watched or kept going about their business as if this was something that happened regularly. Students passing by greeted her formally before going about their business.

“Excuse me, who is the leader here?”

“I believe it would be your grandson, you’re highness.”

She raised an eyebrow, wondering why in the world would her own grandson be in such a place.

“Your highness!”

“Vanrouge? You’re here in this school?” Maleficent asked.

“Yes. I accompanied your grandson here so he could learn more about humans before inheriting the throne.” Lilia explained before straightening up. “The question is, why are you here in the school?”

“Even we Great Seven don’t know. But is he really here? I haven’t seen him since before I passed on…”

“Grandma?”

“Malleus.”

Everyone felt moved by the touching moment. Malleus hugged Maleficent tight, thanking whatever force brought her back to him.

“You act like you haven’t seen me in ages.” she chuckled, patting his head.

“I miss you… I had so much fun with you…” Malleus whispered, not wanting to let go.

“That makes me happy to hear. I’m glad to see you’re doing well and expanding your knowledge. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve learned since I’ve been gone.”

Malleus smiled happily, pulling her over to a seat. Lilia sighed, his heart warming.

“So that’s his grandmother…”

“Yes, Silver. It’s definitely her, but as to how she’s alive right now…” Lilia said, narrowing his eyes. “I don’t like it one bit.”

“Aren’t you happy to see her again?”

Lilia nodded, deciding to let it go and let her enjoy her time with Malleus. It had been a long time since they were together. They could figure it out once everyone was asleep.


	334. Great Seven: We are (cont.)

Vil watch Grimhilde look around the Pomefiore dorm. Would she approve?

“It’s not great.” she finally said, having looked everywhere. “But it’s enough.”

“We’re certainly honored to hear that straight from the Beautiful Queen herself.”

“You flatter me.”

“My apologies.” said Vil.

“You, what’s your name?”

“Vil, miss.”

“Not a very fetching name. Your parents have poor taste.”

Vil didn’t comment. He really looked up to the Beautiful Queen, but he liked his parents enough not to talk bad about them, even if it was to win her over. Vil continued to listen and watch. The more he observed, the more she started to seem like his mother, but stronger.

“You’ve been awful quite child. What’s on your mind?”

“My apologies, mother.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ah… I’ve gotten my words mixed up. I was thinking about how my mother is like you in some ways, but naturally you are the best.” said Vil. “I didn’t intend to speak in such a manner.”

“Vil. You are definitely something. Your dedication to please me is intriguing. There must be something you want from me.” Grimhilde stated.

“Only your wisdom and guidance in the ways of being beautiful.”

“I suppose I could tell you a few things.” she said with a smirk.

Vil smiled, excited to learn.

•

“You’re doing it all wrong. You grab it, yank it then you throw it at whomever.”

The four stifled their laughter as Riddle struggled. Cater posted pics and videos on his Magicam.

“You really are weak. How sad.”

“I-”

“Moving on! It’s no one’s birthday today, right?”

“It is…” Riddle said, going through his mental list.

“Really? How boring. We can still play croquet. Come on!”

They followed, watching Riddle being dragged along. Trey couldn’t help but get a sense of deja vu. Where had he seen this before?

They watched as Riddle started playing against the Queen of Hearts. More students came, curious as to what was going on. Trey was still searching his memory bank while the Queen of Hearts continued to destroy Riddle and have a good laugh.

Trey had finally realized it when Riddle had blurted out. Everyone was looking at him, even the Queen of Hearts.

“I- I didn’t… mean it…” Riddle said, getting quieter.

It wasn’t his fault. She was being overbearing just like his mother.

“What’s the wait for? It’s your turn.” she said unphased.

Riddle took his turn, still feeling embarrassed. The Heartslabyul students were definitely not going to let him live it down.

•

“You know kid, these games are pretty fun.”

“It’s such an honor to hear that…” Idia said, looking at Hades like a star struck kid.

“So, you never go out?”

“Rarely. My room makes me feel safe. Just the thought of people looking at me makes me want to hide.”

“Wow. I don’t feel bad for you at all. To think you’re the leader of the dorm founded on me. You need to get a grip kid. You’re gonna end up blaming things on everything when you have no one to blame but yourself.”

“What do you know?” Idia frowned.

“Enough. I’m a god kiddo. I’ve been around way longer than mostly everything in this era. Being anxious about everything is gonna hinder your growth. I don’t like wimps.”

Idia was appalled. What happened to the cool, awesome, OP as fuck God of the underworld he idolized? Why was he giving him life lessons?

“Stop being my dad.”

“Yeah, whatever. Hey, where’s your little robot friend?”

“Here!” Ortho said, bursting into the room.

“Good. We’re gonna turn your brother into not a shut in.”

“Yay!”

“No!”

“Listen to your father young man.” Hades joked.

Idia let his head collide with his desk.

•

Kalim sat, once more watching Jafar and Jamil. Everyone swears the two of them do nothing but talk about curses and incantations but yet when he’s around, they’re deathly quiet. Kalim narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher what was going on.

“Jamil?”

“Yes?”

“Are you two going to talk?”

“But we are though… He was just telling me about the time he tricked the sultan into giving him an entire week off. It’s highly informative.”

“But your lips aren’t moving!”

“Have you ever felt so close to someone that all you need are just your eyes to communicate?”

“T- That’s a thing…?” Kalim asked, completely falling for Jamil’s lie.

“But of course. Go try it with someone.”

Kalim nodded, heading off. They burst into laughter, unbelieving that it actually worked.

“Jafar, you are just as how I imagined you to be. It’s not often I feel this way, but I’m awstriken…” Jamil said, looking at him with admiration.

“What a tongue you have. How dangerous.” Jafar said with interest.

“I simply tell what others want to hear. It’s always fun striking from the shadows.”

The two continued to bond.

“Dad.”

All was silent in the room.

“Wow, awkward.” Jamil muttered, wanting to hide. “Guess it’s true when you sometimes think of other things and blurt it out…”

“I wouldn’t mind having a genius like you as a child.”

“I’m not sure how to feel about that, but I’ll take it.”

The door opened, revealing a dejected Kalim.

“Jamil, it didn’t work. Silver wasn’t understanding me!”

“Were you looking deep into his eyes.”

“No…”

“Then that’s the problem.”

“Try again, little one.” said Jafar.

Kalim left with new resolve. He was really too easy.

•

Azul watched as Ursula easily tricked Jade. His eyes were sparkling.

“And that’s really all it is. Oh honey, I can’t understand you.” Ursula said while chuckling. “You want your voice? Convince your friend here.”

Azul looked at Jade who seemed extremely peeved. Floyd walked in, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Jade.”

Jade turned around, making hand signs.

“Huh? Why can’t you speak?”

“He’s in here, eel twin.” said Ursula, shaking a bottle.

Sure enough, there was a teal light floating around inside.

“Hey, what did he do wrong? Give back his voice.”

“We’re just having a little fun. Right Jade?”

Jade wasn’t. He badly wanted to curse the living hell out of Azul for suggesting _he_ be the guinea pig. Azul looked at Jade.

“He doesn’t seem like he wants it back.”

Now Jade was concerned. Floyd frowned heavily, not used to seeing his brother beg. Ursula finally gave his voice back, Azul having a hella good time. Jade bit down hard on his tongue, knowing the second he opened his mouth, he’d be in for a a lot worse.

“Jade, you okay?”

“I suppose. Surprisingly, losing my voice didn’t hurt…” Jade said, the only thing he was impressed about.

“When you’re at my level, doing things like taking someone’s voice is a piece of cake.”

Azul was spellbound. The Sea Witch really was everything he’s ever heard about. He started to wish he was a descendent of hers. Imagine the possibilities of his magic potency.

“Hey, Sea Witch.”

“Ursula.”

“Miss Ursula, are you so strong that you could control lots of people at once?” Floyd asked.

“Child’s play. I could do that and take a little something from them.” she laughed. “But I’m not feeling up to it right now.”

“Would you like some tea, mom?”

“Say that again sweetheart?”

“Would- Oh.”

“Yikes.” Floyd mumbled.

Azul awkwardly cleared his throat, quickly leaving the room.

“What’s with him?” Ursula asked, looking at the eels.

“Who knows? There’s always something wrong with him.” Jade replied, finding the situation rather amusing.

•

Ruggie couldn’t stop laughing. Leona threw pillows at him before picking up a chair. Ruggie ran out the door, hearing the chair collide with it.

“Ruggie senpai!”

“If you’re asking about Leona, he’s in there. Be careful though. I may or may not have upset him.”

“Tell me something new…” Jack mumbled.

Jack stepped in, followed by Ruggie.

“Leona senpai.”

“What?”

“It’s not as bad as you think.”

Leona was now facing him, clearly angry and embarrassed.

“We all make mistakes. I accidentally called Ruggie senpai my little brother’s name before.” Jack said.

“And I’ve accidentally called you a lazy ass bum.”

“No you haven’t.”

“I’m pretty sure I have…” Ruggie said with a thoughtful look.

Jack clamped a hand over Ruggie’s mouth, seeing he wasn’t going to make anything better.

“I’m sure the King of Beasts was flattered to hear you call him dad.”

“Don’t mention that.” Leona snarled.

“But-”

Jack sighed, seeing Leona was too angry to listen properly. Ruggie moved Jack’s hand.

“Is the world going to end just because you called him dad? No. Get over yourself for fucks sake man.”

Jack expected Leona to lash out but instead he just lied down.

“He’ll be back to normal after a nap.” said Ruggie. “I had this handled yet you had to stick your ugly mug in it.”

“You were practically insulting him!”

“That’s how we roll.”

“That’s not how you should roll though…” Jack mumbled, walking out with Ruggie.“

•

Malleus leaned against her, missing being held by her. All his worries and concerns melted away, only focused on the current moment. He started to feel more at ease, feeling her fingers going through his hair. Many times he’s been lulled to sleep this way, but he didn’t want to this time. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could.

"Grandmother…”

“Yes child?”

“Were you lonely?”

Maleficent looked at Malleus who still had his eyes closed.

“No.”

She didn’t want to worry him. Of course she was lonely. Death wasn’t something to look forward to. She felt Malleus shift, now looking at her.

“I’m not a child anymore. You don’t have to hide things from me.” said Malleus, holding her hand. “Your feelings have always been important to me.”

Ah. Her mind often went between past and present, sometimes making her mistake her grandson as a young child when she last saw him.

“Forgive me. I’ve been deceased for ages. My old memories are mixing together with current ones.” apologized Maleficent. “I suppose you can say I’m lonely. But I was also dead, so I didn’t really have feelings anymore.”

“That makes sense. But if it’ll console the feelings of the you now, I’ll always make time to visit your grave.”

“How sweet of you, but I’d rather you spent that extra time learning more about the world around you.”

“Grandmother…”

“Ever since you were born, I knew from the start you were different from us, and not in the sense that you’re more dragon than a thorn fairy. There’s something only you can offer to the world that your father and I couldn’t. And if traveling the world and experiencing new things is the key to unlock it, I want that to happen.” Maleficent explained, squeezing his hand

Malleus hugged her, hiding his face from sight.

“Your tears will make your makeup run and stain my clothes.” she scolded despite holding him close.

“You’re always supporting me… Even when I thought I didn’t need it…” Malleus whimpered, tightening his grip.

“Because I believe in you, even when you make obvious foolish mistakes. We aren’t perfect.”

That sent Malleus into uncontrollable sobbing. Maleficent shook her head, patting his back in comfort.


	335. Draconias: Be not afraid

“Are you sure it’s okay? We don’t have to go so soon.”

“I raised you, didn’t I?”

“Hey little guy…”

Malleus looked at his father listening to him and his mother talk.

“Have fun with grandma, okay?” he said, tickling his tummy.

Malleus hit his nose before giggling.

“Remember, mommy and daddy loves you. We’ll be back before you know it.” his mother said, kissing his forehead.

Malleus watched them leave. Maleficent expected him to cry, but he was surprisingly calm. Maybe it was a good idea to have him spend the morning with mostly her than his parents.

“Malleus, shall we learn a little today?”

“Buu…?”

“No? Would a story be a good starting point?”

“Nnnn.”

“You sir are such a haggler.” she chuckled, placing kisses on his face. “Alright, I’ll settle for games.”

“Aaa!”

She shook her head, hoping he wouldn’t do this when he got older. Malleus played with her robes, never tiring of them.

Malleus was placed on the floor while Maleficent grabbed some toys. Malleus grunted, trying to move his little body. Maleficent turned around, seeing he vanished.

“Malleus?”

“Aaa!”

“Malleus!”

Malleus giggled as Maleficent searched around the room. She couldn’t find him. He couldn’t have gotten far without her knowing.

“Eeeee!”

“Malleus, grandma isn’t sure we should play this game. You might get hurt.”

She didn’t hear Malleus anymore. Did he leave or was he preoccupied?

“Malleus?”

Things in the room started to move and change. She looked behind a door. No Malleus. She looked in between, seeing Malleus had squeezed himself in. She carefully pulled him out, scolding him for his actions. She frowned, seeing he started to cry.

“Malleus, you can’t get upset for doing something bad. I want you to be safe and grow up with a good head on your shoulders.” Maleficent said, petting him. “So stop those tears or no games.”

Malleus’ lip trembled as tears continued to leave his eyes. He leaned against her, earning chuckles from her.

“You don’t want to play anymore?”

“Buu.”

“Alright, then let’s play.”

•

Maleficent put Malleus down for a nap, seeing he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He’d probably be out for hours, even after when his parents came back.

“Your highness.”

“Vanrouge. It’s always a treat seeing you.” said Maleficent, enjoying a meal.

“It’s nothing dire. Just seeing if you needed anything. Just because you don’t rule anymore doesn’t make you any less important.”

Maleficent laughed, finding Lilia endearing.

“I’m alright. I’m having a delightful time with my grandson who’s now sleeping peacefully. Hopefully.” said Maleficent with a smile.

“Do take care if you plan to go out. They say it’s supposed to rain.” Lilia said, bowing to her.

“Hm, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Lilia decided to keep her company, seeing some idle chatter would do them both good. Maleficent finished her meal, seeing it was starting to rain. There went her plans to stroll.

“You look disheartened. Were you hoping to go out?” Lilia asked, knowing her subtle looks.

“Strolls in the rain aren’t any fun. Plus my clothes will get wet.” she complained, letting out a sigh. “I suppose I can do some things I’ve had in my list.”

They looked up, hearing faint thunder. She looked to Lilia who shook his head, not expecting it either.

“What time are they supposed to come back again?”

“In a few hours. Do you think he’ll start missing them when he wakes?”

“Hopefully not… It’ll be hell calming him down.” Maleficent said, seeing Malleus was kind of like his father when he was a baby.

More thunder sounded, getting louder as the storm came closer. If Malleus was anything like her son, thunder should be the least of his worries.

Lilia noticed her face.

“Your highness, something is making you uncomfortable…”

“Really? I don’t feel that way though.”

“Certain?”

She pursed her lips before getting up. Lilia followed behind, wondering what was making her uncomfortable. She picked up her pace, her subtle uncertainty growing.

She neared Malleus’ room, instantly hearing it.

“Malleus!”

Malleus wailed loudly, more thunder sounding throughout the room. She picked him up, holding him close, bouncing him up and down.

“It’s okay, grandma’s here. Don’t cry, don’t cry… You aren’t alone anymore…” she whispered, plugging his ears.

Malleus whimpered, crying into her shoulder. She gently rubbed his back, moving out of the room to muffle the sound of thunder as much as possible. She saw he was starting to calm down, now opting to sway with him in her arms.

“Feeling better? No? Not even a little…?”

“Nnnn…”

“Woukd kisses from grandma help?” she asked, kissing his forehead.

Malleus clung to her tighter, her voice calming and her warmth comforting. He was safe now. He didn’t have to worry because she was here. He relaxed, closing his eyes.

“Is he alright?”

“It seems the poor thing can’t handle thunder like his father. I suppose that’s where they differ.” Maleficent mumbled, starting to walk around and avoiding places with a lot of windows. “Remind me to let his parents know.”

“Of course.” said Lilia, looking at the sleeping prince. _“How cute…”_


	336. Vanrouges: Wildlife

“Picnic, picnic!” Silver cheered happily, swinging their joined hands back and forth.

“Someone’s very excited.”

“Picnic, picnic! Picnic with Daddy and Horny!” Silver grinned, running ahead.

“Horny…”

“It’ll take some time.” Lilia sighed, watching Silver circle back to them. “I made your favorite foods!”

“Daddy’s the best!” Silver exclaimed, jumping onto him.

They finally reached the picnic spot. Silver bounced in his seat, watching Lilia pull containers out while Malleus gave him sanitizer. The three of them started to eat, enjoying the small amount of nature around them. Silver noticed there were small animals watching them. Did they want food too?

“Silver, what did I say about feeding the wildlife?”

“Don’t feed the wildlife…” Silver mumbled, turning back around.

“Don’t be too upset. We still have our fun activities planned.” said Lilia, hoping he’d feel better.

Silver nodded, eating in silence. They never understood the little one’s fascination with the wild animals and his urges to care for them. They could only hope it’d disappear when he got older.

Malleus and Lilia wrapped up before starting their first activity. Silver searched around trees, trying to be the first to find a mushroom. Lilia and Malleus did the same, warning Silver not to wander too far.

Lilia saw they had collected enough, moving onto their next activity. Silver walked ahead of them as Lilia and Malleus chatted. A squirrel had scampered out, catching Silver’s attention. He followed it, wanting to hold it.

“Come back squirrel!”

It continued to scamper away, separating him from Lilia and Malleus. It finally climbed a tree before disappearing. Silver sighed, wondering if he scared it. He looked around, seeing he was alone. He stepped back some before feeling air beneath his foot. Silver tumbled back, falling and getting further from his guardians.

Silver came to, seeing nothing but tree leaves about him. He sat up, seeing he was in the woods. He was alone. He properly assessed his situation before thinking of the necessary steps to take. A few curious animals scampered out, intrigued by the human child.

“Where am I?”

The animals stared at him. They didn’t understand his language. Silver’s lip trembled. Lilia didn’t teach him animal languages yet. What was he going to do now? He got to his feet, seeing he’d have to keep moving on his own. As long as he went north, he’d be okay. The animals followed behind him.

Silver had only gotten so far before he felt sleepy. He lied down on the ground, giving into his body’s sudden demand for sleep. Animals circled him, wondering what he was doing.

•

Silver opened his eyes, seeing a deer staring him right in the face. They had a staring contest before the deer backed up, seeing Silver moving to sit up. Silver looked around, seeing there were more animals than before. Had they been here the whole time?

“Hi.” he said as he waved.

They continued to look at him, still not understanding. Silver pulled his knees to his chest, seeing cuts and scratches all over his legs and arms. He was alone and didn’t know where his family was.

“I’m alone…” Silver mumbled, resting his head on his knees. “I don’t know what to do…”

He looked up, hearing birds chirping. What were they saying? He didn’t want to offend them by saying the wrong thing.

“White summer moon and dark night. It’s complicated to explain with words now…”

Silver frantically looked around, seeing the animals had come closer at his singing. Were they responding to it? Silver sang a few more lines, the animals chittering and chirping. Now he started to understand. They were understanding his tone from singing.

Soon the deer was nudging him while the others pawed at him, seeing he needed help. The deer let him into it’s back before starting to walk. They knew where to go? A few birds had taken off along with squirrels. A bird landed on Silver’s shoulder, getting comfortable.

“You’re all so nice…”

No response. Silver forgot they didn’t respond to simple speech. He said it again but sang it, making sure they understood he was thankful and happy. The animals came back, chittering and chirping. The deer suddenly changed directions before picking up its pace. Did they find them?

He watched as the deer was standing before a spot. They were going to climb up. He held on, hoping it wasn’t too uncomfortable. With swift movements, they had scaled up the cliff. The animals continued to talk amongst themselves, trying to get Silver back to his people.

“Silver!? Oh god please be okay…” Lilia called out hoarsely, his tear ducts emptied.

“We’ll find him. You should rest…” Malleus suggested, trying to get Lilia to sit and rest.

“I can’t! How can I rest knowing my precious son is out there alone!? What if some feral animal gets to him before we do!? I can’t just sit and rest until I have my child safe and sound in my arms!” Lilia yelled, the stress and anxiety getting to him.

“Lilia-”

“No! I’m not going to no matter what you tell me!” Lilia said before hoarsely calling out for Silver.

Silver sat up, his eyes droopy. Were they there yet? The animals chittered, seeing his people were just ahead. Silver could hear something on the distance. The deer sprinted, seeing they were in the home stretch.

“Silver?! My child…”

“Daddy!”

Lilia perked up, knowing that small, adorable voice anywhere.

“Silver?!”

Soon a bunch of animals came from between the trees, one carrying Silver on its back. Lilia burst into tears, hyperventilating as he did so. Silver climbed off the deer’s back, thanking them through song. He ran over to Lilia who couldn’t feel any more relief than this. He held Silver close, unable to stop his tears. What would he have done if he lost him?

Malleus joined in the hug, glad to see Silver was alive and in one piece. The animals left, seeing they had done their job.


	337. Pomefiore: Creeping Terror

Epel sat up in bed, seeing the sun had barely risen. He was one of those who couldn’t go right back to sleep after waking, so he used the time to do things that wouldn’t disturb the others sleeping. It had been a while since he woke up this early, but before it was to help on the orchards. Now? A silly nightmare. He let himself get scared over something dumb.

Epel got dressed, seeing he could take a look at the apple trees outside and make sure they were getting proper care. The nightmare soon left his mind as he was now surrounded by something he loved.

•

Epel silently didn’t his class work, trying his hardest to get the spell right and change the object’s properties. How did they expect them to do hard spells like this when it’s only been nearly half a school year? Clearly they weren’t catering to non geniuses like him. Sometimes he wondered if his family would be mad if he dropped out and went to school closer to home.

He pushed the thoughts from his mind, trying to work the spell. They were practically breaking their backs to send him to Night Raven. He couldn’t just up and leave. Not like this. Everyone, not just his family, had high hopes for him. He couldn’t let them down.

He had finally got it and at the last minute too. He was going to show everyone back home how strong he became from trying his hardest. Now if only he could grow taller, everything would be perfect.

“Epel.”

“Oh, Jack. What’s up?”

“You. You seemed dispirited this morning. Did Vil scold you again?”

“No. Well, yes, but that wasn’t the reason. I just have a lot on my mind. You have those days, right?”

“Right.”

Epel gave him a half hearted smile before leaving the classroom. His mind traveled back to his nightmare. Did it mean anything? Probably not. It was just a dream after all. Dreams never became reality.

•

Epel got ready for bed, tired from being slapped constantly throughout the day. Vil was annoying. Why couldn’t he realize that he just didn’t give two shits about his beauty nonsense and just be over and done with it? It’s not like he wanted to be in this sorry excuse of a dorm anyway.

“Epel! How are you feeling? We saw how harsh Vil was being today…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t step in and help. How awful am I…”

“It’s fine. I don’t really care. It’s not going to change who I am.” Epel mumbled, spitting into the sink. “Night.”

They watched Epel walk away with heavy hearts. He must feel like an outcast because Vil gets on his case the most. They didn’t want him to think that. They genuinely cared about him.

Epel snuggled into his bedsheets, knocking out within minutes.

He woke up, seeing he was in a classroom alone. He blinked, an apple sitting perfectly on the desk before him. He blinked again. It was no longer on the desk but in his hands. It was that nightmare again. He lifted his arms, wanting to get a better look at it.

“Strange… it looks so delicious up close…” Epel whispered, seeing his reflection in the apple. “I want to eat this… I want…”

The apple neared his mouth, the room around him falling apart and rotting. Epel took a bite through half lidded eyes, savoring the taste before dropping dead, the apple rolling away from him before slowly stopping. The apple melted away, leaving behind a light purple residue on the floor.

Epel opened his eyes, seeing he awoke earlier than yesterday.

“This is stupid…” Epel grumbled, getting up to busy his mind.

•

“I finally found- Oh. Princess, have you been staying up late?”

“Don’t call me princess!” Epel growled, rubbing his eye.

“Then, Epel, why do you look like your senior Idia?”

Epel remained silent, going back to working on homework. No one would understand, so he’s kept quiet about it this whole time. There was no reason to discuss it either. It was just a stupid nightmare. He was probably feeling guilty about leaving home and not choosing to work on the orchard like a good son.

“Epel, as your senior and vice dorm leader, it’s my duty to look out for you and help steer you right.”

“I don’t need looking out for. I’ve done everything by myself this whole time, why should it change? You’re just Vil’s lackey anyway. You don’t understand anything.” Epel said, now getting irritated. “Leave me alone.”

“Non! I cannot just let you go like this, Epel. Talk to Rook a-”

“No! I don’t want to talk to anyone! I’m doing fine by myself. I can solve this by myself! I’m tired of everyone acting like they know what’s best for me! I know what’s best for me, not you!” Epel shouted, throwing his book at Rook before storming off.

Rook really didn’t want to, but he had no choice. Epel found himself being picked up and thrown over someone’s shoulder.

“Let me go!”

“No can do little apple.” Rook said, taking him to a place he knew Epel couldn’t get away from easily. “I’ll let you go once you talk about what’s giving you those horrendous dark circles.”

Epel crossed his arms as Rook set him down. He moved to leave, only to see he was surrounded by buff students, specifically Savanaclaw ones. How did Rook get them on his side? Then again, he wasn’t sure if he really want to know.

“So, what is it? You can write it down or whisper it to me.” Rook asked with a smile.

“I’m just going to bed late. That’s all it is.”

“Really? Then why were you so adamant about not getting help?”

“Because I don’t need help going to bed on time. God, you’re so nosy…”

“Hm. It’s not good to lie you know?”

“How can you tell? I am telling the truth.”

Rook tsked, smiling widely.

“I simply observe and absorb. I know how each and every person I’ve observed lies. So I suggest fessing up before I expose some of your lies to our friends here.”

Epel knew he was bluffing. There was no way.

“No? Hey, would you all like to hear how Epel was covered in dirt and-”

“Stop! Stop, stop!”

“So you’ll talk?”

Epel put his head in his hands.

“I’m just having a recurring nightmare. It’s nothing serious.”

“It must be if you’ve got gross eye bags.” Rook said, sending the students away as he sat next to Epel. “What’s it about?”

“I eat an apple in a rotting room and die. It’s fairly short.” Epel explained before sighing. “Like I said, nothing serious.”

“But it’s keeping you up and that’s serious. Let’s try some remedies together. Okay?”

Epel reluctantly nodded. Could he even say no at this point?

•

Rook looked Epel over. He didn’t look any better or worse. And that was his last remedy.

“Thanks for nothing…” Epel sighed, pulling away.

“Let’s not give up. Vil-”

“NO!” Epel yelled. “I don’t want that man any more in my life than he already is!”

“Epel, give him a chance…”

“I’m already tired and irritated because of this stupid nightmsre and now you want to make it worse!?”

“He cares more than you realize, you stubborn brat!” Rook yelled, instantly silencing Epel. “He’s not as bad as you’re making him out to be.”

Epel wasn’t buying it.

“Let’s talk to him about it, okay?”

Epel reluctantly followed. Vil was just going to make things worse. He could feel a headache coming on.

“Vil~!”

“What? And you brought the caterpillar that refuses to change.”

“Our darling apple here is suffering from a recurring nightmare. Look at his poor beauty!”

Epel kept his gaze elsewhere as Vil moved towards him.

“It looks serious.”

“Right?”

Epel sat in silence as the two discussed. If Rook couldn’t fix it, how would Vil be any different?

“I have a few ideas. I want you, Rook, to make sure he does them right.” said Vil, writing down steps. “Here.”

Rook took it in Epel’s place, knowing he still felt hostile towards Vil.

“I’ll make sure he tries them. I’ll come back with results.”

Epel left without a word. Rook shook his head, hoping Epel would lose that tunnel vision of his.

•

Rook entered the room, gaining Vil’s attention.

“This physically pains me to say but, not even your wondrous remedies could aid our little apple.” Rook said, shaking his head.

“Is that so… Then we must not be dealing with a normal nightmare.”

“Is there such a thing?”

“I’m going to need your help. I won’t lose such a beauty to a creeping terror.” Vil said, starting to write down his thoughts. “I’ll need these books and stat. Any longer and we might lose him.”

“In what sense…?” Rook asked, feeling uneasy.

“His nightmare will become reality.”


	338. NSFW Yandere! Divus x Yuu: No what, Yuu?

Yuu happily talked with their friends, them being idiots as usual. Everything was perfect. They couldn’t ask for better friends than them.

“Yuu? You okay?”

“Hm?”

“You look pale.”

“I’m fine though…?” Yuu said in confusion.

“You sure? You look thinner than usual…”

Yuu wasn’t understanding what they were talking about. They continued to point out more things, starting to make them self conscious. Was there really something wrong with them? Yuu covered their ears as they squeezed their eyes shut, trying to block out their words. There was nothing wrong. They were perfectly fine.

Yuu opened their eyes, no longer seeing the cafeteria. What lied before them was a simple room. No windows and one door. Yuu tried getting out of bed, only to run into something. Yuu pressed forward, continuing to run into whatever it was. Then it clicked. An invisible wall. Yuu sighed before catching something in their peripheral vision. There was a mark on their arm, a bite mark to be exact.

Memories started to flood their mind before fear and panic settled in. They had to get out. The wall boxed them. There was no escape. Yuu started to panic more as images of what occurred remained constant within their thoughts. Their teacher was crazy. Calling for help would probably alert him that they were conscious.

It was moments like this that they cursed the world for making them magicless. Yuu sighed heavily, seeing they were really stuck. Unless…

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

If they could just trick Divus, there was a slight chance of escape. They just had to play their cards right.

“Hello…?”

The door creaked opened, revealing Divus. No matter what they had to stay calm.

“You’re finally awake. I was getting lonely without you.” said Divus, looking down at Yuu.

Yuu kept silent.

“You’re thinking bad things about me aren’t you?”

“No sir. I’m just worried about missing classes.”

Divus raised an eyebrow, finding this strange. Before Yuu was being a fussy, uncooperative puppy. Now they were acting so tame. Maybe they were finally seeing and coming to understand his feelings.

“Don’t worry, you’re not missing classes.” Divus said, going through the wall then sitting on the bed. “There’s so much love I have yet to give my favorite student.”

“Huh…?”

Yuu felt the life drain from their face as Divus started to strip. Click! Yuu looked, seeing that same collar from before was around their neck again. Yuu tried taking it off while Divus stripped them of their clothes. It was happening again. Divus started touching their sensitive spots, sending pleasure throughout their body.

“No…”

“No what, Yuu? I’m listening.” Divus said, placing kisses over the new bite marks he was leaving.

“Don’t do this…”

“You don’t want my love?”

Yuu cowered, seeing a dangerous look in his eye. What would happen if they continued to protest? Was it worth possibly risking their life?

“Not like this…” Yuu muttered, wriggling their body out of his hold.

“Ah, I see.” said Divus before pulling them back and flipping them onto their stomach. “You want it like this. How naughty of you.”

“Wait- ah!”

They didn’t mean sex at all. Yuu could barely protest as Divus thrusted into them, causing them to moan instinctively. It didn’t help that Divus was constantly giving them praise and kissing all over their body. They weren’t even sure if their cries were from not wanting this or pleasure.

“You’re less resistant than before… you really do understand me…” Divus whispered into their ear, feeling Yuu tightening around him. “You feel so good… Tighten more…”

Divus started teasing their nipples, seeing that was the key to getting them to tighten. Yuu was slowly losing the will to protest and steadily gaining the nerve to enjoy sex with Divus.

“Come for me, Yuu. I want to hear you cry out in bliss.”

Yuu tightly gripped the mattress, feeling Divus pick up his pace.

“If you keep going that fast…” Yuu whined, saliva dribbling from their mouth. “No… no, stop…”

“Are you telling me no again?” Divus asked in an icy cold tone.

“N- nnnnnggghhh!”

Divus chuckled, feeling Yuu tighten around him as they came. He continued to push deeper, unable to hold back himself. Yuu moaned uncontrollably, already feeling themselves about to come again. Divus was hitting too many sweet spots. Divus grunted into their ear, releasing inside Yuu. Yuu cried out, feeling themselves being filled up.

Yuu hid their face in shame. This wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go. Why were they so weak willed? They were being kept prisoner and fucked by their teacher.

“Don’t look so unhappy. I’ll keep you company as always.” Divus said, stroking their hair. “Would you prefer books? Games?”

Yuu nodded, seeing there was another way out. If there was any WiFi connection, they could communicate through a video game.

“Alright, I’ll get you some. I just want you to be happy.”

“I’d be happier if you let me go…” Yuu said, finally lifting their head.

“I’d be crazy to let you go. What if other people try to take you away from me? Hurt you? I can’t let that happen.” Divus said, holding Yuu in his arms. “You’re my prized possession. Mine and mine alone.”

“I’m not anyone’s possession!” Yuu yelled before regretting it instantly.

“Did you… yell at me?”

Yuu cowered, seeing magic sparks emitting from his magicrystal.

“Did you just say you weren’t mine!?”

“No!”


	339. Malleus + Silver: Harp

Silver poked his head into a room, silently watching with curious eyes. He moved inside more, watching Malleus with his eyes. He didn’t know Malleus knew how to play instruments. Every time he saw him, he was practicing magic.

“May I help you, child of man?”

How did he know he was here? He didn’t make any noise. Malleus stopped playing, looking at him with his piercing green eyes.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you…” Silver said, inching his way out the door.

“Did I say you could leave?”

Silver froze in place, keeping his head lowered. He must’ve mad him upset. That was one of the top things he shouldn’t do yet he did. Lilia was going to get angry again.

“I’m sorry…”

“Tell me, why have you ventured into this room?” Malleus asked, looking directly at Silver.

“I heard music, so I became curious and entered. I didn’t mean to disturb your privacy.” Silver said, bowing further. “I accept punishment.”

“I’m not as heartless as you’re making me out to be, young one. You’re free to listen if you have no business with me.” said Malleus before going back to playing.

Silver stayed still, unsure of what he wanted to do. Malleus wasn’t mad and was letting him go, but what if it was a trick? He silently watched Malleus, watching his hands move with ease. How long did he practice to get this good? Silver’s started moving on their own, mimicking Malleus’.

“Do you want to play?”

Silver froze again. Was it a trick question? He shifted his weight, trying to figure out how to answer.

“Is it that hard to decide? Do you need permission from Lilia?” Malleus asked, unsure why he couldn’t give him a simple yes or no.

“No, I don’t… I don’t need permission I mean. I don’t know how to answer… It sounds like a trick question.” Silver said, clasping his hands behind his back. “My apologies…”

“It’s a simple question, child.”

“Then… may I…?” Silver asked, looking at the instrument.

Malleus motioned for him to come over. Silver pulled a seat over then sat beside Malleus. He started explaining the different notes each string produced, showing him examples. Malleus then drilled him in locating where each string was and what sound it produced.

“It’s big… and looks heavy to hold.” Silver commented.

“They come in all sizes. This just happens to be one passed down in the family. If you want, a smaller one can be bought for you.” said Malleus.

Silver shook his head, content with the one they had. Malleus continued to teach him the basics, having him memorize and have it become muscle memory.

“Silver!”

Silver looked back, knowing that voice. He looked at Malleus who looked straight ahead.

“Goodbye, Prince Malleus. Thank you for the lesson.”

Silver hurried out, leaving Malleus alone.

•

Silver looked into the room, seeing Malleus was playing again. Would he allow him to play again? It was fun to say the least. He silently listened as the sad melody filled his ears. Was something troubling him? Silver’s body moved on its own, his hands reaching up and disrupting Malleus’ melody.

Silver came to his senses, profusely apologizing as he got on his knees. Now he was really in for it.

“Stand up and stop that groveling. How unsightly.”

Silver got to his feet, keeping his head lowered. The last thing he needed was Lilia catching wind and grounding him.

“I didn’t mean it. My body moved on its own… honest…” Silver explained.

“Would you like to play today?” Malleus asked.

“I can…? Even after I ruined your song?” Silver asked in confusion.

“You didn’t do anything bad. Here, take a seat.”

Silver sat beside Malleus before having the strings facing him. He showed Malleus that he had been practicing on his own, perfectly remembering the strings.

“Good job. Why don’t we try putting some of them together? Don’t worry, I’ll hold it for you.” said Malleus, tipping it some.

Silver followed his instructions, smiling when he realized he was making music. It wasn’t anywhere near Malleus’ level, but you had to start somewhere. Malleus started to let him free hand, trying out melodies on his own. Silver gasped slightly before plucking them more. It was really coming together.

“So, how does it feel?”

“Great! I want to play beautiful music like you.”

“Ask and you shall receive.”

Silver was excited.

“Silver!”

Silver stopped plucking, hearing Lilia. He hopped off his seat and headed towards the door.

“Prince Malleus, may I come back?”

“Of course.”

Silver smiled happily before disappearing behind the door.


	340. Vanrouges: Silver!

“Get your behind over here this instant!”

“No!”

Lilia growled, chasing after Silver who ran away with Lilia’s boxers. Guards couldn’t help but laugh, watching the scene. They weren’t sure if they felt bad or embarrassed in his place.

“Silver, don’t run outside!”

Silver stuck his tongue out before running outside. Lilia was furious. Silver found himself floating in the air as Lilia stomped outside.

“I warned you multiple times yet you refused to listen to me! You’re grounded for the rest of the month!”

“No! I don’t want that!” Silver wailed.

“Whose fault is that?” Lilia fumed, forcefully dragging Silver inside. “You’re getting a hefty spanking and punishment since you’re grounded.”

Silver frowned, still unable to move on his own.

•

Malleus could see gray hairs popping up in Lilia’s hair.

“I heard you grounded him.”

“I had no choice. I warned him thrice and he wouldn’t listen.”

“Hm. Isn’t that him playing outside?”

“What!?”

Malleus sat Lilia down, assuring him he was joking. Lilia put his head in his hands, wondering where he went wrong.

“You get some rest. I’ll hang with him for a while.”

“Good luck…”

Malleus headed to Silver’s room, hoping he was in there and not giving his father more grief. He knocked on the door before entering. Silver was lying in bed, bored out of his mind.

“Silver.”

“Malleus!”

Silver had popped up, sitting attentively. Malleus sat beside him, giving him a serious look.

“Why do you choose to make your father angry?”

“It’s fun. I get lots of attention too!” said Silver, rocking back and forth.

“Hm? Attention?”

“Mhmm. Making him mad makes him focus attention on me. It’s fun too. His angry faces are funny.”

“You’re making him worry you know? He thinks he’s being a bad father.” Malleus explained.

“But he’s not. He’s a great daddy! I love him lots!” Silver smiled.

“If you apologize sincerely, he might reduce your sentence.”

Silver nodded, swinging his legs as he thought of an apology. Malleus couldn’t help but wonder why he was so tame now.

“Malleus, can you teach me something? I don’t want to sit here doing nothing.” Silver asked.

Malleus was surprised but obliged.

Malleus waved to Silver, having finished his visit. Lilia had rounded the corner, having prepared to deal with Silver.

“Lilia, great timing. Silver wants to apologize. He was in his room and well behaved the entire time.” Malleus said, ushering him towards the room.

He stood outside the door, listening in. It was rather noisy for an apology. Malleus frowned, hearing yelling and wailing. That’s not how apologies went. Malleus entered the room, seeing Silver crying into his pillow while Lilia watched with crossed arms.

“What happened…?” asked Smalleis in confusion.

“Silver decided he wanted to be fresh. So I taught him a lesson.”

He couldn’t believe it.

“You said you were going to apologize, Silver.”

“I was! Daddy’s being mean!” Silver wailed, snot getting onto his pillow.

Lilia walked out, feeling a headache coming on. The door closed, leaving Malleus and Silver alone. Malleus sat on the bed, listening to Silver’s teary tale.

•

“Silver, stop playing around and take it seriously.” Lilia scolded, getting in his ready stance.

Silver did the same before avoiding Lilia altogether and hitting his body.

“Silver!”

“This is fun!”

“I thought I’d find you both in here. Sword practice?”

“Yep! Will you watch?” Silver asked, standing tall and proper.

“I can for a bit.”

Lilia was surprised to see Silver taking practice seriously. Something was amiss. Silver found himself disarmed within minutes.

“Boo…”

“If you took it seriously, you would’ve lasted longer.” Lilia said, picking up Silver’s practice sword. “Come on, we’re far from finished.”

Silver nodded, completely focused. He still couldn’t believe Silver was behaving. What in the Valley of Thorns possessed his child? Silver was disarmed yet again.

“You’ll get better.” Malleus said, offering support.

“Prince Malleus…”

Malleus listened as they whispered in his ear. He waved to them, having business to attend to. The moment Malleus turned his back, Silver was causing a ruckus. Malleus turned around, seeing Silver behaving. What was all of that noise? He turned around, hearing the ruckus again. He shook his head, seeing Silver giving Lilia a hard time again.

•

“Silver, I want to talk to you.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on.”

Silver tilted his head in confusion. So he was going to play innocent.

“I know you aren’t this perfect little angel around everyone else, especially your father.”

“Yes I am.”

“Silver.” Malleus warned. Silver lowered his head as Malleus continued. “Stop misbehaving, okay? Daddy has your best interests at heart.”

“But I’m not misbehaving!” Silver whined, giving Malleus his big innocent child eyes.

“Those won’t work on me. If you can’t promise to be a good boy for Daddy, I won’t allow you to be anywhere near me.”

Silver was distraught. He readily promised, not having Malleus around being his worst fear. Malleus patted his head, hoping this would stop Lilia’s gray hairs from growing.


	341. NSFW Savus: Developed a fetish

Sam counted the money in the register as he had some down time before students came in. He had just finished when someone entered.

“And what can I do for Divus Crewel?”

“How you wound me, Sam. I thought we knew each other on a more personal level.” Divus said, feigning sadness.

“I’ll go fetch that package.”

Sam felt something hold him back.

“Is there something you need?”

“I need you.” Divus said softly, pulling Sam closer. “I haven’t seen you in a week…”

“Are you sure you want to do this here? Students may see a vulnerable Divus.” Sam mentioned, rubbing his thumb over Divus’ cheek.

“Always looking out for me. What would I do without you?”

“I think you’d be alright without me.” said Sam as he led him into the storage room.

“My life has only gotten better since you entered it. My eyes have been opened to many new things.” Divus said, watching Sam search around. He started to strip off his clothes as Sam continued to look around. “I feel I may have developed a fetish or two.”

“You can’t go pinning that on me, Div. And it better not be what I’m thinking it is.” Sam said before feeling Divus hug him from behind. “Alright, I’ll stop and- !?!?”

Divus was humping him. He couldn’t be serious right now. Sam turned in his arms, seeing Divus had stripped down to nothing. Sam did the same, unable to deny that he’s been thinking about it for a while too. They shared a kiss, their hands exploring familiar territory as Divus hovered over Sam.

“Can we do it a little different today…?” Divus asked, looking into his eyes.

“Go ahead.”

Clink! Sam now had a collar locked around his neck. He was completely at Divus’ mercy. Sam moaned, feeling Divus enter him.

“Sam, hold me.”

Sam’s body moved on its own, doing as it was told.

“Good boy…”

Sam smiled, feeling Divus capturing his lips as he thrusted into him. Divus continued to make commands, his body following through with all of them.

“Deeper… go deeper…” Sam begged, needing to feel more of Divus. “Right there!”

“Maybe I should have you cease talking…”

Sam shook his head, wanting him to know his feelings. He couldn’t do that if he was commanded to stay silent. Divus chuckled and assured him he wouldn’t, placing kisses all over his body. Sam moaned in bliss, feeling Divus touching his sensitive spots. Sam unexpectedly came, causing him to clench Divus tighter. Divus didn’t waste it, edging himself closer to his climax.

“Divus… more please… haa…. haaa…” Sam whined, desperately wanting to stroke himself but having been commanded not to. “Touch me… touch me, please. I need your touch so bad…”

Sam couldn’t help but squirm as Divus’ hand wrapped around him, starting off strong. Sam’s mind was slowly melting as the only thing it was comprehending was pleasure, pleasure and more pleasure. Sam moaned loudly, feeling Divus coming inside him. He kept moving his hips, trying to get as much pleasure as he could.

“And to finish our moment off…”

Sam cried out, feeling Divus’ mouth encase his dick. He didn’t last long, coming in Divus’ mouth. Sam felt the collar leave his neck, allowing him to pull Divus in for a kiss, having missed his lips. Their bodies rubbed together, making the other hard again.

“Wait, I still have to run the store…” Sam whispered, looking towards the door.

“I don’t want to make you choose but…” Divus said, kissing along Sam’s neck before resting his head on his shoulder. “I haven’t tasted you enough…”

Sam looked at Divus who looked up at him, locking his lips. Sam pushed Divus to the floor, seeing the shop could wait.


	342. Trey: Cupcake

Trey rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering why his body wasn’t moving the way he wanted it to.

“You suck.”

“Wow, thanks for the motivation.” Trey mumbled, starting over from the beginning.

“Welcome, cupcake.”

Trey paused the video, looking at the person sitting in the room with him. He probably would’ve been better off if he didn’t tell him what was going on.

“Why do you look upset, cupcake? Did I say something unpleasant?” he asked looking at Trey with innocent eyes.

“You did. I don’t get you. I don’t even know why we’re together, Haema.” Trey complained. “Almost every word out of your mouth is something insincere, demeaning even.”

“Really? All I said was you suck. Is it not the truth? Should I have sugarcoated it?” Haema asked, resting his chin in the palms of his hands.

“Preferably. Sometimes you’re just too much, Hae.” Trey mumbled, trying to get back into the groove of things. “Think you can do it better since I suck?”

Haema got up from his seat, watching the entire dance from start to finish. Trey tapped his foot, waiting for the train wreck. He blinked rapidly, watching Haema doing it better than he did. One could call it almost perfect. Haema finished the dance, ending it differently so that he was facing Trey who was behind him.

“Well? How did I do?”

Trey didn’t want to say anything. He pushed Haema aside, silently watching from the beginning again. Haema stood beside Trey, wondering why he wasn’t giving him a grade.

“Trey?”

“Just sit and watch. Isn’t that what you promised to do?”

“Alright.”

Haema sat back down, watching Trey continue to make the same mistakes. It was starting to annoy him.

“Trey, stop. Just stop. It’s awful.”

Trey paused the video, now upset. Just because he was able to do it perfectly with just one watch didn’t mean he had the right to strike him down.

“Let me-”

“No. Just stand there.” said Haema getting up.

Soon Haema was holding Trey from behind, startling him. He could never get used to Haema being so forward.

“What are-”

“Tap play.” Haema said, shaking Trey’s arm.

Trey tapped play, not expecting Haema to start moving his limbs.

“Stretch more!” Haema complained, trying to get Trey to widen his stance.

“I’m not flexible like you!” Trey hissed, feeling as if his body would split.

Haema huffed, pausing the video.

“Stop being sucky.”

“I’m not as good as you! Can’t you get that through your thick skull!?” Trey yelled, pushing Haema away from him.

Haema rubbed his arm, avoiding Trey’s gaze. He then left. Trey sighed, focusing on the dance. He started over again, following Haema’s movements subconsciously. Maybe things would’ve worked better if he could control that mouth of his.

Haema peeked into the room, wishing he could help Trey. He knew Trey wasn’t good with these kinds of things, but he didn’t think he was this sensitive. Would Trey let him back in to at least to apologize?

“Trey?”

“You’re back.”

“I want to apologize. I’m sorry…” he apologized, being sincere. “I’ll see you some other time.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah? You’re busy trying to learn and all I did was agitate you. You don’t want me back in here.”

Trey pursed his lips before walking over to Haema.

“I don’t mind receiving help. Try using positive words.”

“Sorry. Can’t help but speak my mind sometimes…” Haema sighed, rubbing his neck. “So… together?”

Haema happily helped Trey, seeing his pointers were helping a stiff person like him seem movable.

“I do wish you could stretch more though…” Haema sighed, seeing Trey was still struggling. “How about…”

“AH! HAEMA!” Trey shouted before they both heard something rip. “It better not be where I think it is…”

Haema had him stand up, looking him over. He stifled his laughter, seeing the rip was going straight up his ass.

“Sorry. Use my blazer?” Haema said, offering him his blazer.

“I wouldn’t need it if you didn’t force me down.”

“Should I rip mine too?”

“Sweet, but no. Just make sure you walk behind me.”

Haema wrapped his arms around him, making sure no one could see. They could finish when they got him a new pair of pants.

“Haema.”

“Hm?”

“You know I love you, right?” Trey said, making sure they had everything.

“And I, you.” Haema responded, waddling as they left the room. “I love my cupcake.”

Trey’s face heated up, feeling embarrassed at being called cupcake in public. Haema lovingly rubbed his face into Trey’s back, happy that they weren’t fighting anymore.


	343. NSFW Reok: Commando

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in this case since leona is supposed to be waking, this request isn’t somnophilia but the “sleeping beauty syndrome”.

Rook looked around, wondering what corner Leona had gone and hidden himself in this time. He promised that they’d hang out after classes were finished for the day. Then again, he should know better than to take a lazy lion’s word.

He wasn’t napping or hanging out in his usual spots, making him wonder if he just went back to Savanaclaw. He decided to try his luck there. No dice. Somehow Leona had found a hiding spot that he was unable to locate. Did he want to be apart that badly? Was he still mad about him eating his sweets?

Rook asked around, hoping for some sort of clue. He sighed before receiving a text. A bit odd that Leona was texting him his location if he went through the trouble to hide. He didn’t question it, making his way over.

Rook spotted Leona lying back, resting peacefully. Rook crawled over, unable to stand in the cramped space. He found himself able to straighten out some, but in order to do that, he had to be lying on top of Leona. Rook peered onto his face, unable to keep his heart from beating wildly. Rook looked over the rest of his body, wondering what secrets were waiting to be explored.

He fanned himself, feeling something other than heat growing in his cheeks. They were a thing, so it wouldn’t be weird to undress him and stare at his abs. Right? Rook opted for unbuttoning his shirt and vest, letting his nips free. Simply exquisite. Rook found himself drooling slightly. He couldn’t hold back much longer.

Rook unbuttoned Leona’s pants before lowering the zipper.

“Fufu~ he went commando…” Rook whispered, leaning down and giving it teasing licks.

Rook took off his own pants, wanting to ride Leona instead. He held Leona’s dick before pushing it inside. He slowly moved, wanting his ass to get a feel for it before he took it a few steps further.

Rook started teasing Leona’s nipples, wanting to feel him harden inside him more. He knew Leona liked having his ears bitten, but they were too far from his reach. His soft moans steadily got louder as he pushed Leona deeper into him. Would Leona wake up? He hoped not, not particularly wanting to explain the current situation.

Rook stroked himself, lovingly calling out Leona’s name in the softest voice he could muster at that moment.

“Nnn…”

Rook slowed his movements, feeling himself come. He gave himself a few seconds to catch his breath before continuing. He often stopped, seeing Leona was stirring.

“Ugh… I feel gross…”

Rook froze, assessing his current options. His mind wasn’t quick enough as Leona was now looking at him pressed against his body, ass full of his dick and his cum sticking to the both of them.

“Leona…”

“What the hell…” Leona whispered.

“I’m sorry… I… couldn’t control myself. And this happened.” Rook confessed, looking at him with upturned eyes. “You just lying there… it got me bothered…”

Rook gasped, feeling Leona thrusting into him. He continued to moan Leona’s name, teasing his nipples. He could feel Leona getting harder and twitching inside him as he pounded into his ass. Rook couldn’t focus on pleasuring Leona because he was receiving too much pleasure himself. Leona made him come again before pushing harder to reach his high.

Leona gave powerful thrusts into Rook before coming in his ass. Rook felt warmth spreading inside him as Leona made sure he shot everything in him before pulling out. Rook leaned forward, hoping for a kiss, only to receive a hand to the face.

“I get it… you’re mad…” Rook mumbled, feeling Leona massaging his ass cheeks. “Sorry…”

“Had you been someone else or not my boyfriend, you’d be in a shit ton of trouble.” Leona growled, seeing Rook did feel a bit bad about it. “I enjoyed it though, well, the part where I was awake.”

“You think I’m weird don’t you?” Rook sighed, clinging to Leona.

“You’ve always been weird. Why does that matter now?” Leona questioned.

“Haha, that’s true…” Rook chuckled, unaware Leona had plans for another round.


	344. Floyd: Hair Guru

Floyd yawned, not wanting to go to classes. He lied back down, trying to fall asleep.

“Floyd.”

“Go away.”

“Floyd, I think you’d want to deal with this sooner rather than later.”

“Let me sleep Jade!” Floyd fussed, sitting up and glaring at his brother.

“Well, I shouldn’t let you do that but you’re still going to skip whether I do or don’t. But I just figured I’d let you know there are people standing outside your room door looking for you.” said Jade before leaving.

Floyd got out of bed, wondering what in the world Jade was talking about. He poked his head out the door, seeing tiny fish hanging by it.

“What do you want.” said Floyd flatly.

“You know that style you gave Rook senpai?”

“We want something cool like that!”

“If you have time… could you?”

Floyd blinked, looking down at the hopeful fishies.

“Not now.” he said before shutting the door in their face.

A student had them write down their first name and cell numbers before sliding it under the door. They walked away in delight, glad that he didn’t turn them down.

•

Floyd sighed, seeing the three of them were moving slow. He was going to lose interest at this rate.

“We… We’re here! Please don’t go!”

“We ran as fast… as we could!”

“Wheeze…”

“So, which one of you is going first?” Floyd asked, wanting to get it over with.

They had the wheezing student sit down first so he could catch his breath. They watched with awe as Floyd did his thing, turning his plain hair into something eye catching. They weren’t wrong in asking Floyd to spruce them up.

“Done.”

The Heartslabyul student gasped then shook Floyd’s hands.

“I don’t know what to say. Here!”

“Money…?” Floyd mumbled, watching the student stand with his friends.

“Me next!” said the Pomefiore student.

Floyd did his hair, slowly finding it enjoyable. He was ecstatic too and promptly paid him for his services. The Scarabia student sat, having longer hair than the other two.

“Uh… I don’t know long hair.” Floyd said, making a face.

“Oh, I didn’t think about that… Should I cut it?”

Floyd shook his head, trying anything at this point. The others watched, wondering how it’d turn out.

“There.”

The Scarabia student blinked, looking in the mirror.

“I love it!”

“It looks a mess.” Floyd stated, not seeing what they were seeing.

He was paid yet again before they left in high spirits. He wasn’t really looking for payment, but he wasn’t going to turn down money either. Floyd stashed it away, deciding to head to a few classes.

•

Floyd pounced on Jade, giving him his undying affection.

“I see you decided to come out.”

“I missed you. Plus it was boring staying in my room.”

“You and your mood swings…” Jade sighed.

“Let’s play together. You haven’t played with me like you promised.” complained Floyd, holding onto Jade tighter. “I feel alone…”

“Well, you become a busy person when you actually take school seriously. Try that sometime.”

“Jade is being a big meanie.”

“You just don’t like hearing what I have to say.”

“Floyd senpai!”

Floyd looked, seeing one of the three he styled earlier. Jade looked, seeing the nest of a hair it was.

“What.”

“Others were asking and I told them it came from you! You’re going to get more customers!”

“Huh? Why-”

The student had already scurried away. Jade gave Floyd a look, demanding an explanation.

•

Floyd hummed, finishing another student. He didn’t understand what the hype was since he wasn’t really doing anything. But it was something fun to do so he wasn’t complaining in the slightest. He was still being paid by the students, even after telling them he didn’t need or want money.

“Hi! I’m the last one.”

“Hey, I know you.”

“I would hope so. I do have quite the presence on Magicam.”

“So, what are you doing here, Cater?”

“Just documenting the new hairstyling wave that’s hit Night Raven and I traced it back to you, the creator! Mind if I do a little interview?” Cater asked, taking a seat.

“Sure I guess.”

Cater set up his phone, starting his recording. Cater asked him questions, having to keep in mind Floyd’s way of thinking.

_“And how long will you keep this up?”_

_“As long as I’m interested.”_

_“Last question, I promise. How does it feel to be called the new hairstyling guru?”_

_“They call me that?”_

Vil growled in anger, watching the stupid interview.

_“And that’s all from the new and upcoming hair guru, Floyd Leech. Watch out Vil, he’s coming for your edges.”_

Rook entered the room before seeing Vil vent his frustrations through makeup. Something was bugging him as he’d never wear such dark shades on warm days.

“What’s going on…?”

“Did you see that idiotic interview Cater did? Floyd isn’t anything! All he’s doing is messing up their gorgeous hair!”

“Ah…”

“You sound like you know something. Spill it.”

Rook sighed before explaining. He didn’t think his juniors were serious about getting it done by Floyd. Even if they were, he wasn’t skilled enough to actually do hair. Rook watched Vil storm out of his room.

“Oh boy…”

•

Floyd blinked, confused as to why Vil was yelling at him, let alone even remotely near him.

“Stop this sham of a business!”

“It wasn’t intended to be a business.”

“Lies! I know you’re making money out of this and all you’re doing is messing up their hair. It’s ridiculous!”

“Like I said-”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear excuses. Instead, let our hands do the talking. I’m challenging you to a hairstyling competition. Winner gets the title of hair guru AND the sole right to style hair and the loser doesn’t.”

Vil walked away, leaving Floyd in more confusion. Something irritating had shown up and he didn’t like it one bit.

Jade looked up, watching Floyd plop onto his bed before curling up next to him.

“Now what’s bugging you?”

“Vil’s making me do something boring.” Floyd complained, holding Jade tight. “He’s irritating…”

“And what is he making my precious brother do that he doesn’t want to?” Jade asked, petting Floyd’s head.

Floyd told him everything. He didn’t feel like competing. He just wanted to have fun messing with hair. Jade gave him reassurance, telling him he’d do great at it. Floyd caved, only because Jade would be there to watch him.

“So, when is it?”

“Tomorrow I guess.” Floyd yawned, closing his eyes. He snuggled closer. “Night…”

“It’s late afternoon.”

•

Floyd sighed, feeling bored as a student emceed the event. He really just wanted to walk out and find something fun to do.

“A special thanks to Azul Ashengrotto for allowing us to use Mostro for the event!” said the mc, having the audience give a round of applause. “And let us introduce our judges! The first on the far right… Lilia Vanrouge!”

Lilia waved, excited to be a judge.

“Right next to him is everyone’s favorite, Epel Felmier!”

“I don’t want to be here…”

“To the left of Epel is… Riven Fost!”

“I don’t really know much about hair, but I’ll try my best.”

“To his left we have… Ruggie Bucchi!”

Everyone was surprised by this choice. What did Ruggie know about anything relating to beauty?

“And lastly, Deuce Spade!”

“Okay, who picked these judges? The only valid person here is Riven.” Vil complained.

“Well, to keep things fair, we chose people who you aren’t friends with so there’s no bias!” the mc said, smiling widely. “Let’s get this show on the road! The first to four wins, wins!”

Floyd was happy to finally be able to do something. The judges talked amongst themselves as they watched Vil and Floyd’s backsides. What kind of look would they show them?

“Remember, the theme is ‘present’.” the mc said, seeing the timer was going by quickly.

Everyone noticed Floyd had stopped working. Was he not going to utilize his time? Fix mistakes?

“Time’s up! Reveal your styles.”

They had chosen students with the same hair texture to keep things fair. The judges talked to each other in hushed voices before signaling they were ready.

“Begin voting in 3… 2… 1… Vote!”

The judges held up their signs.

“Vil won this round! Onto the next! Bring in the new hair models.”

“Wait, we’re changing models…?” Vil asked, assuming they’d use one person.

“Of course. We must prevent cheating in all its forms. Your next theme is, 'visibility’.”

The judges watched, seeing Floyd didn’t seem into it. It was clear now who the winner would be at the end.

“I think Floyd just wanted to have fun.” said Epel, knowing his pain.

“Well, he could easily do that and just forfeit.” Lilia replied.

“Floyd isn’t the type to forfeit. He’d just up and leave.” said Riven, seeing Floyd had stopped early again.

“Time’s up! Reveal your models!”

Floyd sighed, wanting the thing to end already. He looked out to the crowd, seeing Jade watching with a pleased look. If Jade was having fun, that’s all that mattered.

“Floyd wins!”

The competition continued, reaching match point.

“The score is tied. Who will win? For our final round, we’ll take a suggestion from the audience.”

Everyone started shouting things out. The mc was about to announce the selected theme before his mic was taken.

“Hey, Jade! You can’t just-”

“The theme is 'loving bonds’.” said Jade before handing the mic back.

Floyd watched Jade return to his seat.

“Well, Azul gave the okay so, 'loving bonds’ it is!”

Everyone was curious as to what the two would come up with. It was a theme that could come in many different shapes and sizes, so to only focus on one aspect felt like you were discrediting others.

The judges were anxious. The timer was steadily reaching the end.

“5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Stooooop!”

They turned their models around. The judges were given time to vote.

“Reveal your votes!”

Everyone wanted to know who won.

“Our winner and permanent hair guru is… Vil Schoenheit!”

Vil stepped up, graciously accepting the praise and applause. Floyd was already info heading off stage. Vil looked, seeing Floyd was missing. He wasn’t being a sore loser, right?

Floyd walked back to his room feeling tired. It was finally over.

“I think you did pretty well.”

“Jade…”

Jade caught up with him, walking by his side.

“I thought I had given you an advantage. I guess he really is that good.” Jade chuckled, giving him an apologetic smile.

“You’re better. Thanks…” Floyd said, hugging Jade from the side.

“You’re pretty great yourself, Floyd. You didn’t quit halfway.”

“Because you were watching!”

Jade sighed, stroking Floyd’s hair. There were just some things about Floyd he’d never understand.


	345. Savus: Sam dumped you

“I keep telling you, I love your dogs to pieces, but that all ends when they chew up my shoes!”

“I’m still training them not to chew yours! Just give it time.”

“I’m not moving in with you and that’s that.”

“All because of ONE chewed shoe.”

“THOSE WERE MY FAVORITE PAIR AND YOU KNEW THEY WERE! THEY’RE IMPOSSIBLE TO REPLACE!” Sam shouted, his real frustration bubbling to the surface.

“They can’t be.” Divus said, trying to get Sam to be rational.

“So you intend on bringing the dead back despite that being illegal and being sentenced to life in prison?” Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

“If we-”

“Save it. Get out of my shop. I’m a busy guy.”

“S-”

“GO!”

Divus frowned, taking his leave. Was there really no way to repair the shoe without the person?

•

“Divus has that look again.” the music teacher said, the other teachers agreeing.

“Sam dumped you huh? Took him long enough.” the social science teacher chuckled.

Divus glared at him before letting his face meet his desk. Everyone blinked. It was actually serious this time.

“Uh, sorry. Thought you two just… Yeah, sorry.” the social science teacher apologized.

“Don’t let this bleed into your work ethic.” Train said, preparing for his next class.

The music teacher rolled his chair over to Divus, patting his back.

“Tell me all about it.”

Divus softly spoke, wishing it never happened.

•

Sam sighed, unable to sit still any longer. He walked into the main building, heading for the teachers’ office. He wasn’t wrong for getting mad, but he was for letting his emotions take over and yelling at him unnecessarily. Divus wouldn’t understand why they were not only his favorite but important to him if he didn’t sit down with him and explain.

He opened the door, seeing a few teachers sitting in the room and relaxing. He didn’t see Divus anywhere.

“Oh, Sam. Looking for someone?”

“Yes. Divus.”

“He’s in class right now. Want to leave him a message?”

Sam nodded, deciding to just do it himself. Sam thought about his wording before writing it down. He placed it in a spot he knew Divus would look.

The other teachers were curious as to what Sam wrote, but Divus would know if someone was hanging around his desk.

•

Sam messed with his charm, waiting for Divus in the alchemy building. His last class for the day should’ve been over half an hour ago. Did he not get his message? Sam sighed, seeing he’d have to try again later.

The door opened, revealing Divus carrying some items in his arms. He didn’t notice him.

“So he didn’t get my note…”

Divus turned around, seeing Sam sitting on the desk.

“Oh, you’re here. I thought you’d be a bit longer with your shop and all…” Divus said, putting things away. “Well, it’s good you’re here now.”

Sam watched as Divus stripped as he put things away. Sam could feel himself getting hard as Divus purposefully make seductive movements to turn Sam on.

“This dog trainer needs a little discipline refresher…” Divus said, running his hand down his body. “Can you show me?”

Sam motioned for him to come over. Divus ran his hands over Sam’s thighs as he knelt between his legs.

“You know the drill.” Sam said, caressing Divus’ cheek.

Divus started undressing Sam, making sure he kept eye contact knowing that Sam loved that. Sam sighed, feeling Divus teasing him with his tongue.

“How should I discipline you, hm? Bind your wrists and fuck you over the desk? Fold you in half and fuck you until you can’t even think straight?”

Divus looked at him with upturned eyes, simply wanting to have his ass rammed at this point. Sam had Divus wait as he picked up his tie and proceeded to bind his wrists with it. Sam bent him over, running his hands over Divus’ ass cheeks.

“Discipline me…” Divus whispered, tired of being teased. “Put me in my place, Sam…”

Divus sighed softly before letting out a yelp, feeling Sam slap his ass. Each slap felt better and better, causing him to leak pre cum.

“Are you ready?” Sam asked, stretching Divus’ hole.

“I need you…”

Sam pushed inside Divus, listening to him moan in bliss. Divus moves his hips with Sam’s thrusts, wanting to get him in deep and hitting his sweet spots. Sam kissed along his back, reaching under and stroking him. Divus panted and whined, loving when Sam was on top.

“You’re so hard… Does it feel that good? Should I go even harder?”

“Yes! Fuck me harder!” Divus cried out.

Divus took shaky breaths as he could feel himself about to come. Sam smiled, feeling Divus clenching around him as he came. Sam continued to pleasure him, Divus’ moans fueling him further.

“Fuck, fuck…” Sam cursed, holding himself back.

“Sam… aaaa… come inside me…”

Sam dug his nails into Divus, coming deep inside him. He slowly rode it out, running a hand over Divus’ back.

“How was that for an apology…?” Sam asked, pulling out of Divus.

Divus cutely whined, his legs feeling like jelly. Sam lifted him up, sitting him on the desk. Divus immediately hid his face in the nape of Sam’s neck, his cheeks burning bright.

“I loved it…” Divus whispered, wrapping his arms around Sam. “I forgive you.”

“Good. I don’t like fighting with you.” Sam smiled, placing a kiss on Divus’ shoulder. I love you.“

Divus couldn’t help but smile as he took in Sam’s warmth.


	346. Ruel: We know the value of a dollar

Epel lowered his book, staring at a group from afar. He was upset beyond comprehension. He wasn’t supposed to be feeling like this. Romance was disgusting predictable and weakening. Romance was for dumb and emotional saps. Yet here he was, his heart thumping wildly in his chest as he slowly fell more and more into the sappy romance that he loathed.

Seeing him being touched was making him feel something he didn’t think was possible. It wasn’t every touch, just the ones that seemed a little too intimate for his liking. Epel sighed heavily, seeing sitting around would only make him more upset. So he got up and left. Of all people, it had to be someone who was more worried about lining his pockets with money than anything else.

What about him was so… attractive?

“Epel.”

Epel jumped, not expecting someone to be so close he could feel their breath.

“Sorry, didn’t intend to startle you.”

“Well you did… What could you want with me? We aren’t really friends… Unless we are and I’ve been really dumb?” Epel said, quickly shutting up before he said anything else unnecessary.

“I figured we were friends, good friends even. But if you don’t-”

“No! I mean, yes, I do want to. Be good friends.” Epel said, mentally kicking himself. “So, why’d you suddenly stop me…?”

“Now that I think about it, I don’t really know…”

“Ruggie Bucchi doesn’t just randomly stop people without some kind of intent. You can’t trick me.” Epel said, poking his chest. “Out with it.”

“Honestly… I just wanted to talk, I guess? That’s not a problem, is it?”

“Not at all. So, what did you have in mind?” Epel asked, keeping his feelings in check.

“Uh, how have you been? Since we last talked I guess.”

“Could be better. You know, Vil and all…”

Things were getting awkward real fast.

“How are things with Leona?”

“Same shit.”

Oh boy. Ruggie was going to lose interest and he didn’t want that.

“Do you wanna like, walk? Or like, get something to eat?”

“Out to eat? Just us?” Ruggie asked, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Is that no good? Maybe-”

“No! That’s fine! How about now? You aren’t busy right?” Ruggie said, not wanting him to think he wasn’t interested.

“I-”

“Oi, Ruggie!”

“H-”

“Who’s this pipsqueak you’re talking to?”

“Excuse us little guy, we’ve got business with him.”

“I really-”

“Stop right there. Ruggie… senpai, was talking to me and we were just about to hang out. You can’t just go and take him from me like that.” Epel said, getting upset.

“Uh, yes we can. What are you going to do?” one said, glaring at him.

“Can I-”

Epel suddenly lunged at them, briefly startling everyone. Ruggie watched as Epel got rough with them before being easily subdued.

“Ha, so scrawny.” one said, high giving each other.

Ruggie backed up, seeing Epel getting more violent than before. He finally jumped in, pulling Epel away from them.

“He’s crazy!”

“Let’s get away while we can…”

“It’s always the poor ones…”

“Hey! Ruggie senpai doesn’t come from money either so shut your mouth…!”

Ruggie frowned as he watched their retreating figures. He looked at Epel who kept his head lowered.

“You really wanted to hang out that much huh…?” Ruggie asked, letting Epel go.

“Haha…” Epel weakly laughed. “So, let’s go?”

“I doubt they’ll let you in with these cuts. Let’s get you taken care of.”

Epel went red in the face, feeling Ruggie take his hand and lead him to the infirmary. Curse the world for giving him the ability to love.

•

Epel slightly shook as they sat side by side, enjoying their snacks they got from Sam’s. Both were too broke to afford Mostro, even if they combined their money.

“This is nice.” Ruggie said, glancing in Epel’s direction.

“Yeah. Two dudes eating snacks ‘cause they’re too poor to afford a whole meal.” Epel said, his mind partially on what the Savanaclaw students said.

“At least we know the value of a dollar.”

Epel looked up, seeing Ruggie was looking straight ahead. He hated that Ruggie looked so perfect with that side profile. Ruggie felt his phone vibrate before a ringtone sounded.

“Who is it?”

“Leona.”

Epel narrowed his eyes as he watched Ruggie answer. He barely got a word in before his phone was stolen by Epel.

“Get whatever you want yourself. Let Ruggie have some time to himself you lazy, pampered third rate prince!” Epel said into the phone before hanging up.

“Epel.”

Epel felt the life drain from his face, seeing what he had done. He probably just made things worse for him. Epel placed his phone down before putting his head in his hands.

“I’m heading back. Thanks for spending a little time with me.”

First he attacked his Savanaclaw friends and now he made Leona mad at him. Epel quickly got to his feet before running. He didn’t want Ruggie to like him less. He skidded to a stop, Ruggie having gotten in front of him all of a sudden.

“You didn’t let me thank you. Though, I could’ve told him off myself.” Ruggie chuckled, giving him a pleased smile.

“Ah, I wasn’t thinking…” Epel mumbled. _“Really I’ve been going off sheer instinct…”_

“It’s fine. Well, not the part when you threw yourself headfirst into danger. But, that made you a little cooler in my eyes, you know? You’ve got guts. A backbone even.”

Epel’s face heated as Ruggie smiled at him. He couldn’t take it. This romance nonsense was driving him insane. When did things change? Why did things change?

“Hey, are you alright…?” Ruggie asked as he cupped Epel’s cheek.

It was the perfect opportunity to touch him without arousing suspicion. Epel sighed, deciding to confess his feelings. It’ll all end when Ruggie rejected him and he could go back to not liking romance, especially since he had his heart broken.

“So, I like you. A lot.” Epel said, meeting Ruggie’s eyes.

Ruggie could feel his tail wagging feverishly as he tried to make himself sound as cool and collected as possible.

“I like you a lot too. That’s cool, right?”

“In what way…?”

“Uh, you know… romance, attraction… that stuff.” Ruggie replies, scratching his cheek.

Epel blinked before hugging Ruggie. Ruggie let his emotions show, his tail wagging faster.

•

Epel walked with Ruggie back to Savanaclaw, earning looks from the students residing in the dorm. Epel gave them looks back, wondering what they were thinking.

“He’s so scrawny…”

“Ruggie senpai looks better compared to him.”

“Why is he getting all buddy buddy with senpai anyway.”

“Leeching definitely.”

“Hey! If you got something to say, so it to my face!” Epel shouted, knowing they were talking about him.

“Woah, what’s with the sudden outburst…? We didn’t say anything to you.”

“Oh yeah? Yet you were looking directly at me while whispering!”

“Epel, don’t do this… Remember the other day-”

“Looks like someone feels threatened being in the presence of big strong guys, huh?”

Epel jumped into action, causing Ruggie to shake his head in disappointment. He really didn’t feel like walking all the way to the infirmary. He managed to pull Epel out of the fray, seeing he did more damage than he anticipated. He then noticed the blot specks on Epel’s magicrystal.

Ruggie dragged Epel into his room, sitting him down as he search around for his mini first aid kit.

“Sorry.”

“You’re giving me more work than necessary.” Ruggie sighed, finally finding it. “You don’t have to lash out every time someone talks bad about you.”

“That’s not it. I don’t really care what they say about me. It’s when they get you involved.”

“I’ve been here an entire year longer than you. I can handle gossiping freshman.” Ruggie chuckled, hearing Epel hiss. “As your boyfriend, I don’t want you getting hurt. But as your friend, I do want to see how feral you can get…”

Epel was about to respond but Ruggie silenced him. Epel let Ruggie care for him as he started to think things over.


	347. 1st Years: Yuu are the devil

“But I don’t wanna…” Ace whined.

“Then sleep on the floor.” Yuu said, fixing up the lounge with Deuce and Jack. “You two will clean a room, right?”

“It’s better than sleeping on the floor I bet.” said Deuce, sneezing as dust flew into his nose. “God this place is so musty and dusty…”

“What about you, Jack?”

“I’ll clean a room with Deuce. You don’t mind sharing, right?”

“If it’s with you, not at all.”

Yuu smiled, leading them upstairs to the rooms. Ace was left behind.

“Alright, so it’s this one. I’ll help clean because I’m such a good friend.” Yuu said, stroking his ego some.

“You know, Grim hasn’t been around. Where is that raccoon?” Deuce asked, opening a window to let the dust out.

“He’s sleep. He acts like going to classes is the most draining thing ever.” said Yuu, rolling his eyes. “Plus we had a nice dinner so he’ll be out ‘til morning.”

They heard the door open, revealing Ace.

“Have you come to complain more?” asked Jack, really not wanting to hear him whine again.

“Nah. I’ll clean. And since I’m helping, I can room with you, right Deuce?”

“Uh, no. You can room by yourself you know. There’s a lot of other rooms.”

“But like… we’re already roommates, you know?”

“Ace, is there some reason why the idea of rooming alone isn’t settling with you?” Jack questioned.

“Is it because of… the ghosts!?” Yuu said, popping up behind Ace and scaring him. “Haha, you should’ve seen your face!”

“It’s not funny!” Ace huffed, his cheeks red.

“Anyway, let’s hurry up and finish so we can start the sleepover.” said Deuce, dusting the sheets outside the window.

•

“Should we really be playing this?” Ace muttered.

“It’s a staple sleepover game back where I’m from. Come on, it’s not so bad.”

“But, kissing is involved. We’re straight, Yuu.” Deuce said, feeling uneasy.

“Right… Anyway, I spruced it up a little. Instead of the standard rules, you pick a folded piece of paper and spin this wheel to see who’d you do the action to or with!” Yuu said as he clapped. “Much better than what I initially told you, right?”

“No.” they said in unison.

“Party poopers…”

The trio were naturally afraid of what Yuu had written down and would force them to do that they naturally wouldn’t.

“Deuce, why are you making that face?”

“Because… I… to you all… God, this is so embarrassing! I hate you, Yuu!” Deuce yelled, his face as red as a tomato.

“Oh, did you get one of the spicy ones?” he asked. “Do it, do it, do it!”

Ace and Jack watched as Deuce mooned them. Deuce was dying from utter embarrassment and exposure.

“Wow… that was brutal.” Ace snickered, watching Deuce sit back down in shame. “Though, it would’ve been better if it was Yuu.”

“See? It’s comments like that that make you three sound not as straight as you claim to be.”

“We are straight!” they said in unison.

They looked up, hearing something knocking against the door. Yuu got up, doing his job as the dorm’s prefect.

“Uh, hi. You are?”

“Huh? I thought-”

“I’m just messing. What’s up Epel?”

“I’m tired. I can’t stand it in that place anymore. Everywhere I go, slap! I feel like I’ll get slapped just for breathing! He’s always on my god damn case! I swear if I have to endure one more slap from him, I’ll lose my shit and overblot!” Epel complained, putting his head in his hands.

“No more overblots please.” Yuu pleaded, having had his fill already. “So, you came to just complain?”

“Can you let me stay here? Please? I’ll do housework.”

“Come on in. We’re playing a game right now. And since you’re here, I can add more into the box.”

“Box…?”

•

“No…”

“What’d ya get, Ace?” Yuu asked with a shit eating grin.

Ace spun the wheel, it landing on Epel’s number.

“Nooooooo!”

“Now you’re scaring us.” Jack said, wondering what it was.

Ace sighed heavily, revealing his action.

“Eh!? No!” Epel squeaked, trying to run away only to be held down by Yuu and Jack.

“Give him the best kiss he’s ever had!” Yuu cheered, eagerly waiting.

“My god you are the devil…” Deuce mumbled, thanking the heavens he wasn’t Ace right now.

“Ah! You gotta use tongue or else I won’t count it.”

“Ha!? Now you’re getting ridiculous.” Ace complained.

Epel pulled Ace in for the kiss, wanting to get it over with.

“There. Satisfied?” Epel asked, looking at Yuu.

“Very.”

“There’s only one left in the box, so give it a whirl, Epel.” said Jack, knowing he came in later and didn’t get many chances.

Epel took it out before reading it. Yuu smiled, having discreetly slipped it in while everyone was freaking out about the kiss.

“It says that I have to shake hands with everyone playing and ask for their friendship.” Epel said, showing them.

“How nice…”

Epel shook Jack’s hand, asking for friendship.

“Wait, do they have to respond?”

“If they want to.” Yuu replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Then, I accept.” Jack smiled.

Epel moved onto Deuce and Ace, gaining their friendship as well. Yuu put his hand up, giving Epel a hug instead.

“We’re already friends, silly.”

Epel hugged Yuu back, his heart warming at his acquirement of new friends.

“Well, since you’re staying, you can room with Ace. Deuce and Jack are already together.”

“Wait, we’re ending things already? It’s only a little past midnight and it’s the weekend.”

“Hm, would you like to lie out under the stars and naturally let secrets slip as we bond even more?”

“Suddenly I feel so tired.” Ace yawned, quickly getting up to head upstairs.

He noticed the others weren’t following. They couldn’t be serious. Yuu picked up the blanket, the four of them heading outside without him.

“Wow, you can see so many…!”

“Hey, I bet I can point out more constellations.” Deuce challenged.

“You’re going to make a bunch of them up so no thanks.” said Jack, already finding some.

“Too bad Ace is such a chicken. It’s like he doesn’t want to grow closer to us.” Yuu commented, seeing Ace was going to fade out of their group.

“You know, sometimes I want to be a bad boy again… They were fun, sometimes.” said Deuce, memories flooding his mind. “But every time I think that, I’m faced with my mom’s tears and pained face. I don’t want to make her sad anymore…”

“It’s alright to let loose once in awhile but not get carried away.” Yuu responded.

“I’m the eldest of my siblings, so you can imagine the pressure I felt trying to be a good role model. Of course I slipped up at times, I was a kid after all. It was always funny getting reprimanded by my younger sibling when I did. Kinda showed I had been doing my job as big brother right…”

“I can’t imagine, being an only child and all.” said Deuce, a part of him wondering how different life would be if he had a sibling.

“I come from a small place, so everyone knows everyone and what goes on with everyone. They try not to make it obvious and be understanding of us, but it still shows they’re biased against my parents. It’s not like they asked to be magicless. Yet they never complain. They just keep on smiling and working. I know it has to bother them.” Epel said, looking at the bright stars on the sky. “So I want to get stronger and show everyone back home that even magicless parents can raise a strong child with a good head on their shoulders. Yet I was put in Pomefiore, the one dorm that won’t let me succeed in my plans…”

They all looked at Epel. He really had it rough.

“Hearing all of your stories makes mine sound silly in comparison.”

“So you came out after all?” Deuce said.

“Being friends means being open from time to time. So… everyone knows how much I look up to my brother who also came to Night Raven. Well, when I was younger, I had this plaguing thought in my mind that if I ever let him out of my sight, he’d disappear forever. And even now, I worry he’ll just suddenly disappear if I don’t constantly keep updated with him.”

“That’s like separation anxiety to the max…” Yuu muttered.

“I highly doubt he’ll up and leave without telling you.” said Deuce.

They lied in silence, the wind blowing around them.

“You haven’t shared yet, Yuu.” Epel piped up.

“Mmm, you all know everything already. I want to go home but Crowley is doing absolutely nothing to help. So, I’m considering taking matters into my own hands.” said Yuu, pretending to catch a star in his hand. “It’s probably the only option I have.”

“What was your home like?” Jack asked, curious like a child.

Yuu happily describes their home and all sorts of things within it. The others moved closer, wanting Yuu to know they were here for him every step of the way.


	348. Draconias: Thorn wall

“Grandma!”

“Ma- oof! My goodness, you’ve gotten stronger.” she chuckled, hugging Malleus back.

“Can you teach me more magic? Please?” Malleus asked, giving her a toothy grin.

“How can I say no to such a cute face?”

Malleus ran around in circles, excited to learn. She called his name, causing him to stop and face her seriously.

“I want to make thorns like you.” he said.

“Hm… It’ll be a little difficult since you’re more dragon than thorn fairy…” she said, looking Malleus over. “But with enough practice, you can do it effortlessly just like grandma.”

Malleus’ eyes sparkled before looking at his magicrystal. He was going to be as strong as her one day.

Maleficent led him outside, seeing it would be better to have access to dirt. He attentively listened as she guided him. Malleus knitted his brows, trying to imagine the thorns he wanted.

“Good, keep picturing it.” she said, seeing small thorny tendrils poking out.

Malleus puffed his cheeks out, the tendrils growing bigger. He exhaled, his mind tiring.

“This was pretty good for your first try. You truly have promise, Malleus.”

“Really!? I’ll get to be strong like you one day?” Malleus asked.

“With hard work and dedication. Listen to your teachers, understand?” she replied, caressing his cheek.

“Yes, grandma!”

Maleficent had him rest, seeing more blot had accumulated than she anticipated.

“Grandma, what happens if my crystal is covered in blot?”

“That’s not a position you ever want to be in.” she started off, sitting beside him. “If your crystal is completely covered in blot, you’ll go into a stage called overblot. Remember, avoid it at all costs and you can do that by resting and eating. And of course, by not using magic.”

“I see… but what makes it so horrible?”

“When you go into overblot, your entire form changes and from that moment on, the blot feasts on your life force. You’ll be so consumed by your emotions you won’t even realize it until it’s too late. And you’ll die just like that.”

“Die…?” whispered Malleus, a bit frightened.

“Mhmm. I’ve seen it happen to many people and most were saved. However, not everyone was lucky… Even now I’m sure their dark spirits roam around, shouting their rage.”

Maleficent felt Malleus grab her sleeve, keeping his head down.

“That’s why when your teachers tell you to rest, heed their suggestion.” she said, pulling Malleus onto her lap. “Everyone here will protect you if an overblot were to happen. Don’t be afraid.”

“But… what if it happens to you? Or Mommy and Daddy? Will I be able to save you?”

“If you take your magic studies seriously.”

Malleus nodded, having a new resolve. She smiled softly, glad she was able to encourage him to do better.

•

Maleficent had finished discussing matters with her son when her path was blocked by Malleus.

“Yes, my dearest?”

“Grandma, I want to try making your thorn wall.”

She blinked, taking note of his seriousness. She couldn’t possibly turn him down when he asked so earnestly.

“Are you sure? It’s more difficult than just making a few tendrils…”

“Please, grandma. I want to do my best in everything. I want to be strong to protect everyone dear to me.”

Maleficent gave in. He was so serious. She’d look like the bad guy if she told him no.

Maleficent led him to an abandoned shed, telling him to practice on it before attempting anything higher. She was definitely worried since he wasn’t fully a thorn fairy, but these past years he’s shown that he had it in him to overcome anything. She watched as thorns slowly crept up around the shed, slowly starting to encase it.

“This…”

The thorns stopped. She looked at Malleus, seeing he was panting slightly. Maybe she should stop him. Before she could get a word out, Malleus had shouted. The ground started to shake. She turned back to the shed, no longer seeing it.

“Malleus…”

“Did… did I do good…?” Malleus asked.

Maleficent used magic, keeping him from falling over. She pulled him over, holding him close.

“I shouldn’t have let you push so hard…”

“I’m fine.” Malleus fussed, trying to pull away.

“Malleus.” she warned.

Malleus momentarily stopped before leaning into her more. He was really tired. He just wanted to make her proud yet all he did was cause her worry.

“I’m sorry… I just wanted… to show my progress…”

“Don’t apologize you silly child. I’m always proud of you.” Maleficent said, kissing his forehead. “I’ll only be disappointed if you don’t become strong enough to protect those dear to you.”

She felt Malleus hug her tight before going limp in her arms. She sat down, letting Malleus rest on her lap.

“Ah, there you are.”

She looked up, seeing her son approaching them.

“He’s resting. He’s improving so fast…” she said, gesturing to the encased shed.

“He did that? By himself?”

“I was surprised myself. It seems we’ll have to worry about how he’ll wield his strength when he gets older.”

“I’ll make sure his mother and I teach him, even after you’re gone.” he said, stroking Malleus’ head.

“So quick to get rid of me.” she chuckled, feeling Malleus snuggle closer. “I’d love to watch him grow up to rule…”

She knew it wouldn’t be possible, but she could dream, couldn’t she? Her son had gone on ahead, telling her to make sure Malleus stopped to talk to him after he woke up.

Maleficent used magic, making a spot next to her comfortable to sleep on. She couldn’t move him as he was tightly holding onto her robes.

“Alright, I’ll let you use my lap.” she said with a soft smile, stroking his head.


	349. 1st Years: Compromise

Yuu laughed with the boys, Ace retelling a funny story about how he tricked Deuce. Deuce was naturally mortified.

“It wasn’t planned!”

“Yet everyone in our wing saw.” Ace laughed, paying Deuce on the back. “Thank you for always providing comedy.”

Deuce shook his head, wishing everyone could just forget it ever happened.

“So, what are we doing now?” Epel asked, seeing they’ve been walking around aimlessly.

“Library?”

“Are you serious Jack?”

“What other option do you have in mind, Ace?”

“Why not play games? I’m sure Idia senpai will let us in if we talk his gamer slang.” said Ace, smirking evilly.

“Oh boy…” Yuu muttered, knowing Ace was going to give Idia a hard time.

•

Everyone stood back except Yuu as Ace knocked on Idia’s door. The door opened, Idia peering through his door. He narrowed his eyes.

“The phoenix carries the morning star.” Ace said, crossing his arms.

Ace was pulled into the room before the door shut. Yuu looked back at them, not knowing what was going on either. They moved closer before freezing in place, hearing things falling and colliding. Was Ace okay in there? The door opened, Ace beckoning them in.

“Is it safe…?” Yuu asked, peering into the room.

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t it be?” Ace asked in confusion.

They entered, seeing the room was pretty clean compared to what they’ve been told. Idia sat in a corner, headphones on and playing a game.

“What did you do to him…” Deuce asked quietly.

“Compromise.”

 _“That doesn’t look like compromise.”_ they thought.

They sat down seeing Ace had gotten most of the game set up. Yuu looked back, seeing Idia was stretched out in his corner, enjoying his handheld gaming system.

“Is it really okay to just take over his room like this?” Yuu asked.

“Yeah. He’s alright.”

Loud music blared out, scaring everyone except Idia shitless. A spark of magic flashed from the group.

“Something’s on fire!” Epel cried out.

“What!? Put it out!” Deuce panicked.

“Where did it even come from?” Jack mumbled, looking at their magicrystals. None of them had blot. He looked back at Idia who didn’t even seem to have heard the music. “Okay, who in the world did it?”

They double checked their magicrystals. No blot on any of their crystals. Then that only left…

“Why are you four looking at me?” Yuu said, looking at each of them.

“None of us did it. Idia is in his own world. So that leaves you.”

“But… I don’t have magic…” Yuu muttered, feeling extremely unsure himself.

“Really, who else could it be?” Grim grumbled, wanting to play games already.

Yuu looked at his hands, trying to understand it himself.

“Wait, if Yuu has magic. Why did the mirror say he didn’t…?” Epel asked, now getting confused.

“Now that Epel mentions it…” Deuce muttered.

Now they were all confused.

“How about we enjoy some games first and then worry about this… magic situation after? We’ll probably think better.” Ace suggested.

The others somewhat agreed, turning their attention back to the big screen.


	350. Trey x Rook: Want to learn

Rook entered the gardens, the club deciding to meet there for the day. Rook waved to the club members, deciding to work on a new potion. One that would antagonize a certain lion.

“Afternoon, Rook.”

“Afternoon, Rose Chevalier.”

Rook walked past him, discreetly eyeing him. It wasn’t often Trey greeted him. Yet as of late, he’s greeted him almost every time they crossed paths. Even in science club, Trey often crossed his path, asking him if he needed help or simply just making small talk.

Then again, he couldn’t act like he hadn’t been making moves either. It’s not like he wanted Trey’s attention. Rook plucked a few petals, glancing back towards Trey who watered his plants. He quickly looked away, his mind wandering with thoughts.

Trey checked his plants before looking around for Rook. He couldn’t help but think of him. That smile. That mysterious, alluring smile. What secrets did Rook have to hide? Why did looking at him get him all hot and bothered? Trey turned back to his plants, seeing he overwatered them.

The two continued about their business, their minds on each other. Rook started grinding the herbs then pouring the crushed up herbs into suspicious liquid.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

They awkwardly smiled before Rook went back to his mixture.

“So, what are you making?”

“So glad you asked, Trey~” Rook said before going into detail. “It’s for our furry friend. The prince.”

“You really like harassing him…” Trey said, feeling a bit envious of the attention Leona was given.

“It’s a fun pass time of mine fufu~ Baking is one for you, right?”

“Funny you should mention baking. I actually made something for you.”

“Really? Is it full of fat and sugar though? I’ve been trying to mind my intake. I had a pimple the other day.” Rook sighed, remembering vividly how Vil shamed him.

“How awful… I bet you still looked stunning.”

“Look at you, flirting. Save that for you tiny queen, hm?” Rook chuckled, tucking his hair behind his ear.

“But what if I want to flirt with the hunter of love?”

Rook looked at him with slightly widened eyes. It was one of his jokes wasn’t it? Rook laughed, slapping Trey’s arm. Trey wasn’t laughing. Rook cleared his throat, rubbing his arm in apology.

“Well, you can flirt all you want. Who am I to stop you?” Rook said, seeing the potion was done. “I need to go freeze this so-”

Trey stopped him, blocking his path.

“Do you want to come with me or…?”

“No. I want something else. Just a little thing I want to learn more about.” Trey said, leaning closer.

“Okay, but I really need to get-” Rook said, only to see Trey freeze it for him. “Alright, so what do you want?”

Trey didn’t waste any time seizing his lips. Rook wrapped his arms around his neck, having wished for it for ages. Their kiss steadily became rougher and messier, tightening their grips on each other.

Trey pulled away, looking at a red faced Rook.

“So, what did you learn?” Rook asked lowly.

“That Rook Hunt is a great kisser.” Trey chuckled. “But I think I need another just to be sure.”

Rook smiled, the two going in for another kiss.


	351. NSFW Fuce: You actually came

Deuce entered the classroom, seeing they had a joint class. He spotted a familiar face.

“Great. Your crazy boyfriend’s here.”

“He’s not crazy! You’re all so quick to judge him.” Deuce huffed, figuring Ace would’ve been on his side.

“Have fun.” Ace said, sitting somewhere else.

Deuce looked, seeing there were no free seats next to Floyd. He internally sighed, taking the closest seat he could get. At least he could look at the back of Floyd’s head. Floyd turned, looking at him. Deuce waved, his heart racing.

“Move.”

“Huh…? But-”

Floyd picked up a student sitting next to him, forcing him to switch seats with Deuce. Deuce apologized to the student, squeezing into the row to sit with Floyd. Floyd leaned against Deuce, fully content.

No one understood how they were a couple. How did Deuce deal with Floyd’s mood swings? His pure satanic evil? Yet next to Deuce, Floyd seemed pacified.

“How has your day been?” Deuce whispered, class having started.

“Better now you’re here.”

Deuce smiled, his face heating. It was simple things like that that made him love Floyd even more. Floyd was really kind and soft if you got to the inside. Then again, he doesn’t allow people to get close. Floyd sat up, watching Deuce take notes. What if he made things a little interesting?

Deuce snapped his head in Floyd’s direction, feeling him pull out his dick. In class. He tried speaking with his eyes before he was forced to use words.

“Stop…” Deuce whispered, trying not to moan in class.

“Nah~”

Students sitting behind them could see what was going on. A few were disgusted. Floyd had squeezed himself under, starting to give Deuce a blowjob. Ace looked over at them before covering his mouth. He looked away, unsure if he wanted to post it on Magicam or just mind his business.

“Mmmm…”

Some of the class looked in Deuce’s direction. Crap. Any and all attempts to get Floyd to move failed. He tightly held his magipen, holding back his moans. Floyd finally backed off, now sitting as if he didn’t just suck him off underneath. Deuce fixed himself, knowing he was going to be horny until he could sneak off to relieve himself.

Class ended, everyone making their way to their next classes. Deuce quickly gathered his things and left. Letting Floyd anywhere near him now would be a huge mistake.

“Hey, wait up!” Ace called out, jogging to catch up. “So, you two getting it on-”

“I didn’t! He came onto me…” Deuce said, his erection pressing against his pants. “I told him to stop but…”

“But you didn’t want it to. Gotcha.”

“No! I mean, maybe… The point is he wouldn’t listen.” Deuce said, ruffling his hair. “Now I have this erection and I don’t know what to do…”

“Sneak our and jerk off? There’s not much you can do.” Ace said with a shrug.

Deuce sighed, wishing Floyd would behave sometimes.

•

Lunch had rolled around, students happily chatting with each other and spreading gossip. Deuce’s erection had gone done as he focused more attention on his studies than the sexual desire he was feeling.

“Is Floyd sitting with us?”

“You know the answer. Depends on how he feels.”

Ace prayed that he wouldn’t be in the mood. They got on line for lunch before sitting down. Ace sighed, seeing Floyd heading over to their table. Maybe they’d get lucky tomorrow. Floyd and Deuce shared a kiss, making Ace roll his eyes before moving to sit with another group.

“He’s jealous.” Floyd said before eating.

“He’s not. He just feels like a third wheel when we show PDA.” Deuce said, seeing Floyd wanted to feed him. “No. You’re going to trick me again.”

“Aw. Please?”

Deuce sighed, playing along. He was surprised to actually be fed. He had finished chewing and swallowing when Floyd had kissed him, his hands thoroughly exploring his body. Deuce couldn’t move, always finding himself paralyzed. Floyd bit at his neck, uncaring that they were in public. He’d fuck him right in front of everyone.

Deuce stopped him, wanting to enjoy lunch for once. Floyd complied, feeding Deuce again. Students still didn’t understand. What about Deuce kept Floyd from being the annoying beast that he was?

“Deuce, do you have club today?” Floyd asked.

“Yeah. We can’t hang out like we usually do. Tomorrow we can.”

“It’s fine. I have club too. I just wanted you to come watch me.”

“Well, you could always come watch me for a bit since I usually stay a bit later after club finishes. If that’s not asking too much.” Deuce said, seeing Floyd didn’t eat his mushrooms.

He started eating them, not needing to hear words. They had slowly come to an agreement that Deuce would eat Floyd’s mushrooms if he happened to get a dish with them. Floyd internally sighed, wishing their club activities didn’t have to overlap today. He had something fun planned for the both of them but now he had to switch everything around.

“Was there a reason why you wanted to know?” Deuce asked, realizing Floyd wasn’t usually interested.

“Secret~”

“Should’ve known.”

•

Deuce wiped his forehead, seeing just about everyone had left. Most of the people on the team were pretty fit, so he had to do his best to catch up. He did another sprint, using magic to time himself.

“One second? That’s too low…” Deuce sighed, deciding to do a few more before calling it a day.

“Deuce~!”

Deuce turned, seeing Floyd walking towards him.

“You actually came. I’m just about to finish up, so if-”

Floyd didn’t let him finish, forcing him down onto the ground as he kissed him. Deuce groaned, feeling Floyd spreading his legs open.

“Wait, right here… out in the open…?” Deuce whispered, uncomfortable with the idea.

“You don’t want to be adventurous?” Floyd asked, needing to know where he drew the line.

Deuce closed his eyes before opening them.

“Tell me honestly.” Floyd warned.

“Just this once… Only because you’ve been on my mind all day…” Deuce said, locking lips with Floyd.

Deuce helped Floyd pull clothing off, dying for his touch. Floyd lifted his shirt, leaving bite marks just about everywhere he could. Deuce started stroking himself, Floyd moving too slow for his liking. Floyd moved his hand, using his tongue to stimulate Deuce’s shaft.

“Stop teasing… I hate it…” Deuce whined, trying to get Floyd to suck him off.

“I know you hate it.” Floyd chuckled, continuing to do it.

It was driving him insane and he couldn’t do anything about it. Floyd kept Deuce still, feeling him squirming around. Floyd finally gave him what he wanted. Deuce bucked his hips, trying to get the most out of Floyd’s mouth around him. Deuce moaned loudly, Floyd’s tongue touching the right spots every time he bucked.

“Floyd… Floyd… oh god…” Deuce cried out, forcing Floyd to deep throat him before coming.

Deuce panted, already knowing what came next. He loosely fixed himself, starting to reciprocate. Floyd grabbed a fistful of Deuce’s hair, forcing him all the way down.

“Use your tongue more…” Floyd mumbled, listening to Deuce choking on him. “Yeah, like that…”

Tears pricked Deuce’s eyes as Floyd was much too long to take on fully. Yet here he was, managing somehow. He felt Floyd wipe his tears, hearing him starting to moan.

“Fuck, yes… You’re taking me well…” Floyd said, giving him praise. “You like being praised don’t you?”

He didn’t want to admit to it. Of course he loved receiving praise from him, especially during intimate moments like this. He could feel Floyd shaking slightly. Was he going to come in his mouth or all over his face? He never knew with Floyd. He started to brace himself for both, feeling Floyd twitching a lot more.

“I’m gonna come… nnnn…!”

Deuce felt Floyd pull out, giving him very little time to react as Floyd came on his face.

“Holy shit…” Floyd whispered.

“Wh-”

Deuce flinched, not expecting more. Floyd softly apologized, seeing it was a lot more than he anticipated. Deuce felt him hold him before licking his face. He did the same, feeling his eyes being freed from their cum prisons. He opened his eyes, seeing Floyd smiling lovingly at him.

“You got a little… there.” Deuce said, licking the stray cum off the corner of his mouth. “But we’re not doing this again.”

“Boo… I thought you were having fun.” Floyd said, puffing his cheeks out slightly.

He wasn’t really opposed to the idea, it was the fact someone could show up at any point and see them that put him off.

“Okay, we’ll stick to the bedroom.” Floyd said, smiling again.

“Special occasions like today… I’ll allow it.” Deuce said, not wanting to toss the idea. “A- Anyway, let’s hurry up and head for the showers.”

Floyd laughed, clinging to Deuce who was adamant about getting away from the sports field. He was definitely going to remember this every time he went to the sports field. Yet another spot Floyd had ruined for him with his need for sex.


	352. NSFW Yandere!Divus x Jack: Taboo

Students whispered to each other, feeling a bit uneasy. They already didn’t like him and now he was entering their personal space, their little safe haven. It was starting to get on their nerves.

“A whole five seconds…! You’re doing even better!” Deuce exclaimed, showing Jack.

“I could move faster… but I’ve been feeling very uncomfortable.” Jack said, rubbing his arm.

“It’s cause of him right? We all feel uncomfortable with him around.” Deuce said, glancing back. “Why is he even here?”

“I heard he’s looking for students to pick on.” a student said, him and his friend walking over.

“Really? I heard he used to be a track star when he was younger.”

“I like that one better.” said Deuce.

“Because it sounds more believable. Anyway, we’ve dawdled enough.” Jack said.

“But he’s been coming for a month straight now. He never came before…”

“Come on. We have better things to focus on.”

Jack glanced back, seeing Divus sitting there with watchful eyes. He shook his head, focusing on his training.

•

The students were disgruntled again. Yet another month and Divus was still watching them with hawk eyes.

“Think Crewel will be there today?” Deuce asked, changing into his gym clothes.

“I’d be surprised if he wasn’t.” Jack responded, doing the same.

Divus had been giving him special attention lately in his classes. Praising him whether he succeeded or failed. His punishment for failing being the gentlest thing no one expected. His tail being touched on multiple occasions, not to mention all the times he’s caught Divus staring at him. It was creepy… yet it made him feel just a smidge special.

The club started doing their stretches, ready to start training for their upcoming match. Deuce wasn’t a starter, giving him more time to help out Jack who was.

“He’s back again…”

“Doesn’t he have papers to grade?”

“Why doesn’t our supervisor do anything?”

Jack couldn’t help but wonder if Divus knew he was making them uncomfortable. He made a note in his mind to talk to Divus, hoping he’d be able to get through to him.

“You’re running slower than usual. Something’s on your mind.” Deuce said, waiting for an answer.

Jack told him about his plan. Deuce really wanted to believe it’d work, but this was Divus Crewel. Even then he encouraged Jack.

The students grumbled as they made their way back to their dorms, club activities having finished.

“Hey, I can’t stick around today. I have Heartslabyul duties and you know how Riddle gets.”

“Ah, then I guess I should go too.”

Deuce went on ahead, knowing if he didn’t run he’d be in a lot of trouble. Jack did his cool down stretches, seeing he was the last one.

“Jack Howl.”

Jack turned, seeing Divus standing right behind him. He finished stretching before getting to his feet.

“Yes, Crewel sensei?”

“I’ve been watching you all but, you certainly have been working the hardest. It’s very… intriguing.” said Divus, rubbing the tip of his pointer over Jack’s bicep.

“Um, thanks…?”

“I’d like to give you a personal reward for doing so well. It would be great if you didn’t tell the others. Wouldn’t want them getting jealous.”

A reward? What kind of reward could Divus even have got him? An instant A+? That was too generous. Maybe changing his lowest test score to a higher grade? That seemed more probable. He followed Divus, still thinking of possible rewards.

He finally noticed they weren’t heading for the classrooms. In fact he didn’t really know where they were. Divus opened a door, ushering Jack inside. A bedroom. Was he going to search for a reward? Divus had hugged him from behind, his hands exploring.

“Crewel sensei…?”

“I’m giving you your reward.” Divus said, forcing Jack onto all fours.

“Wait, you… you’re going to-”

“Yes. Now relax and let an experienced man take over.”

Jack’s clothes were off in an instant. He crawled away, Divus’ lustful stare piercing through him. This couldn’t be happening. Wasn’t he committing a crime? Jack continued to move around, slowly finding this cat and mouse chase a bit alluring.

Divus finally caught him, purposefully gripping a spot that Jack liked. Jack squeezed his eyes shut, not expecting to feel fingers in his ass. It felt surprisingly good. No, he shouldn’t be liking this. He was getting sexually intimate with his teacher.

“Feels good right? You deserve all the pleasure for working so hard for your team. Who’s a good boy…” Divus whispered into his ear, sending shivers up his spine.

Jack felt himself growing hard just from that. He wasn’t seriously turned on by his teacher. It wasn’t right. Divus continued to whisper praises into his ear, making him grow harder and start to leak pre cum.

“I think you’re stretched enough… I’m going to put-” Divus said, not expecting Jack to lift his ass. “How sweet… presenting yourself for me.”

“Please, Crewel sensei…” Jack whined, needing to be touched. Just the sheer thought of Divus fucking him was starting to sound good to him. “Please…”

Jack let out a gasp, feeling Divus push inside him. He wasn’t no time in thrusting into him, sending pleasure rippling through his body. He felt Divus place his hands over his, kissing along his back as he continued to give him praise. He knew he shouldn’t be liking this, not one bit. A deep and hard thrust was enough to destroy such a thought.

“You’re taking this so well… does it mean what I think it does?” Divus whispered, reaching forward to pump Jack’s shaft.

Jack cried out in bliss, moving his hips with Divus’ thrusts. He didn’t care anymore. He was loving this. Jack made it known, moaning Divus’ name anytime he could. The fact it was taboo was making it all the more alluring.

“Mmm, you’re so hard and wet… You really wanted me that much, Howl?”

“Yes… yes, sensei… please touch me more…” Jack pleaded, feeling Divus twitching inside him.

“Good boy. I love obedient students…” Divus smiled, pumping Jack faster.

Jack let out a throaty moan, coming all over the floor and Divus’ hand. He didn’t want to stop coming. He begged and pleaded with Divus, trying to convince him.

“I decide what we do, when we do it and how. So quiet down before I give punishment.”

Jack lowly whimpered, feeling Divus’ hand leaving his shaft. Divus’ movements became sporadic before he came in Jack’s ass. Jack splayed himself out, his senses and rational thinking slowly coming back to him. He was fucked by his teacher. He enjoyed being fucked by his teacher. How was he going to face everyone with such a thing hanging over his head?

“If you work harder, I’ll give you another reward.” Divus said, petting him.

“I’ll work hard…”

“Good boy…”


	353. Yuu: Five bucks Leona…

  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  


Yuu placed down snacks as Vil finished setting up. He made sure he brought some snacks for Vil as he hated junk food. Now all that was left was waiting for the dorm leaders.

“How considerate of you to bring something I’d eat.” Vil said, unwrapping a bar.

“Well, I didn’t really know. So I asked Sam what you usually buy from him.” Yuu explained, hearing the door open. “Kalim! And you brought Riddle.”

“Told you, haha!” Kalim chuckled, ushering Riddle in as Malleus followed close behind.

They got themselves situated, waiting for Azul and Idia.

“We’ve… arrived…!” Azul said, dragging in by his arm.

“I told you I don’t want to!” Idia fussed, trying to escape.

Azul pushed Idia in, closing the door behind them. Idia heavily sighed, sitting in a corner.

“He looks so pitiful.” Vil said, shaking his head. “Hey, fire boy. Either sit with us or get your head extinguished.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Magic sparks started emitting from Vil’s magicrystal. Idia begrudgingly sat with them, knowing Vil never made empty threats.

“Hey, why don’t we make a bet? Five bucks Leona comes mewling at the door to let him in.” said Azul, taking his seat.

Everyone except Yuu places bets.

“What about you, Yuu?” Kalim asked.

“I’d rather not. I’d be content if he came and just a bit disappointed if he didn’t.” Yuu said, starting the movie.

“Hm. I’ve never seen this movie before.” Riddle said, earning looks. “Just because I didn’t want to come doesn’t mean I don’t watch movies.”

They collectively gasped, hearing a gunshot ring out.

“Not his mom…” Kalim whimpered, tightly holding Riddle.

“You’re cutting off my circulation…!” Riddle hissed.

A few of them cooed, watching the little fox get into mischief.

“The dog is absolutely precious.” Azul mumbled, finding himself falling in love.

“Where are the cats?”

“Are you seriously going to complain, Idia? Just watch them damn movie.”

Idia pursed his lips, wishing he could be playing a game right now.

The movie started getting into the falling action, nearing the end of the movie. Yuu pauses the movie, hearing something hitting the door.

“Pay up.” Azul said, taking money from those opposed to him.

He gave Kalim his share as Leona sauntered in.

“To think you actually came. You should’ve stayed in your room. The movie’s almost over.” Vil said, enjoying his snack.

“You always have something to say don’t you?”

“When it comes to you. There’s just so much to say about how poorly you live your life that I could probably write an essay about it.”

“Hey, can we-”

Yuu was cut off, Leona and Vil going at it yet again. Soon the others were being dragged in and now everyone was arguing with each other. Kalim stepped out with Yuu, watching them.

“Even Idia is arguing… That’s rare.”

“I just wanted to have a nice movie night with them…”

Kalim thought before using his unique magic. Everyone had stopped arguing to complain about the sudden onslaught of water. Yuu thanked Kalim, hurrying to settle things before they started again.


	354. NSFW Octavinelle x Kalim: We’re always watching

Kalim wiggled around, unable to move his limbs. He figured out he was being carried in something but he couldn’t figure out what, considering something was covering his eyes.

Soon he was being put down. He could hear voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying. He noticed a bit of light before his blindfold was removed.

“Hi~”

“Hey. Do you mind freeing me? Someone decided it’d be funny to tie me up and blindfold me…” Kalim said, completely oblivious to the fact they had done it.

“Should we tell him?”

“No. Let it sink in.”

Kalim sighed before noticing they hadn’t moved an inch.

“Aren’t you going to help me?”

They left the room without another word. Kalim sighed again before his mind started piecing things together. Scarabia, overblot, jamil hate speech, fish guys, attacked at night, taken to secret location, fish guys, fish guys refuse to assist.

“Did they… but…” Kalim whispered, now feeling confused.

Why would they help out but then kidnap him? He worked his mind as hard as he could, drawing a blank. It made no sense. Kalim tried moving around, seeing there was at least a bed for him to sleep on. Two windows but too high up and too small for him to fit through. No vents either.

“They really thought of everything…” Kalim mumbled, worming his way over to the bed.

•

Kalim’s head bobbed as he tried his hardest not to fall asleep. The door opened, Floyd walking in with a tray. The smell filled his nose.

“I got food~”

He couldn’t deny he was hungry, but did he really want to eat from the hands of someone who kidnapped him? Kalim turned his back to Floyd.

“Fine. Starve.”

Slam! Floyd really did leave with the food. Kalim curled into himself, trying not to think of his hunger. The door opened again, revealing Jade.

“It’s unfortunate that you choose not to eat, but if it gets bad do know that we’ll force you.” said Jade, freeing Kalim’s arms and legs. “Azul doesn’t want to dirty his hands with a death. And don’t think of trying anything funny. We’re always watching.”

Kalim didn’t respond, simply rubbing his wrists and ankles as Jade left. Click, click. Kalim sat up. Was the door open this whole time? He instantly ran over, trying to open it. It wouldn’t open. He looked at the knob, seeing it couldnot be unlocked from the inside.

Kalim sat back down, wondering where the cameras were hidden. He started actively looking for them, hoping to find a blind spot. And if his guess was right, they had taken his phone when he wasn’t paying attention. As usual.

Kalim had found a few cameras, seeing they weren’t the type that moved. If he followed the paths right, the blind spot was the corner near the dresser. He left a little mark to remind himself if he ever needed privacy, he could go there. Though if he used it often, they might get suspicious and put in another camera.

•

Kalim awoke the next day, feeling surprisingly refreshed. He didn’t think the bed would be so comfortable. He got up, having been curious as to what was in the dresser. He figured it wasn’t anything, opening it up. There sat his clothes as if they knew he’d be cooped up in this room. He noticed there was another door in the room but was too afraid to venture through it.

He gathered some courage, squeezing his eyes shut as he opened it. Feeling no pain, he opened an eye to see it was just a bathroom. He was about to walk in before a memory came to mind.

_“We’re always watching.”_

They didn’t put cameras in the bathroom, right? Kalim looked around, spotting two. What was even the point when there wasn’t any spot for him to escape through? Not to mention he didn’t have a phone to call for help.

“Sick…” Kalim whispered, now getting an urge to go.

Was it worth it? Was it worth having them see him doing his business? He then thought of an idea.

Kalim exhaled, seeing it wasn’t too bad of a plan. Now he’d just have to do it every time he needed to go. It sounded like a pain, but if he wanted privacy…

The door opened, Azul stepping in with a tray full of food. He wasn’t going to eat.

“My, isn’t that quite a face full of defiance? I highly suggest you eat something. Unless you’re comfortable with the idea of us force feeding you?” Azul said, looking at Kalim’s back.

“You’re bad people.”

“We just wanted to get you out of such toxic place. Here we’ll appreciate you unlike Jamil who’s just bitter he couldn’t be a genius publicly.” said Azul, walking closer to Kalim. “So, wi-”

Clink, clatter. The tray and all it’s contents were now on Azul’s uniform and the floor by their feet. Kalim looked angry. He didn’t say anything wrong. They only wanted to give him a better life than he would’ve had with the reveal of Jamil’s actual feelings.

“Alright then. I’ll get the twins to clean this up.”

The door closed. Kalim lied in bed, staring at the wall. The twins had come in, cleaning up the mess. They left without a word. Kalim finally broke, allowing himself to cry. This wasn’t how he imagined things would be. He didn’t want to be locked away like a princess taken prisoner. He wanted things to go back to how they were.

•

Kalim could barely move. He was too hungry and thirsty to do anything. He would probably die at this rate. The door opened, the trio walking in. Floyd and Jade secured Kalim’s body, forcing his mouth open as Azul fed him something easy on the stomach.

“Just eat it all and stop resisting. I warned you didn’t I? You only have yourself to blame.” said Azul, wiping Kalim’s mouth. “Swallow… good. Now drink up…”

Kalim groaned, his body processing the nutrients it had been lacking.

“Maybe we went too fast.” Jade mumbled, seeing Kalim looked uncomfortable.

“It’s all your fault Azul.”

Kalim pulled away, running to the toilet.

“Great… now we have to feed him all over again.”

“Again, it’s your fault.”

The trio started to bicker as they walked out. He heard the locks locking before it was silent. Kalim dragged himself back to bed, trying to fall asleep. How much longer until they saw how unhappy he was?

•

Kalim heard the door open. Floyd had come in. He kept still, not in a mood to do anything.

“Wanna play a game?”

“Game?”

“Mhm.”

Kalim rolled over, seeing Floyd holding a board game. He agreed, seeing it was better than staring at the wall. Kalim learned the game before they started playing for real. It was actually pretty fun.

Azul and Jade had come in, joining in on the fun. Kalim finally smiled. It was that bright, sunshine smile everyone loved. They were doing something right.

“We know this setup isn’t ideal but, we truly want to make you happy so please… give us a chance.” said Azul, placing a hand on Kalim’s shoulder.

“But, I still don’t get why. Why keep me cooped up in here? It’s so boring not having anything to do. And my friends probably miss me.”

“Kalim, we’re just trying to do what’s best for you. Honest. We’ll come and play with you as much as you want, just say the word.” said Jade, holding his hands.

“If you want to keep up with classes, I’m more than happy to help.” said Azul.

Kalim looked down, his emotions a mess. They weren’t doing anything bad to him other than confinement. So he had no reason to be angry towards them. They were trying to make his situation the best it could possibly be. They were… considerate and thoughtful.

“I understand. Let’s keep playing.” Kalim said, smiling wide.

Azul left to bring more games. Kalim genuinely started enjoying his time with them.

•

Kalim silently read, not expecting someone to visit so soon.

“You’re reading the book I recommended. That makes me so happy.” said Jade, smiling warmly.

“You said it was good so why not?” Kalim replied, his nose still buried in the book.

Jade climbed into the bed, sitting beside Kalim.

“If you turn the book upside down…” Jade whispered as he turned it. “Something new.”

Kalim’s eyes widened.

“That’s so cool!”

“And that’s why it’s one of my favorites.”

Kalim looked at Jade feeling his cheeks growing warm. He looked away, trying not to remember Jade’s gentle look.

“Well, I came to check up on you. You seem to be in good health so I’ll take my leave.”

Kalim faked a cough, wanting more attention. Jade started feeling his body, making him grow warmer.

“Oh no… you have a fever…” Jade whispered. “I’ll be back.”

His body temperature returned to normal. He had a fever and didn’t know about it? Was that even possible? Jade had come back with the other two. Jade and Floyd gave him reassurance while Azul did all the technical work. Seeing their worried faces was making him feel awful. How could he reassure them?

“I’m okay. Don’t worry! Sad faces don’t suit you.” Kalim said, caressing their cheeks.

“Kalim…”

Their hearts broke. Kalim was too precious. Azul noticed something strange.

“Does Kalim really have a fever…?”

“Don’t you feel him burning up?”

“Jade, don’t tell me you overreacted again.” Floyd groaned.

“He did. Kalim is fine.” said Azul. “We’re sorry to have disturbed you.”

The door closed. Kalim sighed, missing the attention. He started playing games by himself, trying to pass the time. Time always seemed to move slow when they weren’t around. When did he start anticipating their arrivals and dreading their departures?

Kalim got to his feet, walking over to one of the cameras. What were they doing right now? Watching him? Hanging out with others? Eating?

“Hey. You can hear me, right? I know we just saw each other but, what are you up to? It’s not all that fun playing alone so… stop by sometime?” Kalim said, looking into the camera.

He walked away, wondering if they were even watching him right now. If there was any silver lining to being watched, they would know instantly if anything happened to him. He looked, hearing the door open.

“Floyd! Hi!”

“Leys play.”

“You were watching? Thank goodness. I was worried you had all gone out.” said Kalim, pulling out the game he wanted to play.

“Nah. I was put on Kalim duty.” said Floyd, helping him set up.

“Do you not like being on Kalim duty?”

“Are you nuts? I love being on Kalim duty, haha. I get to slack off with you.”

Kalim felt embarrassed. He avoided Floyd’s eyes, trying to focus on the game. His heart was beating strangely again.

The two enjoyed many rounds of games before Floyd grew bored. Kalim packed the game away as Floyd left through the door. He was alone again. He was starting to mind it now unlike before.

•

Kalim opened the bathroom door, remembering he needed to cover up. He thought about it. Was it really all that bad if they saw? They were all guys after all.

“He’s not covering up…”

“Azul? Hey, Azul… Ah! Jade, tissues!”

They frantically wiped at the blood coming from Azul’s nose as they muted the audio. Azul’s reaction was definitely unexpected. Azul thanked them, assuring them he could take care of the rest.

Kalim got comfortable in bed, reading another book Jade suggested. The room was slowly starting to fill up with things to occupy his time. To think he resented them when they’ve done nothing but provide for him. How foolish he was.

His mind started thinking of them more, how kindly they treated him, how they listened and sometimes implemented his ideas. He was really being taken care of. It didn’t feel like imprisonment. His thoughts went further, recalling his intimate moments with each of them.

His hand slowly crept down his body, stopping right before his crotch. They were watching. What did he do? Do it under their watchful gazes or retreat into his blind spot?

Kalim reached into his pants, starting to rub himself. So what if they were watching. They could watch all they wanted. It was about them after all. Kalim softly moaned, feeling himself starting to leak pre cum. He took his pants and boxers off, needing to be free.

Kalim moaned their names, trying to imagine the three of them blowing him all at once. It was definitely working. Kalim bucked into his hand, reaching under his shirt and starting to tease his nipples. He then had a bright idea.

Kalim positioned himself more in a camera’s direction, getting as close as he could. Why not give them an entire show? The thought of them getting off to watching him was only fueling his orgasm more. His body shook, desperately wanting to release. Kalim continued to edge himself, wanting to give them a big finish.

“Azul… Jade… Floyd… Look at how naughty… I’m being…” Kalim whispered, unsure how much longer he’d last. “I need you…”

Kalim leaned back, finally letting himself come. Kalim gasped loudly, it being the biggest orgasm he’s ever had. He panted heavily, watching cum slide down his body and his hand. He started liking his cum coated hand, making sure they could clearly see.

“I hope I pleased you… a little thanks for taking care of me… I’m so tired…” Kalim said, crawling away before deciding to just sleep on the floor.

•

Kalim did homework, using the tricks Azul had given him. He couldn’t stop thinking about the other day when he somehow got the bright idea to masturbate in from of the camera. Naturally he was embarrassed about it, but what bugged him was that none of them even mentioned as they came in and out.

They had to have seen it. He lowered his head, feeling dispirited. Maybe they’re be a next time. He looked up, having heard the door open.

“You’re all here. Is it something serious?”

Kalim found himself being stripped by Jade while Azul and Floyd fixed up the bed. Now he was getting scared. Did he do something wrong? Unexpectedly, the three of them stripped as well.

“Rotation?”

“That’s fair.”

“Huh? What’s going on?” Kalim asked, being pulled towards Azul.

“Why does he get to go first?” Floyd complained.

“Stop whining. You get his mouth.” Jade stated, getting himself situated.

Kalim finally realized what was about to take place. Soon both his mouth and ass were filled, his dick being stimulated at the same time as well. It was hard for him to keep his balance when so much pleasure was coursing through his body. Just when things started getting good, it all went away.

He looked, seeing they were switching spots. That’s what they meant by rotation. Kalim cried out, not expecting them to start so soon. He moaned against Jade, already getting close to coming despite having barely started. Azul soon received a mouth full of cum, forcing him to break momentarily to swallow. Kalim wasn’t given a chance to enjoy a bit of freedom as Azul was back on him in seconds.

The trio switched again, now having done all positions. Kalim moves his hips more, hoping to make at least one of them come.

“Ah… Kalim… your movements…” Jade whispered, seeing Kalim was loving in sync with him. “I’ll come at this rate…”

“Eh, already Jade?” Floyd teased.

“It’s too good…” Jade panted, thrusting harder. “He’s tightening so much…!”

“It looks like Jade’s losing the bet.” Azul chuckled before drawing a sharp breath. “Holy fuck… your tongue…”

Jade came inside Kalim, unable to hold back any longer. Kalim didn’t know how many times he’s came, but seeing he made one of them satisfied made him feel accomplished. Floyd started poking fun at Jade about how he lost. Jade passive aggressively touched a few spots on Floyd, watching him quiver before coming.

Kalim wasn’t sure what was going on anymore, but he still had to please Azul. Azul was going to have him stop before Kalim’s tongue found a sweet spot. Kalim continued to lick at it, making Azul come. Kalim swallowed it all, wondering if there was going to be another round.

“Umm…”

They looked at Kalim who gently fondled his sacks.

“Another… another round? I want to give more appreciation…” Kalim asked, a bit of cum escaping his tip.

They pulled Kalim close, completely on board.

•

Kalim rubbed his behind, everything finally catching up to him. His face turned red every time he thought about it. How many times did they do it? He lost count, but they were all too tired to move, he knew that much.

He looked up, hoping to see one of them. No one. Kalim frowned, sadness seeping in. It’s been a few days since he last saw them. Did he not matter anymore after they finally had sex with him? Was that all they were being kind for?

Kalim didn’t like that he could’ve possibly been used. Tears pricked his eyes, one falling onto the book he was reading. He didn’t want to believe it. The door opened, revealing Azul. Kalim jumped out of bed, hugging him tight. He started to weep, telling Azul his feelings as he ignored his body’s soreness.

“We didn’t mean to make you feel abandoned. It’s just… people are really starting to look for you. We don’t know how much longer we can keep you…”

“What… No, you’re joking. No one was looking for me before. Why now?” Kalim said in disbelief.

“Really Kalim… I wouldn’t lie to you.” said Azul, cupping his cheek. “We’re gonna let you go soon… If you want to tell everyone what we did, go ahead. We-”

“No. I won’t tell a soul. I’ll make up a story. I’ll do anything.” said Kalim, placing his hands over Azul’s. “I’ll blame it on some innocent sap if I have to…”

“You’d really good that far for us…?”

“Aren’t we lovers…?” Kalim asked, tilting his head. “Do we have to have sex again to further clarify that?”

“I get it, I get it. Just, when we do release you, don’t do anything crazy.”

“I won’t. Promise.”

•

“Can we really trust he won’t say anything?” Floyd asked.

“All we can do is hope.”

“I wonder what he could possibly have for us.” said Jade, seeing they were nearing the room.

Azul opened the door. They looked inside, seeing Kalim naked and getting rowdy with the plushies they bought him.

“Kalim…?”

Kalim looked up, holding one of the eels.

“You’re here… I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now.” said Kalim, walking over to them with his eel plushie in hand. “I miss being teamed up on…”

The trio exchanged looks before looking back at Kalim who wasn’t being so discreet in touching himself.

“But tomorrow is when we let you go. Do you really want to make up a story for your limp?”

“We go hard or go home.” said Floyd.

“Stop making excuses. You know you want to…” Kalim said, puffing out his cheeks.

The trio wasted no time in getting down to business.


	355. Kaja: Seven years

Kalim sat on his lap, tightly gripping his shoulders as they kissed. They pulled away, Kalim resting his head on Jamil’s shoulder.

“Your hoodie is really comfortable… It feels and smells just like you.” Kalim said, placing a tiny kiss on Jamil’s neck.

“I’m probably not getting that hoodie back am I?”

Kalim shook his head, lovingly rubbing his face against his neck. Kalim wasn’t expecting Jamil to lie back and move so that they were lying down together.

“Hey, do you like serving under me?”

“Of course.”

“Jamil, when we became a couple, didn’t we promise to be honest with each other?” Kalim said, clinging to his side.

Jamil turned onto his side now facing Kalim.

“Honestly? I hated you so much. There were times I wished you didn’t exist just so I could do what I wanted. But those feelings are gone. I really love being with you. I like you so much…” said Jamil, cupping Kalim’s cheek. “I just… I’m not too great with things at times so bear with me…?”

Kalim gave him a peck on the lips, his way of saying everything was a-okay. Jamil smiles softly, pulling Kalim closer to him.

“Would you believe me if I said I liked you for years?” Kalim piped up.

“Hm? How long?”

“Seven years.”

“T- That long!? Surely I would’ve noticed… Did I…?” Jamil said, wondering how he could for so long. “Why? You prevented yourself from liking anyone else…”

“Seven years was worth the wait.” Kalim smiled, cuddling close.

Seven whole years. Seven years that Kalim liked him and he never knew until recently. He felt awful. They could’ve been together much sooner had he looked at the signs. He apologized to Kalim, embarrassed that he couldn’t differentiate between Kalim being Kalim and the Kalim that liked him. What a terrible servant he was.

After some reassuring, Kalim had gotten Jamil to leave it all behind. They lied in each other’s arms, enjoying the silence. Just being together was enough for them. Kalim closed his eyes, his mind slowly starting to focus on Jamil’s breathing. He snuggled further into his hoodie, feeling like he was being held in Jamil’s loving arms twice.

“Jamil.”

“Hm?”

“Will you ever leave my side?”

“Hm. Only for important things.”

“Do you think my parents would let me marry my servant?”

“Probably not. But who knows. Maybe they’re actually okay with it. But why are we talking about that now? Worry about it when you’re in your mid twenties.” Jamil said, lightly bopping him on the head.

“Is it so wrong that I want to propose early?”

“Of course you blockhead. What if you find someone better or I die?”

“Don’t die!”

“Everyone dies at some point and you know that. Either way, enjoy your youth first before deciding to settle down.”

Kalim didn’t respond, hiding his face in Jamil’s hoodie. It wasn’t that he was opposed to it, he just want Kalim to think a little more.

“I really like you, Kalim. Don’t be upset…”

“I really like you too…”

Jamil gave him a brief kiss, glad to see he wasn’t moping anymore.


	356. NSFW Cater x Lilia: You gain the endurance

They silently went about their business, doing nothing club related as usual. They listened to Kalim who as always, had expensive and extravagant ideas. Sometimes they wondered why Kalim didn’t just fund the club himself. He had the money.

“Hey, since we aren’t doing anything, can I go? Silver wanted to show me something cool!”

“Ah, now I see why he was practicing so hard.” Lilia chuckled, waving to Kalim. “He wanted to impress his little friend.”

“Hm~ I’d like to impress yours too.” Cater said, scrolling on Magicam.“

"What a clever innuendo.” Lilia replied, enjoying his licorice. “But, what else could your hand be holding right now?”

“Hm? What are you trying to insinuate?” Cater asked, trying to play dumb.

“I don’t know. You tell me.” Lilia countered.

Lilia got up, seeing there wasn’t much of a point in staying.

“Where are you going?”

“Leaving.”

“Eh, why? Club isn’t over.” Cater said with a whine. “You’re gonna leave me alone?”

“You can take care of yourself.”

“But what if I want to be taken care of by you?” Cater asked.

“I’d have to decline. There isn’t much to care for.”

“Oh? So you’ve been keeping a watchful eye on me?”

“Considering I’m older than the both of you combined, I have a right.”

“That makes it a bit weird now doesn’t it?” Cater said, tilting his head.

“In which this is where I take my leave.” said Lilia.

“Ah, so you are going to leave me alone. You’ve been watching me yet don’t understand what I need.”

“You only need yourself for what you’re tiptoeing around.”

“But what if I wanted to take care of you too?”

“Then that changes the melody.”

The two silently stared at each other, trying to be the first to figure them out.

“And how do you plan to take care of me?”

“I could play you a flute. I’m sure you can imagine me blowing as I play notes.”

“Rather vivid. But wouldn’t you prefer something more… fulfilling?”

“And what could you possibly have in mind?”

“Ah, isn’t cooking quite fun? I’d love to stuff the turkey to the brim.” said Lilia, looking up and Cater as he rested his chin in the palm of his hands. “Extra stuffing maybe.”

“What an enticing offer…”

“Of course, that is if we can get the turkey to consent.”

“Why don’t we ask then…?”

The two smiled, seeing the other wasn’t going to back down and made quite a surprising offer.

“Lilia.”

“Hm?”

“Have you ever thought about entering a tunnel?”

“I suppose, but what’s it to you?”

“May I enter yours?”

Lilia chuckled, pulling Cater in for a kiss.

“Will the turkey consent?”

“He says yes.”

The two shared lustful gazes before kissing again, tearing each other’s clothes off.

•

Cater tightly gripped Lilia’s thighs, releasing inside him. Lilia slowly stopped moving, seeing Cater looked tired.

“Tired already? These old bones could use a bit more exercise though.”

“You’re a monster. You came like six times and you’re not even the slightest bit tired!” Cater whined, remembering his poor ass being destroyed four times.

“Well, when you live as long as I have, you gain the endurance.” said Lilia, finally moving off of Cater.

Cater sat up, starting to think about things. He didn’t think they’d actually go this far. Now that they had, what was the relationship between them? Friends with benefits? Just friends still?

“Did you rest enough?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Didn’t I already tell you? I’ve got the endurance. Let’s keep going until I’m tired out, haha.”

Cater’s eyes widened in fear. He wouldn’t be able to move his body if he allowed that to happen. How could he decline in the nicest way possible? Make up a fake Heartslabyul duty?

“That scared look fits you perfectly. Despite enjoying torturing people, I won’t do it to you in light of the entertainment you provided me.”

Lilia was already dressed while he was still naked and trying to soothe his aching backside. He was soon enveloped in magic and now fully dressed.

“See you~”

Cater wobbled to his feet, grabbing his phone before going after Lilia. Like hell he was going to let Lilia just escape like that.

“What?”

“I top next time.” Cater demanded.

“So you want to have sex again? How interesting…”

“Of course I would. You got quite the magic touch… I never came so much before…” Cater said, having flashbacks. “I was scared you’d run me dry…”

Lilia simply laughed in response, making Cater feel a bit uneasy.


	357. Riddle + Ace: All families are susceptible

“Who was in charge of of feeding the hedgehogs!?” Riddle shouted, looking around.

The students murmured, trying to figure out who they could pin it on. Riddle tapped his foot impatiently as no one could agree on who to pin it on.

“I’ll behead all of you if-”

“ACE!”

Riddle’s magic sparks disappeared, looking around for the student who said Ace’s name. The student shakily gave Riddle information before he walked off.

“Hope Ace doesn’t hold it against us.”

“Yeah…”

Riddle swung the door open, seeing no one in the room. Where in the world was that troublesome freshman? Riddle exited the building, starting to search around the Heartslabyul grounds.

“There you are!”

Riddle angrily walked over to Ace who showed no reaction. That didn’t register as strange in his mind. Yet.

“You didn’t do your job in feeding the hedgehogs. You do realize what that entails?” Riddle said, seconds away from beheading him.

Ace wasn’t even paying him any attention, further infuriating him.

“Ace Trappola!”

“Huh…? Oh, Riddle senpai…”

“That’s dorm leader.”

“Sorry… dorm leader. Do you need me to do something?”

“Excuse me? Do you not realize how much trouble you’re in right now?”

“What did I do?”

“THE HEDGEHOGS!”

Ace blinked before a lightbulb went off. He was on hedgehog duty. He didn’t do his job. He was definitely fucked.

“Sorry. I know, sorry isn’t going to fix it. I’ll take punishment. My mind just isn’t here…” Ace said, waiting for Riddle to off his head.

Riddle lost a bit of his hostility. He sounded troubled. Riddle bit his lip, trying to decide his next move.

“It’s important to keep your wits about you to avoid mistakes like this. I’ll pardon you just this ONCE. You’ll take over someone else’s duty tomorrow.” said Riddle, looking down at him. “What could possibly be occupying your mind right now? You don’t have anything you could be worrying about.”

“It’s just family stuff… Sorry, dorm leader.” Ace apologized, rising to his feet.

“Really…? Family is… important…” Riddle said, knowing his own family situation was rocky. “Do you… want to talk about it?”

Ace sat back down, watching Riddle sit next to him.

“My brother won’t talk to me anymore, my parents are constantly fighting and now my mom is threatening him with divorce. And now my dad is belittling me and I just don’t know what’s going anymore.” Ace said, trying not to burst into tears.

Riddle’s face twisted into one of pity and concern.

“That’s… that’s really awful…” Riddle said, not entirely sure how to comfort him.

He wasn’t sure if he should touch him or not, so he kept his hands to himself. He psyched himself up, awkwardly patting Ace’s back. That sent Ace over the edge, bursting into tears. Riddle was panicking. He felt around his pockets before finding handkerchief.

“Uh, use this?”

Ace tearily took it, wiping his eyes.

“You can blow your nose in it. Just… make sure you wash it before giving it back.” said Riddle, going back to patting him.

“I just don’t understand… why now? What triggered everything…” Ace whispered, putting his head in his hands.

“Well, all families are susceptible to things like this… even the ones that seem the most stable.” Riddle said, looking down at the ground. “Things will feel like they’re just going to get worse and worse. It’s going to hurt even more when you try doing something about it, but it’s better than just sitting and accepting it. Like I did…”

“Dorm leader…?”

“The point is, things are going to make you feel awful, but they won’t get better if you don’t try.” said Riddle, wanting to avoid opening up.

“You said something though.” Ace pointed out.

“Did not. Either way, this conversation is finished.” Riddle said, getting up from his seat. He felt Ace hold his arm, his eyes begging for him to stay. “As dorm leader, it’s my duty to watch out for all of you… even troublemakers like you.”

They sat in silence as Ace had finally stopped crying. Riddle looked at him before sighing.

“It’s hard… loving your parents and hoping things are going in the right direction. That sitting there, listening to them yelling and stressing over every little thing is going to make you a better person. And if you don’t listen… you’re in trouble.” Riddle said, slowly drifting away from similarities. “Sometimes you wonder ‘what was it all for if no one else is doing it like I am?’ or 'am I the strange one here?’. Why was everything you endured nothing like how everyone else around you went through? Not even in the slightest?”

“Senpai…”

Riddle kept going, having a massive word vomit.

“And you start thinking back about your childhood and how different it could’ve been if you were just a normal child born to normal parents. How many friends and memories you missed out on just because you had to be mommy’s perfect son and follow the rules. That the entire world would come crashing down onto if you even wrote differently just once.”

Ace frowned, it now being his turn to comfort Riddle. Riddle put his head in his hands, trying not to cry.

“I never asked for much… just a few things… yet I couldn’t have them. They were either poison to the mind or useless in her eyes. All my life… I never got to do anything I wanted… I don’t know what I would’ve done if… I didn’t have Che'nya and Trey…” Riddle croaked, the tears he fought so hard to hold back escaping his eyes. “All of it hurts, but all you can do is keep going… hoping it’ll get better…”

Riddle felt Ace hug him, causing him to cry more.

“You can still change things, you know. I can’t really do too much about my situation, but you can.”

“Why are you giving me advice?” Riddle attempted to snap but it came out weak.

“Because I’m the only one brave enough to call you stupid to your face.” Ace said, poking his side.

Riddle glared at him but didn’t say anything. It was true no matter how much he didn’t want to admit it.

“I can change…”

“If something doesn’t sit right with you, don’t force yourself. If you want to do something, do it, no matter how silly you look. You’ll be surprised by how much that’ll open up your oyster.”

Riddle pulled away from Ace, averting his gaze. The advice wasn’t something half assed. But where did he even start? When did all of this even become about him?

“You-”

“I’m all better now thanks to our dependable dorm leader.” Ace said, knowing exactly what he was going to say. “Thanks.”

Riddle blinked, now at a loss for words. Ace was being genuine with him again. It was extremely weird.

“Good. I wasn’t going to forgive you again for shirking your duties tomorrow. Now stop moping and apologize to those who had to feed the hedgehogs in your place.” said Riddle, rising to his feet.

“Right away, Riddle senpai.”

“I said-”

Ace gave him a look as he raised his eyebrow.

“Just go.”

Ace stepped closer to Riddle, giving him a hug.

“You really are a dependable guy when you aren’t being annoying.” said Ace, meaning every word.

Riddle felt him pull away before hurrying off. Riddle soon turned red for embarrassment. He was going to have to drill him on personal space and asking for consent before touching someone. Though, he couldn’t deny talking to him made him feel like he had some control in his life.

“Thanks, Ace…”


	358. Rook x Lilia: Mere seconds, human

Lilia looked over his shoulder, watching trouble approach him.

“And what can I do for you, Hunt?”

“Nothing at all besides allowing me to pick your brain.”

“I can’t guarantee I’ll reward you with any knowledge.”

“Vague answers are better than none I say.” said Rook, leaning against the low wall. “So, how much history of Twisted Wonderland do you actually know? Trey says you’re rather… experienced.”

“I’d say I know a lot. More than the average person.”

“But how? What books do you read from? Is there a forbidden section in the school library?” Rook pressed, knowing there were secrets Lilia was hiding.

“Possibly. Why don’t you check for yourself? You are a hunter after all, aren’t you?” Lilia chuckled, amused by how he tiptoed around things.

“Non. I only hunt living things. People like… you.” Rook said with a smile. “Observing and understanding is such a wonderful pass time I just never get bored of it.”

“Spoken like a true hunter. I’m sad to say you won’t be observing and understanding me like you want to. I am a mystifying person after all fufu~”

“I’m well aware fufu~”

“Lilia!”

Rook took a few steps back, seeing Malleus had come in between them. He’d have to try again another time.

“But, if you do want to continue down this dangerous path, than I’m more than willing to entertain you.” said Lilia before walking away.

“Indeed you shall…” Rook whispered.

•

Lilia talked to Silver, well aware of another presence among them.

“Ah, it seems we’ll be having a guest soon.” said Lilia, a small bat landing on the table in front of them.

“Huh? But we were supposed to be talking one on one…” Silver said in obvious confusion.

“Still trying to hunt down a fae are we?” Lilia said, watching a few bats hovering over a spot.

“It seems I’ve been finally caught.”

Silver rapidly blinked. How long had Rook been there? He didn’t even notice. Rook sat down across from them, his eyes on Lilia.

“So, how long did it take you to notice me?”

“Mere seconds, human.”

“You have cute bat friends. Mind if I take a look?” Rook asked, reaching out to one.

“I do mind.”

The bats scattered, disappearing from sight. Silver listened to them talk, not sure if they were subtly feuding or subtly flirting. Could it be both?

“So, tell me more about your backstory. You did mention you knew Malleus when he was just a tiny thing and lord knows how old that fae is.” said Rook, twirling his hair. “You’ve got to be something ancient.”

“So what if I am? It’s not going to change anything now is it, hunter?”

“Not much, just… the type of questions I end up asking from time to time. But I must say… time has been very kind to you.” said Rook, moving closer to Lilia. Lilia willingly opened his mouth, feeling Rook rubbing his thumb against his fang. “Ah…”

Rook pulled back, listening to Lilia laugh as he inspected his finger. Lilia had bitten it. Silver was even more confused as to what was going on. The two continued to talk more, giving him a feeling that some of their sentences were innuendos for something else.

“I suppose I’ve had my fill. For now.”

They watched Rook leave with pep in his step.

“What just happened?” Silver asked, watching Lilia enjoy his tomato juice.

“Shady business.”

•

Rook lifted his head, seeing a small bat flying around nearby. Bats didn’t usually come out in daylight. He didn’t get a feeling of being watched, but the bat was a dead giveaway that he was.

“How clever. Using your little friends to do the spying for you.” said Rook, closing his book. “You can come out now.”

Nothing. Rook raised an eyebrow, confused as to what was going on. Lilia was tricking him wasn’t he?

“Not as smart as I thought you were, hunter.”

Rook jumped back slightly, not expecting Lilia to appear from behind him. Did he just appear from thin air?

“So, do you have business with me?”

“Might as well since you’re here. So, how exactly do you… stay looking this young?”

“It’s a genetic thing.”

“So if I happened to take some samples-”

“And that’s where I draw the line, hunter.” said Lilia, poking Rook’s chest. “Next question.”

“But just look at this face… and these arms. Your waist…” Rook said, feeling Lilia all over. “How magnificent.”

“Are you sure you want to be touching me right now?”

Rook backed off, starting to get a life threatening feeling. Lilia chuckled, seeing Malleus had spotted them from afar.

“Though, I wouldn’t have minded. I have a permanent scar on my left side. Wars do that to a person.”

“You’ve been in a war?”

“It’s your choice whether you want to believe or not. I could be lying just to mess with you.”

“How cunning… What else can that mouth of yours do?” Rook asked, pulling on his mouth to look at his fangs from a safer distance.

Lilia hummed, forcing Rook to kiss him. Their tongues swirled together, sharing each other’s saliva. Lilia dominated the kiss, making sure learnt what he needed to know. They pulled apart, Lilia smirking in amusement.

“Any other questions, hunter?”

“Why don’t we take this predator and prey situation to a higher level?”

“Mmm, sounds delicious.”

Rook simply smiled as Lilia licked his lips. He was clearly making it know that he, the human, was going to end up the prey.

•

Silver stopped by Lilia’s room, feeling some concern for him. Almost everyday he and Rook were going back and forth with their conversations and surprise attacks.

“Father, why don’t you just end it…?”

“Hello to you too. End what?”

“The thing you have with Rook. He could never beat you.”

“It’s all good fun, Silver. Life was getting rather dull after coming here anyway.” said Lilia. “Do you miss our one on ones?”

“Yeah, kinda…”

Lilia ruffled his hair, promising they could hang out another time. The door closed.

“I know you’re under my bed.”

“How unfortunate. I had you right where I wanted you too.” Rook said, sliding out. He soon had Lilia sitting on top of him. “And what’s this new development?”

“Just admit it, there’s a reason why you’ve been interested in me the most.” whispered Lilia, right into Rook’s ear. “You want something… naughty, from me.”

“I have no idea what you’re referring to, Lilia darling.”

“Perhaps I was mistaken then.” Lilia said, backing up. He moved to get off of Rook, only to feel his thighs being held down. “And what’s this?”

“Why not put your theory to the test? Neither of us will lose if it’s proven false.”

“Why don’t we add a little something and make it more entertaining?”

•

“For someone so short, you certainly pack a punch…” Rook sighed, sitting rather lewdly.

“Years of experience.”

“Right. And it’s not a lie.” Rook muttered, wiping his forehead. “Imagine how freaked your little group buddies will be if they ever heard about this.”

“I’d rather you call them family. But they won’t have a reaction because they won’t find out. They don’t need to know what I do 24/7.”

“Hnn, how boring~ But may I voice my thoughts?”

“As if anything’s stopped you before.”

“Let’s make this hunting game a recurring thing. It makes me feral.” Rook smiled.

“I could tell. But the real question is, would you be able to handle me at my max?”

“Then, we shall find out next time.”

Lilia smirked, liking that Rook always rose to the challenge. He’d just have to make things rather… hard.


	359. Silver: Our friend group

“You… you look stupid as fuck dude.” Ace snorted, losing his shit soon after.

“You tricked me again!”

Ace and Silver high fived as Deucr scrambled to explain to everyone who saw the picture on Magicam.

“All in a day’s work.” Silver chuckled, wondering if he could convince Jack to do something.

Silver left Ace behind to help Deuce cope while he sought out the others. He finally found Jack who was busy sketching.

“Hey you big bad wolf.” Silver quipped, squatting beside him.

“Don’t call me that. And what do you want? No, I’m not going to fall for your tricks like Deuce.” Jack said, looking up from his sketch.

“Nah. I know I can’t trick you, it’s more of I just wanna know if you could help me out.”

“With what…”

“Should I really tell you…? I’ll feel like a snitch.”

“Silver. Are you going to tell me or not?” Jack said, pursing his lips.

“It’s just… it has to do with Savanaclaw… Some of the guys are picking on me and it’s starting to get bad.” Silver sighed, straightening up. “They won’t listen to me…”

“Who?”

Silver said their names before watching Jack head off to talk to them for him. Easy. Epel would be harder which meant he needed Ace’s help. It could wait until tomorrow.

•

Ace hollered as he and Silver shared their stories.

“I can’t believe you convinced him you were being bullied! And how did that go?”

“Naturally he got a beating and came back barking in embarrassment at me, haha.”

“You so belong in our friend group. So, we make it up to Jack tomorrow?”

“Definitely.”

Ace was unknowingly playing right into Silver’s hands.

•

Silver held his laughter in as Ace talked about his horrifying morning.

“And of course right when Riddle walks in, it wasn’t even a song that decided to play. It was straight up moaning sounds. Now I’m stuck on bathroom duty for a week.” Ace groaned, putting his head in his hands.

“It’s all finally come back to bite you.” Deuce laughed, feeling great.

“So, what are we doing today? Relaxing?” Silver asked, him and Ace having already made plans with Jack to make it up to him.

“Sounds good to me.” Deuce said.

“I kinda wanna practice magic.” Epel piped up.

Everyone didn’t see a problem with it, so they changed directions to find a wider space to practice in.

Silver having more experience simply watched them struggle on fairly easy spells. He remembered he was just a child when he learned them. Lilia really did drill him hard.

“Look at him. Thinking he’s probably better than us.” Epel sighed, once more failing at the spell.

“Considering Vanrouge taught him since he was able to comprehend things, he has every right.” said Sebek, having already succeeded at the spell.

Epel pursed his lips, seeing they had another show off in their group.

“Did Lilia teach you too?”

“He’s teaching me now.”

“Think Lilia would teach us?”

Sebek thought on it. Did he really want to? Was it worth it? What would he get out of it?

“No.” he concluded.

Epel didn’t ask anything else, focusing once more.

“It’s all imagination you know. Saying it louder isn’t going to help you one bit.” Silver said, seeing they weren’t getting anywhere.

“Then show us your mighty skills.” Ace said.

Silver easily turned their individual apples into things they liked. Sebek wasn’t impressed in the slightest. Deuce lifted Ace’s jaw.

“You asked.”

“Like I said, it’s all-”

Crack! They looked, seeing Jack had split the nearby tree in half. No one was sure what he was trying to visualize, but it couldn’t have been anything good. They casually moved far away, not wanting Crowley to know they were the culprits.


	360. Yuu: Chopsticks?

“Yuu’s not here?”

“Nah. Guess we’re early?”

Jack and Epel sat down with Sebek, knowing if Yuu wasn’t already here, then he had to be coming with Ace and Deuce.

Ace and Deuce entered the cafeteria without Yuu. The other three shared a look. Ace and Deuce soon came in their direction before hurrying over.

“Yuu isn’t here?”

“Thought he was with you.”

They were about to get up and search when Yuu entered the cafeteria and walked towards them.

“He’s not getting lunch?”

“This is a first…”

Yuu sat down, revealing the bag he had been carrying.

“Woah. What’s in the bag?” Deuce asked, seeing it was rather big.

“My lunch. We finally got the kitchen working in Ramshackle.” Yuu explained, taking out containers.

The others simply nodded, going back to eating. Epel was the first to notice. He nudged Jack and jade him look. The chain continued until they were all staring at Yuu who ate.

He looked up, five pairs of eyes on him. Was there something in his face?

“What are those?”

“Chopsticks?”

“What are chopsticks?” Deuce asked, hoping for elaboration.

“Uh… eating utensils?” Yuu said, not sure why they weren’t getting it.

“You can’t eat with those.” Sebek said dismissively.

Yuu proved him wrong. Now they were more confused than ever. You could use sticks to eat your lunch?

“You all look like you’ve never seen chopsticks before…” Yuu said before it slowly started to sink in. “You haven’t…?”

“Not really. No.” Jack said, eating more of his pasta.

“I thought this school would be more cultured. Guess not.” Yuu mumbled, going back to eating.

They were still looking at him as if he was an even rarer specimen than he already was.

“Do you all want to learn?” Yuu asked, hoping it would get them to stop staring.

“Really? It’s possible? And not just a weird whirl of yours?” Ace asked, earning a kick from Yuu.

“Yes it’s possible. My entire country back home uses them.” Yuu explained before pulling out another pair. “Who’s my first victim?”

“When you say it like that…”

“Come on. Sacrifice yourself for your friends.”

Deuce volunteered, seeing no one else was going to. They watched as Yuu forced Deuce’s fingers to be a certain way while holding the sticks.

“Now just continue to pick up grains of rice.” said Yuu. “No- And there goes precious rice…”

Yuu felt more and more despair as Deuce kept failing. Yuu had him change with Epel, proceeding to teach him and the others the best he could.

It was definitely going to be a long week.


	361. Crewel x Crowley (students): Happy Glean Day

Divus worked with a few others of the farmer team, picking off the monster team as much as they could. He had gotten separated from his group, now all alone with a handful of beans and a useless potion. He kept his eyes open, knowing someone could jump out at any moment.

He spotted a supply box not too far away. He started backtracking, knowing some spineless guys were waiting to ambush an unsuspecting farmer.

“Leaving so soon?”

Divus turned around, seeing Dire standing behind him. He was on the monster team. He wasn’t even going to try throwing beans at him as he was pretty nimble.

So he used his last option: run. He frequently turned around, using magic to deflect Dire’s and keep him as far back as possible.

“Just give up!”

“We’re going to win this year!” Divus declared, climbing up and tree and starting to move around that way.

Dire sucked his teeth, unable to see Divus clearly. He really should’ve been on the monster team.

•

Divus exhaled, needing a breather. The farmer team had more students than the monster team currently. He leaned against a tree, keeping his eyes open. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched, and he probably was.

Divus briefly closed his eyes before seeing Dire standing in front of him. He was soon boxed in by his arms.

“Why didn’t you just touch me? I’d be out of the game.” Divus said, trying to avoid touching any part of him.

“Then I can’t talk to you. I want to talk. That’s not asking too much, is it?” Dire asked, leaning closer.

Divus averted his gaze, hoping he couldn’t see his faint blush. Dire Crowley was one of the top students in Diasomnia and the person he hopelessly had a big crush on. How could he not? The guy was amazing at everything he did. And he was tall like him.

“What do you want to talk about…?” asked Divus quietly.

“You. Tell me things I don’t know about you. Tell me some interesting Heartslabyul rules if you want.” said Dire, keeping him boxed in. “If not, I could easily have you out of the game.”

Divus started to talk about himself, always double checking in case his brain decided to mention something embarrassing. Dire was memorizing everything.

“Anything else…?” Divus asked, taking note of Dire’s serious face.

“How do you feel about me?” asked Dire harmlessly.

Divus went red in the face. What was with the question all of a sudden? He started to panic internally. He cleared his throat, knowing what he was about to do was stupid and would probably get him out of the game.

“Rather than that, why don’t you tell me things about you that I don’t know?” Divus asked, giving him a serious look back.

Now it was Dire’s turn to blush. Divus was actually interested in knowing more about him? Was his silly little prayer answered the night before? Crowley collected himself, keeping his face out of sight as he talked.

“You know, your hair is kind of nice…” said Divus, touching Dire’s section of hair. “Oh, and it’s soft…”

Divus was getting too close. Divus continued to rub his hair between his fingers before realizing what he was doing. He pulled away, apologizing for his behavior.

“Uh… that… happened…” Dire said as he cleared his throat. He pulled back, Divus no longer being boxed in. “Run along before I change my mind.”

Divus wanted to talk more though. So he stayed. Dire raised an eyebrow, wondering if he actually wanted to be captured.

“We can talk more, right? It’s not like anyone is around.” said Divus, starting to gain more courage. “We can get even closer since everyone would be too busy trying to destroy each other.”

“Oh? How bold of you.” Dire replied despite melting on the inside.

Divus stepped closer to him, looking at him with interest. He was probably going to ruin things with what he wanted to do, but he couldn’t stand being so close and not making a move. Divus pressed his lips against Dire’s hoping he wasn’t being too forward. Then again, he probably was. He moved to pull away, only to feel Dire hold him while he pulled him in for another, this time with tongue.

The two heavily made out, their hidden feelings uncorking and spilling everywhere. They pulled apart with flushed faces, searching each other’s face.

“You’re gay…?” Dire whispered.

“Gay for you.”

They both started chuckling before kissing again. Neither felt satisfied with just that one kiss. Divus slipped his hands behind Dire, giving his ass a squeeze.

“How naughty…”

“Wanna find out how naughty?” Divus teased, pressing himself against Dire.

Both of their cheeks were burning as Dire contemplated his answer.

“Why don’t we finish today’s event first, hm?”

“Then, I’m out. You’ve touched me.” said Divus, moving out of his arms.

“No one will know if we don’t say anything.”

“How cunning… but, I don’t feel like playing anymore.” said Divus before throwing a bean at him. “Now we have more time to chat.”

Dire simply laughed, going along with him.

“So, how long have you like me?” Dire asked.

“A few months. And you?”

“Hm… Same actually.”

Divus nodded, fingering a bean as they made their way back. They weren’t sure what to talk about.

“Think we’ll be on the same team next year?”

“Doubt it.” said Dire before smirking. “But we’d make a killer duo, you and I.”

“How cute.”

Despite saying that, he honestly believed it too.


	362. Kaja: Controlling

Kalim hummed by his side, waiting for orders.

“Nothing else?”

“No. I’ll call-”

Kalim bowed to him before taking off. Where was he going being that excited? Jamil knitted his brows, hoping it was just his cheerful nature.

•

Kalim happily sat down with friends, having been waiting ages to tell them about the funny video he found on Magicam.

“Dude, this is way funny!”

“Where did you find this?”

Kalim showed them, watching them posting it onto their feeds. In the process, they had found other interesting things just from that one video.

“Kalim, you busy after school?”

“If Jamil doesn’t ask anything of me.” Kalim replied. “Why?”

“We’re having a little party in my room. You’re invited.”

“I’m there! Unless you know…”

“We know.”

“What about lunch? Can you sit with us?”

“Hm… sure!”

They high fived, having missed spending time with Kalim. It wasn’t a party without Kalim. The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Kalim waved to his friends, meeting up with others soon after.

Kalim noticed that they were having a joint class with another second year class. He spotted Jamil who had an open seat beside him.

“Hey, over here!”

Kalim moved to sit with his friends, only for Jamil to call out to him. He apologized before heading over.

“You know you’re supposed to sit with me whenever we’re together. We can have fun together.” said Jamil, nudging his side.

“Of course!” Kalim responded with his bright smile.

Jamil smiled, discreetly moving closer to him. The last thing he needed was for some extra to realize they romantically liked Kalim and try taking him away. He didn’t want to enforce a silly rule on him just to keep them away. It’d make him seem controlling.

“Jamil?”

“Hm?”

“You’re touching me. Do you need something?”

“Uh, no…” Jamil muttered, scooting over some. “Focus on your work.”

“Okay~” Kalim said, smiling happily.

Jamil felt his heart melt as he stared at Kalim. He was confused at first but had come to accept the fact he was attracted to his servant. He knew full well a relationship with a servant was frowned upon. Not to mention it’d be a same sex relationship. Kalim looked, feeling Jamil subconsciously stroking his hair.

He’s noticed Jamil had been acting weird lately with all of the random touching. Maybe he was feeling uneasy? How could he ease his uneasiness? Kalim tacked his brain before a light bulb went off. It’d be weird to do in class, so he decided to wait until they were out of class.

The teacher let them go a bit early. Kalim had pulled Jamil off to the side before giving him a loving hug.

“I don’t really get things that’s too complicated, but whatever’s bothering you, I’ll do everything in my power to squash it. It’s a servants job after all. I’ll always be here for you, so don’t hesitate to talk to me. Don’t feel bad anymore, okay?” Kalim said before pulling away. “We’re a team and there’s no I in team.”

Jamil felt his heart burst. Kalim started panicking, seeing Jamil suddenly fell over. Did he need CPR? Electric shocks? He was about to perform CPR until Jamil had sat up.

“Is everything okay? Should we go to the nurse? No, I’m taking you there.” said Kalim, lifting Jamil up and having him lean against him.

“I’m-”

“Hush.” said Kalim, determined to get him to the nurse.

•

Kalim met up with his friends for lunch. They happily made jokes with one another as they got on line for lunch. Kalim followed them to their table, only to feel a hand on his shoulder.

“Jamil, hi!”

“Aren’t we sitting together?”

“They asked first though…”

“But when I said-”

Jamil looked, seeing they were giving him displeased looks. Did he continue or leave Kalim alone? Jamil swallowed the rest of his words as he walked away. If he continued, he’d sound controlling. He wanted to avoid that at all costs. But was it so wrong for him to want to have Kalim all to himself?

“Jamil, sit with us!” Kalim said, waving at him.

“Oh…”

Jamil awkwardly sat at their table, seeing Kalim wasn’t within his reach.

He couldn’t eat in peace. They were touching him so much. You didn’t have to every time a funny joke was made. Jamil was starting to mince his food at this rate. What could he do that wouldn’t make him seem like the bad guy? Confess? Ha, that was funny.

“Jamil.”

“Huh?”

The student pointed to his hair that was now covered in cream sauce. Kalim let his seat, doing his duty of servant to clean him.

“Kalim, you don’t have to…”

“Come. It’s best to wash it out while it’s still fresh.”

They watched as Kalim dragged Jamil to the nearest restroom.

“I can’t believe he’s making Kalim do something like that for him.”

“I’m worried about Kalim… Jamil seems evil.”

“I bet he makes up stupid rules just to keep Kalim from enjoying life.”

They continued to badmouth Jamil, getting a feeling that one day Kalim would just up and disappear if they didn’t do anything.

•

Jamil entered Kalim’s room, seeing he was on his way out.

“Where are you going?”

“Hm? Oh, just a little get together with my friends.” Kalim said.

Jamil blocked his path. That didn’t sound good.

“Is there something I need to do?” Kalim asked, taking off his cardigan.

Jamil had an internal debate while Kalim patiently waited.

“I just thought we’d hang out like always…”

“I can tell them I can’t make it. You’re my top priority.” Kalim said, taking out his phone to cancel with them.

Jamil swiped his phone and hid it behind his back. If Kalim canceled, they’d definitely call him controlling.

“It’s fine. Just go have fun.” said Jamil, handing his phone back.

“But-”

“Kalim, I’m ordering you to go.”

Kalim peered into Jamil’s face, wondering if he really meant it. He wouldn’t mind staying to keep him company like he always did.

“Okay but, you can always call me to come back at any time. I am your servant after all.” said Kalim, slowly walking past him.

Jamil really didn’t want him to go. Who knew what they’d try doing to him? They were already touching him so intimately during lunch. Kalim was getting farther. Would he let them have their way with him? His Kalim?

“Kalim!”

Kalim turned around. So he changed his mind.

“Yes?”

“… I’m forbidding you to go. Stay here.”

“Forbidding…? Well, okay…” Kalim said, walking back over to him.

He used the wrong words. There was no changing this. Jamil sighed heavily, seeing Kalim getting closer. He looked sad. He hated that look.

“I didn’t mean forbid… I just… didn’t want you to go.”

“I understand. You may need me and who knows how long it’d take me to come back.” said Kalim.

“ _That’s not it… god I feel like a massive jerk…_ We can have a little thing here. Just us.”

“You don’t have to cater to me. I’m supposed to be catering to you. That’s a servant’s job. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

Jamil watched as Kalim closed the door behind him. That was it. Kalim officially didn’t like him anymore. Why did he have to go and phrase it like that? He knocked on Kalim’s door.

“I’m sorry. It’s not that I’m opposed to you going out and enjoying yourself. I just… seeing you so happy with the others… it made me unhappy.” Jamil confessed, resting his forehead against the door. “I’m… jealous…”

Jamil quietly sighed as he closed his eyes. Kalim wouldn’t understand. He felt the door open, Kalim peeking out.

“Jealous…? But why…?” he asked in confusion. “Aren’t we close like them?”

“Yes but… it’s a different jealous…”

“Different…”

“I like you. Romantically. Seeing them all over you and you all just being so close… I’m sorry.” Jamil said, backing up and meeting Kalim’s eyes.

“So that’s why you’ve been acting weird lately… you liked me…” Kalim said, opening the door more.

“Y- You noticed…?”

“I’ve been serving you since we were tots. I think I’m certified enough to say I know you.” said Kalim, smiling his sunshine smile. “I’m touched to hear you like me, but you shouldn’t. Relationships with servants are really-”

“I don’t care. I want to be with you.”

“But-”

“How do you feel about me…?” Jamil asked, needing to know.

Kalim looked away. Jamil’s heart sunk. It wasn’t mutual. He started to let his hand go before feeling Kalim hold tighter.

“I like you too… I thought I was being obvious.” Kalim said, looking at him with upturned eyes.

Jamil felt as if time had stopped and it was just them. He could feel his face heating up even more.

“S-”

Jamil kissed him, acting purely on emotions now. Kalim returned the gesture, glad that his feelings weren’t one sided.


	363. Grim: Nya

Grim stretched out, ready to start his day. His eyes landed on the bedsheet dangling off the side. His instincts kicked in, his paws furiously swatting at them. One of the ghosts appeared, ready to bug him and Yuu as usual before finding himself being chased around by Grim.

Yuu slowly woke up, the noise waking them. They looked around, seeing one of the ghosts being chased by a smaller Grim.

“Wait, Grim! You’re small!” Yuu pointed out, the kitten not paying them any mind.

Yuu followed Grim out the room just as the ghost disappeared. Yuu scooped Grim up, looking him all over. How did he get so small?

“Grim?”

“Nya.”

Yuu blinked, his voice higher in pitch than usual.

“You know me, right?”

Grim scratched Yuu before scampering off in search of fun. Yuu naturally chased after him.

“Good-”

Crash! Thud! Ace looked at Deuce who didn’t know either. Soon Ace had a small Grim attached to his face. Deuce stifled his laughter, watching Ace flail around as he tried prying Grim off.

“There you are!”

Grim hopped off of Ace in time for Yuu and him to collide. Ace angrily glared at Deuce with scratches on his face.

“Care to explain?” Ace asked, looking at Yuu.

Yuu told them what they knew before asking for help.

•

Grim chased around a toy mouse while Deuce filmed the entire thing.

“Honestly, I don’t know how this happened but I’m not complaining anymore.” said Yuu, watching Grim miss the mouse by a few centimeters. “Ah, my heart…”

“He’s going viral on Magicam.”

“Really? We gotta amp it up.” said Ace, moving onto the laser pointer.

The three of them laughed at Grim’s antics, loving his new kitten self.


	364. Fuce: For wasting time

“Have you seen him?”

The students shook their heads, steadily moving away from him.

“Have you seen him?”

The student ran. Floyd sighed, getting extremely annoyed. Deuce was running late for their date and he wasn’t having any of it. How could none of them know where Deuce was? They were his classmates for pete’s sake. He then remembered he hung out with Ace the most.

“Hey you, where’s Ace Trappola?”

“Uh… gymnasium…” the student said, wondering if that was a good enough answer.

Floyd walked away, satisfied with the answer.

•

Ace moved to make a shot before his shot was blocked by someone lanky and tall.

“Floyd senpai…”

“Where’s Deuce?”

“I don’t know. Said he was gonna hang with some guys.” Ace said, not too clear about the details himself.

“Do you know where he was headed?”

“I just said-”

Ace backed up, seeing Floyd wasn’t going to accept that as an answer.

“Maybe the gardens? He mentioned something about a project.”

“Was it that hard to say?” Floyd grumbled, walking over to the basketball.

Ace sighed, seeing Floyd pick up the ball. He was given little time to react as the ball was thrown in his face.

“For wasting time.”

Ace massaged his nose, feeling it throb. He had a god awful personality.

•

Floyd started looking around the gardens, feeling a bit excited. He had to go most of the day without seeing Deuce and that he wasn’t all for.

“Deuce~” Floyd called out, moving into the subtropical zone.

He could hear voices not too far away. He rounded the corner, seeing Deuce with the other guys mentioned.

“What’s the big deal? You all swore we were just gonna talk!” Deuce fussed, wiping his face.

“Just how dumb are you? As if we’d want to talk to someone who’s got Floyd on their side.” one said, snarling at him.

“I didn’t do anything! He found out on his own. And you can’t blame me for you all being fucking idiots.” Deuce spat, ready to take them on.

Deuce moved to swing, only to see one of them produce a knife from their pocket. Now things were getting serious. He could probably disarm him but there were the other guys too.

“Hey, hey. What’s going on here?”

They looked, seeing Floyd approaching them with a scary look. Deuce felt he was in danger too.

“We were just having a civilized conversation.” one said with a laugh.

“With a knife?” Floyd asked, getting closer.

“Yeah! We was planning to peel an apple and share it.” another said.

“Really?” Floyd asked, now towering over them.

They dropped the knife before they scattered. Deuce watched as Floyd chased after them. He winced and flinched, hearing screams and loud sounds ring throughout the gardens. Pssssssh! Deuce sighed, forgetting about the timed sprinkler system. He moved his wet hair out of his face just as Floyd came into sight.

“Floyd, I-”

“You’re late.”

“I know and I’m sorry. I-”

“Shut up. I’m really mad.” Floyd grumbled, making Deuce feel even worse.

“I’m sorry…” Deuce whispered, rubbing his arm as his hair started sticking to his face again.

Deuce drew a sharp breath, feeling Floyd embrace him tight. Was he upset or not?

“Just how dumb are you? They’re Night Raven boys. They love causing trouble.” Floyd said, burying his face in Deuce’s hair. “You’re too soft…”

“I am not! I was the leader of my gang in middle school!” Deuce huffed, trying to pull away from Floyd.

“Haha, your little gang is nothing compared to the insanity here.” Floyd chuckled before giving him a kiss on the cheek. “But I’ll be here to keep you safe.”

“I don’t think I could ever feel safe with you…” Deuce muttered despite leaning more into the embrace.

“Liar.”

“Am not…”

Floyd poked his puffed out cheeks, finding him positively adorable. Deuce started getting embarrassed as Floyd led him out of the gardens.

“What happened to the guys?”

“Stuff.”

Deuce didn’t press further, knowing he wasn’t going to tell him. He interlaced their fingers as he held onto Floyd’s arm. He was pretty happy Floyd had came when he did. He wasn’t sure if he was going to make it on his own.

“You’re getting too comfortable.”

“Huh? Now I can’t hold onto you?” Deuce whined.

“Ew, don’t whine…”

“But I have tooooo. You aren’t gonna let me hold onto you…”

“Stop it.”

“Noooo.” Deuce whined more.

Floyd growled as Deuce laughed. He knew he was playing with fire but he knew Floyd wouldn’t hurt him. Too bad.


	365. Vil, Kalim + Leona: It’s gonna hail

“H-”

Kalim watched as he was ignored yet again. He let out a sigh as he walked away. Now what? Everything he used in making friends had little to no effect on Jamil. Not even the new stuff he came up with. Was there really no way to get Jamil to become his friend?

Kalim played blind roulette, selecting a person to randomly text. He started venting his feelings before deciding to do it another time. Kalim locked his phone, wondering who the lucky people were. Well, unlucky since he wasn’t talking about anything good.

Kalim ruffled his hair, not sure who to go to. He then had an idea.

•

Kalim sat looking between them as they cursed each other out through their eyes.

“Umm, my problem-”

“I’ll handle it. No, I will! Shut up! Stop copying me! I’m gonna kill you!”

Kalim shrunk back, not sure if he could rely on either of them.

“Look, you’re scaring him you ugly beast.” Vil fussed, rubbing Kalim’s back. “Have some class.”

“Says the one who was practically screeching.”

“We can argue all day, but we’re here for Kalim and arguing is probably giving him anxiety right now.”

“Your point?”

“We stop. We’re here to help him, not fight.”

Kalim watched as Leona and Vil shook hands. Soon he had both of their attention.

“Umm… well…” Kalim said before starting from the beginning. “And now he avoids me like the plague…”

“This is an easy fix. Trap him in a room with you and he’d have no choice to talk.” said Leona.

“You’re stupid. Jamil is a genius. You have to be more crafty than that.” Vil scolded.

“Well I don’t have anything because I don’t need friends.”

“You really should’ve just asked me.” Vil whispered with a shake of his head,

“You don’t have friends either. And Rook doesn’t count.”

Kalim looked at Vil who heavily bit his tongue. They had called a truce yet they were still making jabs at each other. Could he really rely on them?

“You know what Jamil likes, right? Why not get him gifts occasionally and doing things for him?” Vil suggested.

“Go overboard and he’ll hate you even more.” Leona chimed in.

“The lion is right. Don’t make it obvious either.”

“He’ll cut you off permanently that way, haha.”

Kalim started feeling more dispirited. It sounded nearly impossible. Vil and Leona took notice, now trying to cheer him up. Usually it was the other way around.

•

Kalim knocked on Jamil’s door, hoping he’d answer.

“Ugh.”

“Wait!”

“What?”

Kalim shifted his weight before finally speaking.

“I know I’m not entirely reliable like you, but if you ever need help with something like carrying things or a test dummy, I’m here to help!” said Kalim.

“You do realize me using you as a test dummy would have a negative outcome.” Jamil deadpanned. “And getting help from you is sure to make things worse. You can’t do anything right. You only made it this far because of me and your wealthy parents.”

Slam! Kalim lowered his head, feeling worse. He did what they said yet it didn’t make anything better between them. Was he really that useless?

•

“I told you words wouldn’t amount to anything but nooo. Don’t listen to the lazy lion.” Leona said, glaring at Vil.

“Alright, then give us your best idea.”

“It’s simple. You know why he doesn’t like you, right?”

“Because he was forced to hide…” Kalim muttered.

“There’s nothing more he’d like than to show it off and be praised. He wants to feel important. Using pretty words ain’t gonna cut it as Vil perfectly displayed.” said Leona.

“He’s definitely going to suspect something from that. Don’t just randomly praise him for things.” said Vil before having an idea. “Why not invite him to do things that’ll let him show off and beat you in competition?”

“Something decent came out of your mouth. It’s gonna hail.” said Leona, dodging Vil’s projectile.

“I’ll try it… but…”

“But what? Are you not feeling confident?” Vil asked, holding Kalim’s face by his chin.

“I don’t know things that’ll let him do it. And we can’t use magic for personal reasons…”

“Yeah, if you’re doing it where people can see.” said Leona.

“Don’t encourage him.” Vil hissed.

“There’s Magift too.”

Kalim blinked, never having considered it. Would that work? He looked between them who seemed satisfied with the idea.

•

Vil sat under an umbrella while the others played.

“The air is way too dry here. How can they stand it? My hair is going to get all dry…” Vil complained, watching them play. “Though, Jamil seems to be enjoying himself.”

Vil continued to watch, seeing Kalim was really getting beat up on. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. He figured things wouldn’t be too bad with Leona on his side but…

“And that’s game. We lose.” said Leona, not content with the fact his team, no, Kalim’s team lost.

“Hmph. You were always terrible at sports and yet you foolishly challenged me.” said Jamil, looking at the worn out Kalim.

“I always… wanted to know how… how strong you were… I’m really… really just a speck compared to you…” Kalim wheezed, taking a seat on the ground. “You’re amazing, Jamil…”

Vil got up from his seat, a bit concerned.

“It’s only natural. I’m not stupidly carefree like you.”

Jamil waited for a response but received none.

“Kalim!?”

Vil had dropped his umbrella, looking the wheezing Kalim over. Kalim tried to wave him off but Vil wasn’t having any of it. Jamil watched as Vil took care of Kalim. He really couldn’t do a thing without help.

“Are you okay…?” Vil asked softly.

“No. Things were going fine but then you did this. This defeated the purpose of everything Ive been trying to do.” Kalim complained. “Now we’ll never get closer…”

Kalim made a point, but he couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. He knew well enough Jamil wouldn’t have lifted a finger to help him.

“I’m sorry… Leona and I have been thinking actually… Maybe you should give up…”

“What…? After everything we’ve done?”

The two continued to talk, forgetting Jamil was standing not too far away from them.

“Jamil just doesn’t want to be friends. You’re just going to have to accept it, Kalim. You can’t get along with everyone…”

Kalim put his head in his hands. He had no energy to continue arguing with Vil. Maybe they were right. Jamil was just one of the many people he’d never be able to befriend.

“Do I get a turn to speak?”

They looked, all sorts of thoughts and emotions going through them as they looked at Jamil. He probably heard everything.

“Going to such lengths to try and win me over… you really are dumb.” said Jamil with a shake of his head. “But I can’t just sit here and ignore your efforts…”

Kalim waited, wondering if there was more.

“We aren’t friends, but… consider us acquainted.”

Kalim’s eyes widened as they sparkled. They were acquaintances. Jamil was letting him in. He jumped onto Jamil, nuzzling him and promising to be the best acquaintance he could be. Starting after the nuzzling.


	366. Fish Boys: Juggle knives

The door harshly collided with the wall, causing the nurse to glare at the culprit who came rushing in.

“Floyd.”

“Jade.”

The twins stared at each other before Floyd winced at having his cut cleaned.

“Let me guess. You did something stupid.” said Jade, looking at the numerous band aids and bandages.

“No.”

“Floyd.”

“What you consider stupid and what I consider stupid are different. I was having fun for your information.” said Floyd, averting his gaze. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Because we were being decent enough to show concern for you.”

They looked, seeing Azul walking over.

“How annoying…” Floyd mumbled.

“So, what were you doing that you got this scratched up?” Jade asked, lifting Floyd’s left arm. “Here’s to hoping they don’t leave scars on your pretty skin…”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m fine.”

Azul and Jade shared a look before looking back at Floyd.

“I’m more concerned about the bandaged areas really…” Jade mumbled, seeing one was around his calf.

“Now I’m going to have to find replacements for you at Mostro.” Azul muttered, starting to search.

“Hey! You’re gonna replace me just like that?”

“We have no choice. You’re in no condition to work and Mostro has to operate.” said Jade with a shake of his head. “I thought you didn’t like working there anyway.”

Floyd puffed out his cheeks, watching them leave. He didn’t feel appreciated.

•

Floyd sat in his room, seeing Jade poking his head in yet again. Wasn’t he supposed to be working?

“What? What do you want?”

“I’m just checking on my brother like a good sibling.” Jade said, giving him a smile.

“That was so funny I forgot to laugh.” Floyd muttered, lying back down.

“Need anything?”

“Juice.”

“I’ll get you water then.”

Floyd sighed, wondering why Jade and Azul we’re constantly coming to check on him and being him things. Even if he didn’t need or want them. He mulled it over before hearing the door open.

“Juice?”

“Water.”

“But I-”

Jade lightly slammed the cup of water on the desk, smiling at Floyd.

“Have some water, Floyd. Are you hungry?”

“Hm… Then I want fried octopus.” said Floyd, looking at Jade.

“Alright. Anything else before I leave? We both know how you get.”

Floyd shook his head, watching Jade leave again. So his hunch was right. They were worried about him. Which was pretty unusual. He was definitely going to take advantage of it, especially since Jade was actually going to bring him fried octopus. He never did because of Azul possibly finding out.

What could he make Azul do for him since he was injured? He looked himself over. His injuries were going to be healing soon which meant they weren’t going to treat him special anymore. That wasn’t good. He liked getting this newfound attention.

•

Azul shook his head, not expecting to see Floyd back in the infirmary.

“Didn’t you just recover a week ago?”

“Life happens.”

“I didn’t think I’d hear such words come from you.” Azul stated, watching the nurse patch Floyd up.

“Looks like I can’t work anymore until I heal.” Floyd sighed, feigning sadness. “I’m sorry~”

Azul scrunched his nose, finding his response unsettling. Floyd waved him off, wanting to get some sleep.

Jade came in, feeling uneasy. It wasn’t like Floyd to get hurt like this. Was there someone actually bold enough to attack him AND survive?

“What happened…?” Jade asked, having pulled Azul off to the side.

“The nurse said that he said he got hurt. Didn’t say what from and all.” said Azul.

“I know it’s not impossible but highly improbable but… maybe… someone’s doing it to Floyd?” Jade said.

“I really doubt that. Only a select few brave souls would get close to Floyd.” said Azul before seeing Jade’s uncertain look. “Though a group attacking him wouldn’t be far fetched…”

Now the two were worried. Floyd simply smiled, getting a kick out of it.

•

Jade and Azul were stumped. Why was Floyd getting hurt so much? Floyd chuckled, listening to them through the door. Now things were getting fun. He jumped back, not expecting someone to be knocking on his door.

“Floyd?”

“Hey, don’t bother him.”

“Floyd is resting. Come back later.”

“But now’s the only free time I have today.”

Floyd climbed back in bed, not wanting them to suspect anything. The door opened, revealing the person.

“Floyd senpai…”

Floyd slowly turned, looking at his visitor.

“Epel.”

“How are you…?”

“Could be better. Very bold of you to come and see me when I could snap your neck even when injured.” Floyd said, looking at Epel with a grin. “How brave.”

Epel paid him no mind, pulling back the bedsheets to look him over. Floyd resisted, purposefully making things difficult for Epel. Epel got frustrated, yanking the sheets off of Floyd.

“Hey!”

“You’re really banged up…” Epel mumbled, looking at Floyd’s arms.

“Now you’re touching me…”

“Am I not allowed to?” Epel asked, raising an eyebrow.

Floyd didn’t say anything else, letting Epel check him over. Epel sat down on the edge as Floyd turned his back to him.

“Sorry that I couldn’t visit you before… Vil wouldn’t let me go. As usual.” Epel apologized, placing a hand on Floyd’s arm. “Though, I doubt you care.”

As expected, no answer. It hadn’t been too long since he confessed his feelings to Floyd and not surprisingly, he wasn’t given a clear answer. He didn’t know the boundaries of what was okay and what wasn’t.

“Should I go? Is my presence bothering you?” Epel asked despite already getting up to leave.

“You’re talking too much.”

Epel went silent.

“Feel better. I’ll stop by again when I can…”

Epel sighed, having closed the door behind him. He really wish he knew where he stood with Floyd. Not knowing was driving him crazy, especially after hearing he was getting hurt so much.

“Did he tell you anything?”

Epel jumped, not expecting Azul and Jade to be up in his face. He shook his head, wondering if there was a problem. Then again, Floyd getting hurt this much when no one wouldn’t dare enter his line of vision was suspicious.

•

Floyd groaned, unable to move his head and dominant arm. He didn’t expect his little fun to royally fuck up. He glanced towards the door, seeing no one had come in. Weren’t they worried about him? What happened to all of that worry and care they were showing him?

“Stop moving.” the nurse fussed. “There. Don’t strain your neck and don’t use that arm for anything, you hear?”

Floyd grunted in response, bored out of his mind. How long would it take before he could be free of these restraints? He ended up going to sleep, not having much else to do since he was going to be confined in the infirmary.

Floyd woke from his slumber, not seeing Azul or Jade. Then again, it was pretty late and they were probably operating Mostro. At this point he’d rather be working at Mostro than lying here with nothing to do. It was when he looked to his left that he finally noticed the small boy sleeping beside him.

“How annoying…”

Floyd harshly shook him, waking him up.

“You’re up… How do you feel?” he asked, half awake.

“Bored. Entertain me.”

“How?”

“Juggle knives.” Floyd suggested. “You can do that much, right?”

“I can try…”

Epel left in search of knives to use while Floyd slowly but surely lost interest every second. Epel came back with knives, only to be told to do something else. He wasn’t surprised, this was Floyd after all.

“Hey, scratch my neck.”

Epel stopped what he was doing to scratch. Was now a good time to ask? Epel cleared his throat, gathering some courage.

“Floyd senpai…”

“What.”

“Do you… do you not like me the way I do?” he asked, being told to stop scratching. “I just want to know my boundaries is all. You let me get close unlike others yet you don’t treat me any different…”

“Why does it matter? After all, I do what I want when I want, how I want and where I want.” said Floyd before side eyeing him. “You wouldn’t be able to keep up.”

Epel simply nodded, sitting back down. He was dumb for thinking Floyd would be open to the idea of dating. He wasn’t enough and never would be. He gripped his pants, his heart unable to come to terms with the answer. Why did it protest? There wasn’t anything he could do. No one could handle Floyd and dating him would be no different.

“I need to step out…” Epel mumbled, getting up out of his seat.

“So you’re just going to leave me? All alone? Is that how much I mean to you?”

“I don’t understand what you want from me! You keep pushing me away like you’re rejecting me and when I start to distance myself like you want me to, suddenly it’s a problem! This is fourteenth time you’ve done this ever since I confessed to you! Stop confus-”

“Shut up. You talk too much…” Floyd groaned, giving him an unpleasant look. “I didn’t ask you to like me and yet you’re getting mad at me for something _you_ did.”

Well if Floyd put it that way…

“Does it really matter that much to you with putting a label on things? You really suck the fun out of things.” Floyd said in an annoyed tone.

“Eh…? Floyd senpai-”

“I thought you were leaving.”

Epel took his hand, needing to know.

“You do feel the same…? Is this just your weird way of showing you care?”

“Now you’re asking stupid questions…”

Epel let his hand go. Maybe he was being delusional. Maybe Floyd’s words didn’t mean anything.

“Sorry. I just thought… H- Hey. Stop moving. You’re going to put strain on your neck…” Epel said, seeing Floyd was turning towards him.

“Come closer.”

Epel leaned closer.

“Closer.”

He inched closer.

“If you don’t get this close, I’m not going to tell you.”

Epel had gotten close to the point their noses were almost touching. Was he finally going to tell him how he felt about him? Would he be celebrating in joy or crying himself to sleep? Floyd used his fine arm, forcing Epel to kiss him.

Epel blinked rapidly, fully registering the kiss right after it ended. He touched his lips before his face heated.

“Is that enough?”

“Thank you…” Epel croaked, tears leaving his eyes.

He didn’t feel lost anymore. He felt Floyd put his fine arm around him, holding him close. He quietly cried, not wanting to bother him with his ugly sobbing.


	367. Ace x Riddle: My future grave

Ace discreetly coughed into his specialized bag that muffled his coughing, courtesy of Sam.

“I finally found you.”

“You were looking for me, dorm leader?”

“Yes. You’re the jerk who melted Trey’s favorite mixing bowl aren’t you?” Riddle accused.

“I’ve been on my best behavior for months now, dorm leader. Isn’t this little charade getting old?” Ace said, getting hurt each and every time.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t slip back into your rule breaking ways. I’ve always got my eye on you and Deuce. You two always know how to mess something up.” said Riddle before walking away.

Even after turning over a new leaf, Riddle still saw him as a troublemaker. How much more did he have to do to make Riddle see he’s changed? Ace peeked into his bag, seeing he’d have to dump it out soon. If he didn’t get Riddle to return his feelings, then…

•

“Ace, lets go mess around.” Deuce said, seeing the others up ahead.

“Sorry…”

“What’s gotten into you? You love horsing around and getting under Riddle’s skin.” said Deuce, not understanding. “What’s going on…?”

Ace simply shook his head before walking away. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hang out with them, it was just most of what they did would go against what he’d been trying to do. He rounded the corner before colliding with someone.

“Dorm leader…!”

Ace hurriedly picked up Riddle’s fallen books and handed them over.

“Thank you, Trappola. Perhaps you really are becoming a decent student. I like it.” said Riddle with a smile. “Keep it up and you might become a favorite.”

“Really? asked Ace with slightly wide eyes.

"I’m merely joking. But friends is more realistic.”

Ace watched Riddle walk away. They could be friends if he continued to be genuine and a good boy. His heart swelled, watching his tiny dorm leader soon disappear from sight. Ace felt tickling in his throat, causing him to find a isolated spot to cough. He frowned heavily, seeing there was a lot more this time. More wasn’t good. How could he get Riddle to return his affections? The good boy route would take too long.

Going back to his old ways would ruin everything. Did Riddle like gifts? What kind of things did he like? Ace headed to class, needing time to complete his plan.

•

“Please Trey senpai… If I don’t know I…” Ace said before trailing off.

“Fine. You promise this isn’t for shits and giggles?”

“I swear on my future grave.”

Trey wrote him a list of food Riddle liked along with a few material things.

“And you know he adores strawberry tarts. You can easily buy one if you don’t have the patience to make one. His tongue isn’t as refined as his mind.”

“Thank you, senpai!” Ace said, bowing a few times before hurrying off.

Trey wasn’t sure if what he did was smart, but he couldn’t ignore Ace’s face full of need. Trey moved to get back to his homework, only to notice a purple petal on the floor. That wasn’t there before. He picked it up and inspected it, piecing what he knew together. His eyes widened before his face filled with sadness.

“Ace…”

Ace hopped off the bus, following his phone’s directions. It should be around here. Ace walked around, eventually having to cough into his bag. He was horrified. There were full flower heads appearing. He didn’t have time to lose.

He finally found the bakery, quickly placing his order as he helped them select. Would this even guarantee that Riddle might like him just a little? No. Of course not. Ace paid them, taking his box of goodies. Riddle wasn’t ever going to return his affections. It was obvious.

He caused him nothing but grief in the beginning so that already left the impression on him. Not to mention he’s with his childhood friend most of the day. That was probably it. Riddle liked Trey. Ace got on the bus heading back in Night Raven’s direction. He held the box close, hiding his face from sight.

•

Riddle searched around for Deuce, knowing Ace was usually with him.

“Spade!”

Deuce tensed up. Now what was Riddle going to yell at him about?

“Where’s Ace?”

“Huh? Uh… I think he went off campus for something. Oh, he’s back on campus now.” said Deuce, having got a text from Ace.

Riddle left, needing to talk to him.

Ace stood in front of the Heartslabyul mirror, wondering if he was ready to have his heart broken. He coughed into his bag, seeing more full flower heads than petals. So it was really going to end like this? Maybe it was best. He entered the mirror, standing mere inches away from a surprised Riddle.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know someone was near the mirror. I accept punishment.”

“I’m not going to punish you for something like this. Is that all you think of me as? A punishment machine?”

“No! I mean, no… It’s just… you always looked for something to fuss and yell at me about so I thought…”

Riddle felt uneasy looking at Ace’s face. Was he really like that towards him? He started self reflecting.

“I’m sorry. It’s unfair of me to do that to you…”

“Apology accepted.”

Riddle wanted to ask about the box, his human nature shining through.

“This is for you. Enjoy it.” said Ace, placing the box in his hands. “See you.”

Ace had run away, not giving him a chance to comment on the damp spots on the top of the box. He opened it, seeing his favorite sweets. Was Ace trying to butter him up? No, the old Ace would’ve. Then what was the current Ace’s angle? What did he want? He didn’t know. He looked at the ground, noticing a purple petal.

He knew it wasn’t there before until Ace left. Did it come from him…?

•

Ace curled up in his bed, unable to function normally. So this was the end of the line. The final stage. One ends up bedridden due to barely being able to breathe as it has already consumed most of their lung space. How much longer did he have to live? Half a day? An hour? It was different for everyone, so the internet was of no use.

Ace felt weaker as more time passed. No one probably noticed he was missing, assuming he just skipped classes. He barely had energy to cough. He pulled out a small picture frame from under his pillow. It was a picture of him and Riddle at an Unbirthday party having fun. Riddle was smiling so brightly. Was it then that he fell for him? He held the frame close, weakly coughing. Definitely.

He started thinking about what death was like, feeling his body steadily not getting the oxygen it needed. If given the chance to do anything over, most would say not fall for the person. But, maybe they didn’t realize it might’ve been the actions they took. It was plausible in his case. He’d change how he acted towards and around Riddle. Maybe he’d have a chance then.

“Ace! Why aren’t you-”

Ace weakly raised his head, seeing Riddle staring at him. He didn’t want to be seen like this, especially by the person he loved.

“You can’t just…” Riddle whispered, seeing Ace surrounded by purple petals. He pulled back the sheets, seeing Ace wasn’t breathing right. “No, no, no…”

Ace watched as Riddle tried using a few spells on him. Naturally nothing worked.

“You’re worrying unnecessarily… Don’t you have a student to scold for not being properly dressed or… not following the rules…”

“Hush! Save your breath.”

Ace shook his head as he attempted to sit up. Riddle forced him back down.

“It’s too late already… Sorry, senpai…”

It wasn’t too late. He could still do something.

“Who is it?! Who won’t return your feelings?”

Ace kept silent.

“Ace! Tell me right now!” Riddle demanded, unable to hold his tears back.

Ace still refused to talk. The last thing he wanted was to guilt Riddle. He could learn right after he passed on. A thought occurred to him.

“You’re not in class… You never skip class.”

“No one had seen you… Deuce said you were curled up in bed when he last saw you this morning. I was coming to scold you for skipping class but…”

To think Riddle prioritized finding him over going to class. He did make progress after all, but clearly it wasn’t enough. Ace closed his eyes, finally reaching his limit. His hold on the small frame loosened, alerting Riddle to its presence. He picked it up, seeing it was them. Why did he have something like this?

It clicked. Riddle hurriedly pressed his lips against Ace’s, hoping it would do something, anything. Riddle felt himself starting to cry again, seeing Ace had stopped moving all together. He couldn’t have died. Riddle tried every spell he knew that could help. Nothing worked. Riddle sank to the floor, crying harder. He was a failure. A dorm leader was supposed to always look out for the other students in the dorm and help them. Yet something like this went undetected for who knew how long.

Riddle tightly held the frame, seeing their happy faces in it. Was it from way back then? Had he been harboring these feelings, knowing what would happen if he didn’t get him to return his feelings? Was that why he suddenly turned over a new leaf and became a goodie two shoes? He was disgusted with himself. Riddle got to his feet, looking at Ace. He held Ace close, his guilt eating him alive.

If Ace had told him, would it have changed anything…? Riddle coughed, seeing rose petals gracefully falling to the floor.

“How nice…”


	368. Leona + Ruggie: I’m throwing you off a roof

“It’s done. Finally…” Ruggie exhaled, carefully placing the potion off to the side.

“You finally finished? Took you long enough.”

“It wouldn’t have taken so long if a certain lion helped.” Ruggie said under his breath.

“Ha? Did you say something?” Leona asked, glaring at Ruggie.

“No. Just come over and drink it already.” Ruggie said, picking up the potion.

Leona sighed, taking the potion and downing all of it.

“So, do you feel clean inside?” Ruggie asked, briefly glancing back at the book. “It’s supposed to cleanse impurities…”

Leona rubbed his lips together finding the taste very disgusting. More disgusting than usual.

“I feel gross.”

“Huh? That’s not right…” Ruggie muttered, turning his attention to the potion.

Ruggie carefully read everything over. It was supposed to taste refreshing like lemonade. Ruggie looked over, not seeing Leona standing where he left him.

“Leona?”

“Raaawwwrr.”

Ruggie looked down, seeing a child. How did this kid get into the school?

“Hey you, how’d you get here?”

“Grrrr.”

“Funny, you look like Leona.” Ruggie muttered, pinching his ears.

Ruggie backed up, the kid trying to bite him. Ruggie looked around, seeing no one else was taking notice of this. He was used to taking care of kids back home, but he didn’t have as much time here as back home. But he couldn’t just leave the kid here.

“Hey, you can speak right?”

“Shut up ugly.”

“Ha!? I dare you to say that again, pipsqueak!”

“U-G-L-Y. You look poor, ew.”

Ruggie was about to lose his cool. Ruggie forced the kid to hold his hand while he continued to search around for Leona. Where did that lazy lion go?

“Let go. Your hand is sticky.” the kid complained.

“One more peep out of you and I’m throwing you off a roof.” Ruggie threatened.

“My parents will have your head!”

“Yeah, yeah.” said Ruggie dismissively.

•

No sign of Leona and no one knew who the kid was. He had a class to get to but he couldn’t just leave him alone. Kid or class? Kid or jeopardizing his future because someone can’t take care of their kid? Kid or prioritizing his future and the kid ends up dying because no one was watching him and having that weight on his shoulders? Ruggie was struggling.

“Hey. I’m going to class. Do whatever but stay out of trouble.” said Ruggie, letting him go.

The kid took off at top speed. He was definitely going to cause trouble. Ruggie texted Leona, hoping he’d answer him. Where could he have disappeared to?

Ruggie exited his class, ready to relax after a long day of learning. He noticed students were looking at their phones and murmuring.

“Hey, what’s got you all murmuring?”

They showed him pictures posted on Magicam. Ruggie looked through them, seeing the giant messes. Who would do such a thing? No, the question wasn’t who, it was more of why. Ruggie went on his way, having completely forgotten about the lion cub.

Ruggie was about to enter the hall of mirrors only to see a bunch of students chasing something small. It wasn’t any of his business.

“Get back here kid!”

He looked. He observed. He remembered. That is his business. Ruggie followed after them, helping them catch the runaway kid. Ruggie have him a stern look before carrying him back to Savanaclaw.

•

“So. Tell me. Where are you from?”

“Afterglow.”

“Do you know where you live?”

“Yeah.”

“Where?”

“Superbia Palace.”

Ruggie burst into laughter. This kid had quite the imagination. Everyone knew the royal family like the back of their hand. The current king only had a younger brother, Leona, and a wife and child.

“Yeah, sure you do. What are you doing here?”

“How should I know, ugly?”

“One more time. Try me.” Ruggie growled.

The kid laughed, doing things Ruggie didn’t like on purpose. He sometimes forgot city kids were the brattiest.

“What’s your name?”

“None of your business.”

“Then how do you expect me to get you home if you’re not going to cooperate?”

“Figure it out yourself, dummy.”

Ruggie was one step away from leaving this kid outside the school gates to fend for himself.

“Moving on… is there anything you want to do?”

“Sleep.”

The kid curled up on his bed, falling asleep within seconds. Funnily enough, that reminded him of Leona who he had yet to find. Leona always answered his texts. Maybe not as fast as he liked, but he always did within a reasonable time frame. He asked around but no one had seen him. Since the kid would be asleep, he could use his free time to search for Leona. He’d know something about the kid. Hopefully.

Ruggie came back, not any closer to finding Leona. The kid was still sleeping. He was tired, so he decided to do the same. Leona had to turn up tomorrow morning. They always walked together.

Ruggie was awakened by something pushing into his side. It was the kid. How lucky that the kid didn’t run away, but how unfortunate that he was still here. Somehow he’d get rid of him. He rubbed his eyes before doing a double take. Was it just him or did the kid get bigger? He rubbed his eyes again. Even bigger. Ruggie backed away, watching him undergo a change.

“No way…”

Ruggie looked him all over. That was Leona? How could he not tell? Was it because he had no scar? Was it because he looked gentler? Leona stretched out, slowly opening his eyes. This wasn’t his room. Why was Ruggie looking at him like he was some alien?

“Why am I in your room…”

Ruggie took a deep breath before explaining. He still didn’t get it himself when he did the entire potion correctly. There was no way it was supposed to deage him.

“Well, it’s over now so get over it.”

“You called me ugly numerous times.” he complained.

“Huh. Good to know.”

He was exasperated. No apology? He had to remind himself Leona was like this and getting any form of positivity from Leona was impossible. Though, he was glad he didn’t have to worry about a kid anymore.


	369. Ariel: Riddle’s panicking

“Hey glasses, how long has he been pacing?”

“Twenty minutes.”

“Oh boy…”

Trey held his phone up, letting Che'nya see how bothered Riddle was. They knew better than to talk to him when he paces. Riddle has finally stopped pacing.

“Hey, tiny tyrant!” Che'nya called out, causing Riddle to look at them. “How goes it?”

“Why is Che'nya on your phone screen?”

“Well, you were pacing for more than five minutes and Che'nya and I agreed that if one of us is ever around when you’re pacing for too long, we deal with the problem together.” said Trey, Che'nya nodding in agreement.

“Since when were you two so close?”

“Since forever? We hang out without you, you know.” Che'nya laughed. “You aren’t special.”

Riddle narrowed his eyes as Che'nya laughed more before getting up close to his phone.

“So tiny tyrant. What’s got your petals wilting?”

Riddle sighed before sitting down at his desk. Trey brought a chair over before propping Che'nya up on the desk.

“Our school is having a ball for no reason really. I’m really questioning Crowley’s credibility of being a headmaster. But I digress. There’s a certain… person who’ll be there that I want to impress.”

“Glasses, translate.”

“He wants to do something to catch his crush’s eye.”

“H- Hey! I didn’t say that!” Riddle exclaimed, going red in the face.

“Ah. Riddle has a crush. The Rose Kingdom is going to turn weird.” said Che'nya, laughing when Riddle got mad.

“Riddle, if anyone can help you with your situation, it’s Che'nya. I’m not well versed in this area. Just here for moral support.” said Trey as he weakly chuckled.

“Nothing good comes from listening to Che'nya.”

“You wound me tiny tyrant. Just for that I’m going to ruin your chances with your crush.”

“You don’t even know who it is!”

“Azul Ashengrotto.”

Che'nya cracked up, seeing the surprised look on Riddle’s face. Trey ended up laughing too, never having seen such a look on Riddle’s face before.

“Anyway, when’s the ball? Can I crash?”

“I don’t advise it.” Trey said, noticing Riddle was still stunned. “Riddle, snap out of it. It’s not that surprising Che'nya keeps updated with what goes on with us.”

“But it is. Che'nya doesn’t care about things like this. He just wants fun.”

“True that. But I care about you, mini queen. You’re a dear friend~”

“Trey, he’s being sarcastic isn’t he?” Riddle huffed.

“Not this time.”

Che'nya smiled widely, giving Riddle unsettling feelings.

•

Trey patter Riddle’s back as they entered the crowded area. Numerous students were wearing different colored suits and chatting with their friends. Was Riddle ready to wow Azul and get a dance with him? He peered into Riddle’s face. Nope. Not at all.

“Hey, why don’t we get something to drink and sit?”

“Okay.”

They sat down with their drinks and watched the other students. Trey kept his eyes on Riddle as his eyes searched around the room. He sighed, calling up Che'nya.

“Nya~ I just got out the shower…”

“Riddle’s panicking.”

Trey watched Che'nya disappear from the screen before coming back fully clothed.

“So, what’s happened so far? Has Azul caught his eye yet?”

“No, thankfully. I’m not sure I would’ve wanted to go through that alone.” said Trey with a sigh. He started explaining everything that had happened up to the point where he called him. “So yeah…”

“Riddle!”

Riddle looked, seeing Che'nya smiling and waving at him through the phone screen. They could see Riddle calming down some.

“You’re gonna be fine. We practiced. And practiced. You’re Riddle Rosehearts. You can do just about anything.” said Che'nya, his tail waving around in delight. “It’d be pretty pathetic that the son of the famous Rosehearts family couldn’t even ask a simple person to dance with him.”

“I can to do that!” Riddle huffed, turning away from them.

“Can you?”

“Yeah!”

“Then show us.”

“Fine, I will.”

They watched as Riddle got up in search of Azul.

“You manipulate him so easily…” Trey sighed, worried about their future.

“Someone’s gotta do it.”

Riddle had spotted Azul who was off talking with other students.

“Ashengrotto.”

Azul turned around, seeing Riddle behind him.

“Well hello. What can I do for the strict as ever Riddle Rosehearts?”

“I-”

Riddle felt his words catch in his throat. What happened to all of his confidence? Azul raised an eyebrow, wondering if he planned to finish his sentence.

“Dance, you and I.” said Riddle before mentally face palming.

He definitely sounded stupid. Azul chuckled, surprisingly agreeing. He didn’t think he’d get this far. He didn’t have any plans. What did he do? He couldn’t spot Trey through the crowd of students.

“Did you mean now or later?” Azul asked.

“Now is fine. If, it’s fine with you.”

“Perfectly fine.”

They walked over to the floor, joining the others who were dancing. Things were going better than he expected. Riddle turned his gaze, now looking into Azul’s pale eyes. He was getting nervous again.

“I must say, your suit is very eye catching. And did you do something new with your hair? I like it.” said Azul, smiling softly.

The compliments were overloading his mind. What could he say in response?

“I figured trying something new once in a while wouldn’t hurt. You have… nice glasses.” said Riddle before realizing what he said.

It was too late to take it back.

“Oh? To think you noticed I got new glasses. I’m touched.”

It worked out somehow. The gods saved him.

“I’m always noticing things about you. What you like to eat, what you don’t. Things that upset you, things that make you happy… I find them important.”

“I can say the same about you.”

Riddle’s eyes widened as the music came to an end. Azul smiled with his eyes, letting Riddle’s hands go as he walked away.

“I like you!”

Crap. He didn’t mean to shout. Azul turned, looking at the panicked Riddle.

“It’s natural friends would like each other. Why are you just standing there? Didn’t we agree to go off to talk?”

Nosy students had averted their attention, seeing it wasn’t anything noteworthy. Riddle followed Azul, seeing they were heading away from the ball altogether.

“So, what was that about?” Azul questioned.

“Honestly? I didn’t mean to shout it, but… I uh, do actually like you. I wish to start a relationship with you.” Riddle explained, the last of his courage leaving him.

“Is that so?”

Riddle nodded.

“But it’s fine if I’m not the one. It’s better to know than not.”

Azul stepped closer, cupping his face. Riddle wasn’t sure what was going on. Azul smiled before giving him a brief kiss.

“I loved our little dance tonight. I hope it wasn’t our last.”

“Certainly not…”

The two joined hands, walking back in.


	370. Sesi: You’re seriously going to make me say it?

Silver entered Lilia’s room, wondering what he wanted to talk about. He wasn’t expecting to see Malleus either. Was he in serious trouble? Did he not do something correctly? The door opened behind him, revealing a just as nervous Sebek.

What did they do wrong? Were they being replaced? Sebek started to cry.

“Sebek, why are you crying…?” Malleus asked worriedly.

Sebek spoke through his tears, most of it incoherent.

“I think if you tell us why we’re here it might help.” said Silver, feeling his shoulder becoming damp.

“We decided you’re not going to do any guard work today. Go out and be young.” said Lilia, stepping forward.

“Eh? We can’t-”

Silver rapidly blinked, receiving a giant wad of madol from Lilia. Where did he get this much from if he was always “too broke to afford it”? Silver narrowed his eyes at Lilia, wondering how many things he could’ve had that Lilia didn’t want to buy him.

“But-”

“Get out.” said Malleus.

Even Malleus wanted to get rid of them. They quietly started to leave.

“Don’t you two dare step foot in the dorm until it’s night.” Lilia warned.

They now stood outside the dorm with a big wad of cash and absolutely no plans.

“Now what?” Silver asked.

“I’d personally like to not spend time with you.” Sebek replied.

“Alright. Let me count half… There. We’ll go our separate ways.” said Silver before walking away.

There were some things he wanted to do but couldn’t. The first thing on his list was replacing his baton as it was pretty worn down. How much did one cost again?

“Hey!”

Silver looked back, seeing Sebek approaching him. This should be good.

“Yes?”

“Doing things alone isn’t any fun.”

“Mhmm. And?”

“You’re seriously going to make me say it?”

Silver stuck his leg through the mirror as a warning.

“Can we hang out together?” Sebek asked, avoiding eye contact.

“Sure, if there’s anything you want to do, tell me so I can fit it in my schedule.”

The two worked out a new schedule before setting off.

“Do you think it was smart to let them go?” Malleus asked.

“Everyone needs a break sometimes. Plus it’s the perfect chance for Sebek to confess his feelings?” said Lilia, watching them leave school grounds.

“Huh? Feelings…?”

“You can’t possibly stand here and tell me you’ve never seen the way they look at each other.”

“It’s not my job to know who’s crushing on who. I have more important things to worry about you know…”

Lilia sighed as he shook his head.

“You need to live a little. Even your grandmother knew gossip.”

•

Silver greeted the store clerk as he was pretty much a regular. Sebek looked around, not knowing there was an entire store dedicated to magicrystal equipments. He picked up a necklace with an empty slot. He raised an eyebrow, seeing playing cards were available too.

“Good afternoon sir. Is there anything I can help you with?” the clerk asked.

“No. I’m just here for him.” said Sebek, pointing to Silver who was trying to choose.

“Ah, my apologies.”

Sebek continued to look around, seeing they had ties and bows as well. Head wraps, tiaras and crowns too. Maybe Malleus would like one. Sebek looked towards the back, seeing several staffs. They all looked perfect for Malleus.

“Silver, you done yet?”

“Mmm, no. Choosing is harder than usual. If you want to go ahead then go.” said Silver, seeing the latest was retractable but he really liked the version he already had.

Sebek hovered behind him, seeing what was up. Sebek chose for him, needing his help in choosing a gift for Malleus.

“Hm? You want to buy something?”

“Yeah, for someone special.”

Silver looked at Sebek, his cheeks growing warm. Could it possibly be him? They stopped in front of the large staffs.

“What do you think Malleus would like?”

Silver blinked before walking away.

“Wait, I still-”

“Choose it yourself. He won’t care.” said Silver, paying for his new baton.

Malleus. That’s all he ever thinks about. How dumb he was to even develop feelings for the Malleus fiend. He could never compete with Malleus.

“Thank you! Come again.”

“Of course.” said Silver with a smile before leaving Sebek behind.

Sebek hurried to catch up with him. Silver kept his distance, confusing Sebek. Since when did he want distance between them again?

“Hey, Silver.”

“What.”

“What’s with the distance? I thought we were close now…”

“Yeah? I thought so too.” said Silver, anger laced in his voice.

Sebek stopped him, needing to know what was going on. He didn’t like seeing Silver upset, especially if it was his fault.

“What did I do and how can I make it better?” Sebek questioned, holding Silver by his shoulders.

“What I want would take away half of what makes up your character.” Silver deadpanned.

“I don’t know what you mean by that but just tell me.”

“It’s Malleus. I’m not saying you can’t be his loyal guard, but every single time we aren’t guarding him he’s all you ever talk and think about! It’s getting to the point that it’s annoying! And hurtful!” Silver said, getting louder with each sentence. “I’m tired of liking a guy who’s whole life is centered around one person! Someone clearly oblivious to other’s feelings because they don’t matter unless they’re Malleus’!”

Silver was in tears. Months of pent up frustration and pain finally exploded, leaving behind an irreversible mess. Silver pulled away from Sebek, walking on ahead as he wiped his face.

“Silver! That’s not true!”

“Shut up! I don’t want your pity!”

Passerby couldn’t help but listen and watch the two, Sebek chasing Silver who ran from him. Sebek finally caught Silver, holding him tight.

“I’m over that. I’ve been over that… ever since I fell for you.” Sebek said lowly, hiding his face in Silver’s shoulder. “I only wanted to get him a gift…”

“You don’t mean that…”

Sebek turned Silver’s head before kissing him. He didn’t care if it was going to take all day to convince him. He was going to make Silver see he was serious about him.

•

“Let me carry more.” Silver complained, seeing Sebek was carrying most of the bags.

“No. I’m being a gentleman.”

“More like a gentle idiot.” Silver laughed, taking bags from him anyway.

Sebek frowned, not wanting him to carry too much. Silver assured him he was fine. He may look thin, but he could carry just as much as Sebek could.

“How much madol do we have left?”

“Uh… 10,000?” Sebek replied.

“Wow, that little? Guess we really went all out…”

The two waited for the bus that would take them to the other bus they needed to get back to Night Raven.

“Should we tell them we’re a thing when we get back?” Sebek asked, standing near Silver who sat.

“Knowing them, they probably know.” said Silver before looking at the sky. “It’s not night yet…”

“Why don’t we get something small to eat and hang out at the park a few stops before Night Raven?” Sebek suggested.

“You want to push me on a swing huh?”

“Maybe~”

Silver smiled, satisfied with the plan.


	371. Kalim + Jamil: Dat knee, Disney

Jamil rested peacefully while Kalim bounced around excitedly. It definitely was a smart idea to bring earplugs. Kalim started shaking him, needing to share his joy with his closest friend.

“How long are you gonna sleep? We’re almost there!” Kalim whined.

Jamil kept silent, hoping Kalim would tire himself out some. Kalim sighed heavily, sitting back down. Would it kill him to entertain him? Even just a little? Kalim quietly used his phone, losing his pep.

They disembarked, standing not too far from the park. Jamil looked at Kalim who wasn’t bouncing around in delight like before.

“Hey. We’re here. Aren’t you excited?”

“Yeah, sure.” said Kalim, walking ahead with his nose buried in his phone.

He wasn’t going to lie. He liked this Kalim versus the Kalim who wouldn’t shut down and relax.

Jamil opened up the map, expecting Kalim to throw out multiple rides he wanted to go on. Nothing. Kalim wasn’t even paying him any mind.

“Kalim.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re the one who wanted to come here, so why aren’t you deciding our plan like you always do?”

“Oh yeah. Uh… guess we can do this one first.” Kalim said.

“Are you sure?” Jamil pressed. “You wanted to ride a coaster first didn’t you?”

“Really? Then let’s do that.”

Jamil was now getting annoyed. Kalim dragged him out of bed and sprung this day trip to Disney, being all excited like an energizer bunny only to get here and act like being here was the last thing he could care about.

Jamil snatched his phone, very pissed off.

“Hey.”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me. We came here because YOU wanted to come here so you’re gonna act like you want to be whether you like it or not. Do you understand me?” Jamil said, putting Kalim’s phone in his pocket.

“Y- Yes…”

“Now pick a ride seriously.”

•

Jamil waited as he watched Kalim ride. It was hard enough having to look at it, but he was only tolerating it because Kalim was riding it. And he had to make sure he was safe. Jamil wished the ride would end so he could stop looking.

The ride finished minutes later, relieving Jamil of having to look at the horrors.

“You really didn’t want to ri-”

“Pick another.” Jamil said quickly.

Kalim pointed to one before they set off. He was glad Kalim wasn’t like he was earlier in the day because he was certain he’d lose it.

They went around to more rides before breaking for food. Kalim stuffed his face while Jamil had something small. His eyes looked around before resting on something.

“Hm? What are you looking at?” Kalim asked, noticing Jamil had been rather quiet.

Jamil never replied, so he took it upon himself to see what was up. Kalim gasped, cleaning his hands before jumping out of his seat.

“Sorcerer of Hot Sands!”

“Kalim!” Jamil hissed, seeing people were looking at them.

Kalim wasn’t listening, simply bombarding the poor park employee with questions that they didn’t have answers to. Jamil had finally gotten up, seeing Kalim taking a picture with the park employee.

“I’m really sorry. He’s a big fan…” Jamil apologized, pulling Kalim away. “Kalim! You do realize he’s not the real sorcerer right?”

“Really? Had me fooled, haha!” Kalim said cheerily.

“ _I envy his blissful ignorance…_ ” Jamil thought, watching Kalim head back over to the park employee.

•

Kalim looked between two items while Jamil stayed nearby.

“Do you think Vil senpai would like this candle or this set of bath products?”

“Neither.”

“Figured. Sigh, I don’t know what to get him…” Kalim whined, seeing justin about anything could be criticized by him.

“Why don’t you do the simpler people first and we keep moving and see if there’s anything better?” Jamil suggested, seeing that twilight was turning into night.

“You’re right! I still need to find something for Vil senpai, Leona senpai, Ace, Idia senpai, Jade, Malleus senpai and Crewel sensei!”

“You’re getting gifts for everyone…? Like, _everyone_?” Jamil asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”

Jamil pursed his lips. There was a lot wrong with it. What if he bought something heavy for someone? Something bigger than them? Something made of something fragile? Did Kalim really not think this through? Of course not. This was Kalim.

“Hm. We’re gonna need more hands…” Kalim mumbled before asking for his phone. Jamil handed it over, watching him dial a number. “I need help stat!”

Jamil found himself surrounded by guards who were now holding bags for them while Kalim struggled to find something for Vil and Malleus.

“Look, why not just get Vil something expensive and Malleus something strange.” Jamil suggested.

“But I want to give them things that’ll make them happy…” Kalim said, giving Jamil a sad look.

It was getting late and they still had homework to do. Kalim suddenly lit up before scurrying off. They quickly followed, knowing it’d be more of a hassle to try and find him later.

Kalim picked something up, smiling in delight.

“I’ve got Vil’s gift!”

“It’s just a box…” Jamil mumbled.

Kalim shook his head, going on ahead to pay for it. Well, he couldn’t say he didn’t try to help. Kalim had handed off the bag to a guard before hurrying out. Now where was he going?

They found themselves standing near the peasant princess’s castle as Kalim had finished taking a picture.

“Don’t tell me that’s going to be Malleus’ present.” Jamil said, watching Kalim walk back over to them.

“You’ll see.”

He really did want to see what this great present was for Malleus considering he was next in line to rule an entire country AND one of the five greatest of this era.

“Well, we got everything. So let’s head home. I can’t wait to see everyone’s excited faces at their gifts.”

“Or horror.”

“Don’t be such a downer, Jamil! I secretly bought you one too!”

“But- know what? Never mind.”

•

Jamil had tagged along with Kalim, worried about him getting into trouble with the gifts he picked. Surprisingly, Kalim was right on the money about what they would all like. It came down to the last two Kalim struggled with.

“Vil senpai!”

“Oh brother.”

Kalim skidded to a stop, his eyes shining as they looked upon the beauty before him.

“I have a gift for you.”

“Really? Is it useful?”

“Uh, depends? Just open it.” said Kalim, shoving the bag into his hands.

Vil opened it, seeing it was a box. Jamil prepared himself for the worst. Vil raised an eyebrow before seeing it opened.

“Oh…”

“I knew you’d like it.”

Vil’s eyes softened as the soft music tinkled around them.

“You remembered something as silly as this. I’m amazed considering your attention span…” said Vil, closing the box. “Thank you…”

“Of course. That’s what friends are for.”

Jamil was astonished. Not only did Vil not seem dissatisfied, but he also liked it? How? Why? What kind of calming powers did Kalim have on everyone? Even Leona was pleased with his gift.

“And lastly, Malleus Draconia!” said Kalim happily. “Come on, Jamil.”

“Malleus? I believe I saw him hanging around the abandoned dorm. As usual.” said Vil before watching them head off. “It really is hard to fill on hate him.”

Kalim searched around before spotting him.

“Malleus senpai!”

Malleus jumped, being startled by Kalim’s shout. Jamil followed close behind, curious about Kalim’s wonderful gift.

“I heard you went on a day trip to Disney.”

“Mhmm. And I brought everyone gifts. Even you, senpai.”

“How thoughtful. And what would it be?”

Kalim reached into his pocket before producing an envelope. He handed it to Malleus.

“A picture of the castle and… This is…”

“Let’s go together next time! You can bring Lilia senpai and Silver too!” said Kalim with a smile.

“Honestly… You didn’t have to go out of your way to buy tickets for us.” Malleus said. “But, I really appreciate the gesture.”

“Right? Oh, I hope you all don’t have anything planned for the weekend. That’s when I plan to go with you all.”

“This weekend…?”

“Is it too soon?”

Malleus thought before shaking his head. He didn’t have much planned anyway. Kalim jumped up and down, glad to know everything had worked out. Jamil still couldn’t believe it. He refused to believe it. Yet it was staring him right in the face. Kalim really was something.


	372. Vanrouges: The Vanrouge Family

Silver furrowed his brows, not being able to find it. Where did it go?

“Father, my bear’s run away again.” Silver complained, looking under furniture.

“I figured as much.”

Silver turned around, seeing Lilia holding a squirming bear. He happily took it, watching it go limp in his hold.

“To think you still have it after all this time…”

“Of course. Bizzy helped me through a lot when you weren’t around.” said Silver, holding it close.

“Ah, right. Malleus said we’re getting a visitor today.” said Lilia, walking out the room with Silver. “Be on your best behavior.”

“Does that mean no sword fighting today?”

“Precisely, but we can definitely fill the time with something different.”

“There you two are.”

“Malleus sama.” said Silver, bowing to him.

“What could our prince want with us?”

“We’re supposed to work in the garden, remember?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to leave that to the caretakers?” Lilia asked as they followed Malleus out.

“It’s just it’s not often I get to spend time with you both. Plus I want the flowers to look a certain way for our guest.”

Malleus explained what he wanted done before they got to work.

“Father, it looks like we’ve got a little bug infestation.” Silver mentioned, allowing a spider to crawl onto him.

“Oh? Aren’t they precious. What should we do with them, Malleus?”

“Leave them. They mean no harm. There’s a lot we have to do to properly greet our guest.”

The two nodded, Silver allowing the spider to head back to its web.

•

Yuu stood outside the gates, wondering if it was the right place. He looked around before freaking out at the sound of the gates. They were opening but no one was around. He frantically looked around, trying to find someone, anyone.

“Sanny, come back here!”

Yuu ran out the gates, seeing a large, green creature run past where he had been standing. Soon a person running came into sight.

“Silver?”

Silver didn’t hear him, more focused on trying to stop the running creature.

“Welcome.”

Yuu shrieked, not expecting to hear a voice from behind. Lilia apologized, not expecting Yuu to get scared.

“I always greet people like this.” said Lilia happily. “Not sure why you got scared…”

“Because it’s not normal to greet guests from behind them AND upside down.”

“This is my normal greeting though…”

Yuu turned his attention back to the creature now being subdued by Silver.

“What the hell is that big, dog, thing?” Yuu asked, watching Silver walking it over to them. “And it’s bigger than I thought…”

“Hey Yuu! Glad you could make it. This is Sanny. She’s real sweet.”

Yuu found himself being licked and now covered in Sanny’s saliva.

“May I ask what even it is…?”

“Cu Sith. She was the outcast of her litter actually.” Silver explained, scratching Sanny’s side.

Yuu felt the ground shake before being briefly lifted into the air as Sanny sat down. Holy shit that was one heavy… dog thing.

“So, what’s next on the agenda? Invisible people serving us lunch…?”

•

Yuu’s mouth hung open as dishes and utensils floated in the air. He was joking before. They seriously had invisible butlers and maids? How could they tell where they were if they aren’t holding anything? Were they walking around naked?

Yuu had so many questions and so little time.

“What’s wrong? Is your food not to your liking?” Malleus asked worriedly.

“Having invisible servants is what’s weird.”

“Weird? I don’t think so.” said Malleus. “I grew up with most of them.”

“Really? None of you think having invisible servants is weird?”

They shook their heads. Yuu couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He looked out the window before freaking out, not expecting to see Sanny sitting by the window.

“This isn’t NORMAL!”

•

Yuu walked beside Silver, taking note of the portraits they had hanging up. Nothing was in them. Why wasn’t there anything in them? Their family couldn’t be invisible too.

“So uh, Silver. Where are the people…?”

“Hm? Oh, they’re out playing cricket.”

“Huh…?”

Silver led him over to the window before pointing over to a corner. Sure enough there were weird looking 2D things playing cricket. How were they convinced this stuff is normal?

“Yuu, I’d love to show you our garden.” said Malleus with a smile.

“I would like that.”

They couldn’t mess up a simple garden. Yuu followed them out, not ready for what awaited him. Yuu’s jaw dropped as he looked upon the green sculptures.

“Malleus sama, I think he likes it.” said Silver.

“I knew it was a good idea.”

“What… what is this!? It’s like watching a horror film. A good one at that!” Yuu exclaimed, unable to look anywhere in the garden as each was worst than the last. “Is that a burning corpse!?”

“Yeah. I’m not as skilled as our gardeners but they said it was enough.” said Malleus with a smile.

Yuu fainted. They huddled over him, hoping to wake him up.

•

Yuu woke up alone in a room. This trip has been nothing but frights and scares. Yuu subsciously took the cup of water floating beside him before shrieking, dropping the cup in the process.

“Oh god… Today’s the day I die huh?” Yuu whispered, knowing he was going to have a heart attack at this rate.

The door opened, revealing his friends.

“You guys… How are you not aware of things like this?!” Yuu fussed, seeing Sanny sitting by the windows. “I could’ve swore one of your trees was talking.”

“It was. His name is Barry.” said Lilia with a smile.

“Not normal!”

“How not though?” Malleus asked.

“Trees don’t talk! Paintings shouldn’t be able to leave their portraits! There’s a freaking huge ass green dog sitting outside the windows! You made a horror scene out of vegetation!” Yuu said. “Not to mention the invisible servants!”

They exchanged looks, still not understanding. Yuu let out a frustrated groan before hiding under the bedsheets.

“Are you still tired?”

“No. I’m contemplating.”

“About what?” Silver asked.

“Whether I leave now or stay and die.” Yuu mumbled.

“Oh, don’t leave so soon. We haven’t gotten to dinner yet! It’s the best time of the day.” said Lilia.

“Did you cook it?”

“No. Not this time.”

Yuu sighed, deciding to at least stay for dinner. It couldn’t be that bad… right?


	373. Over a decade

Students start to file out of the classroom, the class finished for the day.

“Silver.”

Silver looked, seeing Trein was looking at him. Here we go again.

“You fell asleep in class again.” said Trein, setting Lucius down. “You know I’m not giving you any pardons. I keep telling you to go to bed on time.”

“Trein sensei, I’m telling you… It’s not like I want to fall asleep. It’s some weird condition.” Silver said.

“Youth these days keep coming up with all sorts of excuses. You’re going to fail my class if you keep sleeping in it.” Trein warned.

“Trein sensei, I know it’s not my place to say anything and I don’t really want to. But I can’t stand here and listen to you discredit Silver’s situation.”

“Schoenheit. I didn’t know you stayed behind.” said Trein.

“I had something I wanted to discuss but you were busy with Silver. Silver isn’t joking around about his condition. It is rather serious.” said Vil, standing by his desk.

“Hm… We can discuss it at a later date. I’m sure you have something important to talk about, Schoenheit.”

“Yes, yes. I couldn’t help but notice there’s something new on your finger.” Vil said, pointing at his left hand.

“Oh, my wedding ring. What about it?”

“Wedding…?” Silver questioned.

Who in the world would marry Trein?

“Why do you look like that, Silver?” Trein questioned, frowning heavily.

“Oh, uh… I just didn’t know you were married is all.” Silver half lied.

“Of course you wouldn’t. I don’t wear it often. Today happens to be a special day.” said Trein before sighing. “I’m really not looking forward to it. The last time we went out on a special day, he somehow set the place on fire and Lucius escaped with fish in his mouth. Fattening fish!”

Vil and Silver shared a look, wondering how that even happened in the first place. They wondered who in the world would Trein marry that would be so stupid. Knowing Trein, he didn’t like stupid.

“Do you mind if we know who you’re married to?”

Trein sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Dire…”

Their eyes widened. Their headmaster?

“Him? Why him? He’s absolutely useless!” Vil exclaimed.

“It’s… it’s a long story.” Trein sighed, not seeing Lucius. “Lucius?”

“Mreow.”

Lucius appeared, sitting on his rump before licking himself clean. They all looked, seeing the door being opened.

“Mozus~!”

“I’m not helping you with anything.”

“Then I suppose our romantic dinner will have to wait. And poor, poor Lucius won’t get his treat in time for his next meal.” said Dire with a heavy sigh.

Trein let out a drawn out angry grunt as Dire feigned sadness. Silver and Vil were still reeling over the fact that Trein and Crowley were a thing. Vil finally snapped out of it, needing to know things.

“How long have you two been…?”

“Mmm, hard to say. It’s been over a decade though.” said Dire, attempting to pick up Lucius only to end up getting scratched. “And we still don’t get along…”

Lucius hurried over to Trein who promptly picked him up.

“Either way, have you finished your business, Dire? If not, we’re going to leave you.”

“Wait, I have a question.” said Silver, looking between them.

“Yes?”

“What’s today for you two?” he questioned, hoping one would answer.

“Well, today’s the day he proposed to me.” said Trein before frowning. “It was awful.”

“You think everything I do is awful…” Dire sighed, crossing his arms.

“Because it’s true. You’re such a bumbling fool that it makes me wonder how you landed your job here.”

Vil and Silver listened as the two went back and forth. They didn’t sound like a happy couple.

“Uh, excuse me.” Vil said, interrupting their arguing. “You’re going to waste your time arguing about who’s worse rather than enjoying your romantic dinner together like the married couple you are?”

Trein frowned as he averted his gaze.

“And you can’t really blame Trein sensei for pointing out your flaws, headmaster. You can be useless.” said Silver.

“You do realize I can fail you for the year.” Dire threatened.

Silver instantly quieted down.

“I suppose I can help you out a little. I do want to get home in time…” Trein mumbled, petting Lucius.

“Then, shall we?”

Vil and Silver watched as the two left the room in a better mood. Silver exhaled before looking at Vil.

“They’re married!?”

“I’m just as surprised.” Vil muttered. “As they say, the heart wants what the heart wants…”

“But Trein wanting our headmaster…? Wild.”


	374. Azul + Kalim: Cardigan buddies!

Kalim looked at Azul who was engrossed in papers. No words were said between the two. The door opened, revealing Jade. Neither bothered to greet him or even acknowledge his presence.

“Azul?”

Silence. Should he come back later? Jade waited a bit longer before leaving. Azul slowly put his pen down, having finished his work.

“Yes.”

Kalim cheered, pulling Azul out of his seat.

•

Kalim hummed happily as Azul walked beside him. It was definitely a good day to be out and about.

“I’m afraid to ask but, where are we going?” Azul questioned, not too fond of walking long distances.

“We’re gonna do teen things! Live while we’re young, haha!” Kalim said happily, seeing the bus stop up ahead.

Azul sat, glad to finally be able to rest. He may be used to walking on two legs, but walking long distances was still a work in progress.

“And what kind of teen things do you have in mind?”

“It’s a secret.”

“I was afraid of that…” Azul sighed, massaging his legs.

Three pairs of eyes stared at them as they waited for the bus.

“Why are you here?”

“I can ask you the same thing.”

“I’m watching over Kalim.”

“Eh? You really can’t trust him to be on his own? Scratch that, he’s with someone else right now. He can’t get into too much trouble.”

“Kalim is a walking disaster. Plus Azul is shady.”

“You’re saying a lot of dumb shit for someone within squeezing range.”

Jamil rolled his eyes, seeing the bus pull up.

Kalim and Azul sat next to each other, Kalim doing most of the talking. Kalim had enough enthusiasm for the both of them.

“So, why did you agree to hang out with me?” Kalim asked, looking directly into his eyes.

“It most certainly isn’t to get on your good side in hopes of getting money from you when I need it.” said Azul sarcastically.

“Works for me.” Kalim smiled.

 _“Way too simple…”_ Azul thought with a shake of his head.

“But we’re already friends you know?”

“Really? Since when?” Azul questioned, needing to know when it happened. “I would recall such a thing happening.”

“When you agreed to hang out with me today.”

Azul looked at Kalim who started to hum. A small part of him worried for the Asim merchant business when Kalim took over. They’d probably lose all of their wealth within a year. And that’s him being generous with the timespan.

“Oh! Is there anything in particular you want to do? I don’t want to make all the choices.” Kalim asked.

“I suppose…”

•

Azul followed behind the bouncy Kalim who walked into a store. Azul checked the price on a shirt before needing to do a double take. He’s seen his fair share of expensive things, but nearly 30k madol just for a plain shirt? Well, a shirt with pastel stripes and some patch on the shirt.

“Kalim, what are you looking for in here?” Azul asked, seeing other clothing items just as expensive as the shirt.

“Mmm, something for you.” said Kalim, hanging out by the jewelry section. “Come here.”

Azul had to shield his eyes a bit, the glare from their jewelry hitting his eyes.

“They look expensive. And heavy.”

“They are heavy. It’s real metal right?” Kalim asked, receiving a nod from the clerk. “Mmm, what about this?”

“Tacky…” Azul mumbled, watching Kalim hold octopus earrings by his ears.

“Aw, but they’re cute!”

“No.”

Kalim pouted, still wanting to get them for him anyway.

“Kalim is right though. They’d look cute on him.”

“You’re just as tacky as Kalim, Jade.”

“Will you two shut up and watch? We’re here to make sure they’re safe, not judging their fashion choices.”

“What’s your opinion about them, Jamil?”

Jamil mulled it over before deciding not to answer. The trio quickly got into their positions, acting nonchalant as Azul and Kalim couldn’t see their faces.

“You know, I’ve never been to a mall like this. The ones underwater suck.”

“I have to agree with you there, Floyd. What do you think they’ll do next, Jamil?”

“Knowing Kalim, he’d stop at a few more places before getting hungry.”

They followed close behind, watching Kalim swing Azul around before heading into another store. They entered as well, pretending they were browsing to avoid seeming suspicious to the employees.

“Hey, Jade. I’m bored.”

“Then go home.”

“But I want you to come with me.”

“Someone has to watch Azul and Jamil isn’t going to do it.”

“Jade’s right.”

Floyd frowned, unbelieving of Jade.

“Jerk.”

“I know. Now either leave or stay here and out of trouble.”

Floyd heavily sighed.

“What do you think of this cardigan? Kalim asked, holding up two almost identical cardigans.

"Hm… I think swirls look better on you than zigzags. But if you wanted to try something different, I suppose zigzags are better.” said Azul. “But if you really want to try something new… get this one.”

“It’s so dark though…” Kalim mumbled, looking at the dark rose cardigan.

“Would this green be light enough?”

“Ah! You found the perfect one!” Kalim exclaimed, pushing the green one aside. “What a pretty blue!”

“Blue is so basic though…” Azul muttered.

Azul continued to look through before spotting one hidden away. Kalim watched as Azul pulled out a light purple one.

“Hey, why don’t we get these? Cardigan buddies!” Kalim squeaked.

“I don’t wear cardigans…”

“Please?”

Kalim was giving him puppy eyes.

“No.”

“What if we only wear them on weekends?”

“No.”

“When we hang out like this? Pretty please?”

Azul sighed heavily before giving in. Kalim cheered, causing others in the store to look at them. Azul ushered him towards the checkout, not wanting to be looked at.

•

The two sat together enjoying their frozen treats. Kalim moved side to side as he kicked his legs.

“You’re awful happy.” Azul commented.

“Because I got to hang out with you! It’s was fun.”

“But I didn’t really add positivity.”

“And? I can easily make up for your lack of enthusiasm, hehe~”

So he was aware of that fact. Azul looked at the bag sitting on his lap full of things Kalim had bought for him.

“You know, someone can easily take advantage of you.” Azul spoke up, eating more of his froyo.

“Hm? How so?”

“Well, considering you’re as smart as a goldfish with an attention span of a squirrel… It’s pretty easy. And you’re so trusting. I could be up to something and you wouldn’t even know.”

Kalim was silent. Too silent. He looked at Kalim who held his froyo with both hands. Did he say too much?

“I know I’m not bright like a lot of the others. It’s not like I’m not constantly reminded in all of my classes. Jamil gets on my case too.” Kalim said, looking at his melting froyo. “That’s why I want to do what I know I’m good at: making others happy. Even if it means I may get tricked along the way, it’ll make the trickster happy, wouldn’t it?”

How foolish. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to say anything in response. They were different people after all.

“Yeah, I know. It’s pretty dumb, but it’s fitting for a dumb person like me, haha…”

“Kalim, I believe you’re smart in your own way. Studies may not be your thing, but there’s definitely something about you that makes you special.” said Azul before poking Kalim’s side. “Now cheer up. It’s not like Kalim Al-Asim to be this sad.”

Kalim smiled softly, taking another bite of his froyo.


	375. Diasomnia: Fizzy the chimera

Silver knocked on Malleus door, waiting for him to answer. He became worried, seeing he wasn’t coming to the door. He turned the knob, seeing the door was open. He poked his head in, walking in a bit to peek around the corner.

Malleus was sitting on his bed with his eyes closed. Should he bother him or leave him be? Lilia wanted all of them to go out today.

“Silver, your staring is becoming rude.”

“Ah…!”

Silver apologized, stepping more into the room.

“May I ask what you’re thinking about?”

Malleus patted his bed, slowly opening his eyes.

“Sit.”

Silver sat, wondering how serious it was.

“I was just thinking back. I found something that reminded me of my grandmother.” said Malleus, revealing the small stuffed toy. “I didn’t think I brought it with me.”

Silver looked, wondering what it was. It was like…

“Chimera.” Silver blurted out.

“Pretty much.”

“There’s a story behind it, right?” Silver questioned. “May I hear it?”

Malleus smiled, having Silver get comfortable.

“It was many, many decades ago. So long that you and Sebek weren’t even a concern.” Malleus started off.

“I figured as much.”

“It was a week when my parents had to leave home for political reasons. I was young and didn’t quite understand how everything worked just yet, but I did know that if they didn’t go, the Valley of Thorns would eventually go to war. So I was left at home with my grandmother. Of course I was sad to see my parents go, but I loved my grandmother just as much as them. So I wasn’t too heartbroken since she could still play with me.” said Malleus. “It was during that week when I was practicing magic and I was very frustrated with it all because none of it was working the way I wanted it to.”

“Malleus Draconia having issues with using magic? That’s hard to believe.” Silver interjected.

“We all start somewhere don’t we?”

Silver nodded, going silent so Malleus could continue.

“I was extremely fed up with everything and refused to leave my room. Anytime a guard or teacher had tried to come close, I’d lash out like the angry child I was. So my grandmother tried her hand at trying to calm me down. Naturally I loved her and couldn’t bring myself to harm her. She told me tales and stories of how she struggled too but persevered despite. I asked her how and she told me she had a good luck charm.”

“Was it this?”

“No. It was something much different. Believe it or not, the staff she always carried around only came about because of the glass ball. That was her good luck charm. At the beginning, it was just a simple glass ball her mother gave her, but as she pursued magic more, she was able to turn it into a powerful magic item. She let me touch it and feel just how much work and effort she put into her studies to make it emit such strong magic. And that’s when I asked her if she could give me one. Being the young child I was, I assumed she’d give me a glass ball too. Instead, I received this little chimera.”

He didn’t know how old Malleus was, but considering it’s probably been at least centuries since his grandmother was alive, but the chimera looked pretty well cared for.

“And so ever since then, whenever I felt frustrated or stuck, I held my little chimera and asked for guidance. It didn’t work every single time, but it made me feel better. I learned a lot from my grandmother in that week, and I promised her I’d always take good care of it. Even on her death bed, I showed her how dedicated I was in keeping our promise…”

Silver frowned, seeing the sad look in his eyes. He truly did love her, even now after she’s been long gone.

“Oho, is that Fizzy the chimera I see?”

Malleus went red in the face as the person laughed.

“Father…! I completely forgot why I even came! I’m sorry!” Silver apologized.

“No need for that. I didn’t think you brought Fizzy with you. Do you mind if I tell the story?”

“I just finished telling Silver actually.”

Lilia hummed before having an idea.

“Why don’t I tell you all about my times with our deceased queen? Sebek, have a seat.” said Lilia, Sebek taking the free spot next to Malleus. “Which one to start with? I’m sure you d like to hear about times before you met her, Malleus.”

“But of course.”

“Can I make a request?” Sebek piped up.

“Sure.”

“Tell is something funny you remember. A funny moment with the Thorn Witch.”

“Hm, that’s actually kind of hard. She was always a graceful and careful woman. She hardly made any errors or misjudgments. If anyone from back then was still alive now, they’d agree with me when I say serving under her was the best time of our lives.” Lilia said with a fond smile. “But give me a moment to think.”

They patiently waited until Lilia had finally remembered something.

“Me and many others got together and plotted to prank her. We knew our chances were very slim, but we felt she needed some humor considering the time we were in. Disclaimer, it was not a pretty time. Our prank was to make it seem like her magic was on the fritz. You all know just how strong she was, so it would require a lot of us to even have a chance at deflecting her magic.” Lilia explained, having the chair come to him so he could sit down. “And considering we were in difficult times, it wasn’t strange for a lot of us to be around her. And so we went through with our plan and it worked. You can imagine the faces she made when her magic ‘stopped working’.”

Lilia started to laugh, thinking of the funny part. He cleared his throat, trying to finish.

“So, as we mostly rely on magic for things, our queen went to pour herself a cup of tea. And us being jokesters, the teapot did not pour the tea like she expected. Instead, it started pouring tea on everything except in her cup. We didn’t exactly plan on it, but the teapot also poured some on her robes. We had never seen our queen look so confused and frightened before.” said Lilia as he laughed more.

They weren’t sure what was supposed to be funny, but it was nice to hear that the Thorn Witch was capable of such emotions like them.

“Naturally she found out and punished us. It wasn’t any fun being mice…” Lilia sighed before hearing them laugh. “What’s so funny?”

“You all being mice.”

“But that wasn’t the funny part…”

They were still laughing. Lilia shook his head before gaining their attention.

“So, shall we head out or would you prefer to stay in and listen to more tales?”

“Can’t we do both?” Sebek suggested.

“Yeah. I was really looking forward to today.” Silver chimed in.

“Your thoughts, Malleus?”

“Both is good.”

Silver and Sebek cheered, excitedly pulling Lilia and Malleus to their feet.


	376. Yuu: Yuu belong

Yuu opened the door, seeing a smiley Kalim.

“Now what? Who’s being a bad guy now?” Yuu asked tiredly. “Or is Ace or Deuce in trouble with Riddle?”

“Uh… neither? Was just gonna ask if you wanted to come with me.”

“Where?”

“Dorm leaders meeting. You are a dorm leader after all.”

Yuu opened his mouth to protest then stopped. Kalim was right. He was never invited before and he was curious as to what they talked about.

“Alright. I’ll come. Grim is sleep anyway.”

Kalim cheered.

“Let’s get a move on.”

“When does it start?”

“Uh… Now actually, haha.”

Yuu’s widened. Now? He grabbed Kalim by the wrist, asking him to give him directions.

•

Kalim opened the door, receiving angry glares.

“Hey! Crowley isn’t here yet?” Kalim asked, taking his seat beside Azul.

“You’re late again. Didn’t Jamil send you off on time?” Azul asked.

“Yeah, but I stopped to get Yuu. Come Yuu! Sit!”

Now everyone was looking at Yuu. He awkwardly waved taking the farthest seat.

“Alright, I’ll take one for the team. Why are you here?” Leona asked.

“Well, it’s a dorm leader meeting and I’m technically a dorm leader too. Also, Kalim invited me.” Yuu explained.

“We don’t invite you for a reason.” said Vil.

“You don’t really have a place here since what we discuss is usually about the seven dorms that are recognized.” Riddle explained. “Even if your dorm was, you’d have a hard time keeping up.”

“You’re all ganging up on Yuu and I don’t like that. I know what it’s like not being invited.” said Malleus with an angry look.

“Oh yeah. I forgot about that. You’re just naturally good at magic so why would you need to be here? You can fix things in a snap.” Leona snarled.

“That’s not really how things work-”

“Ugh, shut up! I have things to do and Crowley still isn’t here!” Idia yelled.

“Why are you complaining? You’re still hiding out in your room!” Leona barked. “I want to nap but no, I’m stuck here!”

Yuu listened as everyone except Kalim started arguing with one another. Kalim loved his seat to sit next to Yuu.

“Is this how every meeting starts…?”

“Uh… half the time.” Kalim said, seeing fists were about to start swinging. “Oh boy… Where’s Crowley?”

“Hel-”

Crowley looked as the dorm leaders fought with each other while Yuu and Kalim looked at him all innocent.

“Ahem!”

They stopped, seeing Crowley looking at them angrily.

“Malleus started it.” Leona accused.

“Leona-”

“One more word and I’m going to start revoking rights and assigning punishments.” Crowley threatened.

Everyone quieted down while Crowley sat down.

“Now in a civilized manner, Rosehearts, what topic shall we start with?”

“I have many complaints. Can I say them all at once?”

“M- Many…?”

“Yes, headmaster, starting with our rooming.” said Riddle before going into a lot of detail. “And lastly, get us an exterminator. We’ve been complaining about ants for weeks now.”

“Actually, we all have an ant problem.” said Vil with a disgusted look.

“Well, we may not have ants but wasps have certainly started making their home in Diasomnia.” said Malleus, remembering students running to him a shaking mess.

“Ah, ah. I see. I’ll put it in my very busy schedule a-”

“What busy schedule? All we ever see you do is burst into classes UNWANTED and stroll around campus.” Leona complained. “We’ve been having contamination issues with our waterfall for months! You’ve. Done. NOTHING!”

“Precisely. We’ve been asking you about many things since almost the start of this year and yet _none_ of them have been solved by _you_ , the _actual_ headmaster of this school. And you have the nerve to threaten us when all you do is nothing.” Azul said.

“I have a complaint too!”

Everyone looked at Kalim.

“There’s vegetation growing in Scarabia that’s not native to deserts. They’re starting to suck life out of the plants we do need.”

“Even Kalim who’s never had a problem is complaining! What do you have to say for yourself, headmaster.” Vil hissed.

“Ah, I have a complaint too. All the tech stuff is either breaking or getting so stuck we can’t do a thing about it. Most of the Ignihyde students had to sleep in other places because of this.” Idia said through his tablet.

“And that explains why we’ve been seeing Ignihyde students staying in our dorms…” Riddle said, the others nodding.

“Right. It’s not something we can fix ourselves. Otherwise I wouldn’t be talking right now.”

“Um, may I complain too…?” Yuu spoke up.

“Well, you’re already here.” Azul said.

“They’re really suffering, but Grim and I have it the worst! Just about anything you touch in Ramshackle is seconds away from collapsing and becoming unusable! Why haven’t you been taking care of this dorm? It’s a dorm after all, right!? I don’t even have magic so for me to repair just about everything in that place is nearly impossible! Plus, it’s not my job! It’s yours! Act like a headmaster!” Yuu fussed, his chest heaving with anger. “I feel like I live in the slums! No offense to people who do but, this is a prestigious school right? Then why do you have such a crappy dorm?!”

They all glared at Crowley who was sweating profusely.

“I- I see… Could you all write your complaints so I don’t forget when I head back to my office? I’ll deal with all of your issues once I get back for I am so kind…” said Crowley weakly.

“I’ll go with him. You seven have dorm leader duties.” said Yuu, collecting their written complaints.

The meeting was adjourned.


	377. Idia: What’s the notification?

Idia tightly held a box as he snuck around school grounds. He had two choices. Either get this box shipped without anyone knowing or burn it to ashes. His eyes darted around before he quickly took off again. The mail room wasn’t too far from where he was.

“Why are we sneaking around?”

Idia shrieked, dropping his box. He quickly picked it up before backin away.

“R- R- Rook…”

“Bonjour~ I couldn’t help but notice you sneaking around like a ninja. What for? Trying to avoid being seen in public as usual?”

“I- I- I- I-”

“Hm? Whats this box? Let me see~”

They played tug of war until Rook had easily pulled the box from his lanky arms.

“Aw, a care package to your parents? How cute.”

“G- Give it b- back!” Idia said, only for it to come out quieter than he expected. “Please…”

“Hm? This address seems familiar…”

Idia snatched the box back before running away. Rook simply watched him with curious eyes.

•

Ortho poked his head into Idia’s room, seeing him hunched over and using his digital screen as usual.

“Big brother?”

“Hey.”

Ortho closed the door behind him, wondering what was bothering Idia now.

“Did you lose an equipment in a game?”

“No.”

“Then…?”

Idia turned around, his face twisted in scorn and displeasure. He didn’t want to believe it but, maybe…

“You finished a game but didn’t save it?”

“No. I had a run in with one of the annoying extroverts. I can’t do anything without people trying to stick their ugly mugs in my business. Why can’t they just ignore me like they always do and butt the fuck out?”

Ortho sat, seeing he wasn’t going to be given a chance to give input until he was done ranting.

“I’m sick of it! Why can’t I just remotely do things without having to leave my room? I hate this place. I want to go home.”

“Then why don’t you?”

Idia turned, looking at Ortho who looked at him innocently. He turned around, saying nothing else. Ortho was hoping for an answer, but that was probably asking too much of Idia.

“They thought it’d help me. They thought it’d make me happy. It’s done nothing but waste my time and life span.” Idia muttered before going online to his gaming forums.

“Oh…”

Ortho didn’t know who the they Idia was referring to, but he didn’t like that they forced him here against his will.

“Look at the bright side, you only have a year left of avoiding people left!”

Silence. Ortho sighed, listening to the sound effects from Idia’s game. Ortho jolted slightly, getting a notification. Idia paused his game, hearing Ortho going into auto mode.

“What’s the notification?”

“Something new has been posted about you. Read it?”

“Yeah. It’s probably-”

“Idia Shroud. He’s the child of the underworld rulers. Who would’ve thought? Posted by lovearrow.” Ortho said.

“Get that post deleted and figure out the owner of the account.” Idia ordered.

“The owner of the account is Rook Hunt, a student at Night Raven college. In his third-”

“I know. Focus on deleting that post. I don’t want this getting any attention.”

“Understood.”

Idia bit his lip, hoping it was taken down before it could be shared around. Rook was doing this to spite him wasn’t he? All because he refused his invitation to hang out. That’s probably what it was.

•

Idia looked outside his room, seeing all was normal. Good thing he acted quickly with that post. Idia turned on his phone, only for it to become bombarded with notifications, slowing his phone down before ultimately making it crash. They weren’t fast enough. Idia opened his digital screen, checking social media. Almost everyone was making connections and talking about him.

Idia’s body shook as notifications and inbox were filled to the brim. So many… so many… Idia quickly left his seat, hiding underneath his bedsheets. He could never leave his room again.

•

Everyone looked, seeing Idia’s parents roaming around the school’s campus. They were nothing like Idia. Was Rook sure Idia was related to them?

Ortho entered Idia’s room carrying food. Idia hadn’t left his room in days. He was starting to worry about his health.

“Is it really that bad…?”

“Ortho, do you realize how big something like this is? No one is going to shut up about it. They’re going to try and talk to me. Some would even try to use me because I’m royalty. This is why I don’t like talking about my family but that jackass Rook had to be a busybody and ruin everything I had built up!” Idia complained, still under the sheets. “And once my parents get here, it’ll be even more chaos! All because of that ass kissing hunter!”

“Maybe he didn’t mean to…?”

Idia grunted, taking his meal from Ortho. He sat next to Idia, wondering what his parents were like. He didn’t have to wonder long. They looked towards his door, hearing knocking.

“Ia? Are you in there?”

Idia didn’t respond. Maybe they’d go home.

“Idia…”

Ortho looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Fine…”

Ortho unlocked the door, allowing them in.

“Still a slob I see…” said Mrs. Shroud.

“How have studies been going?” Mr. Shroud asked.

“Fine.”

“What did we do now?”

“Show up at school.”

“But we didn’t want to miss a chance of seeing our son. You never call and rarely send anything back…” Mrs. Shroud sighed.

“You would get to see me all the time if you didn’t send me here. It’s awful.”

“You’re being dramatic…”

Idia rolled his eyes before turning his back to them. This was the exact same conversation they had ages ago.

“A lot of people were greeting us as your parents today. Did you tell them?”

“No. Word got out and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“I’m we don’t have to pretend anymore. Ah, it’s so freeing.” said Mr Shroud, ruffling Idia’s hair.

“Let’s just get this visit over with. I don’t want to be the venter of attention anymore.”

•

Idia watched his parents off through his tablet before sighing. Now he just had to survive another week in his room before he could go undetected again.


	378. Ace: Ask me out

Ace crossed his arms under his chest, purposefully accentuating his chest.

“So you’re telling me that I’m not allowed to make myself comfortable? And I thought dorm leaders were supposed to be looking out for us!”

“That’s not even what I said.” Riddle countered.

“That’s what it sounded like.”

“Just go. I don’t have time to argue with you.”

“Thank you~” Ace said happily.

“He sure has his way with things…” Trey chuckled.

Riddle simply shook his head.

Ace walked with Deuce, noticing he’s been staring at other students.

“Did you piss someone off?”

“Huh? Oh, no… Something just feels weird.” Deuce replied.

“Hey, Ace.”

“Yo.”

“Wild question but, how about me and you hang out tonight?”

“You throwing a party or something?”

“Nope. Just us.”

“Depends on what we’re doing.”

“Wait-”

His friends patted him on the back, already knowing things would’ve ended up that way. Deuce looked back, feeling his uncertainty growing.

“Did you know him?”

“Not at all.” Ace yawned. “But doesn’t mean I won’t get a chance to.”

Deuce wished he understood how Ace could be so carefree about certain things.

•

Class ended and soon a student had rushed to Ace. They were startled, not expecting to hear something slam.

“Ace, are you busy after school?”

“Uh, not really. Why?”

“Let’s go on a date.”

“One, gross. Two, why.”

The student eyed him up and down.

“Take a guess hourglass.” he smirked before leaning closer.

“Yeah, no….” Ace said, pushing him away.

Deuce followed after Ace who left the classroom. Now he knew why he felt so uncomfortable. The students were staring at them, mostly Ace.

“Can you believe him? Thinking he can just scare me, call me hourglass and somehow get a date!” Ace complained.

“How awful.” Deuce said flatly.

“Ace, I’ve been looking for you!”

“Epel?”

Epel panted, trying to catch his breath.

“Are you busy after school?”

“No, what’s up?”

“P- Please… go on a date with me…?” Epel asked, looking him in the eyes.

“Is this a joke…?”

“No! I… I’ve always liked you… but then I heard others planning to ask you out so…” Epel confessed, rubbing his neck.

“Uh… I…”

Ace felt a lot of pressure, mostly because their friendship could end if he rejected him. Ace ran away.

“Did I come on too strong?” Epel asked, looking at Deuce.

“Maybe?”

•

Ace stretched with Deuce, seeing a few students were glancing in his direction. Another horde of thirsty boys. Vargas instructed them to stop stretching and hit the brooms. Deuce kept to Ace’s side, seeing other students were discreetly moving.

The students started practicing, most just barely getting off the ground. Vargas shook his head in disappointment, heading over to coach them.

“Ace, maybe you should tell Riddle-”

“I’m not telling that tiny shrimp of a dorm leader anything. I don’t really mind being asked out. The attention is nice.” Ace chuckled before briefly freaking out at his broom lowering. “God flying is hard…”

“But-”

“Hush. We need to focus.”

Deuce watched Ace wobble away and higher into the air. He followed, knowing there were students who would try something up in the air. How could Ace be okay with being asked out almost every step he took?

He thought Epel would be the only person they knew who asked him out. He was surprisingly wrong. Jamil had come at some point and Jack asked after lunch had ended. Not to mention the Vil Schoenheit right before this class. And Ace was somehow perfectly fine with all of this.

Ace chuckled, giving her another guy a vague answer. He knew he should be taking things a little seriously, but how could he when they were all clearly interested just because he looked extremely feminine and had female features. Come the next day when he changed back, no one would be interested anymore.

Ace felt a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re falling…”

“Crap.”

“What are you thinking about?” Deuce inquired.

“How this’ll wear off come tomorrow morning.”

“Here’s to hoping…”

•

Ace groaned, sitting up as he scratched his chest. That was weird. He felt his chest more.

“Oh come on!” he said loudly, waking his roommates.

Deuce rubbed his eyes, looking towards Ace. He still had a female body. It was a good thing he told Riddle when he did. He didn’t want to imagine what today would be like with how Ace answered everyone the day before. Ace hid underneath his covers, refusing to go to classes.

Deuce stayed with Ace while their roommates left.

“Ace?”

“Why are you still here?”

“To make sure no unwanted company tries harassing you in your room.”

Ace shot up, seeing his seniors entering the room. He glared at Deuce who looked away.

“You look totes adorbs Ace~” Cater cooed, taking a picture. Trey snatched his phone. “Boo…”

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Ace fussed.

“And as dorm leader, isn’t it my duty to make sure everyone is safe and taken care of?” Riddle stated, raising an eyebrow.

Ace grumbled, not getting out of bed.

“If you don’t get up and ready for classes, I’ll behead you.” Riddle threatened. “That goes for you too, Spade.”

Deuce quickly got up, dragging Ace with him. Cater went with them.

•

Ace found himself in the middle of a circle. They were really taking things too far. Ace tried getting out but found himself forced back in by Trey.

“Are you going to miss your own classes to stay with me?”

“No. I already have a solution for that.” said Riddle, seeing they had arrived. “Do your best, Deuce.”

Deuce nodded, heading into class with Ace.

“Hey, Deuce.”

“Hm?”

“I’m feeling like Mostro’s tonight. Let’s go together.”

“I’ll have to ask Riddle senpai first.”

“Ugh, forget him! Just us. We sneak out.”

Deuce knew he shouldn’t agree, but he could see Ace didn’t like being surrounded.

“Okay.”

Ace patted him on the back, glad he understood.

•

Student after student continued to pursue Ace. He continued giving vague answers unless they became annoying.

“Ace.”

He turned, seeing Jade approaching them. Jade only got so far when Cater suddenly showed up.

“Senpai…?”

“Take him away, Deuce!”

“Wait-”

Ace was forced to run away with Deuce. He looked back, seeing Cater sending Jade away. Maybe he wasn’t going to ask him out. Maybe he just needed help. And now he missed his chance. This sucked even more.

•

Ace couldn’t help but wonder what Jade could’ve wanted with him. What if he really did want to ask him out on a date? Would he treat him like the others? He heard eels were rather territorial. Then again, quite a number of animals were. He aimlessly doodled on his notes, not paying attention.

Deuce took notice, shaking him back to reality. Ace apologized, copying his notes.

The bell rang, several students trying to talk to Ace. They had only got so far when there were more guys coming another direction. Trey appeared on the scene, helping clear a path. Ace looked out, seeing Jade down below.

“Jade!”

Jade looked up, seeing Ace being dragged down the hall. He waved, giving him a smile. Ace watched as he started writing in the air.

“‘R… ro.. oh, room!” Ace whispered.

Jade started writing a number until his vision was cut off. What room number? Ace tried pulling away, needing to know. He was starting to get fed up with his so called protection squad.

•

Ace unhappily are his lunch as they practically surrounded him. The entire day, it had been bugging him. What room did Jade want to meet in? He kept looking to the cafeteria doors, hoping Jade would come in.

It never happened. He was once more surrounded as they left. Ace tried breaking free but Trey and Cater kept firm holds on him.

“Stop! Just stop it!” Ace shouted, having had enough. “You’re going too much and it’s aggravating me!”

“We were-”

“NO! You’re suffocating me! You’re keeping me from my friends who don’t have any interest in me! You’re making everyone out to want to date me and that isn’t true!”

“Ace…”

“Let. Me. Go!”

They let go, watching Ace run off. They honestly thought they were doing their best. Was it really that bad?

Ace hid out in a classroom before curling up against a wall. He never needed protection. No one was trying to harm him.

“Oh? How lucky am I.”

Ace looked up, seeing Jade about to leave.

“Jade senpai…”

“And whats the most desired student doing in here?” Jade questioned. “Perhaps I should draw attention?”

“Please don’t…”

Jade hummed, closing the door. Ace lowered his head. Jade sat next to him.

“You called out to me earlier today. Why?” Ace asked, turning his head to look at him.

“Oh, I was simply going to ask if you could do me a favor. But it seems you’re much too busy. So I found someone else.”

“Then… when I called out to you…”

“I was going to show you what I needed help with but it seems you were busy then too.”

Ace felt awful. He knew Jade wasn’t going to ask him out. He probably didn’t suit his tastes.

“I didn’t mean it… My seniors insisted on shielding me from confessors…” Ace whispered, pulling his legs close. “I’m glad you found help though…”

“Ace.”

Ace looked at him.

“Are you disappointed I never asked you out on a date?”

“Huh? Why would I…”

Ace went silent as Jade smiled with his eyes. He scratched his cheek before awkwardly leaning against him.

“And what’s this?” Jade teased, looking at Ace who kept his head down. “Nothing to say? I suppose I’ll just leave and-”

He felt Ace interlace their fingers.

“Aha, I won’t understand if you don’t speak.” Jade pressed, trying to make him say it.

“Ask me out on a date…”

“Hm~ No.”

Ace looked at Jade who chuckled in delight. The one person he wanted to hear it from… Jade patted his head, leaving him alone in the room. Ace curled into himself more, letting his tears fall.

•

Deuce hoped their meal at Mostro would make Ace feel better. They were seated and given menus.

“You’re not going to make fun of the meal names…?”

Ace simply stared at the menu.

“Look, there’s one called Fish bread. Is it breaded fish? Fish on bread?”

Silence. Their waiter eventually came back. Ace said his order and drink before going silent again.

“Ace, what’s going on? You’ve been so quiet after storming off…”

Ace sighed before using his phone. He seemed to have regained some life. He still wanted to know what was bothering him.

Their orders were placed before them. Ace noticed a piece of paper tooth picked into his food. He stood up, walking outside. He looked around, seeing another piece of paper stuck to a rock. He followed the instructions, finding another.

He found himself standing in the empty Octavinelle lounge.

“There’s nothing else…”

“But there is.”

Ace looked around, finally spotting someone walking out of the shadows.

“J-”

He shut up, seeing Jade place a finger against his lips. He allowed him to take his hand. Where was he taking him? What about his meal in Mostro? They entered a dark room until Jade started lighting candles. Ace looked at Jade who pulled out a chair for him before sitting in the other.

No words were said as they ate in silence. Ace’s mind was reeling. Didn’t Jade say no? Then what was all of this?

“Is it not to your liking?”

“No, it’s great. It’s just…”

“You don’t want to be on a date with me?”

“No, I do! I really do…”

Ace felt his cheeks heating up the more he spoke. He was happy.

“That makes me happy. It certainly wasn’t easy getting some of these ingredients.” Jade chuckled.

Ace smiled softly, enjoying his meal.


	379. Rook: You’ve all been harassed

Rook swiftly dodged attacks before getting away.

“Man, I hate that guy!”

“You hate everyone.”

“Valid. But I hate him the most.”

“He’s like a weed. No matter how many times you get rid of it, it keeps coming back.”

“Hah, what an analogy…”

The two walked off, mentally preparing for the next harassment.

“And so I turned her into a frog. She was… hopping mad.”

Everyone cracked up.

“What a fantastic joke~”

“And trouble has arrived. Yes, Rook? What can these old bones do for you?”

“Nothing at all. I just want to chat, Lilia.”

“Last time you wanted to chat you almost lost your arm.” said Lilia with a shrug. “Do you want to attempt to lose both?”

“Not at all. I just wanted to know more about the relationship you and Malleus have.”

“I wouldn’t mind telling you, but a certain someone might think something else.” said Lilia, knowing Malleus was around somewhere.

“Ah. No matter. So, tell me. I’m all ears.”

Rook smiled the entire time Lilia spoke. A few nearby students jumped, seeing a book had collided with the wall and left a small dent. Who did it belong to?

“Seems someone around here is rather upset, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes. I suppose that’s my cue.”

“Bye bye~” Lilia chuckled, watching Rook walk away with a broken finger.

•

“Where have you been? Every time I need you, you’re never here! I picked you as vice because you were the most competent out of everyone else!”

“You could’ve called me. I wasn’t doing anything important.”

“That’s not the point, Rook.” Vil hissed, unknowingly pressing on his broken finger.

“Ah, I see… I’ll try harder then.” said Rook, feeling Vil lift off his finger.

“Good. Come, we’ve lots to do.”

“May I-”

“No.”

Rook internally sighed, seeing he’d have to wait a bit longer.

Vil started to notice he wasn’t using his right hand. He continued to stare before calling out.

“My hand? Well, I was trying to tell you I needed to go to the infirmary but you insisted I help out immediately.”

“What’s wrong with-”

Vil quieted down, finally seeing what was wrong.

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

“I-”

“Just go.”

Rook nodded before leaving. He hoped it wasn’t too bad. The school nurse bandaged his finger, giving him multiple warnings before sending him off. He wasn’t too fond of having a cast, but it was his own carelessness. Vil was most likely looking for him to come back, but there was something much more interesting catching his eye.

•

“I fear we might be being watched.”

“You’re being weird again. Stop it.”

“But I can’t exactly help it. The irony is too great.”

Floyd rolled his eyes, wondering if he really made the right call in choosing Jade.

“So, what are we transporting?” Floyd asked, having been left out as usual.

“Important things that Azul needs soon.” said Jade, looking behind him. “Ah, I wish this feeling would disappear…”

Floyd turned around, sending magic in all directions. Jade stopped him, knowing they’d be in big trouble if anything was damaged. The twins started to bicker while Rook watched on in amusement.

“Floyd cares enough to do things for Jade. Never expected that.” Rook mumbled, assuming they didn’t actually care about the other.

Jade was glad to see the VIP Lounge. Maybe he’d stop getting the watchful feeling.

“Azul, Jade’s being weird.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

Jade pursed his lips, no longer feeling watchful eyes. They jumped, not expecting anyone to be visiting so soon.

“It’s just me.” Rook said cheerfully, poking his head in.

“And what can we do for you?” Azul asked.

“Nothing much. Just a conversation.” said Rook, walking over to Jade. “How have you all been?”

“Fine until you came.” Floyd deadpanned.

“Feisty. Say… what makes your skin so smooth?” Rook asked, slowly running his hands over Jade’s now exposed hands.

“If you’d like to keep your hands, I suggest letting mine go.” Jade said, giving him a threatening smile.

Rook slowly let go. Everyone was being colder than usual today. Rook said his farewells before heading back to Pomefiore.

•

Ruggie’s tail happily wagged as he ate lunch. A perfect day. He looked at Leona who was quieter than usual.

“Nothing to complain about?”

“Rook has been in and out of classes this week.”

“And you care because…?”

“Just thought it might interest you.” Leona said, finishing the rest of his lunch. “Later.”

Ruggie quietly sipped on his drink. Rook in and out of classes. Despite how he is, Rook never did that. He froze. Was this Leona’s roundabout way of asking him to investigate? Ruggie audibly groaned.

Lilia made a joke, expecting Rook to butt in as usual. The others looked at him, wondering why he suddenly stopped.

“Oh, I just forgot the part. I remember now.” Lilia lied, looking to Malleus who read a book.

The students eventually left. Lilia sat beside Malleus, peeking at the book.

“Have you seen Rook today?”

“Of course not. I’m actively avoiding him.” Malleus replied, turning the page.

“Hm… Maybe he’s actually busy doing something.”

“That’d be a miracle.”

•

Ruggie sighed heavily, seeing the person who’d have the most information was someone he’d rather not interact with.

“Hey, Vil.”

“Informally addressing me.”

Ruggie rolled his eyes.

“Excuse me, Vil _senpai_.”

“What?”

“You know anything about Rook? Like, why he’s missing classes?”

“And since when did you care?” Vil questioned, now facing him.

“Since Leona asked. And if I don’t find anything, I can kiss this month’s payments goodbye.”

“Making others do his dirty work. How like him. Either way, I’m not talking to any of you.”

“Okay. Can’t say I didn’t try.”

Ruggie texted Leona only to get yelled at in response. Why did it matter so much? Wasn’t this good? He continued to go back and forth with Leona as he made his way back to Savanaclaw. The moment he put his phone away, someone had jumped out and scared him. Ruggie stood on alert, ready to attack until he saw who it was.

“Good god, can’t you be normal?”

“Non! Normal is boring for favorite hyena.”

“Please don’t say that. Hey, your lion friend was worried about you.” Ruggie said, trying to get the attention off of him.

“Really? He missed me that much? How endearing. I must go see him.”

“You do that.”

“You’re not coming with?”

“Not with you.”

Rook shrugged, heading off for Savanaclaw. Ruggie thought about warning Leona before deciding not to, considering Leona yelled at him through text.

•

Jade rubbed his thumb over his exposed hand, deep in thought.

“Why are you just sitting there?”

“Doesn’t it feel too peaceful?”

“It’s always too peaceful in Mostro.” Floyd mumbled, flopping onto the couch beside Jade.

“I meant outside of Mostro. Nothing crazy is happening.”

“I’m not following. It’s not like we can’t create our own crazy.”

How could he phrase it without saying exactly what he was thinking? No matter what he came up with, Floyd would t get it because he never felt it. He soon received a text.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Wait, where you are going? Let me come-”

The door closed.

“too…”

Jade hurried out of Octavinelle, heading to the named classroom. He finally reached it, peeking inside first. There didn’t seem to be anyone inside. He opened the door, peeking inside. He found himself being pulled in before the door was shut.

“Oh, there are people in here.”

“Camouflage spell. You’ll learn it in due time.” said Lilia, tossing his magipen.

“So, we’re all here. Now what?” Leona asked, sitting as far as possible from Malleus.

“You’ve all been harassed by Rook at some point in time, right?”

“At some point in time? It’s everyday!” Ruggie complained, rubbing his tail. “It’s awful.”

Everyone else agreed with Ruggie. There was never a time Rook wasn’t touching them in ways that made them highly uncomfortable.

“But have any of you noticed his presence has slowly started to disappear?” Lilia said, making them exchange looks.

“Well now that you mention it…”

“It’s quite a relief right? It’s great right?” Malleus said, earning nods.

“But that’s the problem right there. We know how persistent he is.”

“Are you trying to imply something, Lilia senpai?” Jade asked, hoping he wasn’t going to suggest something.

“I suppose you could call it that. It’s merely an observation. When was the last time Rook was near you? A week, right?” Lilia asked, receiving more nods. “And when you put two and two together…”

“Don’t make us care.” Leona grumbled.

“I never wanted that, just want everyone to be aware of what’s going on.” said Lilia with a smile. “I just wanted to share how odd it was someone so persistent suddenly disappeared is all.”

They watched as Lilia and Malleus disappeared within green lights. They had noticed it, they just didn’t want to be reminded. What if they jinxed it and Rook came back? They made their way out, trying to forget this conversation ever happened.

Ruggie quietly cleaned up around Leona’s room.

“Are you going to talk about it?” Leona asked, his back to Ruggie.

“No because it’s going to make you mad.”

“I know you’re dying to talk about it.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Stop projecting your feelings into me. If you want to talk about it, I don’t mind as long as you promise not to get mad, irritated, frustrated-”

“I get it! Geez…” Leona sighed. “Do you really think he disappeared somewhere?”

“Of course not. This is Rook we’re talking about.” Ruggie muttered, throwing out trash. “There. Your room is all clean.”

“But I haven’t seen him in class. Or outside of class.”

“You’re attending classes?” Ruggie asked with wide eyes.

“You make it seem like I never do.”

“But you don’t.”

“Ruggie…” Leona growled.

“Hey, I call them like I see them.” Ruggie shrugged. “And so? He hasn’t been around. Ever thought it was family problems? He does have one you know.”

“I wouldn’t know because he never opens up about his private life.”

“That’s true. What a weirdo… prying into everyone else’s life yet never talks about his own.” Ruggie mumbled. “Even more of a reason to not like him.”

Silence fell over them. That was enough talking about Rook for an entire month.

•

A few of them started feeling paranoid. Rook going weeks without even popping up once was driving them crazy. This was probably one of his plans.

Lilia had enough, seeing the others were slowly losing it. He stepped into Pomefiore, knowing Vil was free around this time. Lilia finally found him in the kitchen.

“Vil.”

“Lilia. It’s not often you come talk to me.”

“It’s a special situation. Have you seen Rook?”

“Who wants to know?” Vil questioned, mixing his smoothie.

“I do. You’re the closest person to Rook otherwise I would’ve gone to someone else. So, do you mind telling me?”

Vil sighed before pressing the button a few times. He tasted the smoothie before deeming it good enough.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know…?”

“That’s what I said. I don’t know what more you want from me.” Vil said.

“Nothing, I just find it a bit strange… Rook tells you just about everything, doesn’t he?”

“No, he doesn’t. Why does everyone think that? Just because we’re close doesn’t always mean we share everything!” Vil said louder than he expected. “It’s absolutely devastating when you think you’re close and it turns out you were the only one thinking that and-”

“Vil… I get it.” Lilia said, rubbing his back. “I’m sorry. I won’t press anymore.”

“Don’t worry about it. All I know is that I last saw him cleaning up his room. It wasn’t odd because he always cleans his room every Wednesday.”

Lilia has Vil lead him to Rook’s room before opening the door himself. Empty, yet it was locked from the inside. The windows were closed as well. They started looking around, trying to find any clue to his whereabouts.

“Oh? I found something interesting.”

Vil watched as Lilia pulled a mostly charred piece of paper out of the trash. Now that was interesting to say the least.

“What is it? You can barely tell what it is…”

“Well, having been around for a while, you memorize things you never intend. See this blue border with black diagonal lines? It’s from a certain doctor’s office. I can’t remember the name though… but it’s only an Afterglow Savanah thing.” said Lilia, trying to figure out what the legible words were.

“Doctor’s office? Why would he want to hide a medical problem? Let’s take this to the nurse and-”

“The nurse isn’t going to tell us anything. Unless we’re related to him by blood or a teacher has special permission, the nurse is required by law to keep silent about matters of other students.”

Vil was distraught. How could this happen?

“Our best bet would be to ask people who come from Afterglow.”

“I really don’t want to talk to him.”

“There’s always Ruggie.”

Vil weighed his options.

“Ruggie’s the lesser of two evils.” Vil said, shaking his head.

•

“So let me get this straight, you want me to help you figure out which office this burnt paper is from?”

“You’ve got much better senses. And Lilia said the stripes and blue border are only found in Afterglow Savanah.”

“I don’t work for free.”

“I predicted as such, so here. Tell us everything you know and this cash is yours.”

“Well, you’re in luck. A kid I know, his family goes to this doctor. I’ll write down the address for you.” said Ruggie, writing on the charred paper. “And why do you need to know?”

“Rook.”

Ruggie frowned.

“Rook huh… Maybe it was time for a check up. They do send notices for that.” said Ruggie. _“Leona worries over nothing.”_

They thanked him before disappearing in green lights.

•

Vil covered himself up, feeling the dry air threatening to ruin his perfect skin. People were naturally looking at them, mostly Vil who was bundled up like it was winter. Lilia asked around, hoping to find some kind of lead.

“Does Rook really live in this area?”

“I can’t say yes or no. He told me while under medication once so…”

It was better than nothing. They finally had someone point them in the right direction.

They entered the building, heading up the stairs to the offices. Vil stopped Lilia before they stepped in.

“How are we going to get them to tell us? Didn’t you say they don’t just give out information?”

“Magic.”

Vil narrowed his eyes, watching Lilia walk in. He noticed that things slowly stopped moving before ceasing all together. Lilia was approaching them. A time spell? How did he know such an advanced thing? Wasn’t it against the law? Would anyone know that he stopped time? Lilia hummed, checking their records.

“Ah! He is a patient here. And he’s been here recently…”

“Lilia, how long does this spell last!?” Vil hissed, worried time would resume.

“Hey… give me your phone.”

Vil took out his phone, only to watch it float over to Lilia. He started typing on it before heading back over. Time resumed as if nothing had happened.

“What is it? What did you put on my phone?”

“I don’t think Rook will be coming back to school.”

Vil took his phone, looking at what Lilia typed.

“He’s dying…? But he… he looked so healthy?”

“Did it ever occur to you that he could’ve been pushing himself?”

“Well, no. Not really… So he’s been hiding this the entire time. How idiotic…”

Lilia led Vil out, seeing he was trying hard to fight back tears. Now that the mystery was solved, how was everyone back at Night Raven going to take the news?


	380. Kalim: Keep up with your stuff

Scarabians waved to Kalim who waved back. A few tilted their heads, wondering where his usual pep was.

“Hey, Kalim! Heads up!”

Kalim looked, feeling something hit the back of his head. He turned, rubbing the back of his head.

“Hey, you okay? It looked like it hurt.”

“I’m fine.” Kalim said, handing the object to him. “Keep up with your stuff.”

“Right…”

They watched Kalim walk away. That was… weird.

Kalim took a seat by Silver, taking out his textbook. Silver did a double take. He had his textbook. This was something completely unheard of.

“Hey, you feeling okay?” Silver asked, looking at Kalim.

“Yeah.”

“But you have your textbook.”

“I don’t understand. What’s wrong with having my textbook?”

Silver was speechless. Kalim was taking notes and everything. Was this really Kalim? Silver shakily touched his arm, gaining his attention.

“Puppies wearing sunglasses.”

Kalim simply blinked.

“What about them?”

Silver felt a part of him die inside. Kalim always laughed at that no matter what mood he was in. Kalim went back to taking notes, seeing Silver no longer had anything to say.

•

Silver and Kalim walked in silence to their next class. It was extremely unnerving not having Kalim talking in his ear a mile a minute like always. He was always uber excited about P.E.

“You’re staring at me again.”

“Is it making you uncomfortable?”

“No.”

His voice was so monotone it was physically paining him.

“Did you hear about the new baker?”

“What new baker?”

“Word has it he’s got thick buns.”

Kalim looked at him before looking straight ahead once more. Kalim loved butt jokes. Kalim greeted students, making them question if they approached him wrong. A student bumped into Kalim, knocking him down.

“Oh, sorry! Didn’t see you there.”

Silver helped up Kalim who quietly brushed himself off.

“You okay? Anything broke?”

“I’m fine.”

Silver slowly stopped walking while Kalim went ahead. He wasn’t even laughing it off like he always did. Something terrible had to have happened to Kalim.

•

Kalim ate lunch, weirding everyone around him out. He wasn’t being annoyingly loud and practically bouncing off the walls. They had wished countless times for him to eat like a normal person but they didn’t think it’d be this painful.

Kalim sneezed. Everyone was in utter shock. It was the most boring thing they ever heard.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Jamil waited for more but didn’t get anything. Was he ignoring him? Well, considering after what happened in Scarabia but…

“You’re not even going to try?” Jamil scoffed. “What a loser.”

“I suppose.”

He didn’t expect such a bland reaction. Jamil noticed Silver dragging Lilia over to their table.

“Tell him one of your terrible dad jokes!”

“They aren’t terrible, they’re quality content.”

Silver rolled his eyes while Lilia told a dad joke. Kalim simply sat, blinking at them.

“Ah, a play on words.” Kalim finally said before going back to eating.

Even Lilia was repulsed. Kalim finished his lunch, getting up and leaving promptly after throwing out his trash.

“What in the world…”

“I could ask you the same thing, Asim servant.” said Silver, narrowing his eyes. “What did you do to him?”

“I…”

Kalim sat in the courtyard, taking in the sunshine, the blue sky and the caws of the crows. He blankly looked up at the sky, letting his thoughts wander. Students had started taking pictures and talking about him online.

He had really gone from one extreme to another. Most thought they’d be glad to see him like this, but in actuality it was more unnerving than his usual cheery self.

Kalim stopped looking at the sky, his eyes resting on the school wall in front of him, further weirding students out. This sudden change in Kalim was only temporary, right?


	381. Kalim: Keep up with your stuff (cont.)

Kalim closed the door behind him. Now was his chance to look around. There had to be some clue to his sudden change. He hurriedly searches around, seeing a little more mess wouldn’t phase Kalim any. He got on all fours, checking under his bed. There was certainly a lot of dust under but a few things that seemed to have gotten lost. He used magic, pulling the items out.

“A book… a few pens… and a vial?”

He opened it, taking a whiff. It smelled awful. He quickly closed it, needing to dissect what used to be in it. Kalim entered, seeing him holding a book and a few pens.

“Oh, you found them. Thanks, Idia.” said Kalim, taking them from him.

He personally liked this new Kalim better mostly because he was quieter, but if he had to be honest, he preferred someone with reactions and old Kalim had no shortage of them. Plus people were bugging him since he was one of the few people good at solving mysteries like this.

“How are you feeling?” Idia asked.

“Fine.” Kalim replied.

“You don’t feel happy? Sad? Bored?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Emotions Kalim. You really don’t feel ANY of those?”

“I do have emotions, you all can’t see it.” said Kalim in his monotone voice.

Now he understood why no one hung around him for more than an hour. Hearing that monotone voice constantly was really painful. It was one of the few times he wished he didn’t have ears.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

Kalim nodded, waving as Idia quickly left the room. He took out the vial, lifting it up and looking it over. It was then he saw a small drip of whatever was in it left. This was going to make his job easier.

•

Ortho stood by Idia’s side, wondering what he needed him for.

“We’re changing gears.”

“Oh? Which one?”

“Precision. I need you to identify what was in this.”

“Helping big brother is always something I look forward to!” Ortho cheered, manually shutting down.

Idia started to switch out his parts, wanting to know what exactly was in the vial besides the type of potion it was. Ortho soon got to work once Idia had assembled him. Idia entertained himself until Ortho had signaled that he was done identifying the contents.

“It’s a potion that removes emotions. The contents are…” said Ortho before listing everything that was in it.

“Is there an antidote? What’s needed for it?” Idia asked, taking the vial from Ortho.

“Well, since it contained a rare herb, it might not be easy…” Ortho said with a frown.

“Looks like we’ll have to pay someone a visit… unfortunately…” Idia mumbled.

•

Idia knocked on Kalim’s door, wanting to talk to him while Ortho worked on an antidote.

“Hi Idia.”

Idia held up the vial. Kalim simply looked at it.

“Oh, I remember that. I’ll-”

“No. Where did you get this from? There’s no way you could’ve made it yourself, especially with some of the ingredients that were needed.” Idia asked, backing Kalim back into his room.

“I don’t really-”

“Don’t dodge the question. Who did you get it from? For what purpose?”

“It’s not important…”

“It is very important because if this was illegally bought your ass is going to jail you know.”

“So you’re going to tell on me…?” Kalim asked.

“I might. Depends on how you choose to answer.”

“Honestly, I don’t think it matters all that much whether I tell you or not. I asked for it because I wanted it. Everyone likes this, don’t they?” Kalim asked. “Not too gaudy, a simple guy.”

“You’re freaking everyone out.”

“I don’t understand.”

Idia sighed, putting the vial back in his pocket. It was like talking to a wall. How did he not understand the situation?

“If there’s no real problem then everything is fine. I’m not hurting anyone by being like this. I still go to class and do basic human things. I still go to club and school activities. I don’t understand the problem.”

“Even Ortho has more personality than you and he’s a robot!”

“So I’m less than a robot?”

“That’s exactly it. Not even less than, worse than. No one is going to want to be around you. Do you know how painful it is tight now to be listening to your monotone voice? It’s making our ears bleed.”

“I don’t see blood in your ears though…” Kalim said, moving his hair to the side. “Thanks for the concern I guess, but I think things are fine like this.”

Idia watched Kalim walk over to his desk, resuming his homework.

“So you never want to have emotions again?”

“Not really. They get in the way of a lot of things. I was finally able to jump from a tree without fear or pain. It was fun.”

“Kalim, you’ve lost it…”

“I’m perfectly sane actually. It’s amazing what not having emotions can open up. Try it sometime.”

Idia was at a loss for words. Kalim seriously didn’t believe that. He couldn’t. Life without emotions was just the same as being dead.


	382. Kingscholars: Your side matters too

Farena sat in front of Leona, carefully watching him.

“What.”

“Nothing.”

“Then stop staring at me like I’m your next meal.” Leona grumbled, turning away from him.

Farena moved behind him, wrapping his arms around his neck. Now he was mad.

“Stop. ‘Cause next thing you know, someone walks in and I get labeled the aggressor while you get off scott free. Like always.” Leona stated, pulling away.

“That’s-”

“Don’t you dare say, 'that’s not true’ because it damn well is true and you know it!” Leona said, getting tired of the same shit.

“Leona…”

“My god, just go away! I’m tired of you being around me!” Leona shouted before walking away.

Leona gave a slight greeting to Nikita before disappearing down the hall.

“Another argument…? It’s only been six hours since your last one…”

“It was never this bad when we were younger though…”

Nikita rubbed his back as he put his head in his hands. She then had an idea.

“Why don’t we ask him to be honest with us?”

“He’ll never do that.”

“Not unless I’m the one asking.” she said with a smile.

Farena knew that smile all too well.

•

Leona sat outside, soaking up the sun’s rays. His ears perked up as a familiar scent filled his nose.

“Nikita.”

“Very good. I’d like to talk to you. Will you indulge me?”

Leona didn’t say anything, simply making space for her.

“You don’t mind if I ask about your childhood? How was it like growing up as the youngest?” Nikita asked, getting straight to the point.

“It’s not really interesting…”

“But I’ve only got Fara’s side. Your side matters too.” she said, nudging his side.

Leona avoided eye contact before sighing. It didn’t matter if she knew or not. She wasn’t exactly biased like everyone else in Superbia Palace.

“No one acknowledged me. Not even our parents. Mom was always comparing me to Farena, Dad was always telling me that I couldn’t match up to Farena’s level. Servants just… they said unnecessary things, assuming I was never around to hear it. It was so annoying. 'His magic is so scary’, 'Don’t make him mad or he’ll turn you into sand!’, 'He has such a nasty personality, why can’t he be like his kind brother?’, 'Farena’s always cleaning up his messes. Can’t the kid control himself? He’s already eight!’. Do you know how breaking that is to hear as a child? To be talked down like that just because I was born second? Because I do things differently than Farena?” Leona said, feeling angry just talking about it. “Farena always got attention even for the smallest things. And what did I get? A lecture for making a small mistake. Everyone always praised Farena yet he never worked as hard as I did. The first born in this kind of family is always the luckiest. You can do whatever shit you want and everyone will still love you.”

Nikita placed a hand on his arm, giving it a squeeze. From Leona’s point of view, it sounded painful. She couldn’t imagine constantly being talked about behind her back and in such terrible ways.

“I know it’s not really my place to say anything but, have you ever thought that Farena was trying to maybe show he cared in his own way?”

“As if. Why would he care about me when he was soaking up attention from everyone else? He was probably thinking he was better off without a younger sibling like me. I made him look bad apparently.” Leona growled.

“Farena isn’t like that at all. He really does-”

“It doesn’t matter whether he does or doesn’t! You can’t change the past. I’ll always hate being second and every single person in this godforsaken place!” Leona yelled, getting up to leave. “Especially that brat of a child you both decided to have!”

He abruptly stopped, seeing Farena and Cheka standing not far away. He narrowed his eyes, pushing past them.

“Daddy, does Uncle hate me…?” Cheka asked with teary eyes.

“No, he doesn’t. He was just consumed by his emotions.” Farena replied, holding Cheka close.

“So, did it give any insight…?” Nikita asked, feeling Cheka hug her while weeping.

“Not a lot, but I now understand where he’s coming from. I didn’t know anything and here I thought I was being supportive…”

•

Cannoli Leona lied in bed, tired of interacting with idiots. Someone knocked on his door, making him groan in response.

“It’s Farena.”

“Fuck off.”

Farena entered anyway. Leona grumbled in annoyance before feeling his bed dip. He let out a startled yelp, not expecting to feel Farena’s tongue on his cheek.

“Stop!”

“No.”

Leona continued to move around, trying to get Farena off of him. The two continued to go back and forth until Leona submitted to his awful fate of being given affection.

“Was that so bad?”

“Yes!”

Farena frowned, having Leona look at him.

“I’m sorry for being a terrible brother. I always thought what I was doing was helping you but it only made things worse. I’m sorry I never sat down and seriously talked to you, seeing what you wanted.” Farena apologized, being completely sincere. “I don’t want us to be at odds anymore. If there’s anything I can do rebuild our relationship, I’ll do it. Of course, I can’t just simply hand the position of king over. You know how that works.”

Leona averted his gaze. As badly as he wanted to be rude back, he couldn’t. It would just make him look worse than he already was.

“Let me hit you.”

“Alright.”

Leona pursed his lips before decking him right in the face. Farena held his nose, feeling it throb. He weakly smiled, causing Leona to look away.

“Anything else? Can we start over, get to know each other?”

“No.”

Farena watched as Leona turned his back to him. Well, it was worth a shot.

“You can try again tomorrow.” Leona mumbled.

Leona rolled his eyes, feeling Farena nuzzling him. He was disgustingly affectionate towards him and that was one thing he didn’t like. But he didn’t necessarily want him to stop either, it being something that made him feel somewhat equal to Farena.


	383. Rook: Pourquoi?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t wanna be rude and use a translator for french (like i did before), i’m just going to bold rook’s text and we all pretend the bolder text is french

Vil entered Rook’s room before closing the door. He opened the door again before closing it again. He opened it.

“Excuse me. Yes, you. Come here.” said Vil, having a student come over. “Is that a child in the room?”

“Yes.”

“Does it look like Rook?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. You’re free.” said Vil.

Vil stepped into the room, staring at the child sitting on the floor.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“ **Rook.** ”

“Eh…?”

“ **Rook.** ”

Vil wasn’t understanding anything. What in the world was he speaking? He stepped out, calling out to any student who could help. A few came, wanting to help Vil.

“He’s speaking french.” one said.

“Do any of you speak it?” Vil asked, receiving head shakes in response.

Vil sent them off, looking at the curious eyed child.

“ **Blondie.** ”

“I can’t understand you.”

“ **There’s an arrow!** ”

Vil watched as Rook got to his feet before pulling out an arrow. He quickly snatched them up, putting them out of reach.

“ **Give me. I want them.** ”

“Judging by your face you’re not happy with what I did. Well guess what? I don’t care. If you get hurt it’s all on me.”

“ **I want it!** ” Rook said angrily, stomping his foot.

“No!”

Rook started crying before throwing a tantrum. Vil plugged his ears, not even remotely close to giving in. The door opened, a curious person intrigued by the wailings of a child.

“Is that Rook?”

“He matches him perfectly and I haven’t seen that stalker all morning.” Vil replied, walking over to the visitor. “A more important question is, what’s a fish like you doing in a place like this?”

“I was simply curious as to what someone like you was doing on the weekend. Didn’t think it was babysitting~”

“Actually, I could use some help, Jade. Do you know french?”

“No. Why do you ask? He speaks our language doesn’t he?” Jade questioned.

“No. Oh, he’s stopped.” Vil said, watching Rook whimper as tears left his eyes. “Are you calm now?”

“ **Mean man! I want my mommy!** ”

“I still don’t understand you…”

“ **Where’s my mommy?** ”

“Well this certainly is a predicament isn’t it, Vil?” Jade chuckled.

“Maybe he’s hungry? Do you want food?”

“ **Mommy!** ” Rook wailed.

Vil took Rook’s hand, leading him to the communal kitchen. Naturally Rook fought, wanting to be with his parents. Pomefiore students looked at them, wondering why Vil was dragging a Rook looking child with him. Did he kidnap the child?

“Rook, you’ve got to stop crying. No one understands you and I’m your best bet to nurturing you.” Vil fussed, looking at him.

“I wanna go home! Let me go!”

Vil sighed heavily, trying to figure out what to do. Food. Feed him and then figure things out while he ate. They finally reached the kitchen where Vil had him stay near while he made something simple. That in of itself was a chore on top of cooking. Luckily Jade was curious enough to want to see the end to keep Rook from fleeing.

•

Vil stared long and hard at Rook who doodled. Knowing exactly what he wanted was still a gamble, but for the most part they eventually understood his needs.

“I don’t think staring at him will give you the ability to speak french.” Jade quipped, quite intrigued by Rook’s doodling.

“Hey- Oh. When did you have a kid?”

Vil rolled his eyes, ignoring the comment.

“What could you possibly need from me, Trappola?”

“You expertise of course but you seem a little preoccupied. Vil the babysitter… how cute.” Ace chuckled before receiving a glare of silence. “Oh, Jade senpai. What are you doing here?”

“Just curious to see how this whole ordeal ends up. Apparently this child here is Rook and he only speaks french.”

“Really? Does he write french too?”

Both shrugged, not entirely sure how to get him to write. Then again, considering his age…

“Yeah, writing isn’t going to work.” Vil said, putting Rook’s head.

“ **Don’t touch me.** ” Rook pouted.

“You made him unhappy.”

“Don’t kids like being touched?”

“Vil senpai, I thought you were smart.” said Ace before holding his head. “That hurt!”

“An unnecessary comment.” huffed Vil.

Rook lifted his doodle, searching for approval. It was… something. They weakly gave him praise which naturally didn’t register, but he did register their uncertain faces, making him anxious.

“ **I did wrong…?** ”

“He thinks we don’t like it…” Jade mumbled.

“Smile!”

Rook watched them smile. So he didn’t do anything wrong? That was relieving.

“ **More paper.** ”

“He has his hands out… Do you want more… paper?” Vil asked, placing it in his hands.

They rapidly blinked, seeing that was it.

“You know french, Vil?”

“Are you stupid? I was using context clues.” Vil said, narrowing his eyes.

Rook moved his little body, attempting to doodle the three teens sitting around him.

“We should look for a solution.” Vil said, watching Rook’s imagination come to life. “I don’t think I can take much more of this french only child.”

“Ace can watch him while we search.” said Jade before having a thought. “Actually, lets get someone else in here. I don’t think trusting Ace is a good idea.”

“Hey!”

•

Ace chased after Rook who chased after Ruggie.

“That damn fish! He’s going to pay!” Ruggie shouted, getting to higher ground.

“ **Dog! I wanna play with dog!** ”

“You can’t! That’s a person, Rook.” Ace said, picking up Rook.

“ **But I wanna play! Let me play! He’s cute!** ”

“What in the world is he even saying?” Ruggie exhaled, seeing he was safe now.

“No one knows. Vil and Jade are searching for a solution to this.” said Ace, keeping Rook seated. “You can come down now.”

“I think I’m fine up here.”

Rook looked around, wondering where the blonde went. He was the only one who gave him what he wanted.

“ **Where’s blondie? He’ll let me play with the dog.** ” Rook said, trying to pull away from Ace.

“Sit still. Or doodle. Just anything that doesn’t involve harassing Ruggie. As usual…”

Rook pouted, kicking his legs as he looked at the floor. How boring.


	384. Kingscholars: I’m a terrible nephew!

_“It’s just for a day.”_

_“A day too long. I’m not doing it.”_

_“Leona.”_

_“No. You won’t get me to do it! I could be napping and other things!”_

Leona sat on the ground watching Cheka chase small prey. He hated his family, always pushing the annoying furball on him like he never has things to do. There was eating, napping, more napping. He closed his eyes, seeing Cheka couldn’t get into any trouble.

“Uncle!”

Ignored. He was going to get his nap in at any cost. Cheka took notice of a rodent, promptly chasing it and out of Leona’s sight.

•

Leona stretched out, seeing the sun was higher in the sky. Looks like he slept a couple of hours. He looked around, seeing Cheka was nowhere to be seen. Of course he had to run off. He was becoming more and more like his terrible father everyday. He couldn’t have gone far, considering he was supposed to stay with him. He couldn’t have gotten lost either since they came here plenty of times.

Cheka was still missing. There was no way he was going to call out his name like some worried parent. It was his fault for wandering too far. This was why he didn’t want to agree to something like this in the first place. Farena only had himself to blame for choosing someone who clearly didn’t want to watch his kid.

Leona ruffled his hair, starting to wonder where Cheka had run off to. An entire hour had passed yet he was nowhere to be seen. He continued to climb, hoping an aerial view would help.

“Uncle…!” a hoarse voice called out.

Leona went towards it, not seeing anything. He heard it again before seeing small hands slipping off the edge. He ran over, seeing Cheka falling. His mind was telling him no but his body was already jumping off after him. Cheka continued to cry, extreme fear coursing through his body. Was he not going to see his family again? Especially his beloved uncle?

Cheka’s breath hitched, feeling arms wrap around him. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing he was being held by Leona. He cried more, thankful he at least got to see someone he loved before he died.

The two had their fall broken by a few trees before falling into soft sand. Cheka’s body shook before it willed itself to open its eyes. He was okay. He looked up, remembering there weren’t any trees before. Just a barren ground with crabgrass. Leona. Cheka looked at Leona who wasn’t moving. Did he die?

“Uncle… Uncle…”

“What?” Leona grumbled.

Cheka wailed loudly, causing Leona to cover his ears. He was okay. The both of them were okay.

“I’m sorry! I’m a terrible nephew! I’m sorry!”

“Please, stop that crying! You’re hurting my ears!” Leona hissed.

Cheka quieted down, his lip trembling. Leona lied back, splaying himself out like a starfish. He was hurting in places and wasn’t in any condition to move yet. Cheka lied down beside him, keeping watch over him.

“I’ll be good from now on…” Cheka whispered, assuming Leona had gone to sleep.


	385. Riddle + Ace: Are you dumb or something?

Riddle looked him all over. This couldn’t be Ace.

“What’s your name?”

“Ace.”

“Seriously. Full name.”

“Ace Trent Trappola.”

That can’t be right. He was a teen last night and now he was this… child.

“Do you know me?”

“No.”

“Am I scary?”

“No but you sound annoying.” said Ace nonchalantly.

A vein popped out on the side of Riddle’s head. Even as a child he was still detestable.

“Look, I’m the only one you can rely on right now so I suggest you be a little nicer to me.”

“I don’t need you. I’m a big boy.”

“Right…” Riddle mumbled. “So, what are you going to do then if you want food? Nothing in this place can just be eaten. You’ve gotta cook it.”

“Liar.”

“Fine. We can go look for ourselves.” said Riddle, having Ace follow him.

Sure enough, Riddle was right.

“You. What’s your name?”

“First of all, that’s not how you talk to someone older than you.”

“Does it look like I give a crap?”

Riddle was seconds away from beheading him. How dare he act with no manners. Did his parents not teach him?“

"You know what? Fine. Do it yourself. Don’t you dare go crying to anyone else for help since you’re a big boy.” said Riddle, leaving Ace in the kitchen.

•

Riddle silently studied, patiently waiting for Ace to cave. There was only so much a child could do on their own with no help whatsoever.

“Please?”

“I don’t want to be beheaded. Sorry kid…”

Ace sighed, seeing no one was really going to help him. Trey and Cater came around the corner before catching Ace’s eye.

“Hey! Hey!”

“Ace? You’re so small. And adorable!” said Cater, taking pictures.“

"A mean red haired guy refused to help me and now no one will.”

“Was he short in terms of height?” Trey asked.

“Yeah! I think…”

“Oooh, so you made Riddle mad? Can’t exactly help you there.” said Cater with a shrug. “We don’t wanna lose our heads either.”

“Cater’s right. Just because you’re younger doesn’t mean you’re free to act any way you want. Everything will fix itself once you apologize. You can manage that, right?” said Trey, gesturing down towards Riddle’s room.

“I’m not gonna apologize!”

“Okay, how about this? What all did you two talk about?” Cater asked, hoping that would shed light on the situation. Ace told them everything, their faces turning grim. “You know, Riddle was actually in the right.”

“No he isn’t…”

“No, it’s one of those few times he was being genuinely nice and understanding. You’re being the little jerkwad.” said Trey with a disappointed look.

Ace puffed out his cheeks. Why was everyone against him? Trey and Cater brought him to Riddle’s room, waiting for Ace to apologize.

“Oh, look who’s back. What’s up?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, could you speak just a little louder?” Riddle asked.

“You heard me!”

“No, I seriously did not because someone decided to whisper.”

“I said I’m sorry!”

“Apology accepted. I’ll lift the ban.” said Riddle with a smile. “Don’t you just love it when you can admit you’re wrong and act accordingly?”

“I don’t-”

Ace saw Trey and Cater had left long ago. They were never on his side to begin with. How evil.

“So, what would you like to do?” Riddle asked.

“Play.”

“Play what?”

“Card games.”

Riddle led him to his room, knowing he had a deck of cards on hand usually. They finally found a deck.

“So, goldfish? Old maid?”

“Poker.” Ace said with a straight face.

“I… what?” Riddle blinked.

“I’m pulling your leg. Show me some tricks.” Ace asked, sitting down.

“I’m not really good at them… but I’ll try.”

Ace ended up laughing at Riddle’s poor attempts to do card tricks. Riddle puffed out his cheeks, putting the cards away. He was better at real magic anyway.

“Hmph. I doubt you can do this.”

Ace quietly watched as Riddle did all sorts of magic.

“I bet you can’t do half the stuff I just did.” Riddle said, knowing well enough Ace didn’t have to mental capacity yet.

“May I use it?” Ace asked, pointing to his magipen.

“You have your own, but I suppose. What are you going to do with it?”

Ace looked at it before mimicking him. The magic wasn’t much, but it was there. Riddle kept silent, seeing it wasn’t worth any kind of praise.

“So what? You can do a little magic.”

Riddle took out his phone, seeing his alarm was going off. Ace followed him, seeing he was off to bond with the hedgehogs.

•

Riddle picked one up, gently stroking it. Ace quietly listened as Riddle struggled to communicate with his poor language. Clearly the hedgehog took notice. Ace peered inside, taking one out himself.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to talk to one too.” Ace said, looking at the green colored hedgehog. “Chee.”

The hedgehog looked at him. It heard him.

“Cheee cheechee.”

Ace was silent for a while before Riddle continued interacting with the hedgehogs.

“Cheeee chechee cheecheee.” said Ace, tilting his head.

The hedgehog looked at him before crawling onto his shoulder. She liked this one. He was funny. Riddle looked seeing Ace and the hedgehog getting along too well. The others started making noises, curious as to what their friend was up to with the smaller human. Ace had placed her back inside before looking at Riddle who was suspicious.

“What in the hell did you just do?”

“I did what you did.”

“No, that was better than what I did.” Riddle stated. “How did you do that?”

“I watched you.” Ace replied. “Are you dumb or something?”

Riddle swallowed his annoyance, seeing it was probably just a coincidence that he could do a little magic and communicate better with the hedgehogs.

•

“You, help me make tea for tonight.”

“That’s not my job though.”

“You’re going to help or you’ll be sleeping outside.”

“I’m telling Trey.”

“Telling Trey what?” Trey asked, stepping into the kitchen.

“Riddle threatened to make me sleep outside if I didn’t help make tea.” Ace whined, stamping his feet.

“It was a reasonable one. I could’ve said worse.” Riddle fumed.

“Riddle, be nice. Ace, help out.”

“You’re always on Riddle’s side.” Ace huffed, crossing his arms.

“Because it’s not like he asked you to make a ten foot cake. You’re simply helping make tea.” said Trey.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting ingredients to make some treats for a party tomorrow.”

“Can I go?”

“No.” they said in unison.

Ace let out an exasperated sigh before looking at what Riddle was doing. It all seemed so boring.

“Here, try it. It’s a Rosehearts special blend.” said Riddle, having Ace take a sip.

“It’s surprisingly good…”

“Mind saying that again?”

Ace exhaled loudly before speaking once more.

“It’s so good.” Ace said sarcastically.

“Anyway, you’re going to help me make two pots of this. All your going to do is pick up and place down herbs near me. Simple, right?”

“I’m not four.” Ace grumbled.

“Yet you act like it.”

Ace quietly watched Riddle brew the first pot before taking herbs and working on the second pot.

“Alright, the second- ACE!”

Ace briefly looked at him before going back to seeping the tea. Riddle didn’t want to snatch it away, worried he’d break the pot. What was Ace thinking!?

“Try it.” Ace said, handing him a sip of his attempt.

Riddle expected it to taste bad. Riddle was sorely mistaken. It tasted better. Was that even possible? All he did was…

“Watch…”

“Huh?”

“You… What’s this thing you do? You watch and suddenly you’re an expert at it?”

Ace shrugged. How was he to know? He was just a kid.

•

Riddle knocked on the door before entering. He looked towards Ace’s bed, seeing his lean body splayed out on his bed. Riddle narrowed his eyes, throwing a pillow at him.

“What the…”

“Hey.”

Ace rubbed his eyes, seeing Riddle hovering by his bedside. Now what did he do? Or didn’t do.

“You have an interesting way of learning. Guess you’re not all stupid.” said Riddle before walking out.

Ace blinked.

“What…?”


	386. Jack x Ace: Outside

The supervisor for the track and field club blew the whistle, signaling club was over. Everyone happily chatted, excited to do what they had planned after.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Deuce fiddled with his magipen.

“So, what are you up to after club, Jack?”

“Things.” said Jack, walking ahead.

Yet another day Jack refused to indulge him. Jack made a stop at Sam’s remembering he needed to pick up a few things for his room.

“Welcome little demon. What can I do for you? Ah, let me guess, special food for your prickly green friends?”

“That’s one thing.”

The door opened again, another student stepping in.

“Ace.”

“Oh, it’s you. What’s up? I ran into Deuce and he said you ignored him.”

“He’s not my people.” Jack responded, handing his list over to Sam.

“Ah, Sam, before you go!” Ace exclaimed, handing over his own. Sam headed off. “So, who are your people?”

Jack gave him a sniff before smiling.

“You.”

“Euh, did you have to sniff me?” Ace complained.

Jack started sniffing him more, making Ace laugh while trying to squirm away.

“That tickles! Your hair…!”

The two stopped, hearing the door open.

“Oh, I’ve been looking for you.”

“Hm? Me? What could you possibly need me for, Cater senpai…?”

“Just come.”

“Wait-”

“Leaving without your things?” Sam called out, handing Jack his bag as they exchanged.

Ace quickly took out some madol, placing it on the counter before taking his bag and following Cater.

“So, you are interested in humans, hm?”

“Not many… humans really aren’t anything special…” Jack muttered, turning to leave.

“But that Trappola sure is~”

Jack was about to respond only to have the door collide with his face.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry!”

Ace fretted over Jack who babied his pained mouth. Sam simply watched, curious as to how things would develop.

“I was coming back to say goodbye and instead I do this…”

“I’m fine. I’ve suffered worse.” said Jack, heading out the door.

“At least let me look. If you have to go to the nurse, I’ll take you! It was my fault after all.”

Jack refused Ace several times before finally letting him look. Ace let out a relieved sigh, seeing there wasn’t any blood. Ace said his goodbyes before running to catch up with Cater who he left behind. Why did it matter so much to him if he was bleeding or not? It’s not like he couldn’t take care of it himself.

•

Jack eyed his mixture, wanting to do a good job in alchemy class. He looked around, seeing some of his classmates goofing off. And they wonder why their grades are so low and have to resort to cheating. His tail started to wag, seeing he did a good job in creating the right mixture. It took a few tries, but that was kind of the fun or doing alchemy. Getting different results from different paths.

Class ended, everyone handing in their finished mixtures before heading to their next class.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

The two walked together in silence.

“I heard history will be a joint with a first year class.”

“You know what class, Epel?”

Epel shook his head. Well, he was going to be focusing so it didn’t really matter.

They entered the classroom, taking seats apart from each other but within the same area. Jack set his stuff up, seeing they were learning about an olden kingdom.

“Jack?”

“Ace…!”

Ace happily walked over, scooting over to sit next to him. Soon the room started to fill up with students.

“So glad I’m not stuck with boring Deuce for this class.” Ace said, kicking back.

“You do know I take my work much more seriously.”

“Ah, right. You’re a buzzkill. Right next to Sebek.”

“I know how to loosen up better than he ever could.” Jack growled.

“Then I dare you to not take notes and just horse around with me for five minutes.”

“Deal.”

Class finally started and Ace’s timer was started. Ace poked his tail, seeing it made Jack squirm. He continued to do it until Jack started tickling his sides. Naturally they stopped when the teacher turned around, only to start again after.

Ace’s timer had long since finished, the two still trying to get the other in trouble. Jack’s tail wrapped around Ace as he laughed into Jack’s lap, unable to keep silent any longer. Jack looked down at Ace, seeing his body convulse. He found himself starting to rub his back as his laughing slowly ceased.

Ace sat up, looking into his eyes as he smiled. Now that they wasted enough time, Ace allowed him to take notes. Jack felt a small pang in his chest, remembering the look on Ace’s face as he looked at him. It felt strangely pleasing.

Class ended, students packing up to head to lunch. Jack was gathering his things when he felt something hold his hand.

“Hey, are you not eating in the cafeteria today?” Ace asked, looking him in the eyes.

“Do you want to eat together…?”

“If that’s not asking too much. It’s been ages since we ate together.” said Ace, moving his hand.

Jack felt it tingling. What were these sensations he was getting? He was always aware of his feelings but these… he didn’t know them. It was freaking him out.

Jack got on line for lunch, planning to eat outside as usual. Ace noticed Jack was leaving after getting food.

“Hey! I thought we were eating together…”

“I usually eat outside. It’s more comfortable for me.” Jack explained. “But I’ll eat in if you really want me to.”

Ace shook his head, telling him to wait for him.

The two headed out, finding a nice spot to settle down at. Ace could see the appeal of eating outside. He changed his spot, sitting close to Jack.

“What…?”

“I wonder if you were a messy eater as a child…” Ace said before chuckling.

Jack silently watched Ace as he got close. Neither said a word as their eyes searched each other’s faces. Ace finally wiped the mayo off his face, avoiding eye contact. They turned away from each other, feeling awkward.

“So, any plans this afternoon?” Ace asked, turning slightly.

“Not anything big… You?”

“Same.”

Jack looked at his meal before wrapping it up. He suddenly lost his appetite. There was still a lot of time left before lunch was over.

“I know this might sound a bit childish, but I want to see just how good your nose is.” said Ace before turning around fully. “Let’s play a round of hide and seek. Within the courtyard of course.” suggested Ace.

“It’s about as sharp as any wolf you know. I’m not special.” Jack said.

“Oh, you didn’t finish. Not hungry?”

“Nah.”

“Then I’ll finish it~”

Ace had taken his meal before he could protest. He watched as Ace happily ate it all while walking off to go hide in the courtyard. He ate it with no problem whatsoever. His saliva was on it. Jack felt heat rising into his cheeks. He was thinking too much.

•

Jack started searching, having received a text from Ace telling him to start. He was wrong to think Ace would make it easy. There were many different scents he was smelling, one being the scent of a decaying animal, a bird most likely. Another was some kind of food he didn’t recognize off the top of his head. Some belonged to students hanging around. Ace really thought it through.

If he could pick up on the faint scent of his lunch from Ace’s breathing, he could find him. Ace sat patiently in his hiding spot, knowing Jack wouldn’t find him before lunch was almost over. He even had a plan in case Jack got close.

Jack finally picked up on something that seemed like Ace. He came to a stop, seeing it was just his blazer. Time was slowly running out. Jack continued to reach dead ends. He might have to give up. It was then a strange scent filled his nose. He quickly followed it.

“Gotcha!”

Ace only got so far before being tackled to the ground by Jack’s weight. His face softened, pretty amazed by his nose.

“How did you find me?” Ace questioned.

Ace let out small gasps, feeling Jack’s face exploring his body. Jack stopped by his pocket. Ace took it out, seeing it was a chocolate Cater had given him earlier in the day.

“To think this small thing gave me away…” Ace said.

They realized the position they were in not too long after. Jack started to move first, only for things to take a wrong turn. Jack looked into his eyes as Ace’s arm was wrapped around his neck. His heart was doing weird things simply just by looking at him, being close to him.

“You know, I never knew you had such pretty eyes…” Ace said softly, rubbing his thumb near Jack’s eye.

“Hey…”

“Hm…?”

Jack leaned in closer, their noses just barely touching. What was Ace feeling? Wouldn’t he pull away? Jack wasn’t understanding Ace’s actions at all. He wasn’t trying to escape. Ace slowly blinked, his eyes half lidded. Jack felt his chest tighten. So that’s what it was. He’s falling for Ace.

Jack moved in for a kiss, only for his ears to perk up at the sound of the bell. He slowly backed away, letting Ace sit up.

“We should do this again sometime. Maybe in a different place with more hiding spaces.” Ace suggested, getting to his feet as he brushed himself off. “Now to find my blazer or else I’ll be in for it later…”

Jack helped him find it before watching Ace run off to his next class. Jack tightly gripped his heart, feeling as if he was going to pass out. This was definitely love.


	387. Silver + Sebek: Heroics

“Gimme that!”

Silver quietly handed the toy over. Sebek took it, proceeding to smash it with another toy. Lilia entered the room, the faint sound of voices in the hall.

“So, it looks like Sebek will be staying for today, Silver. Isn’t that fun?”

Silver didn’t respond, minding his business. Sebek on the other hand wasn’t thrilled. Why were his parents just leaving him here? He didn’t want to be separated from them. Sebek started to cry. Lilia comforted him while Malleus entered the room.

“You’re quiet as always.” Malleus said quietly, sitting beside Silver.

“I thinking. Or sleepy.” Silver replied, attempting to read the entire children’s book himself.

“Want help reading?” Malleus asked.

“No.”

“Lilia, your kid is rather independent so early on.” said Malleus, not sure whether to be impressed or worried.

“Mmm, I wouldn’t say that. He just prefers to try things himself before seeking help.” said Lilia, seeing Sebek was back to normal. “Plus it gives us time to focus on Sebek.”

Sebek scooted over to Silver before snatching the book.

“Hey! No snatching. Ask nicely.” Malleus warned, taking the book back.

“I don’t wanna. I just want.”

“Then no book.”

“No fair!”

Silver looked at Sebek.

“So noisy.” Silver mumbled.

“Huh?”

“So noisy.” Silver repeated, taking his book from Malleus and leaving the room.

It was going to be a long day.

•

Silver watched Sebek entertain himself with the variety of toys. How energetic.

“You don’t want to play with him?” Lilia asked.

“Sleepy…” Silver whispered before tipping forward.

Lilia heavily sighed, putting Silver on his lap before leaning the sleeping child against him.

“How come he sleeping?” Sebek asked. Sebek pokes his face only to have his hand slapped by Lilia. “It not nap time.”

“He has a condition. He’ll wake up at some point.” Lilia replied, staring lovingly at his small son.

“What condition?”

“It’s not something easily explained, mostly because we don’t know.” said Malleus, taking Silver from Lilia’s arms. “I’ll go lie him down.”

“I wanna nap.” Sebek declared.

“No. Your parents gave us a schedule and we’re following it.”

Sebek’s lip trembled as he dragged his feet. Lilia was slowly becoming more thankful for his semi-independent child.

Sebek was bored. He couldn’t demand things from Silver.

“Sebek, do you know numbers and shapes?”

“Yes.”

“Can you show me?” Lilia asked.

Sebek started writing, saying the name of each one.

“Wow! You’re so intelligent.”

Sebek smiled, loving the praise. He wanted to impress him more.

“Wow, are those numbers and shapes? Can you write your name?” Malleus asked, having returned.

Sebek struggled with making lines before showing them.

“How nice. You’ve been practicing hard haven’t you?”

“Mommy and Daddy help me.” Sebek said proudly.

“What other words can you write?” Malleus asked with interest.

Sebek happily showed off his limited writing skills, loving seeing their bright smiles.

•

Silver opened his eyes, seeing he was alone in his room. His stomach growled. He quickly got to his feet, needing to find Lilia. He struggled with the knob before pulling the door open.

“Oh, you’re awake. I bet you’re hungry.”

Silver nodded. He took Lilia’s hand, being told Sebek was hungry as well. Silver was seated before servants placed meals in front of them. Sebek dug in while Silver ate with a bit more grace.

“This good!” Sebek said, his eyes sparkling.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Lilia scolded.

Sebek huffed, continuing to stab his food. Silver looked at his then at Sebek’s.

“Do you want more?” Silver asked.

“No, Silver. The servants can get more for him.” said Malleus, encouraging Silver to eat more.

The two were freed after having their fill of lunch. Silver watched Sebek run around, burning off all the food he had just eaten.

“Sebek, be careful.” Silver warned.

“You aren’t boss of me.” Sebek huffed, crossing his arms.

“I just being nice.”

Sebek continued to run around outside with Silver watching. He looked back, wondering where his father and Malleus were. They never took this long.

“AH!”

Slam! Silver turned around, no longer seeing Sebek. What was that slamming sound? Silver started looking around, wondering if he was playing a joke on him.

“Sebek?”

Bang, bang, bang! Silver jumped, not used to hearing things like it. He followed the sound before hearing terrified cries.

“Sebek?”

“Silver!”

Silver looked, seeing it was one of those metal cages. He couldn’t open it without a key.

“How you get in? You know these are for wild animals.” Silver said, weekly dragging the cage back towards the castle.

“I fell in…” Sebek mumbled.

“No worry, Daddy and Malley will help.” said Silver, seeing Sebek and the cage were really heavy. “You heavy.”

“Meanie!”

Silver continued to make fun of him, seeing it was making him less scared.

•

Silver sighed, not seeing Malleus or Lilia. What was he to do?

“Am I stuck…?” Sebek asked quietly.

“No. You will be free. I think…” Silver said.

He’d just have to find the keys himself. Silver explained his plan before moving Sebek to a hidden spot. Sebek sighed, poking the metal walls. They were starting to get hot.

It felt like eternity for Sebek, having to wait for Silver. He was starting to sweat. Would he never see his family again? He heard keys jangling before the closed off opening was lifted. Sebek pounced on Silver, crying his eyes out.

“Ew, sweaty…” Silver mumbled.

Sebek was just glad to be out.

“You so nice.”

“I only did the good thing.” Silver replied.

Sebek never stopped talking about Silver’s heroics the rest of the day.


	388. Savus: Facilier

Sam looked at the time, letting out a sigh. Maybe he was kind of wrong. Not everyone was used to shadows being living things. But he didn’t have to get so mad about and storm out. They were harmless. At least, if you weren’t hurting him.

“Sam?”

“Huh? Oh, I’ll ring you up.”

He couldn’t be spacing out on the job. He’d just have to talk to him later.

•

Sam swept outside, not expecting someone to land in front of him.

“And what can I do for you, Crowley?”

“You’re the closest with Divus, so I want to see if you know anything.”

Sam blinked, wondering if Divus told anyone. He couldn’t have. He was the one who wanted to keep things secret between them. He didn’t mind being secretive, but it also felt like Divus didn’t really want to be together at the same time.

He shook his head, seeing Crowley was awaiting a response.

“Uh, I did see him. Last night. Before he left school grounds I mean. We talked a bit and uh, he went straight home I think? No, he went out to meet a friend first.” half lied Sam. “We didn’t talk anytime after that.”

“I see. None of the other teachers have seen him today. All his students have reported he never showed up to class so I had to sub for all of them.” Crowley said with a heavy sigh. “His work is so loaded, now I understand why students complain.”

“Right… Hopefully he contacts you.”

Crowley was about to leave when Sam’s phone started to go off. Sam took it out, seeing it was Divus. Did he answer it in front of Crowley or hide out inside? He could probably signal that someone was with him.

“Hello? Divus? Crowley has been-”

Crowley tilted his head, wondering what the problem was.

“H- Hey, is everything-”

Sam dropped everything, rushing off school grounds.

•

People walked past Sam who simply stood outside the door.

“Sir, are you not going on? You’ve been standing here for ten minutes already…” the woman asked.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I am… Sorry…”

She assured him everything was fine. Sam finally entered, slowly closing the door behind him. He really was here. He took wobbly steps towards his bed before falling to his knees. His mind was hazy, numerous words floating around in his mind. When? How? Why?

A nurse came in before immediately rushing to Sam’s side. He wasn’t convinced that Sam was okay, sitting him down before doing a few tests.

“I’m sorry… I think it’s just shock…”

“Ah. Are you close with the patient?” he asked.

“Yeah. That’s one way to say it…”

“Hm… So lovers then?”

Sam frantically shook his head. Divus would kill him if he found out he told someone. The nurse chuckled, seeing it was the case.

“Why don’t you step out and take a breather then come back when you’re ready. It doesn’t seem like he’ll be going anywhere for a while.”

“Huh? What do you mean…? He’s just asleep right now.”

“Oh, well it says on his thing that he’s currently in a coma though.”

The nurse caught Sam in his arms, seeing he practically keeled over.

•

Sam quietly sat by Divus’ bedside, finally calm physically and mentally. He reached out to touch him only to draw back. Was he allowed to touch him? He sighed, wishing he had more details. He then remembered Crowley. The others at Night Raven needed to hear about this.

A nurse had come in later on, checking up on Divus.

“Visiting hours are almost up. I suggest making your way out.”

Sam started asking him questions, what was okay, what wasn’t okay, what he could and couldn’t bring. The nurse walked out with him, closing the door behind him.

Sam stood outside the hospital, staring blankly into the darkening sky. It was his fault wasn’t it? All of this was his fault. He felt wetness on his cheeks as he started making his way home.

“It’s not supposed to rain tonight…” Sam whispered, wondering why his face was so wet.

•

Students looked at the door, taking pictures and gossiping.

“Did you hear?”

“What?”

“The Mystery Shop is actually closed!”

“What?”

“He said the Mystery Shop is closed!”

Word started spreading like a wildfire. The teachers had finished their meeting regarding Divus and what would become of his classes. They remained tight lipped about his situation whenever students attempted to find out.

“Crowley, the students have been gossiping nonstop about the Mystery Shop being closed. It never closes.”

“I’m aware, but the gossip is true. Sam isn’t here today… It must be something serious if he’s not here.” said Crowley looking out the window. “I’m sure the both of them will be back to work in no time, well, Divus a bit longer.”

Trein wasn’t convinced, but he had said everything he wanted to. There wasn’t much they could for Divus, but there was enough they could for Sam.

Sam hadn’t left his bed at all. His eyes were dry from constant crying, his mind tired from insistent berating and blaming. If he hadn’t asked for him to come over, he’d probably be fine, working like he usually did. He’d still be sneaking around with him like the two of them dating was something scandalous. He’d still be smiling that alluring, evil smile when he tortured his students. Sam found himself crying again.

Divus wouldn’t be in this state if they never started dating. Sam easily fell asleep, his entire being tired from all sorts of beatings.

Sam slowly opened his eyes, seeing it was dark out. It was probably too late to visit him. He slowly got up, changing his entire calendar around. He was closing his shop indefinitely to dedicate his time to Divus. It was the only way he could atone for his sin.

•

Sam quietly wiped Divus’ forehead, hoping for some kind of reaction. He’s done anything and everything the nurse said he was allowed to do yet…

Sam let his head rest on the table. Weeks had gone by and nothing had changed about Divus, except the facial hair that started to grow. Even his facial hair was half back, half white. He shook his head, remembering he wasn’t here to admire his attractive face. He was here to care for him as repayment for being the cause of the situation.

“Hey, you know everyone back at Night Raven misses you. Well, maybe not the students. And maybe not Mr. Duve… but you get my point. So, you know… don’t keep them waiting. Don’t you have pups to discipline…?”

He knew he sounded dumb talking to someone in a coma, but he didn’t care. He was trying everything he could to bring him back. Sam continued to talk about others, avoiding himself. He would probably give him bad memories, maybe cause him to never wake up again. He was the reason he got into that accident.

Sam was about to continue when someone knocked on the door before pointing to the wall clock. Sam said goodbye to Divus before heading out. He had to start making progress at some point. Divus just had to wake up. He had many people waiting for him to come back.

•

Sam opened the door, not expecting to see the Night Raven staff. He closed the door before walking away.

“Sam?”

He froze on the spot.

“I thought you had something to do today?”

“I do! I’m visiting a sick friend but got the wrong room.”

“Oh-”

Sam hurried off, taking the stairs down. He almost made a mistake. They could’ve easily put two and two together. He hid out in the staircase, waiting for them to leave.

They finally left, giving him a chance to go see Divus. Sam sat in his usual chair, apologizing for being late. He started asking about the staff visit, curious as to what they had said to him.

“Someday I’ll get you to respond…” Sam whispered, subconsciously resting Divus’ hand on his head. He internally freaked out, backing away. “What am I doing… I can’t touch you… I don’t have the right…”

Small amounts of touching was okay according to the nurses as long as his hands were clean, but even then he still felt dirty. Sam sighed, placing Divus’ hand back by his side. How long would it take for Divus to come back to the world of the living? Who did he have to bribe? He then had an idea. Who better to ask than his friends on the other side?

•

A nurse was checking over Divus’ vitals before freaking out at him suddenly popping up. It was definitely shocking, never having seen a coma patient wake up like that. Divus started groaning in pain, everything finally catching up to him. Soon a doctor had come into the room, asking him various questions and doing small tests to see where he was mentally and physically.

“Are you sure he just popped up?”

“Yes! I’ve never been so scared in my life!” the nurse hissed, her heart finally settling.

They gave him more information before taking off. Divus lied back down, closing his eyes as a dull pain settled within his head. So he was in an accident and was in a coma for months. He started thinking about his classes. How were they handled? Did he still get his paychecks?

Sam. That was all he could think about. His mind slowly recalled fragments of things Sam had said to him while in a coma. How was he doing? What kind of state was his shop in? Was he still mad? He desperately wanted to make up with him. He didn’t know just how dear his shadow friends were to him. He had thought about it on his way home before the accident. Sam had every right to be mad.

•

Divus was finally released, deemed to be in good health once more. He thought Sam of all people would’ve come to see him, especially at the news of him waking up. Yet not once did he show up. He headed straight for the school, ready to curse him out for being a terrible boyfriend.

The wind blew, rustling the leaves on the trees. Closed. The Mystery Shop was closed. He approached two students who were walking past.

“Crewel sensei! We thought you wouldn’t be back in until tomorrow!”

“The Mystery Shop…?”

“It hasn’t been open in months really… Now we have to go off campus to buy things we need. It’s such a hassle. I wish Sam would come back already.” a student whined.

“When did it close?”

“A few months back when you were still in a coma. He never said why. We just looked up and there was this big sign saying closed. None of the teachers seem to have heard from him since he closed either.” the other said.

That wasn’t like Sam at all. Divus hurried to the mirror chamber, having the mirror take him to Sam’s home. Sam would never abandon the Mystery Shop. It’s been in his family for years.

Divus knocked on the door before ringing the bell. He waited. And waited. And waited. He tried one of his neighbors.

“Sam? Oh, he hasn’t been home in ages. Hey, honey! Get over here!” the woman said before shouting.

“What?”

“Tell this guy about Sam.”

“Oh! You’re the boyfriend! Sam’s talked about you a few times.” she giggled, clicking her tongue. “Got home late as I usually do and I saw him leaving his home. Called out to him but he seemed to be in a rush. Looked like he was heading out of town.”

“Out of town…?”

“Hey, you never told me that part.” the first woman huffed.

“He went in that direction. I can’t be of more help than that.” the second woman said before heading back in.

Divus thanked them before heading off in the direction she pointed in. He was going to find him and give him such a talking to. How could he just run off and not even leave a note?

•

Divus sighed, wondering just how far Sam had even gone. He was about to head back until he saw a metal arch in the distance. He jogged closer, seeing there were letters.

“Facilier…?”

He couldn’t really see anything beyond it. It was pretty foggy beyond the arch yet it was clear all around him. Did he really want to step beyond the arch? He picked up a pebble, throwing it through. Nothing seemed to have happened. He tried a bit of magic, seeing it went through just fine. Then why was it so foggy?

He noticed someone walking in his direction. He stopped them, asking about the dog beyond the arch.

“Oh. Oh no, don’t you dare get me involved with that voodoo nonsense.” the man said, narrowing his eyes. “Everybody knows not to get anywhere near that cursed thing.”

“Cursed?”

“You ain’t heard of it? That entire Facilier family cursed. Anyone who ain’t a Facilier ends up turnin’ into a frog and is forced to live in that place for the rest of their froggy life.” the man said before watching Divus heading over to the arch. “Hey! Did you not hear a word I said!?”

He didn’t care. Sam had come in here for a reason. The man shook his head, sad to see another life go. Divus stepped through not feeling anything.

“Sam? Sam?”

He continued to walk around before feeling a tingling sensation going through his body. So it was true. He could barely see through the fog to even make anything out.

“Sam?”

He could see his arm slowly turning into a frog limb. So this was how things ended. Sam missing and him forever turned into a frog. Maybe this was karma for forcing Sam to hide their relationship. He wasn’t ashamed, just nervous. Everything felt so different with Sam, it felt… pure and true. He didn’t want to lose that yet here he was, searching for him while turning into a frog.

“If you can hear me, please respond, Sam!”

Divus tripped, nearly running into a tree that loomed before him. It was probably a tree root. He took a look. That wasn’t a tree root.

“Sam…?” Divus called out, getting closer. “S-”

Divus was forced into silence. Why did he look like that? He gently shook his body.

“Sam… Hey… open your eyes.”

He noticed Sam holding something in his hands. He used his fine arm to force it out of his grip. It was a little doll. He looked it over before seeing it had a necklace of some sort on it. The same one was on Sam. He lied down beside Sam, looking at his shrinking body.

“So this is what you did. You really can be an idiot. I didn’t ask for this. I would’ve woken up on my own. I still have pups to discipline, you know?” Divus said, rolling over and facing Sam. “I wish you didn’t do this. Now I can’t hear your laugh anymore…”

He quietly wrapped himself around Sam, knowing his hold wouldn’t last too long.

“I hope you know that I love you. I have… for a while now…”

Sam’s body rolled back, a small green frog sitting beside him. The frog croaked, seemingly glued to its spot.


	389. Vil + Epel: Babies don’t do that

“Who’s a pretty boy?”

“Aaa!”

“That’s right, you!”

Epel squealed, hitting Vil’s nose. Vil’s heart melted, watching Epel wiggling his little body. How this little angel ended up in his life was beyond him, but he wasn’t complaining either. Epel placed his hands on Vil, trying to pull himself up. Epel clung to his leg, unfortunately unable to fully lift himself up. Vil gave him a little boost, watching him wobble on his legs.

“Good job!”

Epel giggled, being picked up by Vil.

“Vil, we-”

Epel and Vil looked at the intruder. They looked between the two, seeing Epel went back to playing with Vil’s pretty hair.

“What, Rook?” Vil asked, feeling Epel pulling on his hair. “Epel, please stop…”

Epel looked up at Vil, registering his look. He stopped pulling, opting to rest his head on Vil’s shoulder.

“How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“You just spoke to him and he stopped. Babies don’t do that.” Rook said, looking at Epel who sucked on his thumb.

Vil moved his thumb, gently scolding him. Epel clearly wasn’t happy, but made no other movements.

“See! You did it again!”

“I’m just talking to him. Anyway, what did you come in here for?” Vil asked, patting Epel’s back.

“Oh, it was just about the dorm leaders meeting. The vices are wanted too. Seems like it’s serious.” said Rook, watching Epel’s eyes droop. “Is it nap time…?”

Vil nodded, seeing Epel was trying to resist sleep. Vil sang a bit, finally getting him to close his eyes. He went to put Epel down in his crib, only for Epel to burst into tears. Vil pulled him out, seeing he started quieting down.

“Don’t tell me…” Rook muttered.

“I’m sure it’s just him needing a diaper change.”

It wasn’t. Vil placed him in the crib, only to watch him get fussy again. Vil picked him up, seeing he wasn’t going to sleep in the crib. He had to think. What could get Epel to sleep? He was doing fine when being held.

“Vil, we need to leave soon.”

“I know, but Epel needs to sleep. I’ll meet you there. Explain to them.” said Vil.

Rook left, wishing they could’ve gone together. Vil lied down, pressing Epel to his chest. Was it just his crib or was it something else? He slowly inched himself away, seeing everything was fine. The moment he was out of bed, Epel finally registered Vil wasn’t near him.

“Looks like I’m going to be late to the meeting.” Vil whispered, crawling back into bed. Vil gently rubbed his back, seeing Epel was starting to drift off again. “I won’t leave you, okay?”

Epel’s eyes closed, Vil’s warmth wrapping around him like a comfy blanket. He pressed himself closer, wanting more of it. Vil softly hummed, carefully watching Epel’s breathing. Maybe he could stay a little longer with Epel.

“So cute…”


	390. Diamonds: Mom didn’t brief us

“Mom, do we have to?” one whined.

“Yes, Layla. And you too, Fiona.” said Mrs. Diamond.

They looked into the crib, seeing an orange haired baby kicking its legs and moving its arms. They really didn’t want to. The baby rolled over before lifting himself up.

“Aaa aaa!”

“Isn’t he just adorable, girls? He might start saying his first words sometime soon!”

“But mom, do we really have to help take care of him…? I don’t wanna change a diaper…” Fiona complained.

“Nor do I want to clean up baby vomit.” Layla added.

“Girls. He’s not a simple baby anymore. He can do a lot of things now. And it’s just for a few hours. Your father and I won’t be out for long.” said Mrs. Diamond.

“But-”

“No more buts! You girls are watching him and that’s that.”

The girls groaned.

•

Fiona looked at her younger siblings who played on the floor. She still couldn’t tell his cries apart.

“Why do you look so serious…?” Layla asked, Cater slowly crawling away.

“Mom put a lot of trust in us… I’m just worried we won’t do a good job. Two hours is a long time…” Fiona said, feeling panicky.

“Mom said the louder his cries, it’s usually bowel movement.” said Layla before looking around. “Cater?”

“Layla, what happened to Cater?”

“I don’t know! He was just in my lap!”

The girls started looking around, hoping he wasn’t getting into any trouble.

“Cater!”

“Cater!”

Fiona ran past before backing up. She swiftly scooped Cater up just as he was about to fall. It hadn’t been long since their parents left and Cater had already gotten into some kind of mess.

“Layla, I think it’s better if he stayed in his crib.” Fiona said, taking him upstairs.

“You found himself? Where was he?”

“Kitchen.”

Cater sat in his crib, his sisters looking over him.

“Well, we can at least watch TV in our room, right?” Layla asked, feeling a bit bored.

“I suppose… I don’t think he’s smart enough to climb out.” Fiona reasoned. “But even still we should keep an ear out.”

•

The girls silent watched TV as the sky opened up. Fiona glanced towards the window, wondering if the rain would delay their parents. She looked across the hall, wondering if she should check on Cater. It wasn’t like he could escape anyway.

Layla shrieked, not expecting to hear thunder. Fiona held her close, knowing she didn’t do well with thunderstorms. Layla tightly held onto her sister as more thunder sounded.

“Hey, I’m gonna go check on-”

They perked up, hearing muffled crying. Layla went with Fiona to check on Cater who was bawling his eyes out. Fiona tried giving him his favorite toys, hoping it’d calm him down.

“He’s still crying…”

“I can see that Lay! Why didn’t mom brief us about this?”

The girls struggled, trying different things. Their brother continued to cry.

“What if we brought him to mom and dad’s room? He can smell, right?”

“It’s worth a shot…”

Cater was still crying. They were out of ideas and Layla was useless in her scared state. Fiona held Cater at a distance, wondering if it was a need. He refused food. He refused milk. His diaper was fine.

“Cater, what is it…?” Fiona asked tiredly. “We don’t speak baby…”

Fiona sat down on the bed, Layla sitting beside her. She pressed Cater to her, not knowing what else to do. This was definitely offputting to her about having kids. Cater started quieting down, the sounds of thunder being muffled.

“Fi, he’s getting- EEP! Quieter…” Layla pointed out, rubbing Cater’s back.

“I guess he just wanted to be held…?” Fiona said, patting his head.

Fiona kept his ears plugged while Layla gave him comfort. Their little plan was working. Soon Cater had been calmed, basking in the love and comfort of his sisters. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, taking cate of their baby brother.


	391. Ece: So close

Ace cracked yet another joke at Deuce’s expense. Epel laughed along, watching Ace and Deuce go at it as usual. They were close. So close. His eyes followed Ace as the two decided to deal with it later, seeing they should probably study more.

“Epel’s been quiet these days.” a student pointed out.

“Think he’s got a crush, hm hmm?” another quipped.

“A crush? On who? There aren’t any girls here.” Ace chuckled, nudging Deuce. “You don’t think Epel’s gay, right?”

“Right?”

Everyone’s eyes were on him.

“Of course not. Being gay in a place like this gets you ostracized and bullied.” Epel replied, keeping his eyes on his book before looking up. “Clearly I’m not either.”

“See? Look at you making assumptions.” Ace scoffed.

“You’re the one who brought up being gay.”

Epel listened as they went back and forth. He’d rather be dying in a ditch than to be gay in Night Raven. He glanced towards Ace who started horsing around again with the others. So close…

•

Epel exited the classroom, making his way to the alchemy building. It was suspiciously kind of Crewel to help him. One would think he’d outright reject such an idea, but here he was. He happened to pass by the courtyard, seeing students relaxing and playing around with magic. It seemed fun. A certain orange haired boy caught his eye.

Epel stopped, watching him use magic with other first years. How lucky they were to be that close with Ace. So close. He was pretty close to him, right? He started listing moments when he was that close to Ace. Not many, but it was enough. He started walking again, wondering if there were other ways to deepen their friendship.

His mind slowly started pulling up old memories as the courtyard left his sight.

**[Flashback]**

_“Shh!”_

_Epel quietly stared into Ace’s chest as Riddle walked past them. He smelled nice… like… flowers. He took in his scent before feeling him pull away._

_“That was close… So, why so timid?” Ace questioned, leaning back on the grass._

_“I’m not. It’s just things…” Epel replied, looking at the fireflies. “It’s complicated really…”_

_“Can’t be. You’re just scared to admit it. No matter, you kinda seem cool anyway. Despite how you look at least.”_

_“What’s that got to do with anything?” questioned Epel loudly._

_“Hey, tone it down. We aren’t trying to get caught here…” Ace whispered. “And what’s the deal whether you look like a doll or some hairy beast like Coach Vargas? I still find you cool, especially since you’re still here with me.”_

_Epel blinked, slowly meeting Ace’s gaze. He found him cool despite not knowing where he was actually from._

_“So, what do you like to do? Hoops?”_

_“I don’t know what that is…”_

_“Hoops? You know, basketball?”_

_“Oh! Uh, I never really tried it… I was a busy kid…”_

_“Ah, you’re one of those. You don’t really look it though.”_

_Epel tilted his head, not sure what he meant._

_“You know, a serious bookworm. A nerd.” Ace chuckled._

_“I ain’t no nerd!”_

_Epel clamped his hands over his mouth. It came out. He stared at Ace with wide eyes before scrambling to his feet. He felt something grab his wrist and pull him back, sending his hood flying off._

_“You have an accent… Is that why you take ages to respond? You’re trying to cover it up?”_

_“Leave me alone. You’re gonna start pickin’…” Epel mumbled, his lip trembling._

_“I don’t know what that last sentence meant, but I think your accent suits you better.” Ace complimented while smiling._

_Epel stared at him, Ace seemingly glowing. The fireflies continued to shine around them as Ace asked to hear more of his accent. Something inside Epel buried itself within, slowly being nurtured._

**[End Flashback]**

“Felmier!”

“Oh! Oh no…”

Crewel shook his head in disappointment, watching Epel clean up his mess. The flower of love was soon to bloom.

•

Epel yawned, walking to the gymnasium to watch Ace and his play some basketball. He started becoming a fan of it because of Ace really. He opened the door as quietly as he could before sitting off to the side.

Ace high fived and hip bumped his teammates as they scored another point. He wanted to do that. So close. Maybe if he got into basketball too, he could play with them. Epel’s followed Ace who scored a basket. He found himself cheering louder than usual, drawing attention to himself. Ace smiled and waved, acknowledging his presence.

They continued to play, but were currently breaking. He noticed one of the guys walked off alone with Ace. They were rather close, closer than usual. Too close. They were laughing and touching. So close. What were they talking about? Why were they touching so much? Epel left. He couldn’t stand seeing it for some reason.

•

Epel hadn’t been around Ace for who knew how long? He wanted to know how he was doing, if he was taking care of himself. He wanted to talk to him. Epel fingered a section of his hair as he stared down at his book. Was he really missing Ace? It was natural to miss friends. Epel put the books back before exiting the library. He heard Ace was hanging out in Savanaclaw with a few others.

Epel approached the Savanaclaw building before stepping inside. It was pretty rugged as usual. He took the walkways, not remembering the number door exactly.

“Oh, it’s Epel.”

“Epel’s here?”

“It’s gonna snow guys!”

“Umm, is Ace here…?”

The student stepped aside, revealing Ace throwing snacks into another student’s mouth. He walked in, making his presence known again.

“Where you been? We’ve been having a lot of fun without ya!”

“I can see that…”

They had Epel sit down while they continued throwing snacks. Ace and another student soon got rowdy, playfully arguing about his throwing skills. A few others joined in. Epel felt sick to his stomach. They were grabbing almost everywhere on each other. Epel left without a word. Why was he feeling this way? Why was it hurting and making him feel so sick? Epel found his speed walking turning into a jog before becoming full on sprinting.

Why was he in so much pain over something so trivial?

•

Epel lied in bed, writing and rewriting. He picked up the old letter from his parents before looking down at his writing.

“Mama was right…”

Epel crumpled it up, throwing it in the trash.

’ _When you start liking someone, their presence in your life becomes something you find you can’t be without no matter the circumstance.’_

Epel started writing again, getting much farther this time. He crumpled it up too, tossing it out.

He continued to write and rewrite throughout the day, only to end up scraping them. Maybe it was best to just come forward with it. He decided to meet with Ace and just- No.

_“Ostracized.”_

_“Bullied.”_

He couldn’t. He couldn’t be the gay kid. He didn’t want to be an outcast and he definitely didn’t want to be bullied. Ace was going to tell everyone once he confessed, wasn’t he? But could he really sit idle, letting his feelings be unstable?

“Hey.”

Epel jumped, not expecting to be snuck up on.

“Oh, it’s just you…” Epel exhaled, seeing it was Deuce.

“Who did you think I was…?”

“Ace. Speaking of him, would you happen to know where he is?”

“I actually just passed by him and another guy, They found some crumpled paper with writing on it.”

Deuce watched as Epel took off. Did he have something that important to tell him about?

“Dude, some guy here’s got a massive crush.” Ace chuckled.

“You know, you fit the description perfectly.”

“No way.”

“You’re the only orange haired, red eyed guy with big red heart suit on your left eye.” he said.

“Hm… Oh, Epel!”

“Now that I’m looking… doesn’t this handwriting look fam- AH!”

The paper was suddenly put ablaze by none other than Epel. They looked, seeing Epel was breathing heavily.

“You could’ve hurt someone!”

“I-”

“Hey, what was all of that about?” Ace asked, motioning he’d deal with it.

“I… I… You can’t just read someone’s paper without permission.” Epel replied weakly.

“Considering it was left near the trash and all open, it was begging to be read.” the student said from behind.

“Even-”

“AH! The handwriting! It’s yours!” the student exclaimed.

“You wrote that love letter…?”

Epel frantically denied it. He didn’t want to be found out this way. Wasn’t his plan to tell Ace anyway? He defeatedly sighed before taking Ace by the wrist and heading someplace isolated.

“So, why are we here…?” Ace asked, wanting answers.

“I… I like you.”

Ace was speechless.

“I know. You don’t like me, you don’t have to say it.” Epel said, looking down at the grass. “I’m already prepared to be outcasted and bullied…”

“So you’re just going to answer for me?”

“Ace, I’ve been watching on the sidelines ever since the ceremony. You’ve never shown interest in guys and you all even agreed with me that-”

“Because I’m only interested in Epel Felmier.”

“Huh…?”

Epel found himself being pushed down, the two of them hiding in the bushes. It was just like that night months. The only thing missing were fireflies. He opened his mouth to speak, only for Ace to lean down and kiss him. Students walked past, giggling and laughing. Epel stared at Ace wide eyed as he caressed his cheek.

“Let me hear that accent, country boy…”

“I’m goin’ to hell in a handbasket…” Epel muttered, covering his face.

“I’m just pickin’… you know?” Ace chuckled, earning a groan from Epel. “I just want you to speak freely around me, especially if it’s like this.”

Epel nodded, feeling Ace move his hands and give him another kiss.


	392. Kalim: My eventual change

Poof! A cloud of smoke engulfed a small, isolated area. A few students passing nearby noticed it but ignored it, having better things to do. The smoke settled, leaving something behind. A person coughed, swatting the remaining smoke away.

“Night Raven. What fond memories. Well, except that one point where Jamil betrayed me, but things are good now.”

The person walked towards the main building, curious as to if anything changed. As he walked around more, he started to notice that he had gone back in time. If he was here, did it mean he’d run into his younger self? He was definitely going to give him a talking to, telling him his life was going to fall apart if he didn’t get it together. And to also warn him about the future betrayal and overblot. Had far had he gone back?

“Excuse me.”

The student gasped, looking up.

“Holy shit… Kalim…? You’re taller. And handsome. And ripped!”

“I did start working out more after some… incidents. So, would you care to help me out once more, fellow student?” Kalim asked, getting on one knee as he held his hand.

“Uh, sure…?”

“Would you happen to know where Jamil is? It’s been so long I can’t remember his schedule.”

“I think he’s in magic history with Trein…”

“Thank you. Your help is valued.” said Kalim, giving him a proper bow before leaving.

Hearts formed in the students eyes as he waved to Kalim.

“I think I’m gay for him now…”

Students stopped and stared, looking at the new and improved Kalim. Even now he still had that infectious sunshine smile. Jamil’s class was being let out just as Kalim finally reached the room.

Students stopped and stared, blocking the doorway.

“Kalim!?”

“Hello. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you all.”

Azul squeezed out before bumping into Kalim. He was about complain before looking.

“Ha…”

“Azul! My treasured business partner!” Kalim said happily, giving him a hug. “It’s nice to see young you again!”

“C- Come again?” Azul squeaked, his mind reeling over the fact his body felt abs on Kalim.

“Oh right. I should refrain from speaking of future things. It’s me, Kalim. Somehow my future self came back to the past. I don’t know where my past self is currently though…”

“Okay, what’s the-”

Kalim’s eyes lit up. He pulled Jamil out before tightly hugging him.

“You… Come here. Azul, you too.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Because I said so!”

•

Kalim sat in the VIP Lounge as Jamil paced around. Even Azul was dumbstruck.

“You seriously have no idea how you got here?” Jamil asked, finding it hard to look at Kalim.

“Yeah. I blinked and the next thing I knew I was back on Night Raven grounds. But, it’s really nice to see the young versions of everyone again, even you Jamil.” said Kalim, taking Jamil’s hands. “Though, I don’t appreciate the betrayal. I’m over it, but it still stings.”

Jamil started stuttering, trying to play dumb.

“Ahem, you mentioned something about me being a treasured business partner?” Azul piped up, wanting some knowledge.

“Well, you will be. That’s all I’ll say.” said Kalim before smiling. “I really have the both of you to thank for my eventual change.”

Kalim hugged them both, nuzzling them. Azul pulled away, hiding his face from sight. Jamil eventually did the same.

“Kalim, could you give us a moment?” Azul asked.

“Of course. I’ll be right outside.”

Once the door closed, the both of them exhaled loudly.

“Did you see him!?”

“Duh! I was standing right next to you!”

“How in the hell can he be so charming!? He didn’t do anything but talk!”

“What the fuck happened to that literal baby I babysit everyday!”

The two of them whispered their feelings to each other, freaking out over future Kalim. Kalim decided to walk around a bit, getting a sense it’d be a while before he was let back in. Octavinelle students froze in place, gazing upon Kalim.

“Holy fuck…”

“Is it warm down here? It shouldn’t be…”

Kalim waved to them, politely greeting them. The first student fell over, the second immediately checking on him.

“Excuse-”

Kalim turned around, seeing Jade.

“Jade senpai! Well, I guess in this case I’m the elder now…” Kalim said despite continuing to bow.

“Well hello to you too, Kalim _senpai_ ~”

“Haha, no need to be formal. How has your day been?”

“Quite boring, until now that is. My, did you get a bit taller?”

“Yeah. I was surprised too. Thought I’d be 5'6 for the rest of my life.” Kalim responded with a chuckle. “Oh right! I think there might be a student over there who needs help.”

“He can wait, look me in the eye.”

Kalim did as he was told. Jade suddenly rubbed the bridge of his nose. Kalim tilted his head, wondering if something was wrong.

“Are you not feeling well? Shall I take you to the infirmary? I do remember where it’s located. Anything I can do until we get there?”

“So attentive…”

Kalim watched as Jade quickly walked off. He came back with Floyd. Floyd stopped in his tracks before charging towards him.

“You’re handsome!” Floyd exclaimed, holding his hands.

“Thank you. I’ve been taking care of myself these days, but man the merchant business can keep me busy for days.” Kalim responded, holding Floyd’s.

Floyd blinked, looking back at Jade who was giving Kalim a look.

“If there’s anything I do for the two of you now, I’m more than happy to help. Especially since it seemed like Jade wasn’t well.”

The twins were in awe. What happened to the literal puppy that was Kalim? Soon more people started to surround Kalim, highly interested in this proper looking guy. Kalim happily interacted with them, unintentionally working his way into their hearts, just like the rest of his unfortunate victims.

•

Kalim walked around Scarabia, stopping by the dorm leader’s room. He still didn’t think it was fair that he was made dorm leader just because of his parents. He always found it weird, especially since Jamil was better at literally everything.

“K- Kalim!”

“Yes? How may I help?” Kalim responded, shooting him in the heart.

“So it’s true…”

“What is?”

The student felt his words get caught in his throat. Kalim watched as he ran. That was weird. He closed the door, heading to the lounge.

All eyes were on him. He sat down with a group, starting up conversation. Soon Kalim was surrounded, everyone eager to hear about his tales. Who knew Kalim could be so charming?

“So this is were you wandered off to.” Jamil said, looking at Kalim’s backside. The moment Kalim turned around, Jamil looked away. “We should probably start looking for a way to return you back…”

“Ah, that’s right. I was so happy to be back that I completely forgot. This is why you’re simply the best, Jamil.” Kalim praised, smiling at Jamil.

Jamil went red in the face, forcing him to walk away. Kalim said his goodbyes while bowing before following after Jamil. The Scarabians continued to stare at the last spot they saw Kalim before clutching their hearts, a few falling over.

“Where do you suggest we start looking? The scene or the library?”

“Library.” Jamil said, surprised Kalim was actually giving out sensible suggestions.

“Splitting up might be a good idea while we’re there. It could fall under more than one section. Should we get Azul involved?”

Jamil had to stop. He wasn’t used to Kalim thinking and making sense. It was just so much to take in.

“No? Bad idea?”

“No it’s just… I’m used to you not having ideas…”

“Haha, that’s true. I was really a dumb teen. You and Azul really straightened me out. Of course I did some fixing of my own. Ah, before we go searching, I need to tell young me something.”

Jamil watched as Kalim rushed back to, well, his room. A few minutes passed before Kalim came back, now ready to find a way back.

•

Magic sparks went off before a cloud of smoke formed. Jamil and Azul watched, wondering if it was working. The smoke eventually cleared, leaving behind Kalim’s limp body.

“Kalim…?”

Kalim slowly opened his eyes before rapidly blinking. He sat up, looking up at Jamil and Azul.

“You two are staring.”

“I’m already having regrets of watching future Kalim off.” Azul whispered, Jamil nodding in agreement. “Well, at least I have something to look forward to.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing. Get up and get moving.”

“‘Kay!”

Kalim started walking around, noticing students were looking at him. Did he do something? Well, whatever it was, Jamil would just clean up the mess. Kalim laughed in delight, jumping onto Jamil’s back and causing them to topple to the floor.


	393. Ace + Che'nya: Furry & Brian

Che'nya quietly studied, minding his business. This time anyway.

“Senpai~”

“Go away.” Che'nya deadpanned.

“Don’t be like that. I’m your favorite underclassman!”

“I think that’s one sided, Ace.” Che'nya replied, forming sounds with his mouth. “Why are you here?”

“I want to hang out. You know all the fun stuff.”

“Well as you can see, I’m not doing anything fun right now. I need to pass this next test.”

Ace pouted, pulling up a chair. Che'nya was studying languages.

“Bird?”

“Specifically crow. They’re smart things so they’ll know if you fuck up.” Che'nya mumbled.

“Maybe I can help! I’ve been pretty good at mimicking things.” Ace offered.

“I’m fine. Go somewhere.”

Ace stayed put, knowing something was bound to happen around Che'nya. He looked towards the window, seeing a squirrel climbing into the room. Ace tried calling it over, only for it to scamper over to Che'nya and nestle beside him.

“Oh, it’s Furry.” Che'nya said, scratching Furry’s head. “Kuk kukukkuk.”

Ace listened to Che'nya and Furry converse. Soon it got to the point he couldn’t understand. Furry laughed with Che'nya. What was so funny? Furry made clicking noises before a gray squirrel entered the room.

“Hey, it’s Brian! Where have you been?”

Ace loooed between Che'nya and the chattering squirrels. Furry and Brian looked at Ace with their beady eyes.

“Uh, kukkuk… quuua?” Ace said.

Furry and Brian left. Che'nya chuckled before closing his book.

“Well, they just gave me some good info so I’ll be heading out.” said Che'nya, putting on shoes.

“Huh? About what? Where are you going?” Ace pressed, wanting to tag along.

“Somewhere. Bye~”

Ace sighed, seeing he had to ask Che'nya’s squirrely friends.

•

Che'nya watched from above keeping an eye out for the ones he wanted.

“And this is why I keep stressing they follow the rules!”

“I know, Riddle, but you need to cut back sometimes. I don’t think the world will fall apart if everyone drinks different teas at night.”

Che'nya smiled widely before jumping down, landing on top of someone.

“It’s been a while, little red~”

“Che'nya, get off Trey.” Riddle fussed.

“Nah. He’s comfortable. So what’s-”

Riddle found himself being pushed down by Che'nya before a loud crash could be heard from behind them. They looked, seeing a broom and a guy rubbing his behind.

“So they were right!”

“Uh…”

“Che'nya senpai!”

Che'nya sighed with his entire body as Ace latched onto him.

“Why are you in Night Raven? Who is he? And the guy face down on the ground?” Ace asked, his curiosity at a high.

“And he is…?” Riddle asked, looking at the bright eyed student.

“Ace Trappola. A new first year in my dorm.” Che'nya replied. “He’s… work.”

“Certainly looks it. Trey, how long are you going to lie there?”

Trey let out a heavy sigh. Che'nya’s tail stood up, sensing danger. Maybe he landed a bit too hard.

“Che'nya, I hope you can afford another pair of glasses for me.” Trey said, dusting himself off as he picked up his glasses.

“Ahaha…”

Che'nya immediately ran, Trey hot on his heels. Riddle looked at Ace before frowning. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew he didn’t like him.

"So, how do you know Che'nya senpai?“ Ace asked.

"Surprisingly, we’re childhood friends. Him, Trey and I. We’re completely different from each other but somehow it just works.”

“Riddle! Oh, who’s this?”

“This is Ace, Trappola. He’s from Royal Sword.”

“Ah, I can tell. No other school has such a flashy uniform. I’m Cater! Magicam is my game.”

“Oh… Inteeesting.” Ace said, more concerned about Che'nya’s wellbeing. “I should go find my senpai… Bye!”

Cater blinked before looking at Riddle.

“Did I just get subtly denied?” Cater asked.

“Like that’s anything new.” Riddle said, walking away.

“You wound me~” Cater said, feigning sadness.

•

Ace found himself lost in the maze. He was in a new location not knowing anyone and on top of that he was lost. He didn’t know what to do. He somehow had the bright idea of leaving his phone behind because he’d just be in and out.

“Hey, who are you!”

Ace looked, seeing an upset student.

“I’m Ace. I sorta kinda came here with my senpai but then we got separated and I tried looking for him but ended up getting myself lost in this maze.” replied Ace in one go.

“You aren’t wearing a Night Raven uniform…”

“Oh. I go to Royal Sword. I just need to find my senpai so we can leave. I’m worried Headmaster Merryweather will find out…” Ace said worriedly.

“There you are. Some dudes told me you were looking for me.” said Che'nya, jumping down beside Ace. “Oh, it’s little Deuce~”

“Don’t call me little!”

“Mhmm, mhmm. Don’t care. Anyway, thanks for looking out for him. Bye~”

“Wait, you can’t just-”

Deuce sighed, seeing they already left.

Ace picked up his broom, looking to Che'nya who conversed a bit more with Riddle and Trey.

“Alright, I’ll fly. Mostly because I don’t want to be responsible for a broken broom AND your broken bones.”

Ace happily cheered, sitting behind Che'nya.

“Don’t come back here!” Riddle shouted.

“Love you too, little red!” Che'nya cackled before they disappeared from sight.

“We’re gonna see him again arent we?”

“I don’t think a question is needed for that.” Trey mumbled, fixing his glasses with magic.


	394. Night Raven: Took months

Riddle walked past before backtracking. He took a deep breath.

“TREY!”

Trey and Cater came running, wondering what the problem was.

“Riddle, whatever they did, we can-”

“The windows have been fixed.” Riddle pointed out. “After months, they’re fixed.”

They looked, seeing they were. But did he have to yell for something so small?

“Actually, now that you mention it, I was just by the croquet grounds and it seems like we got a lot of new equipment.” Cater mentioned.

“And the gas stove was replaced with the more mordern one we asked for.” Trey added on.

Riddle had them show him. New equipment. New stove. New windows.

“Oh, well whaddya know? Looks like we’re getting a new paint job!” Ace said as the trio walked over.

“What in the world…” Riddle whispered.

•

Vil walked down the halls, spooking a few students. That was one look no one wanted to be the recipient of. Vil finally stopped in the lounge before looking around. Vil had his serious face on. What was the problem?

“Oh, there you are!”

“Rook, does anything feel different to you?”

“Mmm, no?”

“I’ve counted several new mirrors hanging in the halls and the stain glasses windows in said halls are brighter than ever.”

“Now that you mention it, I did have to shield my eyes more than usual…” Rook mumbled. “Does this mean the windows are clean?”

“There’s no other explanation for that much brightness. I did hope new mirrors would force students to constantly look themselves over but the ones near the windows was a mistake. Help me take them down.”

“But how did they even get there?”

“Clearly Crowley processed my requests after weeks.”

“Dorm leader!”

“What?”

“Uh, there’s several boxes sitting in the communal kitchen. We don’t know what to do with them…”

“Rook, you and this student take down the mirror.”

Vil hurried off to the kitchen, seeing boxes in the way. He started opening them before rapidly blinking. He request from over a year ago. Another from a few months ago.

“My god, Crowley is doing his job…”

Vil was shook. This couldn’t be right. Crowley was a terrible headmaster.

•

“Big brother!”

“Now what?”

“Uh, there are some guys here saying they’ve got these deliveries.” Ortho said. “They have your name on it.

"I didn’t order anything that should be here today though…” Idia mumbled. “Can they be brought in here?”

“No. They’re… doors? And a few other big things?”

“Doors… Oh.”

Ortho tilted his head, wondering why Idia’s face did a 180 turn.

“So it finally went through. Took months…”

Idia reluctantly left his room, knowing he was going to have to direct them if he wanted it done right.

•

Idia looked as the new TV was set up in the lounge along with the other things the Ignihyde students asked for.

“Isn’t it great, big brother? Everyone doesn’t have to huddle around the small screen anymore!”

“Yeah but… why now of all times?”

“Does it matter?”

“I suppose not but… Crowley is always putting things off or making others do things for him. So for all of this to be here now, it’s suspect.”

Ortho sighed, wondering why Idia has to question everything. Couldn’t they just be happy that the things are here?

•

Silver and Lilia watched as the raccoon was placed into the back along with a few rats. Silver felt bad for them, but they couldn’t stay in Diasomnia.

“Are they really going to release them into the wild?” Silver asked.

“I’m pretty sure a company named ‘Saving Wildlife’ is going to put them back in the wild.” Lilia replied.

“How long had it been since they settled in?”

“Months maybe? I don’t know, time moves slower for me you know.”

“Hey, I heard a commotion downstairs.”

“Oh, Malleus. You just missed watching some burly guys round up the raccoon and rats that made their home in Diasomnia.”

“Didn’t I send that in ages ago…?” he muttered.

“Yes. We were just talking about that.”

“Lilia sama! Oh, Young master…”

“What’s going on?”

“You know they cleared out downstairs and made it into a second lounge?”

“What!?”

They hurried downstairs, seeing Diasomnia students relaxing and talking.

“Didn’t I…”

“Yep. Eons ago.” Lilia said.

Clearly the students were happy with the new set up, especially since there was always limited space. There was even a little throne for Malleus to sit in.

“Since when did Crowley start processing requests…?” Malleus whispered.

“I don’t know, but I’m glad things are finally getting done.” said Silver. “Think they fixed up those deteriorating balconies on the second floor?”

“One way to find out.”

Silver and Sebek hurried upstairs while Malleus and Lilia went to check what requests they had sent in the past.

•

The dorm leaders had a secret meeting in the VIP Lounge. Idia quietly closed the door behind him, this being one of the few times he’d attend in person.

“So, who has had requests processed and finished?”

Everyone raised their hand.

“Who thinks this is bullshit?”

Everyone raised their hand.

“Who thinks Crowley did it?”

No one raised their hand.

“This is the mystery we need to solve. I’m not particularly complaining, especially since a few students had holes in their walls…” Azul said, pacing around. “I suggest we confront him without warning.”

“But isn’t he like the king of element of surprise?” Leona stated.

“Leona has a point, surprisingly. I was going about my usual day and suddenly there’s this ungodly presence behind me.” Vil said, shuddering at the memory.

“Was it Crowley…?” Kalim asked.

“Oh no, it was some random student who had been following me all day. It was after I talked to him that Crowley appeared out of nowhere when I turned around.” Vil explained.

“Okay… Even still, I don’t think he’d expect anyone to just burst into his office.” said Riddle.

“So, when are we doing this?” Idia asked, needing to mentally prepare.

“Now.”

“Wait-”

Malleus had teleported everyone outside of Crowley’s office. None of them were used to traveling in such a way, causing them to take a moment to gather themselves.

Vil pushes Crowley’s doors open, heading over to his desk. Crowley was surprised alright. The others soon joined Vil, creating an overbearing aura.

“Crowley, we know you aren’t actually processing our requests!” Vil said, slamming his palms against his desk. “Who’s actually doing it?”

“Riddle, hows the new stove? Working well?”

“You’re avoiding the question.”

“It’s such a nice day today isn’t it? We should all take a nice stroll at some point.” Crowley said cheerily.

“Headmaster!”

“Ah, how have you all been doing in your classes? How about you, Shroud?”

“You’re being an asshole.” Idia spat.

Everyone looked at Idia before silently agreeing, staring at Crowley who was sweating bullets underneath.

“Boys, is it that hard to believe that I’m a headmaster who takes care of things?”

“Yes.” they said in unison.

“I assure you, I’m doing my best. Now run along, I have more to go through. I’m sure you’re looking for to that new surround sound system, Shroud~”

“We’re onto you. We’ll get you to break soon enough.” Riddle threatened.

Yuu quietly walked down the hall, seeing the dorm leaders coming out of Crowley’s office. They quietly waved before heading inside.

“A- Ah, Yuu… How nice of you to drop by…” Crowley said weakly.

“Here’s the other stack of finished work. I’m starting to get a feeling that these aren’t just simple 'school assignments’.” Yuu said before feeling and overbearing presence behind them.

Yuu looked back, seeing seven angry dorm leaders.

“Ah, now look what you’ve gotten yourself into, Headmaster.” Yuu said, stepping out of the dorm leaders’ way.

“Wait, I can explaiiiiinnnn…!”


	395. Night Raven: Took Months (cont.)

Yuu rubbed his eyes, working hard on his actual schoolwork. He jumped, not knowing who in world was knocking on the door.

“What do you want?”

“Nice to see you too, Yuu.”

“Well, considering I specifically asked to not be bothered while working…” Yuu mumbled. “So, what can I do for you, Kalim?”

“Nothing. Just… thought you’d like to know what’s going on.” said Kalim before placing a flyer in Yuu’s hands. “See ya!”

Yuu closed the door before reading the flyer.

“W- What!?”

Yuu quickly opened the door, no longer seeing Kalim. What was all of this about nominating and becoming new headmaster? Yuu ran towards the the main building, needing to see Crowley.

“Interesting. This is the first I’ve heard about it. It’s nothing more than a joke. It’s not easy to become headmaster. You need to meet many credentials and other things.” said Crowley letting out a sigh.

“I hope it’s just a joke. I don’t want your spot.” Yuu said, leaving the flyer in his hands.

“I wouldn’t have wished for it either.”

Yuu stepped out of Crowley’s office, only to find himself being bombarded with questions about if he was seriously going to take over being headmaster. Yuu quickly fled, starting to wish the joke would die down already.

•

Yuu looked outside, seeing a few students hanging around. An entire week had gone by and at some point everyone had started calling him Headmaster. It was time he got to the source of it all.

“Hey!” Yuu called out.

“Headmaster!”

“First, don’t call me that. I’m not your headmaster. I’m just Yuu. Second, where did you three hear about this nominating me as headmaster thing?”

“Our dorm leaders.” they said in unison.

“Well, he and I are from the same dorm if you couldn’t tell.” one of them said. “Idia seemed pretty on board with it.”

“Surprisingly Leona senpai was too.”

Yuu sighed, seeing he had dorm leaders to round up.

“Head- I mean, Yuu, may I ask something?” the Ignihyde student questioned.

“Go on.”

“Why are you against the idea? You get things done, and it’s not like you can exactly be a student here since you don’t have magic. What could be better than becoming headmaster where you have all the power you need without the need of magic?” he reasoned. “You could truly turn this school into what it was meant to be.”

Yuu looked at him before shaking his head.

“You already have a headmaster… Even if he isn’t a good one, he’s better than nothing.”

“Yuu, he’s letting this place fall apart. I heard if we start losing more students, the school may shut down.”

Yuu narrowed his eyes. Why was something like that reaching the ears of students? He pushed the thought aside, remembering his true goal.

“The school may shut down.”

Was Crowley really doing that bad of a job?

•

Vil sat down with the others, curious as to why Yuu gathered them all.

“I heard from students you seven were the cause of this headmaster nomination. And I’m very shocked you joined in, Malleus.” said Yuu.

“I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t a good idea.” shrugged Malleus. “I’ve been alive longer than all of you combined, so I’ve seen my fair share of terrible figure heads. And Crowley is one of them.”

“He has experience and magic!” Yuu stated.

“And yet who got months of many, many requests done within two months?” Azul countered.

“W- Well, me, but-”

“And that’s the end of this conversation. Crowley is getting kicked out of office and you’ll become the new headmaster. It’s that simple.” said Leona.

“But don’t I need credentials or something? A degree?”

“Yuu, you’ve already proved to be more help than Crowley has in all my time here.” said Vil. “And I’ve visited this place often when I was young.”

“If that’s all, we have more signatures to collect and send to the higher ups in the school board.” said Riddle, him and the others getting up to leave.

“Wait, I’m not done! I’m not fit to be headmaster! I don’t have wisdom! I’m not old enough! I… I still want to go home!” Yuu protested.

They turned, looking at Yuu who squeezed his eyes shut.

“It never crossed your mind that maybe… there is a way back home but, you’re still stuck here because of a… certain someone?” Azul said, sauntering his way over to Yuu. “The twins and I know things around here, you know. Isn’t it odd how he claims to be finding a way back yet every time you mention it, he’s somehow forgotten or ‘still working on it’?”

“Don’t you think the answers you might be looking for do exist and he’s not telling you?” Vil said, catching onto Azul’s plan. “But why wouldn’t he? What could you possibly have that he needs to keep you here for? You aren’t of our world, so you shouldn’t have any value, especially since you’re devoid of magic?”

“Isn’t it time you finally got answers, Yuu?” Leona joined in.

“You’ve been here long enough. Crowley makes you do everything he doesn’t want to. Isn’t that lame?” Kalim piped up.

“Why don’t you show him you’re unhappy?” Malleus suggested.

“Take what you’ve been deprived of.” Riddle smirked.

“And crush that god awful, deceiving crow for making you his slave.” Idia said, making a fist as if crushing something in his hand.

They slid a flyer into Yuu’s line of sight while Azul drafted a contract.

“Sign and we’ll do everything in our power to get you home. In exchange, help us overthrow that dying crow.” Azul said, presenting Yuu with his skeletal quill.

Yuu snatched it from his hands, signing the contract.


	396. Fuce: Magic Wheel

Jade continued to get dressed, someone bursting into his room.

“Jade!”

“I should’ve known. What is it now?” Jade asked, putting on his gloves after buttoning his shirt.

“Do you have info on Mackerel?”

“Mackerel…? The fish?” Jade asked, not entirely sure why Floyd would want it. Floyd gave him a look. “Oh, Deuce. Of course I do.”

“Gimme. I need his attention.” said Floyd.

“I think you can do that easily just by being near him.” Jade said.

“No. People run. I can’t seem to understand why~”

Jade rolled his eyes, promising him info before pushing him out his room.

•

Deuce happily chatted with friends before seeing a few of them get up to relocate, gesturing for him to do the same. Deuce moved too late, now being held back by Floyd.

“Uh…”

“Hey, lets play~”

“I uh, sure…” Deuce whispered, knowing resisting would just make things worse.

“Great. What do you wanna do?”

Deuce blinked. This had to be a trick question. Floyd didn’t care what he wanted to do.

“Whatever you want to.”

Floyd smiled widely. Deuce really was a smart one. Deuce’s friends prayed for him as Floyd took him away.

Deuce cowered behind the seats, fearfully watching Floyd dangerously balancing two mixtures that should never come in contact.

“Why are you hiding?”

“Because I want to live!?”

“You’re not gonna get hurt. Badly.” said Floyd.

“You’ve done this before!?” Deuce exclaimed before squeaking, seeing Floyd pretending to drop it. “Stop!”

Floyd pulled him out of hiding before pouring the liquid into the container. Deuce said silent goodbyes as they came in contact. Nothing happened. Floyd was rolling on the floor, laughing his head off. Deuce looked, seeing it was just a concoction that created some weird moss. Deuce was definitely mad that Floyd tricked him, but he was relieved Floyd wasn’t seriously trying to kill him.

“Okay, lets do something you like.”

“Do you mean it…?”

Floyd simply smiled. Maybe he was joking. Again.

“We don’t have to do anything I want. You always have the best ideas.”

“Yeah, I know, but I wanna do what you want.”

He was insisting. Was he trying to catch him slipping up?

“Really, there’s no need.”

“Hey. Are you trying to make me mad?” Floyd asked seriously.

“N- No! I just thought you wanted me to agree to do something you wanted to do again…” Deuce confessed. “If you really want to do something I like…”

Floyd found himself watching videos with a sparkly eyed Deuce. Magic wheels. Apparently this was what Deuce liked to do.

“Since I can’t exactly drive one on campus and getting permission to go off campus isn’t easy… So I sit and watch on my phone or a computer!” Deuce explained.

Question marks floated around Floyd before his eyes widened. What they were doing looked like fun.

“Why don’t we go ride one?” Floyd suggested.

“I’d love to. I even have a friend who’d let me ride if I can get out long enough. But…”

“Lead the way!”

Deuce frantically shook his head. He couldn’t jeopardize his school record like this. Even then, he was curious about what Floyd was going to do to sneak them out.

•

Deuce was freaking out. Floyd had snuck him off school grounds and not exactly subtly either. He could only hope that no one saw them.

“So, where to now?” Floyd asked.

“Uh… a right. And then…”

They finally stopped in front of a place that looked pretty normal. Deuce notified his friend, not expecting him to come out so soon.

“You’re finally here! Man, I was thinking you’d never get to come out.”

Floyd narrowed his eyes, watching the two of them. He never mentioned he was close to this friend. Deuce noticed Floyd was lagging behind, so he slowed down and took his hand to help him catch up.

“You don’t want to ride anymore?” Deuce asked.

“So you like him?” Floyd questioned.

“Like him? I love him! He’s going to help me live out my dream!” Deuce exclaimed.

Floyd stopped, letting go of Deuce’s hand.

_“I love him!”_

Deuce eventually noticed Floyd had let go. He turned, seeing Floyd running off. So he really didn’t want to ride. He could’ve just said so.

“Deuce? You getting in?”

Deuce looked at the magic wheel then back in the direction Floyd took off in.

“Well…”

•

Floyd slowly came to a stop, glancing into a reflective surface. Why did he look like this? What were these sinking feelings in his stomach? Why was it hard to breathe? Was it time for another potion?

Floyd walked back onto campus grounds, strange sounds coming from his mouth. His chest hurt so much and he didn’t know how to make it stop. He crouched down, wiping his face with his hands. Why did just a few words make him feel like a beached whale?

“Floyd? Oh… what hurt you? Or is it a who?”

Floyd couldn’t find the words to speak clearly.

“It must be serious if my precious brother is crying.”

“It hurts so much…” Floyd wept.

“What does?”

Floyd placed a hand over his heart. Jade hummed before smiling.

“Remember when Mom told us that bedtime story when we were sick in bed?”

Floyd nodded, searching through his memories. Jade simply smiled, seeing Floyd’s facial changes. He hoped it gave him a better understanding of his feelings.

•

Deuce returned to campus, his mind full of Floyd. He should’ve gone after him immediately. He really seemed distressed. Things probably would’ve been more fun if Floyd had stayed. Would Floyd accept his apology? Should he bring an apology gift?

Deuce knocked on Floyd’s door, holding a plastic bag full of goodies. The door opened, revealing Floyd’s roommate.

“Um, is Floyd in…?”

“Yeah.”

“May I enter…? I promise I won’t be long.”

The student let him in. Deuce walked over to Floyd’s bed, placing the bag on his desk.

“I don’t know exactly what I did wrong earlier today, but I’m going to apologize if I was in the wrong. I was really looking forward to driving around with you, but I guess that’s not going to ever happen… since you’re mad at me…” said Deuce, his hand hovering dangerously close to Floyd’s arm. “Despite the amount of scares you’ve given me today, I had a lot of fun. Thank you…”

Deuce placed a few fingers on Floyd’s arm before starting to walk away. He really didn’t know what he did wrong.

“Hey.”

“Yes?” Deuce replied, turning around.

“Come.”

Deuce moved closer just like how he was before. Deuce found himself being pulled onto Floyd’s bed, lying on his back as he looked up at him. Floyd’s roommates left, not entirely sure if they should be present.

“You hurt me today…”

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have brought up magic wheels…” Deuce said, lowering his gaze.

“Do you really love him…?”

“Him who?” Deuce parroted, tilting his head.

“The magic wheel guy.” Floyd huffed.

Deuce blinked before laughing. Floyd didn’t get what was so funny.

“Don’t tell me the reason you took off was because you were jealous that I loved my friend more than you.” Deuce giggled, making Floyd blush. “That’s really cute… I didn’t know you had cute sides.”

“I don’t.” Floyd grumbled.

Deuce smiled and laughed with his eyes, making Floyd’s heart beat faster. Listening to him laugh so genuinely was music to his ears. Floyd leaned closer, their noses briefly brushing against each other.

_‘Sometimes it’ll feel so tight, you think you’ll die!’_

“Floyd…?” Deuce muttered, looking at him with innocence.

_'There’s just that look you’ll see in their eyes and know.’_

“Deuce…”

“You called me by name…” he whispered, feeling heat rising into his cheeks. _“What’s going on all of a sudden? I wasn’t prepared for this…!”_

Floyd connected their lips, tenderly cupping Deuce’s cheek. They pulled apart, Deuce more flustered than Floyd.

_'Then bam! You’re stuck in a thing called attraction.’_

Floyd sat up, allowing Deuce to go free. Floyd touched his lips, his mind focused on the kiss that just happened. Deuce’s lips were soft and a bit plump. He tasted savory too.

“Floyd…”

“It was an accident.” Floyd lied, having Deuce get to his feet. “Sorry not sorry if it was your first.”

Deuce found himself standing outside the bedroom. It didn’t feel like an accident. Even if it wasn’t, what would he do about it? It wasn’t like they could be a thing either. They were opposites.

Floyd didn’t want to kick him out, but what else was he supposed to do? He wasn’t ready to confess yet. He needed a good window of opportunity. Until then, he’d have to try everything to win his favor.


	397. NSFW Ariel: Tentickles

Azul always kept his room clean, yet for some reason he was convinced it was dirty. He started cleaning his already clean room for the third time. Maybe he might find something he missed. He fixed up his bed, fluffing the pillows even more.

Something still felt wrong. Azul sighed before feeling a bit itchy. Before he could react, his clothes stretched and ripped as he now sat on the floor.

“Why now of all times…”

Azul scooted over to his drawer that held the potions. Empty. He looked up at his calendar, counting the days. This couldn’t be right. He always made enough for himself and the twins, so he should have three left. Yet it was empty. Azul felt around on his desk, locating his phone. It was extremely close to when he was supposed to have company.

He simultaneously texted Jade about his situation while crawling himself into his bed, pulling the covers over his entire body. Now his problem was to not get his suckers stuck to the bed and keep his arms from moving. He proceeded to remove his uniform just as someone knocked on the door.

 _“He’s early… I should’ve expected it.”_ Azul thought, wondering if he should turn him away.

“Azul? Am I too early? Though it’s only five minutes before…”

He had to turn him away. The last person he wanted to see him like this was his highly intelligent and discipline loving boyfriend.

“Azul- Oh, it’s open. Excuse me.”

Riddle looked around, his eyes resting on Azul’s bed. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but he could see Azul was ready for their date. He closed the door, making sure it was locked. He hated being disturbed while studying, especially if he wanted to do it alone with Azul.

“Azul? Why are you hiding?”

“Don’t come any closer!”

Riddle stopped, wondering why he sounded so frantic.

“Why not? I thought we’ve long since achieved the touching stage in our relationship?” Riddle questioned.

“Just go. I’m not feeling well.”

“Then it’s my duty to care for you. Let me move the sheet-”

“NO!”

Riddle stepped back, not expecting Azul to shout. Now he was really concerned. Riddle played tug of war with Azul before using magic to help him move the sheet. Azul curled into him, trying to hide.

“Don’t look at me… I’m hideous…” Azul wept. “I’m so ugly…”

“Azul-”

“Go away! Everything is ruined. And these stupid suckers won’t stop sticking to things! I look so chubby…”

“You’re handsome in both forms.” Riddle said, crawling into bed with him. He held an arm, running his hand over it. “To me, it doesn’t matter how you look because I fell in love with Azul Ashengrotto, not Azul Ashengrotto’s body. I’d still love you even if you were anything different. There’s so much more to you than this.”

“You’re just saying that…”

“I mean every word. I am not the type to lie, you know this.”

Azul slowly turned around, looking at Riddle. Riddle smiled, giving Azul a passionate kiss.

“It also gives me a chance to see you without glasses.” Riddle giggled, taking them off briefly.

“I still need those…”

Riddle put them back on, complimenting his body more. He’s always wanted to see Azul in his merform and the world had finally given him a chance. Riddle played with his suckers, starting to wonder if he could stick to ceilings. He didn’t ask, keeping the thought to himself.

“So, shall we start our date?” Riddle asked.

“Yeah, but first…”

Riddle smiled into the kiss, glad to see his boyfriend wasn’t feeling as insecure as before. Riddle felt Azul wrap an arm around his waist, his fingers feeling around. They pulled apart, the two lovingly staring into each other’s eyes. Riddle’s eyes widened briefly, feeling his pants loosen.

“Azul…”

“What?”

“Don’t what me. You loosened my belt didn’t you…”

Azul continued to play innocent, sliding his hand down Riddle’s pants and squeezing his ass cheek. Riddle went red in the face, quickly burying his face in Azul’s chest.

“What’s wrong…? Never had your cheek squeezed?”

Riddle kept silent, feeling an arm slipping its way down his pants. He let out a squeak, pulling it out. A few more dove in, focusing his attention in one spot. Azul chuckled, hearing Riddle let out a gasp. He was being attacked from both sides.

“Azul… Wha…” Riddle whispered, being pleasured on both sides as Azul moved him closer.

“The study part of the date can wait. Is that okay?” Azul whispered, kissing along his jaw and neck.

Riddle moaned in response, feeling another arm entering his hole. He noticed Riddle was enjoying it much more than he originally thought. It started to make him wonder.

“Have you… fantasized about this?” Azul asked, having Riddle look him in the eye.

“Yes… a lot…” Riddle confessed, his face extremely red. “Just your arms touching me all over my naked body… pleasuring me and making me come nonstop…”

Now it was Azul’s turn to blush deeply. He never thought Riddle ever looked at him in that light, especially in his loathed form. Azul was brought out of his thoughts, hearing Riddle letting out whimpers and moans as his body shook while sucking on an arm.

“Riddle…”

Riddle looked at him as Azul wiped his tears. His body shook more before he came, tightening his grip on Azul. Riddle panted, feeling Azul removing his arms.

“You already came yet you still look so hard…” Azul mumbled.

“Because… I still want to be filled by your arms. It wasn’t enough.” Riddle said before connecting their lips. “Tear me in half…”

“Riddle…!”

This sudden change in Riddle was making him flustered. Riddle giggled, stroking one of his arms.

“I’m only joking. Should we start the study part of this date or should it be called a sex date instead?”

Clearly Riddle already made his choice, stripping off what clothing was left on him. Seeing Riddle like this was boosting his confidence and esteem to new heights, making him want to see what else he could do to Riddle.

“Let me fulfill your fantasy while there’s still time.”

Riddle locked his arms around Azul, ready to be touched.


	398. Yuu x Vil: My Wish…

Yuu happily hummed, excited to start their project. Ace and Deuce looked at Yuu, still wondering why they were in such a good mood. Every time they asked, Yuu would just avoid answering. A door suddenly opened, whacking Yuu in the face.

“Is it bleeding…?”

Yuu shook their head, just feeling pain.

“Watch where you’re-”

Yuu looked, wondering why he stopped short. He wasn’t going to scold them as usual.

“Is it bleeding? Broken…?”

“No, I’m fine Vil. It was my fault for not paying attention.” Yuu said, smiling bright.

“Well, yes but-”

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not like you could see anyone coming. Thanks for checking on me though.”

Vil bit his lip, still worried.

“You don’t want to go to the infirmary?”

Yuu shook their head, assuring him that they were fine.

“You have class don’t you? You’re going to be late.” Yuu said, pushing him away. “Hurry up!”

“I’ll see you later then…”

Yuu happily waved, continuing on their way with Ace and Deuce. Vil looked back, still feeling bad for what he did.

•

“Okay, I’m done. Yuu, what’s this project thing?” Deuce pressed.

“You can tell us more, you know?”

Yuu sighed, seeing they wouldn’t be able to eat in peace if they didn’t tell them more.

“I’m just going to try and make stars. I like to challenge myself sometimes.” Yuu said, telling half the truth.

“Oh, if that’s all it was, why was it so hard to say?” Ace questioned.

“Knowing you two, you’d want to join in. I don’t want that. This is something I want to do alone.”

“Yuu makes a point.”

“Well, we wish you luck on making stars. How are you going to do that exactly?”

“With paper. You’ll see when I’m done.” Yuu said, finally able to eat.

Yuu had a reason for wanting to make the stars. They only hoped that they would have their wish granted.

•

Yuu parted from Ace and Deuce, wanting to get started. There was quite a bit of preparation needed. Yuu had only gotten as far as the library when someone suddenly called out.

“Vil!”

Yuu stopped walking, letting him catch up.

“Where are you off to?” Vil question, placing a kiss on their cheek.

“Oh, just Ramshackle. I’m going to make stars!”

“Stars? What for? To spruce up the place? I think it’s going to need remodeling info more than anything.” Vil said, slightly swinging their joined hands.

“I plan to make a wish once I make a thousand of them.” Yuu explained.

“Yuu, nothing in life can be gained by making silly wishes. Only hard work and connections get you through life.”

Yuu frowned before smiling again.

“I’m still going to do it. Believing in stuff like this is fun, Vil. I really think there’s a force out there granting wishes for people all over.”

“Really? That’s very hard to believe.” said Vil, still refusing to believe. “I hear people make wishes everyday and they’re never granted.”

“Probably because they’re selfish wishes.” Yuu huffed.

“All wishes are selfish.”

Yuu opened their mouth to speak before closing it. They really didn’t understand what was wrong with wanting to believe wishes were real.

“Hey, did I make you unhappy…?” Vil asked, stopping in his tracks.

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about it. You have your beliefs and I have mine.” Yuu smiled, squeezing his hand.

“I know but… if I hurt you…”

Yuu shook their head, assuring him everything was fine. It’s not like their relationship was going to end just because they had different views. Yuu gave him a kiss, hoping it’d make him feel better.

“Well, we’re almost there. Do you want me to come in?” Vil asked, discreetly wanting them to say yes.

“For a little bit I know you have things to do.”

“I can push them back for you, you know. You’re important to me.” he said, holding their hands.

“Aww… You’re being really sweet.” Yuu chuckled. “But there’s no need for that. I plan to do homework after I finish my stars for today.”

“Alright then.”

•

Yuu held the jar, seeing the stars that lies inside of it. A few days had passed and the jar wasn’t looking any fuller than when they first started. They shook the jar, seeing the multicolored stars move around. They heard someone knocking, causing them to head downstairs.

“Vil! What a surprise. I didn’t think you’d be out this late. Aren’t you supposed to do rounds…?” Yuu questioned.

“I already did them. I missed you so I came to see you. I think I’ll sleep a little better tonight.”

Yuu took his hands, giving them little kisses.

“We can stargaze for a bit if you want. That is, if you’re comfortable lying on the ground…” Yuu said, knowing how he felt about things.

“I’ll do it if there’s a blanket.”

Yuu hurried back inside, coming back with one. The two spread it out before lying down.

“So, can I ask something?” Yuu asked, looking at Vil.

“You just did.”

“Don’t be like that.” Yuu grumbled, playfully pushing him.

“Fine, fine. What’s on your mind?” Vil replied, feeling his heart beat quicken.

“Why don’t you believe in things like stars granting wishes? Did something happen?”

“No. I’m just one of the many nonbelievers. We all have things we don’t believe no matter what others tell us.”

“Until we see it with our eyes! But, I guess that only applies to physical things.”

“Precisely.”

Yuu sighed as they snuggled closer to Vil. It was a shame really, but there wasn’t anything they could do. Even still, they were going to work hard to make the rest of the stars and make their wish.

“You know, I’ve been a little curious. What are you going to wish for? Can you tell me clues?” Vil pressed, looking at the shining stars.

“Nope. I’ll never tell.”

“Come on.”

Yuu got up, teasing him into chasing them. Yuu let out a squeal, feeling Vil catch them.

“Will you tell me now?”

“Nope. But have a consolation prize.” Yuu said before giving him a peck on the lips. “It’s getting late so you should probably get back if you want to get your beauty sleep.”

“Goodnight.”

Yuu blushed, touching their forehead where Vil kissed them. They were even more motivated to finish the thousand stars.

•

Yuu finished the last star of the day, seeing the jar was starting to fill up. How many days had passed since they initially started. Vil had stopped asking about the wish, but he had also become busier. The days they didn’t see each other were long and boring.

Today happened to be one of those long, boring days. Ace and Deuce wouldn’t be free until an hour later. They weren’t in the mood to study, but what else was there to do? Yuu ended up falling asleep while studying.

•

Yuu continued to fold the paper, seeing it taking shape. They were almost at their goal. Just one more day and they’d be able to make their long awaited wish. They shook the jar, watching the mass of stars move around. They were startled out of their moment by knocking.

“Ace? And Deuce…?”

“Why do you seemed surprised to see us? We were going to study together, remember?” Ace said.

Yuu had forgotten. The two could clearly see it on Yuu’s face. The two got themselves situated while waiting for Yuu.

“Sorry about that! My mind’s been wandering lately, haha.” apologized Yuu.

“Why has it? Is there something going on?” Deuce inquired.

“Not really. I’m just close to finishing my challenge!”

It wasn’t a lie. The two nodded before attempting to get serious about studying. Only an hour had gone by before Ace and Deuce weren’t focused on studying anymore.

“Guys! We’re here to study, no play app games.”’

“Just let me destroy Deuce… Hyah!”

“I’m not going down like this!”

Yuu sighed heavily, knowing they should’ve taken their phones at the beginning. They finally got the two on track before hearing someone else at the door.

“Oh, that is a lot of stuff… Who’s it for?”

“You.”

Yuu soon found themselves holding the gift basket.

“Thanks Rook but, who is this from…?” Yuu questioned.

“He wrote you a card.”

Yuu thanked him, wondering why the person couldn’t give it to them himself. Ace and Deuce were wide eyed, looking at all the stuff inside.

“I’m only sharing half of the food.” Yuu said, pulling out the food they were willing to share. They sat, reading the card that came with it. “Oh…”

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just an apology for being so busy and a notification that he’ll be freer again starting tomorrow. Such good news.”

“Vil senpai always dotes on you. How lucky.” Ace complained, stuffing his mouth with goodies. “Now this is the quality stuff! Must be nice being loaded.”

“So, can we get focused again? Or do I have to kick you out?”

They raised their hands in defense, promising they’d get serious.

•

Yuu happily folded a star as they went down stairs to answer the door.

“You’re still at it…?”

“This is the second to last one. Then I’m done. Also, it’s nice to see my boyfriend again.” Yuu chuckled.

“Duty called. Anyway, since you’re almost done, I can ask what you’re going to wish for right?” Vil asked, watching Yuu start the last one.

Yuu was laser focused on completing the last one. Vil kept silent, watching their hands nimbly move.

“Finally finished!” Yuu exhaled, holding the jar tight.

Yuu closed their eyes before smiling widely.

“So… your wish was?”

“If I say it, it might not come true.” Yuu pouted.

“But you already wished so doesn’t it make it okay?”

The two went back and forth until Yuu gave in.

“It’s going to sound silly but, I wished… I wished that after we both graduate, we’d still be together, just like this…” Yuu said, smiling with their eyes as they blushed. “It does sound silly saying it out loud, haha…”

“It’s not silly.” said Vil, taking their hands. “You didn’t have to make a wish for it though. We just have to work to keep it alive.”

“I know, Mr. Non-Believer.” Yuu chuckled, pulling him close.

Vil gently rubbed their back, looking at the jar full of stars.

_“Yuu worked so hard, so please… grant their wish…”_


	399. Azul: Ask your questions

“Azul, whatcha doin?”

“Something you’ll have very little interest in once you find out.” Azul replied.

“Can’t be that boring.”

“Research.”

Floyd scrunched his nose. Azul continued taking out books, seeing he was right on the nose as always.

“I can make it fun though!”

“And I don’t want you to. Please leave me be.”

“Boring…”

“There you are!”

Azul watched as Floyd sped away while his brother pursued him. He didn’t want to know what Floyd had gotten himself into this time. Azul sat down with his books, starting his research.

•

Azul was surrounded by books at this point, knee deep in information. Students passing by were a tad concerned about the person behind the fort of books.

“AH!”

“Shhh!”

Azul ducked his head, once more cross referencing books. His casual research turned into a big discovery somehow. Yet there was just something missing. But what was it?

“Hey… you seem… busy.”

“I am and I’m close to figuring this out and would appreciate no distractions!”

“Oh. I just thought you’d like to read this book since I’m done and taking into account what you’ve been reading.”

Azul looked up, seeing the book. He took it, flipping through its pages.

“This is it! You… Thank you, Malleus senpai…”

“May I ask what you’re figuring out?” Malleus asked, leaning against the stacks.

Azul went into detail, starting from the beginning.

“And everything came together after reading this. I may had blood relation to the Sea Witch.” Azul concluded, closing the book.

“Hm. Are you certain? I’m not trying to discredit your work, plus I’ve hardly left the Valley of Thorns so I wouldn’t know much.”

“I can take you through the steps.”

Malleus sat, rather intrigued. Azul pointed things out, showing him where he cross referenced and leading to other books.

“Ah, now I see. It’s exciting isn’t it?”

“Of course! She’s always been my role model. To think I could be related to her…”

“You know, Lilia knows a lot of history, plus he was a traveler back in the day. Maybe he might know something that isn’t in the books.” suggested Malleus, helping Azul put the books away.

“I’ve heard about Lilia’s vast knowledge from Trey senpai, but if even you’re saying it, it must be true.” Azul said, hoping Lilia knew something. “You’ve really helped me a lot, Malleus senpai. I must pay you back.”

“That’s not really necessary.”

“But I insist.”

“If you really want to pay me back, then… let’s be friends.”

Azul blinked.

“That’s it?”

“Money and material things mean nothing to a prince of an entire country.”

“Ah, right… Well, if that’s all you want, I can manage that.”

Malleus gave him a few places Lilia could be at before watching him off.

•

“It’s not everyday you come in search of me.”

Azul stepped back, wondering how he knew he was here without looking.

“No need to be afraid. Ask your questions.”

“How do you know I want to ask you something? Maybe I’m just stopping by to deliver a message.” Azul said as he sat beside Lilia.

“You learn things over time. So, what is it?”

“You know a lot about history, right?”

“More than the average human, yes. Curious about something?”

Azul filled him in on his discovery while doing research. Azul listened as Lilia gave him what he knew. He wasn’t sure if what Lilia was saying was true or not, considering what Lilia said didn’t necessarily match what he read in the books.

“So, did it help any?”

“You could say that. Thank you, Lilia senpai.”

“Ah, talking about this makes me miss my traveling days…” Lilia sighed.

“Why don’t you…?”

“I have to watch over two kids. They’re both troublesome in their own way.”

“Kids…?”

“Look at the time. See you~”

Azul sighed, looking at his notes. Would he ever figure it out? Maybe… maybe things were fine like this. He was content knowing that there was a possibility, even though he would much more prefer to know exactly. He started to wonder if his family knew. Maybe he’d tell them. Just maybe.


	400. Azul: Ask your questions (cont.)

Azul gathered his notes, making sure they weren’t left behind.

“Azul!”

“Stop bursting into people’s room.” Azul seethed.

“We heard you were heading home. What for?” Jade asked.

“Just reasons.”

“Azul, didn’t we agree to tell each other things?”

“Yes, but not everything. Now leave me be.”

“How cold.” Jade muttered, still wanting to know.

“So you’re just gonna leave us behind?”

“Floyd, this is still part of my research. You’ll get bored in seconds.”

“No. Minutes.” Floyd corrected.

Azul rolled his eyes before looking at them.

“See you.”

“Do you really not want company?” Jade asked.

“No.”

The twins watched him leave.

•

Azul made a stop at the museum, needing all the information he could get. He moved back some, bumping into someone.

“Hey!”

Azul turned around, receiving menacing looks from two guys.

“I didn’t see you.”

“You didn’t bump into us. How lucky you would’ve been if you did!”

“Hey, stop it. We’re not here to antagonize citizens.” a voice said before the person it belong to came out from behind them. “I’m really sorry about that. I’m not upset at all about being bumped into.”

“I’m guessing they’re your babysitters.” Azul muttered, glaring at the two guys.

“Something like that. They’re guards. I thought you would’ve recognized the emblem.”

Azul squinted, seeing the emblem on their armor. Oh. Then this person in front of him…

“My apologies, Prince Rielle Aquarus. I accept my punishment.” Azul said, bowing his head.

“There’s no punishment. I told you I’m not upset in the slightest. So you’re a fan of the Sea Witch?” Rielle asked, looking behind Azul.

“She’s pretty amazing. I came back home in search of learning a truth that I’ve unearthed.” Azul said, looking at her statue. “I’m hoping it’s true but… It’s also fine if it’s not.”

“Is that so…? I know it’s not exactly my place to ask, but what have you unearthed?” Rielle asked.

“Rielle-sama, don’t bother yourself with someone like him. We have to keep moving.” a guard said.

“I decide when we move. So, may I know? Wait, an even better question. Are you merfolk or a human visiting?” Rielle pressed, finding Azul intriguing.

“I am merfolk. I just prefer being in this human form. Actually, you’re royalty… Maybe you can help me with my discovery.” Azul said, a smirk finding its way into his face.

The guards moved forward but Rielle pushed them back.

“I’ll help, but only after you tell me what you’ve discovered.” Rielle said, smiling in return.

Azul looked between the statue of the Sea Witch and the smiling prince.

•

Azul quietly read over everything Rielle had told him. This gave him quite a bit of insight on the other side of things.

“So, do you know now? Are you related to her?” Rielle asked, looking at Azul’s notes.

“Hard to say. But, you did give me more information on the mermaid princess. That’s always nice to have.”

“Hm… So, what are you going to do now?”

“Ask my family. They’re the last thing I have.” Azul sighed, wondering if he was grasping at straws at this point.

“I’m sure you’ll find out the truth. Who better to ask than your family? If you have anymore questions, you know where to find me.” said Rielle before gasping. “Actually, you don’t. See, I have a day off from school today. I go to Royal Sword. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s on land. I know, a sea prince attending school on land. How crazy!”

“No. I attend school on land too. Humans and their way of doing things never cease to amaze me.”

“Right, right!? Ah, someone who finally understands!” Rielle squealed before clearing his throat. “Anyway, I must be holding you back from finding your answer. I’ll be off.”

Azul never thought one of the princes would be so… that. The royalty he’s met we’re either extremely lazy or so out of reach they unintentionally made themselves lonely.

•

Azul sighed, not too thrilled to see the restaurant. He stepped in, seeing merfolk of all kinds enjoying their meals.

“Welcome- Oh! Azul!”

“You still work here?” Azul asked rhetorically. “Tragic. Are my parents in?”

“Your mom is. I heard your father is staying at home with your visiting grandparents.”

Azul thanked her before heading off to the back. He knocked on the door before entering.

“Azie! I didn’t think you’d come all the way here. Come, have a seat. Tell me all about Night Raven.”

“Mom, you know that’s not why I’m here.”

She sighed, seeing her son wasn’t going to indulge her.

“You aren’t in your merform. Are you still being shy?”

“Mom!”

“Okay, okay. So you say you have information that could possibly link our family to the Sea Witch?” she asked, her serious face making itself known. “Show me.”

She quietly read over Azul’s findings.

“Azie, sweetie… I’m sure if we were related to her, we would be proud about it. There’s no way. It must be another octopus family.” she said with a shake of her head. “Our kind is rare around these parts anyway. Your father can tell you more since I’m from a different place where octopuses are rare.”

“Mom, are you sure you never heard anything…?”

She held his hands, giving him a loving smile.

“I know how much you look up to her and knowing you’re related to her would be the best thing ever, but sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.” said Mrs. Ashengrotto, ruffling his hair. “But, if you still want to pursue this, you can ask your father. He lived among a lot of octopuses.”

•

“Azul, you’re here! Come say hello to your grandparents.”

“Dad, I-”

“Azul…? I haven’t seen you in years…”

Azul sighed, seeing his search would have to wait. He indulged his grandparents before finally seeing his opening.

“Dad, Mom told you about me searching for an answer to if we’re related to the Sea Witch, right?”

“Yes. How did this even come about?” his father replied.

“Well aren’t you a bright one, Azul?”

“Grandma…?”

Azul sat down, seeing she wanted to speak.

“We aren’t directly related to the Sea Witch, actually.” she said, seeing Azul sigh in defeat. “We’re cousins. See, your great great great grandfather married one of the Sea Witch’s direct descendents.”

“Really? Why didn’t I know this, Mom…?” Mr. Ashengrotto asked.

“You never asked.”

“Well…” he started before giving up and sighing.

“So we are related…”

“You telling him one of your tall tales again?” Grandpa Ashengrotto fussed.

Azul’s grandparents bickered back and forth while Azul was still reeling over the fact he and his role model were related. Coming home to learn this was definitely worth the trip. Even if some places didn’t exactly hold great memories.


	401. NSFW Idia x Azul: Hentai sex is real!

Idia sighed, the video having finished. They really needed to cater to their male audience more. Idia pulled his bedsheet over him, lying in silence. Was Azul interested in things like that? Probably not. He was the one with weird kinks and fetishes. Asking him would be the equivalent of confessing his feelings! And that he wants to fuck too.

He couldn’t do it. He didn’t want Azul to dislike him. He’d commit swimpuku if he ever did.

“Big brother?”

Idia jumped, wondering how long Ortho had been… wherever he was. Idia peeked our, not seeing Ortho in the room. There was a good chance he didn’t hear him watching it.

“What? Don’t ask me to go out. I’m not in the mood.”

“But you have club today.”

Idia rolled out of bed, grabbing things he needed. There was no way he was going to miss out on having an excuse to see and be close to Azul.

•

“Azul…!”

Azul turned, seeing Idia approaching him. He’d never understand how he loves staying in his room but somehow finds the strength to attend club. There were people in it just like every other club. Idia looked at him starry eyed as Azul listed off games they could play. Naturally Idia went with Azul’s suggestion.

“Shroud senpai.”

“Idia is fine.” Idia said. “Please call me Idia…”

“Okay then, Idia, I notice you always attend club yet when it comes to classes, I hear you’re only present through tablet. Well, except the joint classes we have together.” Azul said.

“Really? So people do talk behind my back…”

“Surprisingly it’s because they care. Some of them. You really are an enigma, Idia.”

Idia weakly laughed, avoiding eye contact. He didn’t see a point of physically being anywhere if he could just do it virtually. Unless Azul was there. It would give him an excuse like now to be close to him without it seeming weird.

They started up their game. Idia blinked, seeing what kind of game it was. Earlier’s video started playing back in his mind.

“Idia? It’s your turn.”

“Oh, right…”

Azul raised an eyebrow, watching him play. He wasn’t focused like usual. What was on his mind?

“Hey, Azul…”

“Yes?”

“I heard from the twins you’re merfolk…” Idia said, treading cautiously.

“I am. Are you asking what kind?” Azul said as he took his turn. “I’m an octopus. Back home we’re a rare thing. I don’t really like talking about it though.”

Idia was in shock. Azul told him like it wasn’t a big deal! The twins were going on and on about how he hates his real self and whatnot and yet… Idia made his move, allowing Azul to go. Wait, if he was an octopus…

Idia’s mind started spiraling down into the dark depths of hentai. He closed his legs, feeling himself growing. This was bad.

“Idia, are you okay? You look a little…”

“I’m fine. Let’s continue.”

Azul wasn’t convinced, especially since Idia’s hair was burning brighter than usual and flaring out randomly.

“So, what were you up to before coming to club?”

“Reading the Bible.”

Now he was even more concerned. Idia wasn’t religious in the slightest.

“And what did you read…?” Azul presses.

“Words.” Idia responded.

Azul stopped their gameplay. Idia was panicking a lot on the inside.

“I know we aren’t exactly close, but if something is bothering you, you can tell me. You’re one of the best players I’ve ever faced. I can’t lose you.”

Idia blushed. Azul cherished him. Could he really be honest?

“Azul, I… Please don’t think ill of me when I tell you… promise me?”

They linked pinkies. Idia exhaled loudly before telling him in a shaky voice. He could already see disgust forming in Azul’s eyes. He knew he shouldn’t have.

“So… that’s why your hair was acting weird…?”

“My hair!?”

Azul laughed, watching Idia trying to fix his hair.

“As… interesting… as your thoughts sound, I’m not comfortable. Once I got on land, I swore to never show my true form ever again. It harbors memories I don’t want to remember…”

“Then… let me give you new ones…” Idia replied, holding his hands.

“Idia, I’m sorry… I can’t…”

Idia felt Azul pull his hands away. He grabbed them back.

“Azul, you know how I feel about you now. I want to help you get over your insecurities… maybe after we could…?”

Azul avoided eye contact before meeting his eyes.

“I- I don’t even know how I f- feel about you…”

“That’s fine.”

Azul bit his lip before hugging Idia. He could feel Idia trembling like a leaf. How much courage did it take for him to confess all of this?

“I’ll do it…”

•

Idia made sure his door was locked tight before turning to Azul. He really did look good in both forms.

“Umm, this is embarrassing…”

“Do you want privacy while undressing?”

“N- No… it’s just… I’ve never gotten naked in front of anyone before…” Idia muttered, rubbing his arm.

“I can close my eyes if you want.”

“No, it’s fine. I- I just… one at a time…”

Azul stifled his laughter as Idia seemingly had trouble undressing. He cleared his throat, watching Idia touch one of his arms. Idia was surprisingly gentle with him.

“I don’t see why anyone would hate such a beautiful body… Especially when you could be more efficient with many limbs…” Idia muttered, giving them light kisses. “I’d be happy to have so many…”

“Idia…”

Idia gently put one in his mouth, being careful not to let a sucker get stuck. Azul was blushing like crazy. Seeing Idia like this… it was stirring something inside him. Idia pulled away, looking to Azul.

“What are you waiting for? Fill me…”

Azul found his multiple arms moving on their own at Idia’s seductive look. Idia was forced onto all fours, feeling a few arms entering his ass while a few others teased his nipples and dick. Azul could hear Idia moaning in utter bliss at having his arms pleasuring him. Idia found a free arm, promptly putting it in his mouth.

He was really getting to live out his fantasy. He started breathing heavily, feeling himself close to coming again. Idia couldn’t take it anymore, slowly losing his mind in pleasure.

“Idia… Should I stop…?” Azul asked a bit worried.

“No… please don’t… fuck me harder… drive me crazy…” Idia moaned, giving him a needy look.

Idia let out louder moans, feeling Azul’s arms working even harder. He easily came, his body highly sensitive at this point. Azul started kissing and biting along his neck, adding more pleasure. Idia had finally reached the stage of dry orgasms. Azul took notice, really getting a feeling they should stop. He knew Idia wouldn’t listen, so he pulled all of his arms back, watching Idia breathing heavily as he lied face first on the bed.

“Idia…?”

“I’m fine… I promise…” Idia whispered, his body shaking.

“You don’t look it though. You should see the nurse.” Azul argued, rubbing his back.

Idia sat up, trying to show Azul he was fine. It worked for a little until he fell forward again.

“Just… let me sleep…” Idia mumbled before knocking out in seconds.

Azul tucked Idia in, watching the sheet rising and fall with his breathing. He never saw Idia look so happy before. He placed a kiss on his cheek before lying down beside him.

“Guess I already liked you…” Azul whispered, interlacing their fingers.


	402. Grim: Underling

“Can you really hold that with those paws…?” Deuce asked, carefully watching Grim.

“I’ve done it before and I can do it again. Watch as the great Grim completes this potion!”

“Hey, where did the- AH! Grim!”

Yuu looked to Ace who suddenly shouted. Grim was already pouring it in. The trio shielded themselves as the concoction exploded, startling everyone in the room. Crewel came over, ready to lecture them. He didn’t expect to see another student.

“You. Who are you?” Crewel asked, pointing his baton at the student. He then took note of the ears on their head and the ribbon collar. “Grim?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Yuu took off their lab coat, putting it over Grim and buttoning it up. This was… something.

“Seriously, why are you all staring at me like that?”

“Grim.” Yuu called out, motioning for him to look down.

Grim looked, seeing he had arms and legs. He wiggled each limb before getting more excited. He started running around, knocking things over as he tested his new bodies abilities.

“Grim! Stay! Stay!” Crewel shouted before halting his movement with a spell. “Yuu, do something about this.”

“Me!? I don’t even know magic!” Yuu exclaimed.

“You don’t need magic to make a potion to change him back.” said Crewel, putting a leash on Grim before handing it to Yuu. “Get cracking.”

Yuu sighed heavily, looking at Grim attempting to mess with other students.

“If you need help, we can help.” said Deuce.

“Ah, I don’t work for free.” Ace said before feeling Deuce elbowing him. “What? I could be doing other things than watching over a raccoon.”

“Please Ace… you have better magic than Deuce.” Yuu pleaded.

“HEY!” Deuce huffed. “I’m just as good.”

“Right…” Yuu and Ace mumbled.

•

Grim ran around, only to feel himself being pulled back by Yuu.

“Hey! Let me go! I’m not a pet.” Grim fussed.

“I can’t do that. Now that you’re bigger, you’re gonna get into unnecessary trouble!” Yuu grumbled, pulling back.

Grim meowed before breathing fire, seething the leash on fire. Yuu dropped it, the leash turning to ashes.

“Haha! Freedom!” Grim shouted, running away.

Yuu chased after him, seeing Grim attacking students and taking food from those who had any.

“Grim! Give those snacks back!”

“Nah!” Grim chuckled, jumping out the open window and cutting across the courtyard. He bumped into someone, causing him to fall back. “What the-”

“Well aren’t you quite a sight…”

Grim squeaked, seeing Riddle hovering over him. Riddle looked, seeing the trio heading in his direction. Grim tried picking up as many snacks as he could before being beheaded by Riddle.

“You stole those didn’t you?” Riddle pressed.

“Get this thing off!”

Ace and Deuce grabbed hold of Grim while Yuu apologized and explained the situation.

“Ah. I would offer to help but I’m quite busy myself. Rook senpai is pretty good with potions. I’m sure he could revert… this.”

“Where would he happen to be?” Yuu asked.

“Stalking someone.”

Yuu sighed, seeing he could be anywhere then. Grim broke free, taking off once more. Yuu exhaled loudly before sitting down.

“You aren’t going after him…?” Deuce asked.

“No. I’m tired. I won’t get heavily punished if I’m not around him.” Yuu said, visibly giving up.

“Well, if that’s that then you don’t need our help then.”

“Right.” Yuu mumbled.

•

Grim hummed, looking around Sam’s shop. It was really great being human. He had hands and could grab things better. He could use magic without having to hold a magipen. He could run away faster.

“So, what are you going to buy, Grim?”

Grim plucked snacks before placing them on the counter.

“789 madol.” Sam said.

Ah. He didn’t have any cash.

“Uh…”

“No money? How unfortunate. Come again with cash.”

Grim sighed, seeing he needed Yuu more than he thought.

•

Yuu studied in the library, just waiting to hear Crowley making a fuss about Grim being unruly.

“Yuu.”

Yuu turned, seeing Grim pulling a seat over. Grim not only sought them out, but he even looked docile.

“What? I’m not sneaking you into anyplace.” Yuu grumbled.

“I need you.”

Yuu blinked rapidly. Did they hear right? Did he just say he needed him?

“For what…?”

“You’re my underling. All people like me need underlings.” Grim said, puffing out his chest.

Yuu pursed their lips, going back to studying. Grim would never change.

“I talked to Rook senpai, he said what happened to you is only temporary. You’ll probably return to normal come tomorrow morning.” Yuu said, not looking at Grim.

“Which makes it even more important that we go out and do things! Come on.”

Yuu shook their head.

“You always go off and do things on your own. I don’t see why you need me, especially since you can reach things now.”

Grim rested his head on the table, watching Yuu studying.

“We’re a team… Things aren’t fun without you.” Grim mumbled, his ears bending.

“Do you actually mean that…?” Yuu asked, their eyes widening slightly.

“Yeah…”

Yuu pursed his lips, gently petting his head. Grim was Grim and he’d never change. And maybe that was fine.


	403. Kazam: I promise

Kalim happily played the ukulele while humming. He felt something touch his head before something blocked him from direct sunlight.

“Hi!”

“You’re happier than usual. What happened?”

“I am? I guess because of you Azul.” Kalim smiled widely.

Azul sat down, curious as to what Kalim was playing. If it was a song.

“So you started learning how to play?” Azul asked, never having seen him play before.

“Mhmm. It was supposed to be a surprise but now you know. So, surprise!” Kalim replied, playing more notes. “I was planning to write you a little song.”

“How wonderful. I’m sure it’ll be worth something to someone.” Azul said, pushing up his glasses.

“Oh. Well if selling it makes you happy then I’m happy.” Kalim said, playing a few more notes.

Azul rolled his eyes before gently bopping Kalim on the head. As if he’d do something like that. Kalim played him what he had so far before asking for his input.

“I’m not really a music genius here…”

“What do you mean? You sing so well AND play the piano like a pro!” Kalim exclaimed.

“Now you’re just saying things.” Azul muttered, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“But it’s true. You’ve got to sing for me sometime.”

Azul cleared his throat, meeting Kalim’s sparkling eyes.

“I suppose I could sing for you now, if you want.”

“Really? Please!”

Azul had him start his song from the beginning before creating his own lyrics for it. Kalim slowly stopped playing, completely entranced by his voice. Azul eventually took notice, seeing Kalim staring at him with big eyes.

“W- What…”

“You’re really beautiful, Azul. I thought hearing your normal voice was nice, but listening to your singing… I felt like I was in a magical place.” Kalim said with an eye smile. “I fell in love all over again.”

Azul covered his cheeks, turning away from Kalim. Too many compliments at once. He glanced back, seeing Kalim had gone back to strumming.

“Kalim…”

“Hm?”

Azul leaned forward, his heart beating wildly in his chest. How? Why? Why did he love someone like Kalim? He was air headed and didn’t know how to be a wise spender. He was clumsy and his intelligence was way below his own. Yet he… he…

Kalim tilted his head before connecting their lips. Azul pulled him closer, feeling his chest tightening to the point it felt like he couldn’t breathe. They eventually parted, Kalim smiling his bright smile.

“I love you… even if it seems like I may not.” Azul said, cupping Kalim’s cheek.

“I know, but thank you for telling me.” Kalim said, burying his face in the nape of Azul’s neck.

•

Someone knocked on the door before entering.

“Azul. You have a guest.”

Jade closed the door behind the student.

“Jade, stop slacking off.”

“I was merely doing my job, Floyd.” Jade replied, picking up orders. “If you’re unhappy about having to work, take it up with Azul.”

“You know he’s just going to force more work on me…”

“Then shut up and work.”

Floyd loudly exhaled, picking up orders for tables. He stopped in his tracks, seeing a familiar face. He quickly served the tables before walking over.

“Sea otter, you came!”

“Well, Azul did invite me… Plus I want to give him a bit of business.” Kalim said.

Floyd pulled him out of line, sitting him down at his special table. A few students were peeved, wondering why Kalim always got special treatment when he didn’t come as often as some of them. They were regulars! Kalim took his time with ordering, not wanting to bother the other employees since he usually had priority.

Kalim had placed his order before seeing Azul stepping into the venue. Azul hurried over the moment their eyes met.

“You didn’t have to come you know…”

“I wanted to. I like the food here. Jamil gets really paranoid about it though…” Kalim said with a sigh. “He’s afraid I’ll be poisoned or assasinated.”

“I have Jade and Floyd keeping an eye on things. So you’re safe here.” said Azul, kissing his forehead.

Kalim smiled, a blush occupying his face. A few students eyed the couple. Kalim’s meal was brought out and placed before him. Azul had the student come back.

“Yes…?”

“Eat a piece of each.” Azul said.

“Umm… Okay…”

The student came back with clean silverware, trying the food.

“Azul, it’s fine. If I get poisoned then I get poisoned.”

“Don’t say it so casually.” Azul fussed. He had them take it away. “I’ll make it myself.”

Kalim sighed, looking at everyone dining. Maybe he should’ve told Jamil he was coming here. He would’ve had someone to talk to at least.

•

Azul groaned, hearing repetitive knocking on his door. Why was he being disturbed when they had a day off? He was still recovering from working late the night before. He slowly got out of bed, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

“Good, you’re awake. Kalim’s in the infirmary.”

“Ha? He’s so clumsy…” Azul yawned, closing the door in Jade’s face.

“Azul! He’s really hurt!”

Azul climbed back into bed. Kalim was always getting hurt. Jade was probably exaggerating just to get him out of bed. He’d pay him a visit later.

“Azul, your boyfriend is literally dying!”

Azul sat up. Kalim couldn’t have gotten hurt that bad. Jamil was always with him. He couldn’t be too sure when it came to Kalim. Azul quickly left his room, not bothering to change.

Azul opened the door to the infirmary, seeing Jamil was already there. Jamil spotted him before giving him a nasty look. What was his problem now?

“It’s your fault!”

“Not entirely sure why you would say that.” Azul said, going to Kalim’s other side.

“He told me he was staying in his room all night last night, but it turns out he lied to me and went to Mostro last night.” Jamil explained. “Now how am I going to explain this…”

“What do you mean? We saw him off.”

“Then why is he lying here half dead?” Jamil countered.

“I don’t know! You don’t think I’m not feeling like utter shit right now?”

Jamil rolled his eyes, telling the nurse he’d be back later. Azul frowned heavily, looking Kalim all over. Who in the world was dumb enough to attack the Asim family’s heir? His boyfriend? Azul gently held Kalim’s hand, not wanting to agitate the wounds.

“Azul…?”

“Kalim! Who did this to you? I’ll take care of them, I promise.”

Kalim chuckled before stopping, seeming to be in pain.

“You know I wouldn’t tell you even if I knew. I don’t want anyone else hurt.” Kalim said while smiling.

Azul’s heart was shattering. How could he smile like this? Someone or some people tried killing him!

“I’ll be back, okay? I promise.”

Kalim watched Azul leave before closing his eyes. Tears fell from his eyes in droplets before becoming a steady stream. He was in so much pain. He was so scared.

“I knew it…”

Kalim forced his eyes open, seeing Azul looking down at him with a worried face.

“Why do you always do that…? You don’t have to put a brave face on around me…” Azul said, carefully wiping Kalim’s tears away. “If you’re hurting, tell me… You can come to me with your problems.”

Kalim started to cry more. He told Azul everything he knew, how he was feeling before, after and now. Guilt continued to eat at Azul, knowing he should’ve gone all the way with Kalim back to Scarabia.

“I’m sorry for being a terrible boyfriend. I swear on my life I’m going to find who did it.”

“Don’t hurt them… too badly…”

“I know, I know.”

He didn’t intend to keep to his word.

•

Azul had Jade working every second, helping him track down the dumb fool who attacked his boyfriend.

“It was probably an assassin. You know he has those.” Jade said, closing another tab. “Our knowledge of places is very limited since all we know is from books.”

“Jade, I don’t care if you have to shrivel up in a desert to find who it is, I need to know this instant!”

“Demanding…” Jade mumbled, clearly displeased. “Why can’t Floyd help?”

“He is. But not in this stage. He’s about as a useful as a tile on my floor.”

“Harsh… Oh. Seems like we got a little something.” Jade said, looking at the school’s CCTV.

“Remind me to pay Idia a lot when this is over.” Azul said, rewatching the footage.

Jade quietly looked, trying to identify what the people were wearing.

“Hm. Isn’t one of them wearing a Night Raven uniform?”

“Unfortunately we can’t see the dorm…” Azul grumbled, constantly going back to see if they could spot anything. “Maybe it would be better if we had Ortho analyze this stuff.”

“Perhaps. But that also means paying Idia more.”

“I’ll do anything for Kalim.”

Jade pursed his lips. Of course he would for Kalim.

•

Kalim was finally able to sit up with very little problems. His wounds were healing nicely. He looked, seeing Jamil was busy reading.

“Did Azul come back?”

“For the sixth time, no. Why do you care so much? He’s the reason why you’re all banadaged up. You’re gonna get a few scars too…”

“Azul didn’t do anything. You make it sound like he hired people to hurt me. Azul would never hurt me!” Kalim said, defending Azul.

“Well if you two weren’t dating, you wouldn’t have gone to Mostro and thus get attacked.” Jamil snapped, slamming his book shut.

“Stop blaming Azul! Azul loves me and I love him! If anyone’s going to catch the jerks that hurt me, he is!”

“He’s not going-”

The door opened, revealing a tired Azul. Kalim moved to get out of bed, only for Jamil to keep him seated.

“Azul! How’s it going? You look really tired… have you not been sleeping?”

“Kalim, it’s only been hours since I started the search. I’m just tired from using my head.”

Kalim stroked his hair as he rested his head on his lap. Azul was working so hard for his sake. How could Jamil say such bad things about him?

“How are your wounds looking…? Any scarring?”

“Nope. I’m going to make a perfect recovery.”

“That’s good…”

Kalim continued to stroke his hair, chuckling once Azul fell asleep.

“Break up with him. He’s going to be the death of you.”

“No. As your master, I’m ordering you to never talk about our relationship.”

Jamil didn’t say anything else, glaring at Azul. Jamil eventually left, having his own search to do. Kalim started singing the lyrics Azul created for the song, wanting him to have good dreams. He was really lucky to have Azul.


	404. Jamil:  It’s our little secret

Jamil flipped through a book before deciding to buy it. It seemed simple enough to keep Kalim’s attention. He stepped out of the store, watching vehicles and pedestrians pass by. The Land of Pyroxene really was something else. They had all sorts of varying weather while back home it was just constantly… hot. Save for the rainy days if any. Vil, Jack and Cater has given him plenty of places to visit while he was here and he hardly made a dent in the list they provided.

Jamil took out his phone, checking Magicam to keep up with everyone. Everyone seemed to be doing well. He noticed a few people haven’t posted in weeks. Were they not doing well? Social detoxing? Then again, he never really cared about a lot of them.

He continued to take in the sights, taking a few pictures as well. How long had he been gone anyway? A few months? A over half a year? Time really was fleeting. He looked at pictures of his family, wondering how they were doing. Did they miss him?

“Ah… I’ve been away from home long enough. Maybe I should head back.” Jamil muttered as he continued to look around.

He also felt for the poor servant who had to care for Kalim in his absence. It took someone strong to put up with every stupid little thing Kalim wanted.

•

Jamil arrived back in his neck of Hot Sands, seeing not much changed. He picked up his bag of souvenirs, ready to see Kalim’s reaction to them. Naturally he’d be all smiles. He was too easy to please.

Jamil reached the front doors, being allowed entrance. It was… quieter than he remembered. He greeted the other servants who he came across, seeing none of them were gossiping like they usually did. Did something happen? He’d figure it out later. His main priority was getting the gifts to Kalim.

“Kalim?”

Empty. He closed the door, assuming he was out and about. He headed back to his own room, needing a moment to sit and relax.

“Jamil.”

“Shriyal. It’s nice to see you again.” Jamil said, giving her a little smile. “How have things been since I was away?”

She closed the door before silently taking a seat beside him.

“They were normal. Until we had to accept a new normal.” she said.

“They had another kid?”

“No. They lost one. Your master.” Shriyal said flatly.

“Wait… You can’t mean he’s dead. He’s too dumb to die.”

“That’s what everyone thought yet here’s now six feet under in their Asim family graveyard.” Shriyal said, shrugging her shoulders. “I thought you would’ve known considering Kalim never answered your texts, right?”

“No. I stayed off my phone until a few days before I came back. How did this happen? Who killed him?” he pressed, shaking her by her shoulders.

“Brother, stop. Look, no one knows where it came from but he came down with an illness. Took him to doctors and we thought he was cured. Turns out treating it did work, but made it come back even stronger. By then not even the doctors could create a cure in time.” said Shriyal, lifting Jamil’s jaw. “And all of that happened within two weeks.”

“T- Two weeks!?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself…”

Jamil stared at the floor in shock. Now it made sense why it was so quiet and why the other servants weren’t gossiping.

“Hey, what’s in that bag?” Shriyal asked, pointing at Kalim’s souvenirs.

“They were gifts… now they’re parting gifts…”

Shriyal looked through the bag, admiring the gifts from other countries. Jamil had gotten up, heading back to Kalim’s room.

He silently stood in his room, a flood of memories swirling in his mind. So many things happened in this room. Jamil ran his fingers over things, wondering what his last moments were like. He stopped, seeing something white being held by a knick knack.

_“It’s our little secret!”_

_“You’re weird.”_

_“Thanks!”_

Jamil pulled it out, seeing it looked like a note. It was empty before he left. He unfolded it, seeing it was recent.

_‘To my best friend Jamil,_

_How have your travels been? Were you able to do things you’ve always wanted to? When are you coming home? No matter… everything is fine at home! Everyone is freaking out just because I caught a little cold…’_

Jamil noticed the rest of it was erased and crossed out. He moved his fingers slightly, seeing there was another sheet underneath.

_'To my dearest friend Jamil,_

_I hope you enjoyed your travels. I would’ve liked to travel too, but I understood you wanted to be alone. How were the sights? It was different not having you around, but we managed. Remember when you said idiots couldn’t die? I really believed that, haha. But, it looks like I may not be an idiot after all. The entire place is in an uproar and I kind of wish they’d just… stop. I’m not going to get better, so we just have to accept it. There were a lot of things I wanted to show you and talk to you about, but I probably won’t be around once you come back. I’ve always been thankful and appreciative of you and everything you’ve done. It’s not easy looking after someone like me who’s clearly challenged in a lot of areas. Even as my lungs burn as I breathe and my head feels like it’s melting my brain, I still find some comfort hearing you scolding me. Sorry I won’t be around to be old and gray with you. - Kalim’_

Shriyal watched from the doorway as Jamil suddenly sank to the floor. Should she go in? She waited a bit before kneeling beside him and rubbing his back.

“What happened…?”

She took note of the writing on the papers in his hand.

“Ah, he left you something. Do you really care that much? You really sounded like you hated him every time we talked.” she asked, moving his hair out of his face.

Jamil didn’t respond, simply letting his tears fall. Kalim couldn’t leave yet. He hadn’t gotten back at him for all the shit he put him through. Shriyal pulled him into a hug, hoping to offer some comfort.


	405. Idia x Azul: Anxiety filled boyfriend

“So what you’re saying is, you actually want to go outside?”

“Is that so weird?”

“Yes.”

Idia rolled his eyes.

“Fine. We can-”

“Ah! Stop right there. I never said I didn’t want to now did I? It’s just not everyday my highly antisocial, anxiety filled boyfriend wants to go outside and be amongst people.”

Azul took Idia’s hand, leading him out the room before he changed his mind.

•

“You know, I had my doubts about this, but it truly is relaxing.” Azul commented, moving his piece.

“And not a lot of people come this way anyway.” Idia included.

Azul sighed in bliss. Here he thought once more they’d have their date in Idia’s room. Yet here they were, outside, soaking up sun and having a little fun. Azul pursed his lips, looking at the board. If he moved there then he’d do that, but if he did that then…

Idia noticed Azul had shivered. Was it cold out? Azul made his move, looking at Idia. He was staring at him and not the game board.

“Idia, it’s your turn.”

“Oh. But, are you cold…?”

“Nah.”

He definitely was, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. It was colder under sea. Idia finally took his turn, going back to staring. He took off his jacket before putting it around Azul.

“Aren’t you going to get cold?”

“I think I’ll be alright with a head of fire.” Idia said with a smile.

Azul wrapped it around himself more, snuggling into it. He could feel Idia’s warmth.

“You can be quite romantic without even knowing…” Azul muttered.

“Hm? Did you say something?”

Azul shook his head, zipping up the jacket. Idia was really making him happy today. It was a shame today would be one of the rare days they had a date outside.


	406. Silver + Epel: Between our ancestors, not us

Silver slept peacefully on the ground, students walking around him or stepping over him.

“Hey.”

Silence.

“Hey!”

Silver rolled over, ignoring the person calling out to him. They sighed heavily, pulling Silver off to the side so he wouldn’t get stepped on.

“Why do you sleep in such random places…”

Silver opened his eyes, sitting up. He knocked heads with the person staring down at him, the two now in serious pain.

“You okay…?” Silver asked, rubbing his forehead. “Uh, what’s your name…?”

“No, it’s Epel and I want to know something.”

“Maybe I’ll have an answer. Where am I… What was I doing…?” Silver said before mumbling.

“I don’t know. You were lying out on the ground where people could step on you. Anyway, what I want to know is why do you sleep so much? And why do you always have animals frolicking to you? They never do that with other students.” Epel questioned.

“You make it seem like I would know. I don’t even know my last name.” Silver complained.

“You know, you remind me of the sleeping princess. She was forced to sleep after pricking her finger on a spindle. She was originally supposed to die though.” Epel said.

“It’s a family curse thing. I guess. I wouldn’t really know since Lilia is my only family that I know.” Silver said, watching the birds take residence on different parts of his body. “But I guess it’s not so bad. I get enough sleep unlike other guys here.”

“Family curse? Does that mean…?”

“What? That I’m related to her? I’m pretty sure seeing her ghost and listening to her tell me about who I am would be proof enough. Unless she was lying to me. Though, she had nothing to gain from doing that.”

“You’re related to a princess too…”

“‘Too’?” Silver questioned.

“I’m related to the fairest princess.” Epel said proudly.

“Oh… the dumb girl who ate a poisoned apple. Got it.” Silver said, getting to his feet.

“Hey! She’s not dumb! Back in her day there wasn’t a way to counter magic! And what about the sleeping princess? She was dumb too! ”

“She was a baby when she was cursed! She couldn’t do a thing!”

The two glared at each other before feeling something in their hearts. They both frowned, feeling bad.

“Sorry…” Silver apologized.

“Me too. Both couldn’t help their fates.”

Silver nodded in agreement before noticing there weren’t any students around.

“So, what time is it? Is it after school?”

“Yeah. Everyone’s heading to clubs or whatever.”

The two stood in silence.

“Wanna get something to eat or talk about the princess…?” Epel asked, scratching his cheek.

“Sure. Why not do both.” Silver smiled.

•

Lilia entered Silver’s room not expecting to see someone else. He had a debate with himself before deciding to leave him be. It wasn’t often he saw Silver with other students.

“So, aren’t you and Malleus senpai supposed to be against each other?” Epel asked, pointing to a part in the book.

“If you look at it that way, yes. But that was between our ancestors, not us. He helped raise me you know. So if he really didn’t want me around, I’m sure I wouldn’t be here right now.” Silver said, closing the book. “So, how did you learn about being related to the fairest princess?”

“Oh, my family told me. So I’ve pretty much always known since I was little. I have a little ceramic apple that’s been passed down in our family.”

“How nice… I wish I had something of my ancestor.” Silver sighed.

“Did she ever tell you where you’re from? Who your family is?”

“Yeah, kinda. But I’m here at Night Raven now. I can go home after graduating. Lilia plans to come with me.”

“I notice you two are really close… Is there something behind it…?” Epel asked.

“Well, I consider him my father. He raised me. I can’t thank him enough for that.” smiled Silver, remembering his childhood.

“Aw, so cute…” Epel cooed.

A few birds entered through the window, making their way over to Silver. Epel watched them interact, feeling a bit envious. A bird curiously flew over to him, landing on his thigh.

“You’re kinda cute…” mumbled Epel, wondering if he could touch it.

“Chirp chirp.”

“Uh…”

“Chirp chirp chirp! Chiirp!”

“She says you’re very pretty. And you can pet her.”

“You know bird?” Epel asked in awe.

“Never really studied it. Just comes naturally.” Silver shrugged, gently scratching another bird’s head.

“You really are like a princess.” Epel muttered, stroking the bird.

“I’m not perfect like them. I’m plenty flawed.”

“I hear that. You know what really gets to me? When people learn you’re related to a princess and you suddenly get asked all sorts of questions like you’re supposed to know.” complained Epel, lying back on Silver’s bed. “I know as much as my family tells me! Well, it’s different in your case.”

“Yeah, I get that. And not to mention some people keep asking if now that I know, are Malleus and I going to fight and whatnot like our ancestors, well in Malleus’ case, his grandmother.” Silver groaned. “It’s like, 'Shut up. We don’t care about old things. What happened then has very little to do with us. Let us be friends in peace.’ You know?”

The two continued to bond over grievances towards students of Night Raven. They soon started to realize just how annoying people could be.

“Feels good having someone to complain with.” said Epel, watching the birds leave.

“Yeah. I feel a bit lighter.”

They sighed loudly before looking at each other.

“Same time tomorrow?”

“Definitely.”


	407. Idia x Azul: Limited edition

Azul exhaled, looking at the stack. Things were getting boring.

“Azul!”

Azul looked up, seeing Idia heading towards him. He was carrying a bag which was unusual.

“What’s in the bag?”

“Guess!”

“Uh… video games?” Azul asked weakly.

“Close! Try again.” said Idia, excited to show him.

“A new gaming system?”

Idia shook his head, pulling something out of his bag.

“It finally came in!”

Azul’s eyes widened as he looked at the box. This…

“You got the limited edition that sold out in minutes!?” Azul exclaimed, causing the other members to look.

“You are looking at it right now aren’t you? And there’s another thing…”

Azul watched as he pulled out yet another game. He was mind blown.

“There’s no way you could’ve gotten your hands on that. This sold out in minutes too…”

Yet there it was, staring him in the face. Idia has managed to get the limited edition popular board game AND the new game a different company released that everyone had been anticipating.

“So, which do you wanna play first?” Idia asked.

Azul moved to give him a kiss as a reward only to be pushed to the side by other curious club members. Azul huffed, seeing Idia was surrounded. Idia answered their questions, hoping they would leave him be afterwards.


	408. Sam + Black: Nimble

Students clapped, watching Black complete yet another one of his tricks. It was so simple yet so intriguing.

“How the in hell did you do that!?”

“With my hands? How else?” Black chuckled, making a flowing arch as his cards went from one hand to the other.

“He’s obviously using magic. There’s no way you can do shit like this with just your hands.” a Heartslabyul student said with a shake of his head.

“Wanna bet?” Black challenged, raising an eyebrow.

“Whatcha got?” the Pomefiore student asked.

“You hold onto this.” said Black, handing his magipen off to the doubtful Heartslabyul student. “If I prove I can do this without magic, you all have to buy me snacks whenever I want for the entire month, do my homework for a month AND call me Black The Great until we graduate.”

“Ha. That’s hardly a bet. And what if we catch you using magic?” he asked.

“You can come up with anything you’d like. I’ll do it.”

“Alright. Then if we catch you, you have to do our homework for the rest of the school year AND do whatever chores we have to do.”

They shook on it. They kept a close eye on both the magipen and Black as he performed a different trick.

“Well?”

“There’s no way… It never glowed!”

“There weren’t any magic sparks coming from him either!”

Black laughed, loving the confusion.

“So, who’s ready to do my homework?” asked Black, pulling his books out.

“Those are quite nimble fingers you have there.” a voice said.

They looked, seeing a lean guy looking at them with his hands on his hips. Who was he and why was he talking to them?

“Uh… you are?”

“Sam, a senior to you five.” he said with a smile.

The boys started apologizing for speaking informally. Black’s eyes met Sam’s, making him a bit uneasy. There was something unsettling about him. Why was he wearing such a big hat? And what was with those tats? Were they even tats?

“Nice to meet you…” Black eventually said, bowing slightly.

Sam walked closer to Black, taking his books. He handed them to his friends before sending them off.

“Now we’re alone.”

“How wonderful. So, what are you going to do to me?” Black asked, hopping off the table.

Black backed up, not expecting cards to appear from thin air and into Sam’s hands.

“I dabble in tricks myself, but I’ve never seen any that you’ve done. Would you mind showing me?”

Black did a trick, seeing Sam was watching intently. Sam asked him to repeat it a few times before being satisfied.

“How intriguing. How long did it take you to learn this?”

He found it odd that an upperclassman not only showed interest in him, but something he loved as well. Maybe that was why Sam made him feel so weird.

“Show me more.”

Sam watched on in bliss, making Black lower his guard ever so slowly.

•

Black’s friends stared as Sam sat down at their table. They had nothing against him but…

“They’re like card fiends…” one whispered, listening to Sam and Black talk.

“Do you know anything about Sam…?”

“Nope. I asked all the seniors I know and they don’t know anything either other than he has a connection with the Mystery Shop.”

“Think he’ll tell if we ask?”

They continued to whisper amongst themselves, unaware that Sam and Black had stopped talking.

“What’s with the secrets guys?” Black asked.

“Just talking about girls. Continue talking about your… cards.”

Black raised an eyebrow, wondering what was up with them.

“Boys, if you want to ask me questions, just ask. No need to hide things.” Sam chuckled.

Everyone looked at Sam wide eyed. How did he hear them? They were talking so quietly.

“W- We’re gonna go…”

Black watched as his friends quickly grabbed their things before rushing off.

“How rude of you all to call me a freak.” Sam shouted after them, making them rush faster.

“What in the world did you just do…? Can you read minds?”

“Absolutely not. That’d be such a nightmare. You can a little birdie told me~”

Black looked around, wondering if the table was bugged. Sam started laughing, finding it cute.

“Do you want to know the truth?” Sam whispered, leaning close.

“I already told you some of my card secrets. It’s only fair.”

“I have friends on the other side.”

Black blinked before gasping.

“DEAD PEOPLE!? ARE YOU-” Black shouted before having a hand clamped over his mouth.

“They’re shadows. Say hi.”

Black’s eyes widened as a bunch of shadows came out of Sam’s. Sam chuckled, amused by his look.

“Promise you won’t shout when I move my hand?” Sam asked, receiving a nod.

“What the hell…? Shadow people are real?”

“I wouldn’t call them people, but they certainly deserve to be treated as such. They have feelings just like any other human.” said Sam, feeling an animal shadow rub against him. “Aren’t you affectionate today~?”

Black didn’t know what to say other than…

“Cool…” he whispered, looking at them moving about on the floor. “Do they cause mischief?”

“Not as much as they used to. Mostly because they don’t want to upset me.”

“Aww, their little suck ups!”

Black found himself being flung out of his seat while Sam simply watched. Students nearby peeked, wondering what that loud sound was.

“They don’t take kindly to remarks like that.”

“I found out the hard way…” Blck groaned, rubbing the back of his head. “But they seem like pretty cool creatures! I can only imagine many people you’ve pranked with them.”

“Sit and I’ll tell you.”

Black eagerly got up, taking his seat.


	409. Ace x Deuce: Do you want to slap me too?

“Why do bad things always happen to me…?”

“If you want my opinion, it’s an improvement.” chuckled Trey, poking Ace’s cheek.

“Wha-!?”

“Ace, pose for me!” Cater cooed, having Ace do a plethora of poses. “And what if I just…”

Poof! Cater laughed in delight while Ace’s body shook while he kept his head down.

“You look g-”

“CHANGE MY CLOTHES BACK!” Ace shouted, tying his blazer around himself.

“What’s all this-”

Riddle stood in the doorway, watching Ace chase Cater along with Trey trying to keep them separated. Deuce was simply watching it all happen.

“WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE!?”

Everyone stopped and looked at Riddle.

“Cater did.” they all said, making Cater groan in response.

“Ace, why aren’t you in proper school uniform? Night Raven doesn’t have skirts. Trey, why were you just standing idly? Cater, just why?”

“Riddle senpai, Cater’s trying time doll me up against my will!” Ace whined. “Behead him.”

Everyone was beheaded, including Deuce. They all sighed heavily as Riddle started lecturing them.

“Sorry, dorm leader…” they apologized once he was finished.

Ace, Trey and Deuce were freed of their collars.

“What about me?” Cater whined.

“Reflect on your actions.” Riddle said before leaving.

“Riddle you’re so harsh on me…!” Cater whined, fake crying.

“Keep it up and it won’t ever come off.”

“‘Kay…”

All was silent. Ace sat next to Deuce, needing a moment.

“You’ve been strangely quiet all day. What’s up?” Ace asked, looking at Deuce.

“Nothing. Just tired.”

“Hm. You do look a bit tired. Make sure you’re getting rest, okay?” Ace said, patting his back.

“Are you going to change out of the skirt?” Deuce asked, glancing at Ace’s exposed thighs. “It kinda suits you…”

“Ew, gross!” Ace laughed, slapping his arm. “I am gonna change though. The last thing I need is to be teased about this too. Well, maybe they won’t notice my chest…”

Deuce stared at Ace, drinking him in. He looked good as both male and female. Only Ace could pull something like that off.

“Well, I’m off.”

Deuce woke from his daydream, seeing Ace was leaving while Trey was still consoling Cater. He quickly got up, falling over himself to block Ace’s path.

“What…?” Ace questioned.

“I… I’m coming with you! I left something in our room.” Deuce blurted out.

“I was going to see Vil senpai though…”

Ace went around Deuce who was frozen. Why Vil? It made no sense. Deuce followed, feeling he had to. Who knew what they’d try to do to Ace?

“Are you seriously coming with?”

“Yeah. How can I just let you go by yourself?”

“Oh, so because I have a female body, suddenly I’m a helpless creature?”

“That’s-”

Ace walked ahead, ignoring him. That wasn’t what he meant at all, but he could see how it could come off.

•

Ace sighed, feeling more comfortable. Deuce was disheartened, wishing the skirt stayed. He almost got a glimpse of what Ace was wearing underneath.

“So what classes do we have today…? Wait, is there a quiz today!?”

“No, Ace. It’s at the end of the week.” Deuce replied, fixing his tie.

“Thank god. Well, ready to attempt to learn?”

They sat together in class, trying to absorb what they were being taught. Deuce glanced around the room, seeing their classmates eyeing Ace.

“Hey…” whispered Deuce.

“What?”

“Put this on.”

Ace gave him a weird look. Why in the world did he need another blazer? He pushed it away, only for Deuce to insist more. He finally gave in, seeing his chest was now covered. If it’d get Deuce to quiet down, he’d wear it like this. Deuce didn’t feel all better, but it was enough for now. Now they had nothing to look at.

•

Ace stretched, seeing students approaching.

“Ace, ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Wait, where are you going…?” Deuce asked, holding him back.

“I told you to head back by yourself. I was busy after school.” Ace said.

“What are you gonna do?”

“Shoot some hoops. Maybe grab a bite at Mostro. Why do you ask? You want in?” asked Ace.

Deuce nodded, following him. He couldn’t trust anyone. He was going to keep any and all dirty, grubby hands away from Ace. Maybe he could convince him not to go. Would lying work? No, he’d have to keep up the lie.

Deuce watched from the sidelines as they played. It wasn’t much but if he saw someone getting too close to Ace, he’d secretly hose them with water. Naturally he lied about not knowing anything. They finished their game, making plans for next time.

“So, Mostro or Sam’s?”

“I need a meal.”

“I’m not that hungry.”

“I vote Mostro.” said Ace, in the mood for something.

The others answered as Deuce came over.

“Oh, forgot you were here.” Ace chuckled. “So, are you heading back now?”

“No. I want to continue hanging with you all.”

“Ooooh. Trying to stick close to Ace huh? What’s up with that, h-”

Deuce had slapped his hand away as he moved to place a hand on Ace’s shoulder.

“The hell…?”

“Sorry. Reflexes and bugs…” Deuce lied, his eyes darting around. “So, Mostro?”

“Hey Ace, we’re gonna take a rain check today.” he said, the others nodding. “A few of them still have homework to do.”

They left. Ace started walking away.

“Ace!”

“What. Do you want to slap me too?”

“I told you it was just bugs!” Deuce exclaimed.

“You’ve been saying that all day, Deuce! It’s early November! Most bugs are either dead or someplace warm!” Ace fussed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I’m not sticking around to find out.”

“Ace, don’t go! I didn’t mean it! I’m serious.”

“Stop following me like some puppy on a leash!”

“Not until you hear me out-”

“DEUCE!” Ace yelled, causing him to back up in shock. “I don’t want to hear anymore excuses. Just leave me alone…”

Deuce’s heart broke in half. What was going on with him? Why was he acting like a jerk? They were all friends, so why…?

•

Ace sat up in bed, seeing it was pitch black out. He silently climbed out of bed, making his way out the room. He snuck out of the building before sitting outside underneath the light of the lamppost and stars.

Maybe he was too harsh on Deuce these days. They used to be so close and now it felt like they didn’t know each other. When did it all start spiraling down? He put his head in his hands. It was too late to go back to how things were. He felt something land on his shoulders, causing him to look.

“You’re going to catch a cold…”

“Deuce…”

They sat in silence as Ace wrapped the blanket around himself. Neither knew what to say to the other.

“I know no amount of apologizing can undo the mess I made between us and our friends, but I really am remorseful. I never wanted this wall between us…” Deuce apologized, rubbing his thumbs together. “Hopefully you all can forgive me one day. If not, that’s fine too.”

“I admit there were moments I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I apologize for that.” Ace said, looking at the ground. “And name calling. Sorry about that too.”

“Friends…?”

“Friends.”

They two shook hands, holding on longer than necessary as they stared at each other. They pulled away in realization, clearing their throats.

“So, why are you up?” Ace asked.“

"Couldn’t sleep.”

“Yeah, me too… Thanks for the blanket by the way.” Ace smiled.

“No problem.”

Silence. Ace moved closer, wrapping some of the blanket around Deuce. He was probably cold too. Deuce assured him he was fine, but Ace wasn’t giving up. Deuce gave it, sitting as close as possible so Ace wouldn’t freeze.

“We shouldn’t stay out too long.” Ace muttered, looking at the stars. “We already have a hard time paying attention in class.”

“Yeah.”

They stayed out a bit longer before shuffling back inside together.


	410. Scarabia: Keep being you

Kalim waved, receiving excited waves back. He was glad his presence made them happy. That’s was more than he could ask for.

“He wakes up perfect everyday…”

“I know! His smiles are really the best.”

“What are you all talking about?”

“Kalim.”

“Oh! I love Kalim!”

The students happily chatted as Kalim continued on his way through Scarabia. He noticed some students would often look at him, something repeatedly glancing back at him. Did he have something stuck to him? He turned around like a dog chasing its tail. Anyone and everyone in that area let out high pitched squeals and clutched their hearts.

“Is there something on me?” Kalim asked innocently.

“You’re perfectly fine. Keep being you!” a student said.

Kalim smiled, thanking them before taking off.

“Did you see how he turned around!?”

“I know right!? Oh my god I thought I was going to die!”

“How is he so cute!? Can I take him home!!!???”

The students were in tears, unable to keep their feelings in.

•

Kalim entered the Mystery Shop, needing to buy things for the banquet.

“Kalim!”

“Hello!” Kalim smiled.

The Scarabia student bit down hard on his lip. It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t he just have Kalim to hold and cherish like he deserves?

“What are you doing here? Hungry?”

“No, I’m runnng errands for Jamil. It’s for the banquet tonight.”

“We’re having a banquet tonight? Hold on.”

Kalim watched as the student pulled out his phone. He went to Magicam before smiling.

“Can you say that again?”

“We’re having a banquet tonight. I’m running errands for Jamil. Is that good?” Kalim said, tilting his head cutely.

The student started sobbing as he posted the video to his story. It easily gained traction amongst the Scarabia students. Students started scrambling to help and get things ready to make things easier for Kalim.

“So, I’m gonna go talk to Sam.”

“No need. I’ll do it.” he said, taking the list from Kalim’s hands.

“Oh. Thank you then!” Kalim smiled, giving him a hug.

Kalim backed you, seeing the student passed out. Did he hug him too hard? Kalim took the lost, handing it to Sam while explaining the student would be taking care of things. When he woke up that is.

•

Kalim arrived back in Scarabia, seeing students working on setting up the dorm for the banquet. They knew he liked big and bold, so they put up just about everything he’d like.

“Wow! It looks great you guys!” Kalim exclaimed, looking all around. “I’m really happy to be your dorm leader and be a part of this dorm too!”

“Kalim…”

Kalim saw some students started bawling. He didn’t understand why, making him worry. The students assured him they were fine and that they were crying happy tears. Kalim relaxed, glad to see nothing was wrong. He started helping out, wanting to have had a hand in setting up the banquet. The students however refused to let him, having him sit and watch.

“Here. You can set these up instead.”

“Okay…?”

He wasn’t exactly sure how to set up shakers. He placed them down. Did it look right? He switched them. Now he was unsure of himself. Students started coming in with food as a few banquet comers entered.

“Let me help!”

“No, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Kalim frowned, being denied yet again. Was he really that much of a bother? He wasn’t given time to dwell on it as a few students sat next to him, starting up conversation. The Scarabians found it hard to focus, finding themselves having their attention taken by Kalim’s wonderful laugh.

Kalim soon found himself surrounded by numerous students, most of them being from Scarabia. He weakly laughed, seeing they weren’t planning on leaving his side.


	411. Trey, Che'nya + Riddle: You don’t weigh much

Trey and Riddle found themselves back home for summer break. Both were eager to start their summer plans and make the most of it.

“Want me to walk back with you?”

“No. You already have a long way back home.” Riddle said, knowing Trey lived closer to the city than him.

“That’s not a good enough reason. Until I get one, I’m going with you.”

Nothing he’d say would convince Trey otherwise, so he didn’t say anything. The bus arrived, ready to take new passengers. They sat in silence as the bus pulled off.

“So, what are your plans for the summer?” Trey asked.

“Study and complete my summer homework. And naturally attend events that my parents are invited to.”

“Riddle, do you have so little desire to do anything fun?” asked Trey worriedly.

“Studying and homework is fun! You don’t have to go exploring a jungle to have fun.”

Trey sighed, seeing he had to get Riddle out of the house. There was more to life than academics. Had he learned nothing from events at the start of the school year?

•

Riddle ruffled his hair, waddling his way to the bathroom. He closed the door only to hear something fall behind him. Riddle looked, seeing a bottle of shampoo had fallen. The window was closed.

He picked it up, only for something else to fall. More things started to fall as he continued to pick up fallen things. He became frustrated, a pulse of magic being shot out. Things stopped falling, allowing him to put things back.

Trey chased a sibling, trying to get them to put their shirt on so they could help out downstairs. He finally caught them, putting their shirt on and ushering them downstairs.

“Trey! Hunter won’t let me help him make cream!”

“Melanie always makes a mess of things!”

“Hey, hey. Instead of fussing about each other, why don’t you, Hunter, teach Melanie how to do it without making a mess?” Trey said.

They looked at each other before going back to work. The others were working just fine until one was being splash by water from the sink. They ran away, the water stopping soon after.

“AH!”

The mixer started going crazy, sending batter flying everywhere.

“What is going on…?” Trey muttered.

“STOP! EEEEEEEEEEE!”

Trey looked, seeing his sibling run over to him as the knife they were using was moving on its own. Trey ushered them out, staying in to figure out what was going on. He used a bit of magic, seeing all paranormal movement stopped.

He waited a bit longer before letting his siblings back in.

“Is it safe, big brother…?”

“Yeah. I’ll keep a more watchful eye.” Trey said, helping them clean up.

Riddle took out his phone, seeing Trey sent him a message.

“Paranormal stuff, huh…”

Riddle told him about his experience before hearing a sound. He looked around, trying to find it. He looked, seeing cat ears floating in the air.

“Che'nya…? You can’t be in here!” Riddle hissed, pulling on Che'nya’s ear.

Che'nya faded in, staring up at Riddle. Something felt… off.

“My parents are still home, so can you meet me in my room?”

“Sure.”

Riddle closed his book, seeing Che'nya disappeared. He hurried up to his room, telling Trey about Che'nya’s appearance. Che'nya faded into existence, sitting cross legged on Riddle’s bed.

“So, what brings you here? You know you aren’t supposed to be anywhere near my house.” Riddle asked, sitting down next to him.

“I’m on summer break. I wanna hang with my friends.” Che'nya replied.

“We aren’t friends.”

“Yeah, yeah. Keep being in denial.”

Riddle narrowed his eyes. Something really started bugging him. They perked up, hearing something hit Riddle’s window. They headed over, seeing Trey down below.

Riddle closed the window after they finally got Trey into the room.

“Che'nya, is something wrong?” Trey asked.

“No?”

“See? I told you something is wrong. But I don’t know what it is.” Riddle said, starting to feel Che'nya up. “Maybe…”

Riddle started tickling Che'nya to which he had no reaction. Trey started petting him, knowing he liked it. Nothing.

“Che'nya, why aren’t you smiling? You always smile.” Trey asked, cupping Che'nya’s cheek.

“I don’t understand.”

Riddle rolled his eyes, pushing Che'nya towards his mirror. They started tickling him to which he still gave no reaction. Che'nya’s face instantly became worried.

“I’m not smiling…! What’s going on?”

“That’s our line.” Riddle said, giving Che'nya a look.

“I don’t know. I… please… help me…?” Che'nya asked, his pupils becoming big. “Meow…”

Trey looked at Riddle who looked reluctant. Che'nya lovingly rubbed himself against them, hoping to convince them.

“Come on Riddle. Che'nya has done a lot for us. You’re not going to ignore someone in need, right?” Trey said.

“Fine. I’ll help.”

Che'nya mewed in delight, giving them a tight hug. Riddle sighed while Trey smiled.

•

Riddle flipped through another book only to toss it to the side.

“Find anything?” Riddle asked.

Trey shook his head. They looked at Che'nya who quietly read. He needed a bigger library.

“How about we head out to the library in the city? It’s got to have more than what my parents have.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Trey and Che'nya climbed out the window while Riddle shut it behind them. He quickly told his parents he was going to the library before hurrying out the door. He looked around for Trey and Che'nya, not expecting to be picked up by broom.

“It’s faster than waiting for a bus.” Trey said, Che'nya helping Riddle get situated.

“Can you really hold the three of us?”

“Riddle, you don’t weigh much.” Che'nya said, patting his head.

“EXCUSE ME!?”

“Really Che'nya? Do you really want to start this now, you two?”

Riddle turned his back to them, still peeved.

They arrived at the library, Riddle and Che'nya going on ahead while Trey parked the broom. They started browsing the shelves, looking for something. Seeing Che'nya not smiling like usual was giving them the creeps.

•

Riddle let out a frustrated groan. Nothing. They couldn’t find anything.

“Do you really have no idea how this happened?” Riddle asked.

“I know I can be a nuisance at times, but I would never withhold information from you two. I may twist my knowledge and be vague, but never lie about not knowing.” said Che'nya, his ears bending slightly. “I don’t know how, when, why…”

“Che'nya, it’s going to be okay. We’ll find something.”

Riddle sighed, leaving his room to brew them tea. Trey rubbed Che'nya’s arm as he held him close. They weren’t used to seeing Che'nya like this. He really seemed distressed at that.

“You’re always so nice to me, glasses. Riddle can learn something from you.”

“He did. How to give a proper blowjob.”

Che'nya immediately backed away, staring at him wide eyed. Trey burst into laughter, making Che'nya marrow his eyes as he frowned.

“Even to this day you still believe things I say huh?”

“Hush.”

Riddle entered with tea, pouring them each a cup.

“It’s a new blend my father brought home. Tell me what you think.”

The two drank, each having a different feeling towards it.

“It’s amazing…! I feel like my soul was cleansed!” Trey exclaimed, downing the rest of it.

“It’s nice… reminds me of my parents. If they were here. And if I had any.” Che'nya said, a small smile on his face.

He looked between them, wondering why they were staring at him.

“What?”

Trey started tickling his sides, causing Che'nya to laugh. Now Che'nya was in shock.

“It’s back! It’s back, it’s back, it’s back!” Che'nya said, hugging his friends.

They watched as he excitedly ran around like a kitten full of energy.

“Did the tea do it?” Riddle muttered.

“That’s what I came up with. What’s in the tea?”

The two went over the ingredients while Che'nya continued to flit around.

“Hey, dumb cat. Do you know how you lost your smile now?”

“Uh… well I did get sprayed in the face by a flower and I couldn’t see and fell into some bushes before dropping in water.” Che'nya said. “After that I came here, then went to Trey’s then came back to you.”

“You were the paranormal activity?” they asked in unison.

“Who else?”

Trey calmed Riddle down, telling him what mattered was that Che'nya was cured and they sorta kinda solved the mystery of how he lost his smile.


	412. The Vipers: Geniuses can be stupid

Jamil looked, seeing his family entering as well. They were getting involved too? Shriyal gave him a small wave before kneeling with their parents.

“In light of past and recent events, we, well more like I, have decided to let you, the Vioer family go.” said Mr. Asim.

“L- Let us go…? Sir, our family has served yours for generations!” Mr. Viper said, his wife nodding. “You can’t really mean to let us go. We can easily renounce Jamil.”

“And it’s exactly that kind of thinking that things ended up this way. Your son is a goddamn genius. Who knows what that brilliant mind of his can come up with to better the world? And why should such a mind be confined in a place where it’s owner is clearly unhappy?” said Mr Asim, silencing Mr Viper.

“We will never forget your kindness, especially after how terribly our son messed things up.” said Mrs Viper as she bowed with her husband.

Shriyal followed suit, Jamil being the only one not bowing. Mr Viper forced him down.

“As my last act of kindness, I’ve given you a place to live. Don’t worry about packing your things, i have the other servants doing that for you. Everything else you’ll have to do yourselves.”

“You’re much too kind, sir.” Mr Viper said.

Shriyal glanced at Jamil as they walked out. She wasn’t necessarily mad about what happened, but it irked her that despite being such a genius, he let himself harbor such a grudge for so long.

“Jamil.”

“Hm.”

She moved closer so their parents couldn’t hear.

“I’ve always looked up to you, but hearing what happened is making me change my mind. Apparently geniuses can be stupid too.”

“Hey.” Jamil hissed.

Shriyal shrugged, moving away.

•

The Vipers started unpacking, getting settled into their new home. It was located in a decent area and far away from the Asim family home. They couldn’t even see the place.

“So, are you proud of yourself?” Mr Viper asked, looking at Jamil.

“You know the answer to that.”

“Why, Jamil? How did trying to hurt Kalim make sense in that mind of yours? Was it really that hard to just be there and make him look good?” Mrs Viper snapped.

“I had to do it all of my life! You two have no idea what it’s like having to play the fool and be seen as one by everyone you come across because god forbid anyone found out I was smarter than Kalim! I should’ve been on top in everything I was good at! Not him! I hated being compared to him when Kalim was and still is a dumb idiot who can’t take care of himself!” Jamil shouted. “Don’t act like what you were doing was to benefit us, me! You only wanted to please Mr Asim!”

Shriyal watched as Jamil stormed out of their home. Their parents had gone back to unpacking, uncaring that Jamil had gone off.

“Don’t think about going after that ungrateful child, Shriyal.” Mrs Viper said, seeing she was moving out of the corner of her eye.

“Yes, mother…”

She picked up Jamil’s things, deciding to set up his room. She couldn’t help but smile, many things bringing back memories of when they were younger.

•

Jamil sat with his legs pulled to his chest, dusk settling in their new neck of Hot Sands. They always fussed and complained about every little thing he did. They probably complaining now about him leaving and not helping unpack.

_“Apparently geniuses can be stupid too.”_

Was what he did really so wrong? He was oppressed for so long. It was only right for him to try and rid himself of the root of everything. Now that he had time to look back, maybe things weren’t as black and white as he chose to see it. But things wouldn’t have happened if they’d just let him be him. The people to blame were the adults.

So maybe he was a little in the wrong for trying to hurt Kalim. He let out a sigh, looking at people passing by. Now what were they going to do, especially about tuition? Maybe he was stupid, not having thought too far into the future. Mr Asim just letting them go was pretty generous compared to what he could’ve done.

He lowered his head, losing all will to go home. He may not care much about his parents, but he had probably ruined Shriyal’s future.

“Hey…”

“Shriyal…?”

She lifted him to his feet, brushing him off.

“You betrayed me.” she said flatly.

“Wh-”

“You left me at home with the psychos.” she huffed, clearly upset. “Come home…”

“How did you find me though…?” he asked, following her.

“Luck.”

They walked together in silence.

“It’s pretty at night.” Shriyal spoke up, looking at the lanterns lighting up the night. “Maybe this might be a good change of pace for us.”

“You think?”

“Well, all our lives we were at the mercy of the Asims, bending to their every beck and call. Now we have freedom, freedom to do whatever the hell we want. We don’t have to worry about keeping face, we can curse anyone we want out.” explained Shriyal, looking up at her brother. “We can be ourselves.”

“That’s true… Mom and Dad will be thankful one day. I know it was a long standing tradition thing, but it’s not like we can’t have strong ties outside of such a relationship.”

“Now that’s the genius brother I know.” she smiled.

“Hush.” he chuckled, playfully pushing her.

She pushed him back before they started bumping each other with their hips, disturbing others in their path.


	413. Heartslabyul: That’s a big hickey

Heartslabyul students happy ate sweets, finally getting to relax after setting up for the party. Ace and Deuce sat together, ready to enjoy Trey’s baking.

“Got room for another~?”

“Cater senpai! Of course.” said Deuce, watching Cater sit.

“So, what’s new Adeuce?”

“Stop calling us that…” Ace muttered, eating his cake.

Deuce talked about their classes, wishing things were easier. Ace giggled, causing them to look.

“Hey. Mind if I sit?”

“Trey! Sit, sit!” Cater cheered.

“Hey Ace, what’s all the giggling about?”

“Huh? I didn’t giggle.” Ace replied.

“Actually, you did. I have pretty good hearing.” Cater said, backing up Deuce.

“I did not. Back off.”

“Ace is being rather touchy. What’s going on, Deuce? Did you make him mad?” Trey asked.

“No. He’s been irritable since… well, I don’t know actually. He disappeared after our last class and when he came back to Heartslabyul, he was like this. But not so bad.” Deuce whispered.

The three of them whispered to each other as Riddle made his way over.

“What’s with all the whispering? You’re leaving Ace out.”

“I don’t particularly care. I already know what they’re talking about.” Ace shrugged.

“So you admit to being irritable!”

“Yeah and you’re making it worse.” Ace huffed.

Cater squinted, noticing something peculiar.

“Ace, what have I told you about proper attire?” Riddle said, beating Cater to the punch.

“H- Hey! Hands off!”

Riddle stopped, causing the others to wonder why.

“There’s a mark on your neck.” Riddle said, moving his jacket.

“A mark!?” Cater exclaimed, seeing his guess was right on the mark. “A hickey!”

Everyone who could hear was now looking. Ace subconsciously covered it, glaring at them.

“It’s just a bruise.” Ace scoffed, using his jacket to hide it again.

“Nuh uh. I know a hickey when I see one.” Cater said, putting it on display again. “So, fess up. Who gave it to you?”

“No one. I’m not dating anyone.”

“Who said anything about dating? Now I really want to know what you’re hiding from us.” Deuce said, getting up to look as well.

“Come on guys, leave Ace- Woah. That’s a big hickey…” Trey said, now surrounding Ace.

“Can you all back up…?”

“We will. Once we know who gave it to you. And who you’re dating.” Cater said with a smirk.

“You aren’t going to believe me even if I told you.” Ace said with a raised eyebrow.

“Try us.” Deuce said.

“Leona.”

They exchanged looks before laughing, Riddle chuckling. Ace crosses his arms, waiting for them to stop.

“I told you.”

“You’re serious…?” Deuce asked, being the first to recover.

Ace stepped off to the side, typing away on his phone. What was he doing? Ace soon walked away and out of the tea garden.

“Think he’s mad?” Trey asked.

“Nah. He’ll be back.” Cater said, having them sit down.

Riddle pulled a chair over, ready to enjoy Trey’s sweets.

“Oi.”

They looked up, seeing Leona standing by their table. They looked at each other, wondering why he was here.

“Uh, welcome?” Cater said, seeing Ace pop out from behind him. “Did you bring him here to tell us that you aren’t dating?”

“Yeah. Why would Leona date someone like you?” Deuce chimed in.

“That’s why you brought me here? You said it was important.” Leona growled.

“They don’t believe me, so I figured if you told them, they’d believe it.” Ace said.

Leona sighed heavily, softly smiling at Ace kissing his cheek.

“Unfortunately, it’s true that we’re dating. Oh, you aren’t hiding the hickey like you said you would.” Leona said, running his fingers over Ace’s neck. “I should’ve left more.”

Ace’s eyes widened along with the others. Leona smirked, pecking his lips.

“Okay. We’re convinced!” Deuce said, looking away.

“How did _he_ , convince you, the lazy, I’ll-bite-your-head-off-at-any-given-point second prince of Afterglow?” Riddle asked, not understanding in the slightest.

“I don’t know. It just happened.”

“And now he can’t live without me~” Ace said in a sing songy voice.

Leona rolled his eyes, turning to leave. Ace pleaded with him to stay, especially since he was already here. The four of them watched as Leona kept Ace at a distance but Ace was never deterred in the slightest.

“How cute.” Cater said, posting a picture of the couple on Magicam.

“Well, that was something.” Trey said, seeing Ace dragging Leona over to the dessert table.

They nodded in agreement, seeing Ace running from Leona who’s face was covered in cake.


	414. NRC & RSA: The Magic of Magift

“We’re almost to Night Raven!”

The students instantly became louder, talking about how excited they were.

“We’re gonna slay who?”

“Those black birds!” the students said in unison.

“But we’re also gonna be good sports!”

“Yeah!” they agreed.

“It’s a shame Mei couldn’t be here.” Rielle sighed, seeing the Night Raven campus.

“Well, Drellator just naturally sucks.” Jamie said with a shrug. “Mei isn’t sporty either.”

“I thought I heard familiar voices~”

They looked, seeing two long ears standing up.

“Lepus senpai?”

“In the flesh. So, Atlantica and Maodeng qualified huh?” Lepus said, his ears having gone back down.

“Yep. Wondersmoore did too huh?” Jamie commented.

“No. My dorm, Nimbus and Maison Bele qualified.” said Lae, showing his face.

“Prideland didn’t make it? It’s literally home of the jocks. Well, right behind Nimbus.” Rielle said in surprise.

“Actually, that’s wrong-”

“We’re here!”

Students quickly got up, trying to get off. Rielle and the others ended up getting swept in the traffic, thus being separated.

•

“What do you mean ‘We’ll do what we always do’? We’ve lost for 99 years!”

“Yet whose dorm keeps losing to mine?”

Leona growled threateningly, only for someone to step in between them.

“I hate to say it, but the lion is right. We need new tricks. We can’t let those royal fools walk over us this year.” Azul said.

“Your dorm isn’t even participating.” Leona scoffed.

“As if Octavinelle can’t offer support. You of all people should know that well.”

“Putting the past aside, Heartslabyul and Pomefiore have been working on new plays.” Riddle said, steering back the conversation.

“Pomefiore qualified? Really? All they care about are their faces.”

“What’s surprising is Ignihyde qualifying.” Malleus commented. “Their dorm leader is a turtle in human form.”

“You all, stop getting off topic. Royal Sword is already here so we don’t have much time.” Riddle said.

•

“So Yuu, excited to see the tournament?”

“I know you and Deuce are hurting that you didn’t make the team.” Yuu said. “Maybe next year.”

They stopped in their tracks, hearing a commotion not far away.

“Oh, so it’s going to be like that huh!?”

“Y'all wandering around like you own the damn place!”

Yuu watched as the students started fighting. They hurried over, having Ace help them separate the students.

“What’s going on? Save the fighting for Magift!”

“Yuu, don’t take their side. We were minding our business and they had the nerve to ask us to move over!” the NRC student fussed.

“It’s common courtesy! Something this school clearly doesn’t teach!”

They watched the RSA students walk away in anger. Yuu glared at the student.

“Don’t give me that look. We have every right to deny them.”

“It’s not like he asked you for a kidney!” Yuu exclaimed.

The NRC students left in a huff. Yuu sighed, wondering if there were other problems popping up in other places.

“We still heading to the library…?” Ace asked.

“3… 2… 1…” Yuu muttered.

“Yuu!”

Yuu let out a sigh as Crowley appeared behind them.

“Let me guess. Make sure everything runs smoothly and especially take pictures when people are being bad.” Yuu said with a hand on their hip.

“Oh. Then I guess my work here is done.”

“You don’t do anything.”

“Haha~”

They watched as Crowley walked away in high spirits.

“He’s so weird.” Ace whispered.

“At least you’re aren’t indebted to him.”

•

Students flitted around the booths, trying out the various foods and activities. Lepus stopped at one, Lae being unaware of the action.

“They all look so good! What do you recommend?”

“Are you a player or spectator?”

“The latter.”

The booth owner pointed to a few before Lepus made his choice. He watched in awe at his food being made.

“Excuse me?”

Lepus looked before shielding his eyes some. He knew this shine anywhere.

“Oh my! You’re so beautiful!” the booth owner exclaimed. “How may I help you?”

“I’m playing later in the tournament, so do you have anything light on the stomach but filling?”

The booth owner was clearly captivated by the student.

“So you’re playing, Neige? Didn’t take you as the type.” Lepus commented, his lips pulled in a taut.

“It’s good to gain experience in many things, is it not Lepus senpai?” Neige smiled.

“You can act like that all you want but I know your true nature.”

“Whatever do you mean, senpai? I’m still the sweet hearted, giving and kind Neige.”

The booth owner handed them their food, wishing them well.

“Oh yeah. You never responded to my texts. Why, senpai?”

“You.”

Neige happily waved at Lae who was internally sending death threats at him.

“How rude. This is why no one likes you.” Lae seethed.

Lepus looked between Lae who was clearly angry and Neige who kept his beautiful smile.

“Oh, look at the time! I’ll see you both.” Neige said happily.

“Die in a ditch!”

“Lae, calm down. He’s not evil, just a little mean.” Lepus said, patting Lae’s head.

“But he called you short!”

“Oh boy…”

Yuu scanned the area, thankful no other fights had broken out. But there was no guarantee another wouldn’t start right in front of them.

“I ordered it first!”

“I’m a regular at this shop!”

Yuu hurried over, seeing the students trying to attack each other in front of the booth.

“Stop!”

Yuu huffed, having separated the two.

“Look, this guy ordered it first. This could’ve easily been resolved if you tried talking and being friendly first.” Yuu said.

“He attacked me first!” the RSA student claimed before walking away.

“That’s a lie! I was nothing but nice! He’s the jerk off!”

“It’s over. Either order something else or go somewhere else.”

Yuu turned, hearing more fighting. They ended up being pushed as the two kept going.

“Why can’t any of you get along like normal people!?” Yuu groaned, trying to work their way in again.

The two were finally separated.

“Why… why did you start… fighting?” Yuu wheezed.

“He’s ugly and on my turf.”

Yuu calmed themselves, knowing they would lose it otherwise.

“Nrc students are so easy to make fun of and anger.” the Rsa student said, high fiving his friends.

Why were they always having stuff like this pushed into them? Why couldn’t Crowley do it? He practically runs the school! It was hard enough that some of the guys were bigger and beefier, but they didn’t have magic either.

The students finally parted after coming to some kind of understanding. Yuu collapsed into a chair, needing rest.

•

“Hello.”

Yuu open their eyes, seeing a radiant face staring at theirs.

“Is everything okay?”

“I’m tired but fine. Who are you…?”

“Neige LeBlanche. You are?”

“Yuu. Like I said, I’m fine… Hm? The place is practically empty…” Yuu said, looking around at the empty street save for the booth operators.

“Oh, the tournament is starting actually. I came out to get my team some drinks while we waited.” said Neige, watching Yuu get up.

“You know, you really got looks. Rivals Vil’s I’d say.” Yuu commented.

“Really? Vil Schoenheit? That’s nice~”

Yuu looked at Neige who smiled all the same. Was it just them or did Neige sound patronizing? They pushed the thought aside, seeing someone as nice looking at him couldn’t be.

•

Confetti fell from the air as the winning school celebrated. Yuu sighed, heading down to stop more fights that started to arise.

Rielle sat next to Jamie as their school name continued to appear in fireworks in the sky.

“Night Raven still sucks.” Jamie said, nudging Rielle.

“Yep. 100 years they’ve lost. I didn’t even do much.” Rielle said, seeing the fireworks stopped. “Oh. They’re fighting already.”

They noticed a person had come flying, breaking up the fight.

“Yay! Yay! RSA!”

They looked, seeing Lepus bouncing over to them, Lae following close behind.

“You guys did amazingly!” Lepus cheered, flitting around and hugging everyone.

“So, what are you gonna do?” Jamie asked, looking at Lae.

“Whatever Lepus wants. He’s a fun guy you know.” Lae shrugged, watching Lepus make his way back over. “Lepus, what are you going to do?”

“Hmm… I was going to explore the campus. We don’t many opportunities to come here.” Lepus replied, giving Rielle and Jamie hugs.

“I’m game.”

“Can I tag along?” Rielle piped up.

“Why not?”

“Got room for another?”

Everyone in the area briefly shielded their eyes, a blinding light filling their vision. A few frowned, seeing Neige standing there as if he wasn’t just running around playing Magift.

“Uh…”

“Seriously? No. You can’t come along.” Lae said, narrowing his eyes.

“Ah, I forget you can hear my thoughts.” Neige said, still smiling.

“What did he say…?” Lepus asked.

Lae pulled him off to the side before whispering.

“Are you two going?” Neige asked, looking at Rielle and Jamie.

“Uh… Maybe.” Rielle said, scratching his cheek.

“Rie, we’re leaving!” Lepus said before bouncing on ahead.

“I’m coming too!”

Jamie watched as Neige and Rielle hurried to catch up with Lepus and Lae.

•

Yuu exhaled, having stopped yet another fight. They needed a place to rest and eat. They couldn’t remember the last time they ate.

“Don’t you look hungry?”

“Huh- AH!”

Yuu expected to meet the ground, only to find themselves being held instead.

“Take a break. You’ve been moving all day haven’t you?”

“Yes. Um… Who are-”

“Vin. Here, have a drink.”

Yuu gratefully accepted it, feeling refreshed after downing half of it.

“Are you going to speak or should I guess?”

“Well…”

Vin listened as Yuu went on about the task Crowley had given them. They exhaled, letting their head collide with the table.

“Well, even if it sounded a little daunting, I can assure you’ll be rewarded.” said Vin, pointing behind Yuu.

Yuu turned, seeing students standing behind them. Yuu watched as each one by one placed a sweet on the table and bowing while thanking them.

“I know these lollipops. Sam sells them but where did these macaroons come from…?” Yuu muttered, looking them over.

“They’re one of a kind and come from one place only.” said Vin, gesturing to his booth.

“You make these? They’re really cute…! Could you make me one?”

Vin looked Yuu up and down before shaking his head.

“There’s nothing inside you that identifies you.” said Vin apologetically. “As you can see, each is not only a different color, but have different designs and flavors as well.”

“Just like the lollipops…”

Yuu unwrapped a macaroon, taking a bite. For a dessert it sure was sour. They ate another, a tangy taste spreading over their tongue. Vin wasn’t kidding when he said different flavors.

“I guess you were right about… Vin?”

Yuu looked around, seeing Vin was missing. Yuu shrugged, stuffing the sweets in their pockets to share with their friends.


	415. LeoRu: A puppy trying to bark

Leona picked him up by his tail, looking at him squirming around.

“So, how did this happen?” Leona asked, putting Ruggie in the palm of his hand. “Wait, let me guess. You ate something strange didn’t you?”

“I eat a lot of things you know.” Ruggie replied, crossing his arms.

“Did you eat anything new?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. The ingredients might still be in the kitchen.”

Leona unzipped his pocket, putting Ruggie in it. Ruggie looked, seeing there was lint and some wrapper in in the pocket.

“So, what did you use?” Leona asked as he entered the kitchen.

Ruggie pointed things out, Leona putting them on display.

“What’s this?” Leona questioned, picking up a brown root.

“Don’t know. Found it in the gardens.” Ruggie replied, jumping out of Leona’s pocket. He looked over the other ingredients before sighing. “Well either way, I have classes to get to.”

“It’s going to take your hours to get to any class pint size. I’ll carry you.”

“No. I can do it myself.” Ruggie huffed.

Leona picked him up by his tail again, watching him try to claw at him. Ruggie gave up, allowing Leona to take him.

•

Ruggie held his small magipen, writing on the big piece of paper as the teacher lectured. Students were clearly staring at and talking about him. He felt someone poke him, irritating him further.

“Stop it! I’m trying to focus!”

“As if telling us to stop will work.”

Class finally ended, giving Ruggie a chance to breathe. A few students came over, starting to poke fun at him. He growled angrily, trying to be threatening but failing terribly.

“You weren’t very threatening in normal size, now it’s just listening to a puppy trying to bark.” a student said, the others hollering.

“I hope you all like walking on your hands since you won’t have legs to use.” a voice said lowly.

“Leona-”

The students let out displeased grunts, leaving the room quickly. Ruggie rolled his eyes, hopping down onto the seats.

“Need a little help?”

“No. Leave me be.” Ruggie grumbled. “You didn’t have to step in like that either.”

“What do you mean? They were making fun of my boyfriend. Making fun of my lover means making fun of me.” Leona said, watching Ruggie climb the stairs to exit the classroom. “Are you sure you don’t want help?”

“I’m sure. I’m not disabled.” Ruggie said, finally walking out the door.

Leona picked him up, seeing he was going to get stepped on at some point if he didn’t do something.

•

Leona placed a small plate in front of Ruggie, sitting down at the table. He didn’t want to say it out loud, but Ruggie was even cuter like this.

“Hey Ruggie. How’s the bug life?”

“How many cracks have you fallen into?”

“G-”

“You really want to get in my bad side huh?” Leona said, standing up.

“N- No… We were just joking.”

“Y- Yeah! See you!”

The students quickly walked off. Ruggie glared at Leona.

“Why? Why do you keep doing that? I can take care of myself!” Ruggie fussed, trying to pick up Leona’s fork to stab him with it.

“I’m just looking out for you.” Leona said, taking the fork away. “You can’t do much in that size.”

“Yes I can. You’re just not giving me a chance to!”

“You’re crazy.”

“I’m crazy? You know what, forget it. I’m done with you.”

“Ruggie-”

Ruggie was already climbing off the seat and walking away. He was only trying to be a good boyfriend. Why was Ruggie so against him?

“Ruggie, if take another step don’t even think about coming to my room later!”

Ruggie kept walking. Leona frowned, stabbing his lunch. Ruggie was really being ungrateful.

•

Ruggie sat down, needing to rest. He missed being full size. Walking to and from places was a real chore now. He was so small students passing by couldn’t even see him. His thoughts slowly drifted towards Leona. He was being way too much just because he shrunk in size. He wasn’t helpless.

Ruggie looked around before looking up at the sky. But he was helpless. It was hard doing things normally this small. Rather than a few minutes, it took him nearly twenty just to get to his next class and that was including little breaks like this.

It was bad enough most in Savanaclaw got on his case for being a twinky twig at his normal size. Now they had extra fuel to tease him about. Maybe he was being a little harsh with Leona. He wasn’t doing any harm.

His ears bent, showing his emotions. He could really use Leona right now.

“There you are!”

Ruggie looked up, seeing Leona squatting down.

“Leona, I’m sorry… I was being a dumb fool.” Ruggie said, getting to his feet. “I do need help. I don’t like being teased…”

“I know, but I wasn’t being mindful of how you’d take my words and actions…” Leona said, rubbing his neck.

Ruggie climbed into his hands, giving him a small smile.

“So, where are you headed?” Leona asked, helping Ruggie into his pocket.

“Your room.”

“What for?”

Ruggie pursed his lips, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“I was going to apologize…” Ruggie said, hiding in his pocket.

“Really? You? Apologize? Do you really treasure us that much that you’d be willing to apologize?” Leona asked, heading back to his room.

“Maybe…”

“Being shy are we? Should I drag it out of you?” Leona smirked.

“Try me.”

Ruggie found himself being taken out of his pocket before having his ears scratched from behind. Ruggie was about to break away only to have under his chin scratched.

“Stop…” Ruggie whined, feeling Leona’s finger rubbing his little body. “Leo…”

“Oh~ You’re begging. I love it.”

Ruggie cried out, trying to escape Leona’s frisky fingers.


	416. Epel > Silver: What should I do to get you to return my feelings…?

Epel watched from afar as Silver slept surrounded by animals. He was beautiful just like the aurora lights he saw when he was younger. Epel snuck closer, getting a better view of his face. The birds opened their eyes, looking around before closing them again.

 _“What should I do to get you to return my feelings…?”_ Epel thought, remembering times Silver blocked his affections.

The birds and squirrels moved off of Silver, his body waking. They started chattering, hoping he was okay.

“Oh… hey.” Silver whispered. A bird flew onto his shoulder while a squirrel scampered onto his thigh. “You look worried. Did something happen?”

The animals chittered, a few looking in Epel’s direction. Epel held his breath as Silver walked in his general direction.

“You guys might’ve been dreaming, but thanks for looking out for me.” Silver smiled, walking away.

Epel silently watched Silver before sinking to the ground. Silver was too perfect. He clutched his chest, his heart beating wildly.

•

Epel watched Silver interact with Diasomnia students, a blue bird resting comfortably on his shoulder.

“What are you looking at?”

Epel jumped, not expecting to hear a voice.

“Riddle senpai…”

“I keep telling you Riddle is fine. You’ve earned the right.” Riddle said, looking at Epel. “So, what are we looking at?”

“Nothing. I was just-”

“Silver. Should’ve known. Really Epel, nothing is going to happen between you two.” Riddle said, shaking his head. “You’re just hurting yourself at this point…”

Epel wasn’t listening, too enveloped in Silver. Riddle clapped one his face, waking him from his daze.

“What?”

“Well, I told you that you should give up on Silver. He clearly doesn’t see you as anything more. I really don’t want to see you like this anymore…” Riddle said, rubbing Epel’s back.

“Riddle, thanks for the concern.”

Riddle watched as Epel walked away. Knowing Epel, he was going to continue to watch over Silver from a distance. He wanted to help Epel, but what would be more beneficial? He looked between Silver walking off with his friends and Epel heading down the hallway.

He was going to do what was best for Epel, even if it meant their friendship would suffer.

•

Epel couldn’t stop thinking about Silver. His heart was yearning to be near him, talk to him, touch him. He let out a sigh, his mind projecting Silver’s face into his hands on classwork.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“May I borrow your pen real quick?”

Epel nodded, handing his pen over to Jack. Jack came back, seeing Epel staring intensely at his work. He wasn’t even doing anything.

“Epel?”

No response. Jack used his tail, brushing it underneath Epel’s nose. Epel sneezed, coming back to reality.

“Your pen. Why are you staring so intensely?”

“Huh? I was? You’re probably just imagining it.” said Epel, taking his pen back. “You’re welcome by the way.”

Jack gave him a weird look, heading back to his seat.

The class finally ended and Epel was already packed and fleeing out of the room. If he moved fast enough, he could catch Silver entering the horse stables for club activities and doing his usual one on one chat with his horse Lily.

Epel checked the time, seeing Silver was running late. Silver was never late. He loved being with Lily just as much as he loved mushroom risotto. Epel went back into hiding, hearing the door open.

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, Silver. I know he’s going to hate me for this, but I just can’t stand seeing him like this.”

Epel peeked out, seeing Riddle and Silver leading their horses out.

“You never did tell me why you want me to speak to him.” Silver said, brushing Lily’s side.

“I can’t… It’s not my place to do so. But I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out.” said Riddle, walking out with Vorpal.

Epel frowned, making a thoughtful face. What in the world did Riddle do and to whom? Epel escapes the stables, seeing he could worry about it later. Right now he had to watch Silver.

•

Epel collapsed into a chair, enjoying the crisp twilight breeze in Pomefiore. His mind was full of Silver and then some. He started to daydream of what it would be like to date Silver.

“Uh, excuse me…? May I sit?”

Epel opened his eyes before tipping back in his seat.

“S- S- Silver! Ah, uh, you… we… uh… yes!” Epel stammered, trying to get back into his seat.

Silver sat, watching Epel scrambling around.

“So, how are you?”

“Good! I mean, good.” Epel aid, lowering his volume. “How you?”

“Uh, I good…? So, are you enjoying classes?” Silver asked, seeing Epel was avoiding eye contact.

“Yes! I learn very much. Teachers great! You great! Ahahahahahahaha…”

“Did I miss a memo about having to talk to you in broken english…?” asked Silver, wondering what he was supposed to easily figure out.

“No! I, I’m just… you see… I, me… socialize bad!” Epel exclaimed.

“Right… Well, I’m not entirely sure what Riddle was trying to hint at but it seems you aren’t comfortable talking to people.” Silver said, getting up from his seat. “Bye.”

“Wait!”

Silver turned, looking at the jittery Epel.

“I… Someone has a crush on you! What do you do?”

“You know, it’s not nice to go telling other people’s business. I’m disappointed.”

Epel felt the life drain from his face as Silver headed back inside the dorm. Where did everything go downhill? Why did he say something so dumb? Silver would probably never look at him again. Epel repeatedly banged his head against the table, hoping it’d eventually put him in a coma.


	417. Yuu x Vil: Aren’t any brighter than Trappola and Spade

“Have you seen Yuu? There’s something I need to run something by them.”

Students shook their heads whenever Vil asked. It wasn’t their business to know what Yuu was up and when. Vil continued to look around, peeking into rooms in hopes of spotting Yuu.

A few students walked out of a hallway.

“Hey. Hey!”

They froze before breaking into a sprint. Vil made a weirded out look before looking down the narrow hallway.

“Yuu!”

Yuu coughed, weakly getting to their feet. Vil helped them up, seeing they were covered in wet flour and some kind of sauce.

“Oh. Hey Vil. What’s up?” Yuu asked, struggling to wipe their eyes.

“Less talking, more walking.” said Vil, taking off his jacket and covering Yuu with it.

•

Vil gently ran his fingers through Yuu’s hair, getting the last of the caked batter out of their hair. He smiled softly, seeing Yuu was enjoying it.

“And there. There’s the beautiful Yuu I know.” Vil said, drying their hair. “How did this happen…?”

“Ah, just a little mishaps with things is all.” Yuu smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be much more careful.”

Vil nodded, taking a moment to drink in Yuu’s beautiful face. He never thought he’d be this deep in love with someone like this. Yuu rested their head on his shoulder, not wanting him to worry anymore.

“If you ever need help, just tell me, okay? I told you then that I’d always be here for you. It still holds true even now.” Vil said, holding them close.

“And I’m grateful for it. Now that we’ve finished that, I should get going. I’m supposed to meet Ace and Deuce at the library to study. But knowing them, we’ll probably get put out again by the librarian.” Yuu said, briefly holding his hands before getting up to leave.

“You’ll be at Ramshackle tonight, right?”

“Of course. Where else would I be?”

Vil watched the door close behind Yuu. Yuu had a point. Where else would they be?

•

“Vil! I finally found you.”

“I didn’t go anywhere, Rook. So, what do you have to tell me about?” Vil asked, touching up his makeup.

“During my little travels around school, I happened to notice you darling little Yuu hanging with some new friends. Just thought it’d be something you’d like to know.” Rook said, seeing he needed a touch up too.

“Well, it’s good that Yuu’s making new friends. I was worried they’d become stupid from hanging out with tweedledumb and tweedledumber from Heartslabyul.” Vil commented, packing away his makeup.

“You never cease to amaze me with nicknames.”

“So, what dorm were they from? What year?”

“Hm, I wasn’t close enough to tell what year, but it was a mixture of dorms. Scarabia, Diasomnia, Savanaclaw and Heartslabyul.” Rook said, following Vil. “Judging from how they acted, I suppose the one from Heartslabyul and Scarabia aren’t any brighter than Trappola and Spade.”

“Unfortunate. Anything else you want to tell me or are you following me for the fun of it as usual?”

“Both, but what I want to say isn’t all that important.”

Vil simply hummed in response, now curious as to who these people were that were hanging around Yuu.

Yuu quietly did work, checking the time. Maybe they shouldn’t go. But if they didn’t, they’d do worse, even go as far as mess with Vil. They knew Vil wouldn’t be easy to mess with as a person, but the same couldn’t be said for his belongings.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class. Yuu waited for most of the students to leave before leaving themselves.

“Hey. I came to pick you up.”

“Ah…”

Yuu allowed them to drag them away. What did they have planned for today? Would it be painful?

The rest of them joined in, taking Yuu to a secluded place.

“So, what’s on the agenda?” Yuu asked, hoping they’d go easy.

“Not much. Just some hanging.”

“H- Hanging…?”

Now Yuu was worried. They were going to kill them. They weren’t that crazy, right? Right?? Yuu tried pulling away, seeing they were headed for the woods behind the campus. This was it. They were done for. They wouldn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to Vil.

“Huston Smith, a 2nd year in Scarabia. Manny Dew, a 1st year in Diasomnia. Poseidon Huntington, a 2nd year in Savanaclaw. And lastly Daniel Kawano, a 3rd year in Heartslabyul.”

They turned, seeing Vil standing not too far from them. Yuu looked at him from their upside down position. How did Vil find them? Then again, they were grateful, considering they were hanging upside down and put in a highly uncomfortable situation.

“What do you want Vil?” Daniel said, stepping towards him.

“My lover for starters.” Vil said getting all up in Daniel’s face. “You, get them down right this instant.”

“Do it and I'lol deal with you personally, Poseidon.” Daniel threatened.

Poseidon didn’t know what to do. Both were equally scary. He looked to the others who stepped far away.

“Poseidon.” they said in unison.

“I can’t do it! Vil has power!” Poseidon wailed, letting Yuu down from the tree.

Yuu felt the blood in their face returning back to different parts of their body as they attempted to untie their ankles.

“Thanks…” Yuu said, giving Poseidon a smile.

Poseidon say with his head in his hands, knowing life was going to be hell after all of this. Manny and Huston hurried over, Manny helping Yuu untie their ankles.

“What gave you the bright idea to bully Yuu, hm? You thought I wouldn’t find out? How stupid are you?”

“I did it because I’m sick of you. You act like you rule this school when you’re nothing but a bottom feeder like the rest of us. None of us care about how famous you are. And what better to get back at you than to torture you sweet, adorable Yuu.” Daniel said, pushing Vil back.

“You’ve messes with the wrong person.”

Vil was about to throw down with Daniel until Yuu stepped in between them, hugging Vil tight.

“Yuu-”

“Don’t. You’re going to get in trouble. That’s what he wants.” Yuu said, pushing Vil back. “Let’s just go…”

“Yeah. Let’s go. Everyone already knows anyway.” Vil said, holding Yuu close as they walked away.“

Yuu was clearly confused, but was more concerned about them harassing Vil.

•

Yuu found themselves being stopped in the halls by Vil.

"V-”

Yuu found themselves being pulled into a room. What was going on?

“Vil? What’s going on?”

“Shh…”

Yuu widened their eyes, nothing expecting to have their lips seized. They tightly gripped his shirt, easily melting into the kiss.

“Wha… what was that for…?” Yuu asked, staring at Vil with loving eyes.

“I’m just so glad to see you’re okay…” Vil whispered, holding Yuu close.

“Why wouldn’t I be? You saved me.” Yuu said, rubbing his back.

“I’m ashamed to admit this but… I had a terrible dream. That ugly potato had relatilated and hurt you so badly… I… I even overblotted…” Vil said, caressing Yuu’s cheek.

“Oh Vil…”

Yuu hugged him tight, trying to give him comfort. They didn’t know Vil could have bad dreams.

“I’m okay Vil, especially since I have you.”

Yuu heard him let a relieved sighed, nuzzling them full of love. They really were thankful to have Vil.


	418. Malleus: A profile

Malleus closed the door to his room, heading out to visit a club.

“There you are.”

“I was never lost.” Malleus replied. “What do you want, Lilia?”

“I was planning on joining you in whatever activities you had planned.” Lilia quipped, quite interested as to where Malleus has been disappearing to these days.

“That’s fine I suppose.”

“So, where are we going?” Lilia pressed.

“Vil’s club.”

Lilia looked up, seeing something peeking from behind Malleus’ hair. He tried getting a better look, only for Malleus’ hair to fall into place and block his view. Maybe it wasn’t anything.

•

Malleus and Lilia arrived at the shooting, seeing they were set up by the abandoned dorm. A scene was currently going on.

“I never thought you were interested in something like this.” Lilia whispered as they got closer.

“I came to observe and understand humans, so that means looking at everything they do.” Malleus said, standing off to the side.

“Cut. Terrible. You two act like you’ve never played instruments before.” Vil complained, having them start from the top. “Start!”

Lilia looked at Malleus, that weird spot appearing again. So he wasn’t seeing things. The wind blew, moving Malleus’ hair and covering it once more. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“Lilia, why do you keep looking at me? You know what I look like.” Malleus said, turning to face him.

“It’s just-”

Thunk. The fake sword fell to the ground after knocking Malleus on the head.

“Oh my god…”

“He’s going to kill us…!”

Vil walked over, seeing no one else was going to approach. He stopped in his tracks, seeing someone was already picking up the sword.

“We’re sorry. Please keep your senses about you when on a film set.”

“Akio…”

Lilia looked between them, noticing a foreign look in Malleus’ eyes.

“Yes?”

“Nothing. I’m just glad to see your face…” Malleus said lowly, placing his hand on Akio’s head.

Akio walked away, handing the sword prop back to the actor.

“So, when did you get close to someone?” Lilia asked.

“We just happened to talk once. I wouldn’t consider that being close.” Malleus replied, his eyes resting on someone.

“Uh huh…”

Lilia didn’t believe it at all.

•

Malleus entered the main building, noticing students were actually looking at him. That was highly unusual. Some were whispering about something.

“Excuse me.”

The students squeaked before shuffling away. There’s clearly something going on and as usual, no one would want to get close enough to tell him. He approached another student who ran away as well.

“Malleus~”

“Yes, Lilia?”

“I heard about you having a hickey. Is it true?”

“You’re already looking at it.” Malleus said, feeling Lilia running his finger over his neck. “So yes, it’s true.”

“You know you’ve gotta give details. Prince Malleus of the Valley of Thorns having evidence of a sexual encounter. It’s going to be the talk of the town.” said Lilia, seeing it was decently sized.

“What do you want to know?”

“Who, then how, when.” Lilia said, smiling widely. “You can provide that much can’t you?”

“I can.” said Malleus, smiling back at Lilia. “But… I won’t.”

“Malleus!”

Malleus laughed, loving the look on Lilia’s face.

“But my partner has more than me, fufu~” Malleus chuckled before walking on ahead.

Lilia blinked, wondering where the little Malleus he knew had disappeared to.

•

Malleus entered Diasomnia, seeing students running around as numerous paper littered the floor. Did he want to stay and find out or leave and hopefully things would be over when he came back? He closed the door, bring attention to himself.

“What are you all doing? Here I thought Diasomnia would be less chaotic than on campus but… it’s crazier in here.” Malleus said, picking up a piece of paper. “A profile of a Savanaclaw student…?”

“Abort, abort!” a student shouted.

Suddenly the floor was spotless and the piece of paper was snatched from his hands. He didn’t understand what just happened. Everyone was now on their phones. Malleus walked to his room, seeing he could just ask Lilia what was going.

Malleus opened the door to his room, closing it behind him.

“Hey.”

“Akio.”

Akio smiled, scooting over on his bed.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you have club today?” Malleus asked, sitting next to him.

“Vil’s sick. So I thought I’d come here and talk to you for a bit.” Akio replied before waggling his finger. “Diasomnia was in chaos when I arrived. They were going through the students at Night Raven.”

“I saw it too but then someone shouted abort and were on their phones…” Malleus muttered, wondering what it was all about.

Akio took out his phone, asking him if he heard anything someone could’ve mumbled. Though, he didn’t have to look far. There was a trending hashtag.

“‘Malleus Draconia’s hickey giver revealed’ What a title…” Akio said, scrolling through more posts. “We’ve been found out.”

“You his yours rather well. I can’t see them.” Malleus said, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

“Makeup does wonders.” Akio smirked, rolling his sleeves some.

“Really?”

“No, silly.” Akio laughed, the hickeys on his neck and chest becoming visible. “Just a small camouflage spell.”

Malleus gave him a brief kiss, loving how mischievous he could be.

“So, did all you want to do is talk? Or was there something else, especially since you don’t have your jacket or tie.” Malleus said lowly, running his finger over Akio’s collarbone.

“Stop it or else I’ll attack.” Akio growled, already doing so already.

Malleus captured his lips, holding him firmly by his waist. Akio nipped at Malleus’ chin, feeling him up and down.

“Hey, slow down… We’ve got time…” Malleus chuckled, running his fingers through Akio’s hair.

Akio buried his face in Malleus’ chest, grinning from ear to ear.


	419. Che'nya: What all good friends do

They stood outside the door, trying to nominate someone to go in.

“Rock, paper… scissors!”

“Ha! You lost. Now get in there.”

“You guys are cruel…”

“Come on, Jamie.”

Jamie rolled his eyes, entering Che'nya’s room.

“Che'nya? It’s Jamie.”

He could see the lump lying on the bed. Clearly the feline didn’t want to be disturbed. The others would obviously complain if he came back out too early.

“We’re worried about you.”

More silence. Jamie sighed heavily, pulling back the covers. Che'nya didn’t move an inch.

“Che'nya, you’re making your favorite staff worry. He misses you.”

“Do you ever shut up?” Che'nya grumbled, lofting his body up before doing a cat stretch. “I’m fine. You’re all getting fussy about nothing.”

“I told them! Yet they were convinced you were depressed or something. God, they’re such sensitive kids.”

“Eosin is older than you.” Che'nya pointed out.

Jamie walked out of the room. Che'nya’s ears bent as he hid underneath his covers again.

“I wish I was fine…” Che'nya whispered, gently dragging his nails over his pillow.

“Why am I getting beat up!? He told me himself he was fine!” Jamie whined, rubbing his arm.

“You believe that dumb cat?” Mei huffed.

“Jamie, you’re more naive than you look.” Rielle commented, irritating Jamie further.

“I spy with my cute little eyes a handful of underclassmen!”

“Hey, Lepus senpai. What are you doing here?” Rielle asked.

“Well, considering you’re in Wondersmoore. And I live in Wondersmoore, what do you think Rie?” Lepus said, giving him a look.

“Oh, right. Forgot…” Rielle mumbled, hiding behind Jamie.

“So, why are you hanging around a room and causing foot traffic?”

“Che'nya’s depressed and we’re trying to get him out. Nothing is working, especially since we have a dumb tiger.” Mei said, feeling Jamie pinch him.

“I can get him out easy. Watch and learn youngins.”

They watched Lepus enter, walking over to Che'nya. He was actually getting him out of bed.

“How did he do that!?”

“Who’s got those limited edition earrings I’ve been dying for?”

Lepus closed the door, waiting for it to sink in. Che'nya came to his senses, seeing he had been tricked. And he couldn’t go back to his room with it being guarded.

“Look, Che'nya. You can’t keep being sad over Riddle. There’s plenty of other guys right here in Royal Sword.” said Eosin, pulling Che'nya out of Wondersmoore. “I’ve heard a few guys wanted to get with you. One is especially fond of beastmen.”

“I’m not sad. Where are you all getting this from?”

Jamie started listing things off until Che'nya had him shut up.

“If you’re looking for someone like Riddle, Zayden comes pretty close.” Lepus piped up.

“That organized, always has to be right, glasses wearing nerd? Hard pass.” Che'nya scoffed.

“He’s even more attractive when he has contacts in.” Lepus included.

“Look, I’m going to head to my club. I’m perfectly fine. You’re going crazy over nothing.” said Che'nya, walking away.

They watched him leave before shaking their heads.

“He is so sad.” Mei quipped.

“I mean, wouldn’t you be if you found out your childhood friend you had a crush on was dating someone who isn’t you?” Eosin mentioned, having them walk with him.

“I see your point. But clearly it’s really bad since he never does anything besides go to classes and club if they have meetings. He loved pranking students and scaring them out of their wits.” Jamie pointed out.

“Let’s talk more over food. Something from Vin’s smells good.” Mei said, jogging towards the snack shop.

“He really knows how to draw people in.” Eosin chuckled.

“Excuse me.”

Eosin stopped, feeling someone tap him. He turned around, seeing a slightly out of breath red head.

“That uniform… Night Raven huh?”

“Please, that doesn’t matter right now. I’m trying to find Alchemi Alchemivich Pinka or Che'nya for short.”

The red head wheezed as he kept his head low.

“You’re in luck. I happen to be friends with him.” Eosin smiled.

The red head looked up at him with such thankful eyes.

“Wait a minute… Are you Riddle Rosehearts?”

“Yes. I’m sure everyone knows my parents…” Riddle mumbled.

“Che'nya talks, well, talked about you so much. He really thought so highly of you. Now he hardly talks at all. Poor kitty.”

“I need to know why he’s not talking to me anymore. Please, help me.” Riddle begged. “I miss him…”

“Get up, get up. I’ll take you.”

•

Eosin opened the door, his eyes searching around for Che'nya.

“Hey! Did Che'nya come here!?”

“Nah!”

Eosin closed the door. He had to have gone back to his room when they weren’t looking.

“If you need a breather, we-”

“No. I rest when I find Che'nya.”

Riddle really was dedicated to speaking to Che'nya face to face. They headed to Wondersmoore, entering the dorm building once they got there.

Eosin took him up to Che'nya’s room. The door was locked. Eosin made a call and soon they had a key to Che'nya’s room.

“He’s that lump over there.” said Eosin before closing the door behind Riddle.

Riddle walked over, placing his hand on the lump.

“Che'nya?”

No movement, no sounds. Riddle called out a few more times, receiving the same response.

“Che'nya, talk to me. You never visit or call or text me. Yet you do when it’s Trey. Aren’t we all close friends?” Riddle said, not too sure where the words were coming from.

“I’m doing what all good friends do. Give them space to be with their romantic partner.” said Che'nya finally.

“What are you talking about?”

“I saw you at that Unbirthday party. You two looked so happy!”

“Che'nya, we throw numerous Unbirthday parties. What you said doesn’t really help.” Riddle said scoffing. “Why does it even matter?”

“You two were walking together and holding hands! Friends don’t hold hands like that! It’s obvious you’re dating Yuu!” Che'nya exploded. “You love Yuu!”

“What the hell are you on!?”

“You love Yuu! There’s nothing else to say. Enjoy them!” Che'nya said angrily, pushing Riddle off his bed.

“There’s nothing going on between Yuu and I! It was just a walk!” Riddle shot back. “Why do you even care so much!? Are you jealous because Im not spending time with you anymore? So childish!”

“Stop lying to me! You and Yuu are a thing! I know you are! You-”

“Yuu has a girlfriend back home!”

Che'nya blinked as they stared at each other. Was it true…?

“Look, I’ll always try to make time for you. You are my closest friend. I don’t want to lose you.” Riddle said as he pet Che'nya.

“Riddle…”

“So will you come visit and stop avoiding me?” asked Riddle.

“Yeah… I was being dumb anyway…” Che'nya laughed.

Che'nya relished in Riddle’s pets, glad to see they were on good terms again.


	420. RSA: Tiare

“Dumb cat!”

“You’re a cat too!”

“I’m bigger and better!”

The cats hissed at each other, seconds away from fighting each other.

“You two fight and you can forget about eating any of my vanilla apple tarts.” Eosin warned, pulling the tarts out of the oven. “Where’s Rie?”

“Here!”

Rielle tripped over Jamie’s tail, flailing around and taking the tray of tarts with him.

“Looks like we’ll be heading to Vin’s early.” Eosin sighed, picking up the fallen food. “Don’t throw anything out. I’ll give it to the animals on our way there.”

“Oh yeah, didn’t you say someone was coming to Royal Sword?” Rielle piped up, looking at Che’nya.

“Right. I should tell them the meeting time has moved up some…” Che’nya mumbled, walking off.

“He’s so into his phone these days. Think he’s crushing?” Eosin whispered, nudging Jamie.

“I hope so. That way he can leave me alone. It’s clear he feels threatened by me.” Jamie chuckled.

Eosin hit him, having him clean up the rest by himself.

•

They took their seats, being given menus.

“Hey, is Kars not working today?” Rielle asked.

“Tonight he is. He asked to switch shifts with me.”

The student walked away, leaving them to decide what to share.

“Aw, this reminds me of Mei…” Eosin cooed. “Too bad he can’t join us.”

“He’s just sick in bed. You make it sound like he went home.” Jamie muttered.

“Let me be dramatic.”

“So Che’nya. Who’s coming to join us?” Rielle asked.

“No one special. Their name is Yuu.” Che’nya responded, his tail moving in delight. “They’re cool.”

“You’ve gotta introduce us!”

“Maybe.” Che’nya teased, not wanting to particularly share Yuu with anyone else.

“Stingy.” Eosin mocked.

•

Che’nya paced around the front gates later in the week. He was excited and couldn’t hide it. He was finally going to show Yuu around Royal Sword. He checked himself over, making sure he looked proper, well, proper enough.

Yuu approached the gates, not expecting to see Che’nya waiting for them.

“How sweet of you to wait for me here. Thank you, Che’nya.” Yuu smiled, making his heart do flips.

“W- We’ll start with campus. I mean, the campus.”

“Sounds good. Wait, am I allowed to be here? I am a Night Raven student after all…” Yuu asked worriedly.

“Royal Sword isn’t like Night Raven. We accept people wholeheartedly here. Unless you really mess up.” Che’nya explained before pointing out places and spots.

Yuu looked around wide eyed, mostly fascinated by the small animals that moved about campus grounds. The only animals you saw at Night Raven were the ones in Heartslabyul and Trein’s pet cat.

“So, this is the building that takes you to the different dorms. Starting from the left, Prideland, Nimbus, Violette, Atlantica, Drellator, Wondersmoore, Maodeng, and Masion Bele. I’m in Wondersmoore.”

"The designs are so pretty… So different from Night Raven…” Yuu gawked. "Can we visit Wondersmoore? I’m interested in what your dorm looks like.”

“Of course!”

The two stepped through the mirror, going into Wondersmoore.

“You know, Che'nya’s been blowing us off all day.” Rielle pouted.

“You know how Che'nya is. He’s a free spirit.” said Mei, still recovering from his cold. “He’ll come back to us. That’s just how cats are.”

“But we’re a group. We’re supposed to do things together.”

“Then why aren’t Eosin and Jamie with us?”

Rielle pursed his lips. They entered the library, not expecting to see Eosin.

“Shouldn’t you be in club?”

“Canceled. So I came here to study since I have a test tomorrow.” Eosin said, walking ahead.

“Can we study with you? Che'nya dropped us without warning.” Rielle whined, nudging Mei to make a pitiful face.

“You don’t have to ask. I’m sitting over there.”

Mei followed behind Rielle before sneezing into his tissue. Maybe he should’ve stayed in bed. Eosin eventually came back, asking what they needed help with.

“Well, I’m in Maison Bele so I wouldn’t know much about Ariel and Mulan, but I’ll help the best I can.” said Eosin, taking their books. “We were tested a few times on them but since you’re in their respective dorms, it’ll probably be harder and full of more info…”

Eosin highlighted many things in their notes, starting to worry them.

“If you remember these things, you’re guaranteed to get a B minus.” said Eosin. “The rest is up to you.”

“So smart…” they whispered with sparkling eyes.

They stepped out of Wondersmoore, Yuu fixing their hair that got tousled while inside.

“So, I’ll save the best place for last. Let’s go visit a few of the classrooms in the main building.”

“Okay, but… What’s that delicious smell? It’s making my mouth water…” Yuu said, their stomach starting to rumble.

“Well, that smell is coming from the place I wanted to save for last but we can go now.” said Che'nya, offering his hand.

“What a gentleman.” Yuu chuckled, making Che'nya blush.

The delicious aroma grew heavier, making Yuu drool even more.

“So we’ve arrived. This is Tiare, Vib’s snack shop. Just about every student comes here to eat, drink and just have fun. Sometimes he has events and themed days.” Che'nya said.

“Can we go in? I’d love to see the menu.”

“Che'nya?”

Yuu looked, seeing someone approach them. They couldn’t help but notice they had horns like Malleus but smaller. And blue.

“Mei, hi. Uh, shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“I felt better so I went to classes. I thought you were extremely busy and couldn’t hang with us.” Mei said, narrowing his eyes.

He sneezed into his tissue, still trying to seem threatening.

“Hi! I’m Yuu. Che'nya invited me to come today and he’d show me around Royal Sword’s campus. It’s so beautiful! You’re all really lucky to attend school here.” Yuu said, waving to Mei rather than shaking hands. “Are you one of his classmates?”

“No. We’re friends. At least, I thought we were.”

“Why don’t we hang out together? I don’t mind it at all.” suggested Yuu.

“Well, I’m not exactly alone. I’m with my other three friends.”

“Bring them too! I’d love to meet all of Che'nya’s friends. I want to know him better and who better to ask than his own friends?”

Yuu slipped from Che'nya fingers as they headed inside with Mei. This was what he wanted to avoid. Now they were going to start embarrassing him.

“Mr. Cheshire, saunter on over to the counter.”

“Vin…”

Vin smiled, glancing towards his friends and Yuu.

“What’s for your tail between your legs? Having your target taken?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“If that’s your response.” said Vin before reaching under. “Here.”

“A macaroon…? It’s mine…”

Vin simply gestured towards Yuu, causing Che'nya to look. He turned around, seeing Vin had left. No one really understood what or who Vin is or was, but they couldn’t deny he made a mean gumbo.

“There you are! I was wondering where you disappeared to.” said Yuu, smiling at Che'nya. “Oh, a macaroon. How nice. It has a smile on it… how weird.”

“Try it. I’ll give you half.” said Che'nya, giving Yuu half.

Yuu took a bite, finding the taste rather… different. The flavor reminded them of… They looked at Che'nya, a strange feeling washing over them.

“Yuu?”

“I feel like I know you a bit better. This macaroon reminded me of you and just taking a look at you… I feel a bit closer.” Yuu said with a small smile. “But you’re friends are really cool.”

“So this is the Yuu person that gets you so excited.” Eosin teased.

“You’ve got taste. I’ll give you that.” said Jamie, looking Yuu over.

“Hey! Che'nya was going to show me around the main building. Can we all go together?”

“N-”

They all agreed, out voting Che'nya. Yuu cheered, having them lead them.

“Come on, Che'nya. It won’t be much fun without you.” Yuu winked before catching up with the others.

Che'nya felt his heart leap, his mind replaying Yuu’s wink on repeat.


	421. Rielle: Sailor

Rielle stared at his phone, completely engrossed in his phone.

“Boo!”

“AH!”

Rielle dropped his phone on the ground. The person picked it up, glad to see his phone screen wasn’t cracked.

“Who’s this?”

“It’s just some dancer guy, Azul. You aren’t into stuff like this.” Rielle said, taking his phone back.

“Then get me into it. I want to know about things you like.”

“Are you sure…?”

“Yeah.”

Rielle took a deep breath before speaking a mile a minute.

“And he’s just so talented and cute!? Like, how can it be possible?! He deserves so much more recognition than he already has! Did I talk about his parents? His mother owns that famous amusement park and his dad is that famous photographer! No I am not kidding! Talent clearly runs in the family. Oh what I would give to just give him a hug and tell him how much I love him!” Rielle screeched, tightly gripping his phone.

“You… really like him huh…”

“Of course! I want to meet him so bad… Neige is so lucky…” Rielle sighed, letting his arms rest on his lap. “But anyway! I’ll start telling you about his history.”

Azul stared at the paused figure on Rielle’s phone screen, feeling something gross bubbling inside him.

•

Rielle hummed happily, entering the cafe.

“Azie!”

“Hey, not so loud…” Azul complained, hiding his face. “That’s a new hat.”

“Like it? It’s official merch~” Rielle said, placing an order.

“Let me guess. Frey Sailor?”

“You got it! Isn’t it a cute beret?” Rielle asked, showing it off. “Oh yeah. I also bought a bomber jacket!”

On the back it said “Sailor” in cursive. Underneath said “Dance with me mates”. It was way too corny. Was he really a good dancer?

“It’s cute.” lied Azul as Rielle sat down. “Show me a video? I want to see something.”

Rielle handed his phone over unlocked. Azul’s eye twitched, seeing Frey was his home screen. He went to Magitube, seeing Frey was the first recommendation on it. He silently watched Frey as he danced with back up dancers.

“Did I mention he’s been a backup dancer for various famous idols?” Rielle piped up.

“Yes. Three times now.” Azul muttered, his vein close to popping out on his forehead.

This Frey guy wasn’t anything special. Anyone could do what he was doing. Rielle gasped loudly, causing a few people to look at them.

“What?”

“FREY SAILOR IS COMING TO ROYAL SWORD NEXT WEEK! EEEEEEEEEEEE!” Rielle shrieked, jumping up and down. “That guy Neige… he had to have a hand in this. I should go make friends with him. No, he’ll catch on…”

Azul paused the video, looking into Rielle’s bright, shining eyes. The disgusting feeling continued to rise within him. Frey Sailor this, Frey Sailor that. What about him? What about them?

“Only a limited number will get to meet him? One ticket per person… I gotta go!”

Rielle exchanged phones with Azul before running off. He came back, drank the rest of his drink, left cash then left again.

“He just…”

Azul shook his head, looking at his phone screen still open to Frey Sailor’s visit to Royal Seord announcement. He wasn’t going to let this show off take Rielle away from him. A small spot of blot grew on his magicrystal as he got up to leave after paying.

•

Rielle sat in a gazebo, his head resting against it. He didn’t get a ticket. His one time chance, gone. He closed his eyes, willing himself not to cry. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be.

He texted Azul, sending him his woes. He’s such a dedicated fan. He deserved to meet him. He bet there were a bunch of non fans who just wanted clout. Being a prince really didn’t matter much on land. A useless title.

Rielle got up, seeing it would probably be best to do something productive rather than continue to cry about it, no matter how much it hurt. Maybe there might be another time. He found his legs taking him towards the butterfly garden. He found himself bumping into something.

“You okay?”

“Y-”

He knew that voice. He looked up before his jaw fell.

“F- F- F- F- Frey…! Oh my god, I’m so sorry! Are you hurt? Oh god, I’m in trouble aren’t I!?” Rielle panicked.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. The question is, who are you and why don’t I know you?” Frey asked, giving him a smile.

“Oh, umm, I’m Rielle Aquarus… I come from water, I mean, from the sea. Coral Sea.” Rielle said, barely able to formulate words. “I’m a super fan…”

“Rielle Aquarus… Hey, you’re one of the sea princes!”

“You… us… oh no…”

Frey caught Rielle as he fell over from shock and awe. Rielle found himself melting in Frey’s arms, drowning in his beautiful eyes.

Azul watched the two of them, mostly Frey’s hands touching Rielle all over. Rielle was smiling so bright and laughing so much. It was like he received the bare minimum. Now that he’s met Frey, it probably meant he didn’t need him anymore. Just look at how close they were. To think he dropped everything he was doing to come and comfort him. Looked like he was already getting all the comfort he needed.

Azul turned on his heel and walked away. The spot of blot had only continued to grow ever since its initial appearance. It nearly covered all of Azul’s magicrystal yet never seemed to progress any farther for days.

“You know, you’re pretty sweet, Rielle.” said Frey. “It’d be an honor to have your number.”

“You… number… really!?”

“Hey, I don’t just ask any person for their number.”

Rielle happily gave it over before seeing Azul’s name in his contact list. Did Azul ever respond to him? Maybe he should tell him he was okay now and what happened. He opened their chat, seeing Azul didn’t respond. Did he make him mad? He sent the texts anyway, hoping he’d respond.

“Who’s Azie? Sorry for peeking.” Frey apologized.

“It’s fine. Azie is…” Rielle started before trailing off. What were they? Frey tilted his head, wondering if he was going to finish. “He’s… my best friend…”

“Best friend, huh… You two really get along then, right? Always hanging out, doing things together, making fun memories.” said Frey.

Rielle stared at Azul’s contact photo, Frey’s words sinking in.

“Hey, what happened…?”

Rielle dialed Azul’s number, covering his mouth. The call was declined.

“Rielle…?”

“My best friend… I hurt my best friend…” Rielle weeped, his body shaking. “I was so focused on you that… that I’ve been pushing him away for unimportant things… I feel like garbage…”

“Why not to see him in person?”

“But-”

“We have each other’s numbers. Go talk to your best friend. They’re more important than I’ll ever be.” said Frey, giving Rielle a much needed push.

Rielle took off.

•

Rielle frantically searched around Night Raven, trying not to get caught.

“I spy with my golden eye a tasty little fish.”

“Jade! Jade, you’ve got to tell me where Azul is!”

“Hm? I clearly recall you ditching him the other day at the mall to go see a movie Frey Sailor starred in.” Jade said.

“I know… I’ve been a terrible friend to Azul and I don’t expect him to forgive me, but I need him to know how sorry I am.”

“I guess I last saw him heading to his bedroom.”

“Thank you!”

Jade sighed, knowing Azul would get on his case for telling Rielle.

Azul looked up from his work, hearing someone knock on his door.

“Didn’t I tell you-”

Rielle embraced him tight, adamant on not letting him go.

“I’m such a stupid fool. I don’t deserve someone like you, putting up with everything I’ve done, especially as of recent. I’ve been a shitty friend and I know saying sorry won’t fix anything, but I’m still going to say it. I’m sorry. You’re more important than any out of reach celebrity…” Rielle apologized, burying his face in his chest. “If… if you want to end our friendship, I understand…”

“I unfortunately care too much to do that, angelfish.” Azul replied.

“Angelfish…? You never called me that before…” Rielle muttered, looking into his eyes.

“It’s a special occasion.”

Rielle silently looked at him as Azul caressed his cheek. What was this new atmosphere? It was light, comfortable… warm. Rielle closed his eyes, subconsciously leaning into his hand.

“I’ll be better for you…” Rielle whispered, feeling something soft touch his lips. “I promise…”

“I’ll hold you to it then.” Azul whispered back, smiling softly.


	422. Epel > Ace < Neige: Story about a homewrecker

“Hiya!”

“Wah!”

Ace stumbled back, not expecting someone to jump out at him.

“What’s up? Where are you going?”

“I’m going to ‘study’. I’m guessing you want to come to the library, Epel?”

“If you don’t mind. Let’s study together!”

“I think you misheard me. I said, 'study’.”

So he wasn’t going to study. Then why was he going to the library? He followed anyway, more interested in Ace than studying.

They entered the library, students sitting and reading in silence. Ace settled at a table before taking his phone out to use. So this was what he meant. He was going to appear to be studying but actually using his phone the entire time.

“Hey, Ace… may I sit next to you?”

“Sure.”

Epel moved over, feeling his face burn. He’s rarely able to get this close without chickening out. He internally panicked, not expecting Ace to lean so close.

“You kinda remind me of LeBlanche, small, cute and nice to look at.”

“I- I’m nice to look at!?” Epel squeaked.

“I would’ve said be around but I’ve never actually been around LeBlanche so…” Ace said, leaning away.

“D- Do you want anything? From Mystery Shop?”

“Well if you’re offering to buy then… two bags of chips.”

Epel nodded, scurrying off. His heart was beating a mile a minute. Ace thought he was cute and nice to look at. He didn’t even mind being called small.

“Eeeeee!” Epel squeaked in delight.

Ace sighed, seeing no one was available to play. He wanted to head somewhere else, but he didn’t want to just ditch Epel. He walked outside, hoping Epel would come soon. He noticed a person walking with a crowd. Must be one of the celebrities he didn’t care about.

He moved to head back inside, only to hear someone cal out to him. Someone came from inside the crowd, jogging over to him.

“Uh-”

“Hello! You know me right? It’s impossible not to but, may I have the honor of knowing you?”

“Haha, what a funny joke. As if you’re really… Neige…” Ace said, pulling on his face before slowly realizing. “Holy shit…! You’re the real deal!”

“And I am serious about knowing you. Let’s exchange numbers.”

Ace happily gave his, not expecting a worldwide celebrity wanting to know him, a simple guy.

“Why don’t we head off somewhere else, just us? There are things I don’t want them knowing.” he whispered, pointing to the waiting crowd.

“I’d love to but-”

“Let’s go!”

Ace found himself being dragged away while his crowd tried and failed to follow him due to the bodyguards. Epel came back, wondering what was going on. He entered the library, only to learn Ace left him. He sat down in Ace’s chair, his heart cracking.

•

“And that’s when my parents decided I was meant for the cameras!”

“How nice, Neige…”

“Am I boring you? I didn’t mean to. Is there anything else you want to talk about?” asked Neige.

“You play b-ball?”

“What’s b-ball?”

“You know, basketball?” Ace said.

“No. I don’t really have time for little activities like basketball.”

“Then let’s go! I’ll show you how it’s done.”

Neige took his outstretched hand, his cheeks gaining color. He never thought he’d come across such a beauty at his rival school’s campus. He looked down at the ground as he couldn’t hide his widening smile any other way.

“Ace-”

“We’re here!” Ace said, talking over him. “Looks pretty empty. Let’s go.”

Neige followed him in, seeing the nets and court. Ace stripped off his tie, vest and jacket, giving him a bit more comfortability. Neige watched in awe as Ace made basket after basket.

“Now that you’ve seen how it’s done, why don’t we practice?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Neige muttered. “Seems difficult…”

“And I bet acting is just as hard or harder even. Come on, I’ll help.”

Neige took off his blazer and sweater, getting comfortable as well. Ace had him more close before standing behind him and helping guide his arms. Neige’s blush became darker as he could only focus on Ace’s hands touching him.

“And… shoot!”

The ball missed. Neige rapidly blinked, finally coming back to earth after Ace’s hands left his body. His heart and mind wouldn’t stop barking and howling like some thirsty animal.

“I told you, you gotta bend.” said Ace, the ball resting on his hip.

“B- Bend!? I mean, i- if that’s what you want…” Neige whispered before turning his back to him.

Ace raised an eyebrow wondering why Neige was bending over.

“I- Is it good enough…?”

“Why are you bending over? Just bend your knees before you shoot.” Ace said. “Come on, one more time.”

Neige was thoroughly embarrassed. He couldn’t find the strength to face Ace. He, Neige LeBlanche just made a fool of himself in front of his crush.

•

Ace yawned, taking a seat at the lunch table. Epel smiled, glad he got to sit next to Ace today.

“A-”

“Ace!!!”

Everyone looked, seeing Neige running over.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you have school…?”

“I came because I’m on lunch break! Move over~”

Epel grunted in displeasure. Neige was hogging all of Ace’s attention.

“A- Ace! What about the basketball game last night?”

“Oh! You caught that? Man, that was a pretty sick game.” said Ace, turning away from Neige.

“I didn’t catch it because I was busy negotiating with my manager about getting you access to experience a day in my shoes!” Neige said. “Well, more like spend the day with me…”

“Really? Is it on a weekend though? Riddle will have my head if I miss school.” Ace asked, turning away from Epel.

Deuce, Jack and Sebek watched in silence as the two boys subtly feuded over Ace.

“Should we say something?” Deuce whispered.

“Nah. We’ll get good views on a Magicam for this.” Sebek whispered back.

Jack was already recording.

“Oh, look at the time! Lunch is ending soon.” Epel said, glaring at Neige.

“I should be getting back. See you, Ace. Shove the offer some thought!” Neige said, briefly holding his hands. He leaned in a bit, getting close to his ear. “I’ll call you later.”

Epel continued to glare at Neige before losing all hostility when Ace looked at him.

“I love you…” Epel whispered.

“Huh?”

“Huh? Oh, I dove yews. Yeah, weird…” Epel laughed uncomfortably.

Epel quickly got up and left. The trio shrugged when Ace looked at them.

•

“You know, I’m really glad we can hang out like this.” said Ace, holding Epel and Neige close. “Oh! Icee stand, 10 o'clock! Don’t worry, I know your preferred flavors.”

The moment Ace left earshot was when Neige and Epel started fighting. Passerby took pictures, a few uploading a clip to their social media.

“So you’re really going to injure a celebrity huh!?” Neige grunted, hitting Epel in the eye.

“Fuck yeah I am! Get away from my boyfriend!” Epel growled, biting Neige’s arm.

The two immediately stopped once Ace was close enough to discern what was going on.

“An apple lemon for Epel, a mango cherry for Neige and cherry for me.” said Ace, unaware of the scratch and bite marks on his friends. “So, you two looked like you were having a heated discussion.”

“Yeah. Tell him all about it, Epel.” Neige said mockingly.

“I was telling him a story about a homewrecker trying to stick their nose into the happy family’s life. And once they were found out, lots of horrible misfortunes were placed on them.” Epel said as sweetly as possible.

“Funny because I thought the husband was very in love with the homewrecker and no longer lived his wife?” Neige responded, smiling innocently despite his eyes saying something else.

“Well, let’s finish these so we can continue with our day.” said Ace, wondering what spurred such a story.

“Yes!” they said in unison, doing their best to be the most appealing.

•

Neige and Epel fought again while Ace had gone off. The two were once more being uploaded on social media.

“AH! My eye! You fucking shit!” Epel shouted, getting even.

Ace walked over, hearing people talking about a commotion. His eyes watched as the two of them continued to fight and hurt each other. He finally walked over, indirectly ending the fight.

“It’s not what you think!” Epel said.

“Yes it is! He suddenly attacked me and I was just defending myself!”

“I’m sure all these people watching can tell me the truth. I’d rather hear it from you two.”

They looked at each other before blaming the other. Ace was clearly disappointed.

“Wait, Ace!”

“Where are you going!?”

The two tried going after him while trying to prevent the other. They quickly lost sight of Ace.

“This is all your fault!”

“No, it’s yours!”

The two split up, still hoping Ace stuck around.

•

“Dude… I’d kill to be in your position. Two cuties fighting over me… a dream come true, especially if one was a celeb.” said Deuce, leaning against Ace. “How could you not want that?”

“I just thought we could hang out as friends… like a trio… only to find out they hate each other. And I don’t know why.” Ace said, looking down at his lap.

“How were they fighting? Throwing punches and weapons? Or like, tugging and biting?”

“Latter.”

“Dude, are you blind!? They like you!” Deuce said, turning Ace towards him. “Guys don’t fight like that unless they do. Well, guys like them anyway.”

“Now you’ve lost it. Epel doesn’t like romance and Neige is famous and straight. Get your head out of your ass.” Ace scoffed.

“You’re the one with their head in their ass. They’re not going to stop fighting if you ignore them. The only solution is either pick one or both.”

“I’d rather sleep.”

“Alright. Was just trying to help. But if you ask me, I’d definitely pick Neige. He’s got money and connections. What can Epel offer?” said Deuce, moving back to his own bed. “Exactly.”

Ace lied down, letting himself think. Pick one, pick both. Or pick none. He closed his eyes, doing a little self reflection. Before he even made a decision, what did he himself want? He smiled softly, making his decision.


	423. Rudia: I know sarcasm

Idia muttered under his breath, Ortho pushing him into the class room.

“You’ll have fun big brother!” Ortho said happily before closing the door behind him.

All eyes were on him.

“Nice of you to join us, Shroud. Join that group.” said Crewel, pointing over to the back.

Idia kept his head low, trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

“Aren’t you a sorry sight.” a voice said.

“Ruggie…? Why are you in this class?”

“Uh, ever heard of joint classes?” Ruggie replied, flipping to the page Crewel had mentioned before Idia came in.

Ruggie groaned with his body, receiving a loving hug from Idia. The other second year looked at them, hoping they wouldn’t have to go the entire class listening to them do whatever it was they did.

“So, you’re the genius here. What do we do since Crewel is being vague as always.” Ruggie asked, placing down things they needed.

“Well, this requires precise pacing. Too fast or too slow and we have to start over. So you do it Ruggie. I don’t trust that guy.” said Idia, earning a nasty look in response. “You can put things in.”

Idia read the instructions, often glancing at the other student to make sure he was doing it right.

“You’ll know it’s done when the solution turns a bright pink.” Idia said, his eyes still on the book.

“Uh, it looks white…” Ruggie muttered.

“White? Wait, that’s-!”

Idia covered Ruggie with his body as the concoction bubbles before exploding. Everyone in the room looked as a great white wall slowly came down in the back of the room.

“What in the world…” Crewel muttered as he walked over.

The other student arrived back at their station, having left to get other tools. The two were covered in white liquid, still clinging to the other.

“Idia…?”

“Yeah?”

The two pulled away before blinking rapidly.

“Why can I see my face…?”

“What’s going on back here, pooches?” Crewel asked, wanting an explanation for the disruption.

“Okay, Idia told me to stir everything at a certain pace-”

“You say Idia told you but are you not Idia?”

“Crewel sensei, I’m Ruggie! Ruggie Bucchi!”

“And I’m Idia Shroud. I think…” Idia said from Ruggie’s body.

“This isn’t funny you two. Get back to work or else I’ll give severe discipline.”

“But-”

“Let it go, Ruggie. We won’t be believed. For now, let’s just try to finish our work and then worry about righting the wrong.” Idia said, still getting used to be a beastman. “Ugh, how can you stand being in here with all this awful chemical smells?”

“I can’t stand it. Ugh, I can feel the unhealthiness. Why don’t you live a healthier lifestyle.” Ruggie complained, his body feeling terribly sluggish. “I feel like I’m going to pass out at any moment.”

“Uh, are you two going to complain the whole time or start working?” the other student asked.

The two glared at him, silencing him for the rest of class.

•

“Find anything?”

“Nope. You?”

“If I did I wouldn’t have asked you.” Ruggie snapped.

“Now you’re being unreasonably snappy. I’m not the one who messed up.”

Ruggie fell silent, searching their shelves with his full attention. Idia didn’t truly believe Ruggie was at fault. He was staring at him the most during class and not once did he break the pace. Which meant it was that no good student.

“I have an idea of how this happened.” Idia said, walking over to him.

“You gonna blame it on me huh? Fine.” Ruggie said angrily.

“I wasn’t. It was that other second year. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I was watching you most of the time. You never broke pace.” said Idia, interlacing their fingers. “I also know you’d never jeopardize your grades for something dumb.”

“Idia…”

The bell ring, signaling it was almost time for class.

“Well, we have to go to class. You know my schedule right?” Ruggie asked.

“Do I have to?” Idia groaned.

“I’m you and you’re me. I always show up to class. Do this for me… please. My future depends on it.” Ruggie pleaded, holding his, no, Idia’s hands.

“Only for you. You don’t have to attend-”

Ruggie kisses his forehead, heading off to Idia’s next class.

“Mine…” Idia sighed before making his way to Ruggie’s.

•

Students couldn’t help but stare at Idia as he answered question after question as if he had taken the course before. Even the teacher was surprised. Ruggie did participate, but this was alarming.

“Bucchi, please give the other students a chance.” the teacher said, having him lower his hand.

Idia shrugged, wishing all eyes weren’t on him. Did Ruggie not participate this much? Clearly. He fucked up. He could only hope Ruggie was being him exactly and hiding far in the back of class.

Ruggie hurried into the sports field, a tad excited to finally do something physical. He then remembered whose body he was in. There was no way Idia’s body was going to keep up with his animalistic spirit. What were Idia’s limits?

Students stared, not used to seeing Idia doing anything at all. Yet here he was, stretching forward and touching his toes. Their eyes widened even further. Push ups!? Unheard of.

“Shroud, are you feeling okay?” Vargas asked, knowing the kind of student Idia was.

“Yeah? Actually, no. I feel kinda sick. I’ll be back.”

Vargas let him go, seeing it was probably the right call.

Ruggie eventually came back, feeling a bit better. Cater waltzed over, needing the scoop.

“Idia Shroud actually participating? This is newsworthy. What changed?”

“Uh… just exercising my arms and all. Got many hours of gameplay to do later.” said Ruggie, hoping it was enough.

“Sounds reasonable. But you’re mostly using your legs today.” Cater said, not giving up.

“I haven’t gotten many opportunities to exercise my arms. Man, I just wanna play games…”

Cater simply nodded, posting onto Magicam. His post consisted of a picture of Idia’s body with the caption. “Idia’s lost it! He’s doing things he’d never do AND talking without stuttering.” Ruggie smiled, seeing his interaction with Cater went pretty well, unaware of what Cater had posted.

•

“Why aren’t you cleaning?”

“I don’t clean up after myself so why would I do it for you?”

“Ha?”

“Are you deaf?” Idia asked.

“No, I think you’ve lost your mind. Get cleaning and do my laundry like always.” Leona growled.

“I’m not doing anything…” Idia whispered, leaving the room.

He stopped, remembering he was supposed to be Ruggie and not himself. Idia pokes his head inside, seeing Leona was fuming. He had to make this right.

“I was only joking. I’ll get started.”

“Next time you joke like that, I’ll eat you for dinner.”

“He thinks he’s so fucking cool and superior to everyone. What a fucking loser. Get a life.” Idia thought, tossing clothes into a basket.

“You aren’t complaining. What do you want?”

“To stop, really.” Idia mumbled, grossed out.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. I am so glad to be picking up your dirty laundry and being a servant. It’s oh so fun. You are so cool.” Idia said, picking up the basket.

“I know sarcasm when I hear it.”

“At least you know something…” Idia whispered as he walked out.

He felt a sensation go through his body before he suddenly slide to his left.

“Make one more snide remark and I definitely will end you.” Leona threatened before slamming his door shut behind him.

How did Ruggie get along with someone so self centered and lazy? There was so much trash on his floor. Then again, he was one to talk about a messy room. He only ever cleaned it if Ruggie was coming over. He sighed heavily, wondering how Ruggie was doing in the board game club.

•

Ruggie flopped down onto a bench, completely worn out from being Idia. At some point he didn’t know who he was trying to be, himself and his idea of how Idia was merged together. The things he would give just to be able to switch back.

“Idia…” Ruggie whined, curling up on the bench.

“I figured you’d be here.”

Ruggie teared up before practically jumping onto Idia.

“I hate being you! I can’t do anything without feeling faint 24/7!” Ruggie wailed.

“I had to deal with Leona all day. I hated it!”

The two continued to complain how awful being the other was.

“Hey, Idia…” Ruggie mumbled, holding Idia tight. “Remember earlier today… in alchemy class…?”

“It would be weird if I didn’t. What about it?” Idia asked.

“I… I kinda fell heads over heels for you again… when you protected me…” Ruggie said lowly, feeling his cheeks burn. “You’re usually the type to save yourself first so when you did that… I really felt your love…”

“I’ll be honest. I wasn’t thinking much other than the concoction was going to explode. My body moved before my thoughts.” said Idia, rubbing his, no, Ruggie’s head against his shoulder. “I’m glad nothing worse happened.”

“Me too…”

Ruggie gave him a peck on the lips before going in for a deep kiss. Idia kissed him back, having needed a recharge after dealing with sourpuss Leona. They pulled apart, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes.

“I know most of the time we’re against each other, but I do love you.” Ruggie whispered, interlacing their fingers.

“Today was a valuable learning experience. You have it rough, having to scrape by sometimes. Now I see why you rely on Leona so much.” Idia replied.

“It’s more of a partnership. I do things for him, I get paid.”

“Kinda wish you’d use that time for me.”

“Are you gonna help me get by them?”

Idia immediately went silent, confirming Ruggie’s thoughts.

“I won’t just help you get by. I’ll take care of you.”

Ruggie turned and looked at himself. Idia didn’t mean that. He was just joking. He cared more about his games and pixel girls.

“Don’t say things like that.”

“I mean it. Only if I do inherit everything though…” Idia said, looking up at Ruggie.

“I’ll hold you to it then.”

Idia snuggled closer to Ruggie, enjoying the silence as they sat on the bench surrounded by nature.

“We should find a way to change back.”

“Definitely.”


	424. Malleus + Leona: Leona’s phone

Ruggie organized Leona’s clothes while the lion scrolled through Magicam.

“You wanna make yourself useful?”

“Now what?” Ruggie grumbled.

“I heard Malleus will be eating in the cafeteria today. The loud one is sick, the sleepy one is usually asleep around then and I can take care of the bat and dragon.” said Leona with a smirk.

“And what am I supposed to do?”

“Sneak… this into his meal. And don’t let any of it be visible. Use any means necessary to get him to eat something off his plate.”

“I better get something out of this. I should be studying for my test.” Ruggie stated.

“Of course you will… if you do it right.”

Ruggie rolled his eyes, having expected a response like that.

•

Ruggie silently ate as Leona headed over to convince the two to move away from the table. He discreetly left his seat before sneaking over to the abandoned lunches. He poured whatever Leona had given him all over before concealing it with magic. He hurried back to his seat, signaling he had done the deed.

They came back in, Ruggie easily looking as if nothing had happened while they left.

“Weird isn’t it? He didn’t get mad.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? He’s warming up to us.”

The two continued to eat, unaware of Ruggie’s tampering.

“Malleus…? You look a little…”

Malleus started to cough as he wiped his eyes with a napkin. Was it always this spicy? He continued to cough more, hoping his drink would quell the burning. Lilia had everyone at the table relocate as small drops of fire escaped from Malleus mouth like drool.

“Lilia… water…”

“Already on it.”

Malleus coughed, singeing his section of the table. Lilia hurried back to get more water, seeing it was going to take more than a cup.

Ruggie uploaded the video to Magicam, hoping Leona’s reward was at least a decent one.

•

Lilia felt around Malleus’ throat before deeming him okay.

“No more burning?”

“No.”

“Alright, you’re good to go.” said Lilia, letting Malleus’ lower his head.

“They did say it was a bit spicy, but that was more than a bit.” Malleus said, feeling his throat. “Thankfully no one got hurt.”

“It was probably someone jealous of you or out to ruin you.” Lilia reasoned. “Others are either too afraid to approach you or are like Sebek.”

“It couldn’t have been Leona. He was with us.” Malleus said.

“Malleus, do you really think he can be excluded. He clearly not afraid to use people, specifically a hyena named Ruggie.”

“But we don’t have proof.” muttered Malleus.

A small bat landed atop Malleus’ head before making clicking sounds.

“Or do we?”

•

Ruggie was minding his business before he suddenly lost his sight and was being dragged off. He flailed around, trying to break free and run away.

He was eventually forced onto his knees before being given his sight back.

“Hello Ruggie.”

Ruggie looked, seeing he was being held down by Sebek and Silver.

“Let him go. Stand guard outside.”

The two nodded, leaving the room.

“We know what you did to me the other day in the cafeteria. You know harming a prince like me in any way, shape or form won’t bode well for your future.” said Malleus, getting to his feet. “However, I’m willing to overlook this if you’ll do something for me. Of course, you’ll be paid handsomely too.”

“I’ll do it! Anything!” Ruggie begged.

“What I want is simple. Leona’s phone. Bring it to me and when I’m done, give it back. Of course, he can’t know that his phone is missing.” explained Malleus. “Can you do it?”

“Yessir!”

Ruggie hurried off, thankful that Malleus was so kind.

•

Leona entered the Savanaclaw building, realizing he had left his phone somewhere. He headed up to his room, seeing his search could start there.

“Where’s Ruggie when you need him…” Leona grumbled, unaware of the hyena swimming in money.

He opened the door to his room, seeing it was as messy as he left it. He closed the door, only to hear a sound behind him. When did the blinds close? He felt his skin crawl, a cool draft going through his room.

He opened his closet before screaming in fright, stumbling back in the process. He jumped onto his bed, watching the snake slither around. He looked down, seeing a snake starting to coil around him.

Savanaclaw students passing by quickened their pace, not wanting to be on the receiving end of his wrath.

Leona found safety up on his closet as a horde of snakes slithered around below.

“My phone! Call Ruggie…” Leona whimpered, shakily holding his phone. “HUH!?”

Leona scrolled through his contacts. They were all named prince. He never bothered to learn anyone’s number. He looked down before freaking out even more. When did ten turn into hundreds?

Leona started to wail, completely scared out of his mind.

“And… uploaded!”

Leona opened his eyes, his blurry vision searching for the voice.

“Wasn’t that fun, Leona?”

“Malleus…? I mean, Malleus!”

“It’s already getting so many views. Leona, the scared little kitten.” Malleus chuckled. “To think you can’t tell the difference between real snakes and illusions.”

“You’re sick!” Leona shouted.

“And who’s the one who started it all? Exactly. Bye bye, little kitty.”

Leona constantly looked down, making sure they were all gone before heading back down.


	425. NSFW Leona x Jack x Ruggie: Senpai

Jack entered the lounge before spotting him.

“You wanted to talk?”

“Sit. Get comfortable. So, tell me about classes? Having any trouble?”

“Uh, no. Not really, Ruggie senpai.” Jack responded.

“I keep telling you, stop with the honorifics.”

“I can’t really do that… You are my senior after all, senpai.”

“I thought I heard two idiots.”

Ruggie silently mocked him before turning around.

“Leona. Aren’t you supposed to be napping?”

“I’ve napped enough for the day. So Jack, got any plans?”

“Yes, Leona senpai. Do you need me to help with something?” Jack asked.

“I do, but I understand if your plans are more important.” Leona said before walking away.

“Wait! I can reschedule with them… they won’t mind…”

“Splendid. Stop by my room tonight.”

Jack looked to Ruggie who shrugged in response. Of course he knew, he was in on it. They couldn’t let Jack get suspicious too fast.

“So-”

“Ah, I have a thing at Mostro. Later.”

Jack found himself alone in the lounge. Now what was he to do?

•

Jack looked himself over in the mirror, seeing it was probably best to dressed properly. Maybe they were going to give him a super important role. How lucky would that be?

He deemed himself good before heading out. He stopped a bit, taking in the night look of Savanaclaw. Jack never tired of it. He continued on his way before finally reaching Leona’s door.

Jack mentally prepared himself before knocking. Silence. He tried again, this time calling out.

“I heard you the first time.” Leona said as he opened the door. “You’re late you know.”

“No. You said tonight. You didn’t say a specific time.”

“Ugh, you’re too noisy.”

“I’m just-”

Jack was silenced by Leona kissing him. How was he supposed to react? Was he to react at all? His hairs stood on end, feeling something nipping at his neck from behind. He found himself being led over to Leona’s bed before being told to sit.

“Leona sen-”

Jack quieted down, watching Leona strip. This was happening. Ruggie appeared from behind, starting to strip as well. This was seriously happening. His seniors were stripping in front of him. He felt something pressing against his pants. He couldn’t hide that he was turned on by this.

“Senpais…”

“We’ll take care of you.”

Leona pushed Ruggie aside, quickly trying to undress Jack. Ruggie recovered, now fighting with Leona to undress Jack.

“Stop! I can do it myself…”

The two backed off, letting Jack undress himself. They were instantly on top of him, both taking a side to lick his throbbing shaft. Jack was still wrapping his head around the fact the both of them wanted to take him to bed. He was jolted back to reality, fully registering their tongues exploring him.

“Senpai… more…” Jack groaned, feeling himself getting harder.

“Who? Which senpai…?” Ruggie asked, pushing Leona off so he could blow Jack.

They didn’t receive an answer, just more moans and whines. Leona pulled Ruggie off, giving Jack a chance to experience his blowjob.

“I’m close… close…” whispered Jack, unable to keep himself from moaning louder.

Ruggie and Leona continued to fight for sole ownership before ultimately making Jack come with their tongues.

“I get it…!”

“No I do!”

Jack looked at them with half lidded eyes, wondering what they were fighting about now. He wasn’t given much time to think, feeling fingers entering his ass. He looked closely, seeing Leona prepping the both of them while Ruggie sat off to the side. His view of Leona was soon blocked by Ruggie’s body and immense pleasure started coursing through his body.

Jack gripped Ruggie’s ass cheeks before going in. Ruggie moaned against Jack’s shaft, finding it slightly harder to focus. Jack pulled back, needing a small breather.

“Haa… haaa… senpai… senpai…”

The two looked, hoping for a name. Why wouldn’t he say one of their names?

“More… more… right there…!” Jack moaned, his grip on Ruggie tightening. “Aaa… haa… Ruggie…”

Ruggie smirked after popping off of Jack.

“Ha! He chose me!”

“No he didn’t. He’s not thinking straight.”

“So you would if you were being pleasured like this? Either way, he moaned my name which means I’m favored the most.” Ruggie concluded, puffing his chest out.

Ruggie gasped, not expecting Jack to start sucking him off. He soon received a face full of cum, Leona having pushed Jack over the edge. Ruggie gave Leona a little tease before going back to giving Jack’s shaft attention. Leona let out a frustrated groan, pulling out of Jack. Clearly Jack made his choice, not even giving him glance after the beginning of all of it.

Jack moaned loudly, easily coming a third time. Ruggie pulled back, giving Jack a break. He had briefly forgotten Jack was giving him head but was immediately reminded when a Jack found a sensitive spot. Ruggie unwillingly made it known, encouraging Jack to continue attacking that spot. Ruggie came in Jack’s mouth before crumpling.

“Ruggie senpai…” Jack whined, his mind still full of things he wanted Ruggie to do to him.

“I won… haha…” Ruggie mumbled, trying to catch his breath.

Jack sat up as he held Ruggie in his arms. What did he mean he won? Where was Leona? All thoughts of Leona ceased, more content with having Ruggie.

“Stop. What are you, three?” Ruggie complained as Jack lovingly buried his face in the nape of his neck.

“I got to have sex with senpai~” Jack cheered, utter bliss emitting off of him.

Ruggie rolled his eyes despite being happier than he let on for being chosen.


	426. Reok: I find beauty in everything

Leona looked, seeing the two working together.

“Can you believe he didn’t pick me?”

“I can. Move.”

“There’s something screwy in his mind. He does realize I can just replace him, right!”

“Mhmm. Turn the page.”

“I swear I’m going to work him to the bone once classes are done for the day.”

“Of course. Put your hand here.”

“Are you even listening to me?” Leona grumbled, looking at Rook.

“If I don’t, you’ll complain all day. Don’t let that go.”

“Wait, when did you-?!” Leona freaked.

“Stop moving so much.”

“Then scratch my nose.”

They turned at the sound of an explosion. One of the ingredients slipped from Leona’s tail and landed in the mixture.

The two found themselves sneezing repeatedly until the air around them cleared up.

“This is why I told you- Hold up…” Rook said. “Great, we switched bodies…”

“Stop fucking around Rook. Remove the magic.”

“Why do you always accuse me when something goes wrong!?” Rook yelled.

“Because its always you!”

Students off to the side moved their stations farther away from the arguing couple.

“You know what, you go nap somewhere and I’ll finish this myself. You never help anyway.” Rook said, pushing Leona away.

“You do realize that’ll be me doing all the work.”

Rook let out a frustrated groan, letting his head collide with the surface. Leona sat beside him, seeing he wasn’t lifting his head.

“Hey… is everything okay?”

No response.

“Rook, I’m sorry… Wait, are you crying with my body?! Stop that!”

Leona frowned, seeing Rook was really upset. He moved his seat closer, gently rubbing Rook’s, no, his back.

“I didn’t want to bring it up but I’ve noticed you’ve been off all morning. Did something happen…?” Leona asked softly, discreetly finishing their assignment.

“I’m fine…”

“Even Kalim can tell that’s an obvious lie. Am I not your boyfriend who promised to always be here for you?”

Rook finally lifted his head, wiping his eyes.

“I don’t want to talk about it…” Rook whispered, seeing their assignment was completed. “Look, we’re each other right now, so you’ll have to go to my classes. Please. And I’ll avoid going.”

“Hey, I go to all of my classes.” Leona retorted.

“Since when?”

Leona kept silent.

“So as I was-”

“Since we got together, okay? Is it so wrong I want to be near you?”

Rook looked at himself. Leona really was the cutest when he let himself be vulnerable.

“Then we’ll go to class together. Next is music.”

“Actually, skip it.”

“Leona.”

Leona rolled his eyes, assuring him he was joking. He was glad to see that Rook was in a better mood.

•

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you Hunt, but you sound like a dying buffalo.” said the teacher full of concern. “You aren’t sick at all?”

“No…”

“Umm, please sit this one out.”

Leona looked to Rook who wouldn’t look him in the eye. Was he mad again? He was trying his best. It wasn’t necessary for him to learn to sing back when he was growing up. The groups switched places and unexpectedly, Rook snubbed him. It wasn’t like he was going to get a failing grade this class, right?

Everyone stared, not expecting Leona to sing so well.

“If I didn’t know any better, it’d feel like you and Rook switched bodies.” the teacher joked, unaware that was actually the case.

•

The two entered the cafeteria, Rook having spoke less and less as they day went on unless someone was talking to Leona’s body. Leona didn’t know what was going on. Rook has never been like this. Normally he wouldn’t shut up.

“There you are! Why haven’t you sought me out all day? Is your brain fried?” Vil said from behind.

Leona opened his mouth to argue back only to remember who he currently was.

“I’m terribly sorry. I’ve just been so busy today with classes and helping lost little underclassmen.” said Leona, decently mimicking Rook.

“Do you really have to date that lazy flea infested thing?” Vil whispered. “You can do much better…”

Leona swallowed hard, finding it extremely hard not to snap.

“I find beauty in everything, even people like him. And you can’t help what your heart wants.” said Leona before turning on his heel to catch up with Rook.

Rook sat down, noticing Leona wasn’t with him. Did he get tired of him already?

“Rook.”

“Oh, there you are. What happened?”

“Does Vil do that everyday? Judging people you choose to hang out with and who you like?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“Well he called me a lazy flea infested thing! THING!”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. He’s not usually like that. Let’s forget about him and eat. I made sure not to get any veggies.” said Rook, showing his plate.

“You could’ve…”

“I thought you didn’t like them. You know, you’ve been doing a few things differently ever since we became a couple. You don’t have to change yourself for me. I love you for the way you are.” said Rook with a smile. “Leona? Are you… crying?”

“No I’m not.” Leona croaked.

Rook embraced him, letting him cry discreetly. Students looked, taking pictures of the couple. Yet another day Rook was crying over something.

“So, let’s eat. We have P.E after this.”

“Way to ruin the mood.” Leona mumbled, wanting to be held a bit longer.

“Aw, is someone pouting?” Rook teased, pinching his cheek.

“Stop it.”

“Aaawww…!” Rook cooed.

Now people were confused. Leona never pinched cheeks.

•

“Partner up for stretches!”

“L-”

“Rook, let’s partner up. Leona isn’t going to do anything today I bet.”

“Why y- I mean, no. Leona agreed to participate today, right?” Leona said, nudging Rook.

“Yeah. He wouldn’t let me sleep unless I agreed.”

The student simply nodded, heading off to find someone else.

“See what missing P.E does?” Rook said, having Leona go first.

“He was clearly trying to hit on you.”

“And not feel your wrath soon after? Yeah, no.” Rook stated.

“Some guys have balls.”

Rook leaned him forward more, smiling softly. Leona always showed he cared in his own way.

“I never noticed how flexible you were, Rook…” Leona commented.

“I could show you more in bed.” Rook joked. He noticed Leona went silent. “Having dirty thoughts?”

“Not at all.”

“If you say so.”

They switched, Leona helping him stretch. He didn’t really notice it until now, but having a tail really made things feel different. He had to sit certain ways so it wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

Everyone had regrouped, spreading out for a group activity. The two didn’t realize how much they had to act like the other as Rook was usually a bit slower than Leona and Rook was the one with the freakishly good eyesight. P.E was unusually tiring for the both of them, causing a few heads to turn.

“I just want to nap…” Leona mewed, lying flat on the ground.

“Come on, just a few more classes. You can do it.” Rook cheered, poking Leona to get up.

“Hey Rook…”

“Hm?”

“The times we’ve been apart, I never really noticed how underclassmen really rely on you to help them out. A lot of people really like and respect you despite how weird you are…” Leona said, pushing up from the ground. “I really pale in comparison.”

“That’s true, but quite a few underclassmen sought out your wise lazy advice. They seemed pretty content.” Rook said with a smile. “A few also challenged you and lost.”

“Wait, _you_ beat them?”

“I can wrestle with you and win twice out of five times. I don’t see why it’s surprising.” Rook replied.

“They’re born strong and train most of their lives. And you…”

Rook waited.

“Never mind. Congrats.”

“You were-”

“On your feet! We’re starting!” Vargas shouted.

Leona groaned, not wanting to do anything else.

•

Rook had skipped class, needing to gather the rest of the ingredients for the antidote. He just had to hope the lab was open for him to use.

He kept an eye on the time, knowing there was a class in the building for last period. He quietly hummed to himself, double checking the notes he quickly wrote down. Rook mixed everything together, now having two small completed antidotes. He wrapped them up and put them in his pocket.

Leona yawned, seconds away from falling asleep. This was why he needed Rook. Just being around him kept him awake. The bell rang just as his head fell onto the desk.

“Freedom!”

Everyone looked at him.

“I meant, free dorm! Haha…”

He quickly left class, calling Rook to find out his whereabouts.

“Open.”

“Wha-”

Leona had something put into his mouth and forced to chew. He looked at Rook who was chewing as well while pushing him into a nook. Leona shook his head before seeing he was holding Rook with his own body.

“How…”

“I made the potion in consumable form. So, how do you feel? Anything abnormal?” Rook asked. “It was my first time making anything consumable.”

“I feel fine, but what about you? You were the one constantly running around getting everything.”

“I’m fine. So, are you going to skip last class?” Rook asked, taking Leona’s hand in his.

“No, because you’ll be there.”

“Good because it’s our science class.” said Rook with a bright smile.

“You’re smiling more than usual. What is it?”

“I heard today we might get to have some… hands on experience with our partners.”

“Could you have said that any more sensually?”

Rook simply laughed, avoiding the question.

“Wait.”

Rook was forced to stop as Leona halted his movements.

“I know you said you don’t want to talk about it, but I just can’t get it off my mind…” Leona said lowly.

“Alright. I’ll tell you.”

“Wait, really?”

Rook had him lean in close. Leona’s eyes widened before he frowned.

“So… I was really irritated all morning. And our argument didn’t help that much… but I’m glad things got better as the day went on. Thanks for being there.”

“Of course. I promised you and I never intend to break it.” said Leona, letting Rook lead. “But if you want, I don’t mind helping you correct what happened last night.”

“That would be the best thing ever.”

•

“And that’s how it went.”

Ruggie rapidly blinked.

“You and Rook had it easy… Do you know how hard it is to imitate Idia? There’s so much to him that I don’t even know.” Ruggie whined.

“Told you not to date him.”

“Well we’re still a new couple unlike you old timers.”

“It’ll only get harder.” Leona said, eating a snack as he texted Rook.

“But wow, I can’t believe it was the same time…”

“Yep. Thank god Rook’s a weird genius. I don’t know if I could stand being human.”

“Don’t get me started on how it was like being in Idia’s body.”

“Trapped in a corpse.”

“I- yeah. That’s pretty much it.”

Leona chuckled, liking the photo Rook sent him. He kicked Ruggie aside, sending him creeping over to take a peek.

“Message your own boyfriend.”

“God you’re awful.” Ruggie grumbled, doing just that so he could complain.


	427. Yan!Neige x Vil: It’s kind of like he’s pushing too hard

Vil couldn’t help but notice other students were really into their phones than usual. He knew of everything that went on so it couldn’t be that.

“Why so serious, Vil? Is something bugging you?” Rook asked.

“Yes actually. See that? I have yet to see any student not buried deep into their phone.”

“I’d be more than happy to investigate for you.”

“Do so.”

Rook peeked at students screens, seeing most were looking at a message from an unknown number. It looked like a game they were playing with whoever the sender was. It didn’t look like it was worth Vil’s time. Should he tell him? Probably.

•

Vil looked at his phone, thinking of what Rook told him. If it was just a wrong number game thing, why wasn’t he included? He knew why, he just didn’t want to accept being left out.

Soon students either let out cheers or groans in defeat. He was curious as to what happened, but didn’t want to show he was at all interested in something clearly being a scam.

•

Neige waltzed onto campus, taking a deep breath before smiling. Now he was free to move about as much as he wanted. His first stop was the lecture hall where all his winners were supposed to meet.

He closed the door behind him, causing students to gasp and squeal. It really did pay to have status AND power.

“Hello my radiant winners. You all are the selected few that passed my game. As promised, you will all get free access to come watch me film various commercials, tv shows, movies, etc! However, the groups will alternate as a certain number of people will be allowed on set. Of course you’ll still get your cash prize, but that’s only if you can perfectly complete this new task I have for you all.” said Neige, putting everyone on the edge of their seats.

He passed out index cards, only two or three having the same task.

“Upon completion, you’ll receive 100k madol from me, receive a follow from me on Magicam and a commemorative photo.” said Neige with a big smile. It soon faded, turning the air serious. “If you fail, consider your rewards revoked and a few not so nice things in your future. So, any questions?”

Everyone started filing out the room. Now was the time to pay Vil a visit.

•

Vil opened his door, not expecting to see a smiling Neige. He moved to close the door, only for Neige to block him from doing so with his body.

“It’s nice to see you again! It’s been too long.” Neige said, slipping into his room. “Ah, sure a beautiful room… It feels like you.”

“What do you want?”

“To be near you. I’m already doing that so… nothing.” Neige grinned, touching things here and there.

“Well I don’t want to be near you.” Vil said, pulling him away from his closet. “Get out.”

“You’re going to kick me out? I don’t mind but, aren’t you going to look bad?” said Neige, giving him an innocent look.

“Your acting is terrible. Now-”

Soon students were looking at the two of them, Neige looking wounded and making Vil seem like the bad guy. Vil pulled Neige back in, shutting the door. What terrible timing. Neige popped back up, looking around his room again and touching things.

“Stop touching my stuff.”

“But you said I was a terrible actor so I thought touching your stuff might rub your beautiful acting off on me.”

Vil didn’t want to be bothered with arguing with him. He sat down at his desk, starting his homework. Neige immediately started taking little things Vil wouldn’t miss before walking over to him.

“Having fun with math?” Neige asked, leaning awfully close to Vil.

“No because you’re here.”

“O- Oh… I could leave like you want… I was going to post our interactions on Magicam and I always tell my followers the truth, no matter how ugly.” said Neige, looking at him with big eyes. “You’ll look like a jerk. I don’t want that to happen…”

“You keep lying and see where it gets you.” Vil huffed.

“Can I stay?”

“You’re going to even if I said no.” Vil grumbled.

“Of course not. I would hate to burden you with my presence because you don’t like me and I’m such a nuisance.”

Vil couldn’t believe what he was hearing right now. Neige had been guilt tripping him the entire time. He looked at Neige who smiled sweetly.

“That’s it! Get the hell out right now!”

“W- Wha… Why are you getting mad?”

Vil opened his door, pushing Neige out. Neige fell down after hitting his head against the wall.

“Vil senpai…?”

Vil looked, not expecting to see a student there. He could’ve swore the hallway was empty.

“He’s acting. Don’t be fooled.” Vil said, glaring at Neige.

“Y… You said my… my acting was terrible…” Neige whispered, holding his head.

“I… Okay, I did but-”

“I can’t believe you, senpai. You hurt him and now you’re blaming him for what you did? I thought you were better than this…”

The student helped Neige to his feet, promising to get him to the infirmary. Vil was at a loss for words. Why was he being seen as the bad guy? Neige clearly made himself fall so he could hit his head. He knew acting.

They looked back, seeing they were far enough away.

“Good job. I see a lot of cash in your future.” said Neige, smiling with his eyes.

“I’m glad to be of use!” the student exclaimed before hurrying off.

Now that he had his encounter with Vil, it was time to slowly destroy everyone’s connections with him. Rook was definitely going to be the hardest, but once their bridge was burned, Vil would have no one else to turn to but him. The plan was genius.

•

Neige was the last one to leave the meeting room. His helpers had started to dwindle steadily. He wouldn’t deny they were useful in some ways, but they ultimately failed.

He walked down the halls, not expecting his luck to be so great.

“Rook senpai!”

“If it isn’t the beautiful apple blossom. What can I do for you?”

“Just hang out. You aren’t busy right?”

“No. Not since Vil told me I was free of duties for today.” Rook smiled.

Now came the hard part. Diminishing the rest of Rook’s faith and trust in Vil without Rook noticing. Once the bridge was burned, Vil was his and his alone. He’d come to him for everything.

“Neige?”

“Huh? I’m sorry, I spaced out a bit thinking about Vil. I’ve noticed students have been saying he’s acting differently lately. It’s kind of like he’s pushing too hard.” said Neige, wearing a worried look. “You’re closest to him. What do you think?”

“Well he hasn’t been looking the best… and when I did bring it up, he’d lash out at me. Usually he’d be more indifferent about things I say but…”

“He’s even shutting you out. We have to do something! We can’t lose Vil. I love him…” Neige said, tightly holding Rook’s arm.

“You love him?”

“Yes. Is it weird to love a friend? You know how much I look up to him too…”

“I’ll help in any way I can. I promise.”

Neige waved to Rook, seeing things were just about ready.

Vil stared at the palette, wondering why nothing looked good. He heard a knock on his door. He beckoned them in, finally deciding on a color.

“Vil senpai?”

“Neige, go away.”

“How can you turn away someone trying to be there for you. You have to be really messed up.” said Neige, standing behind him.

“I’m low on fuel and don’t have the patience. Please leave.” Vil stated, starting his other eye.

“Maybe a few hugs will help you recharge.”

“Nei- OW!”

Neige backed up, seeing Vil was covering his eye. This wasn’t part of the plan, but he was going to make good use of it. He had everyone speed up the plan, seeing this being the best opportunity to tear Rook away.

“I-”

“You what? Are you going to apologize?”

“Well, yeah-”

“Apologizing is not going to make my eye feel better. It’s not going to fix shit, Neige!” Vil yelled before sitting down again. “Get out of my sight.”

“Vil, maybe-”

“Are you deaf? I said get out!”

“B-”

Neige yelped, not expecting to be dragged out by his hair. He found himself being thrown to the floor just as Rook and another student arrived. Vil slammed his door shut while Neige fought back tears.

“I can’t believe he did that… What happened?” Rook asked, massaging Neige’s scalp.

“I was trying to make him happy but then he got really mad and threw me out… it hurts…” Neige whimpered, playing up the pain.

Neige kept his same position as Rook marched into Vil’s room. Loud voices were soon heard before Rook came out looking extremely pissed off. They waited until Rook had disappeared before silently celebrating. Neige had the student gather everyone that was left so they could receive their remaining rewards.

•

Neige walked onto Night Raven’s campus, having only texted Vil for a week. As he hoped, Vil had invited him over. He reached the hall of mirrors, seeing Vil waiting for him.

“Hey.”

“Why so glum, Vil? You look drained of confidence.”

“I’m just going through a rough patch. Come, I want to talk a bit privately for right now.”

Neige followed Vil, simply glad to even be this close to him at all. They entered the abandoned dorm before they sat together. Neige found Vil snuggling into his arms. All that careful planning certainly didn’t go to waste.

“Things have been really stressful. Unfortunately you’re the only one around who’ll actually listen to me.” said Vil, feeling stressed.

“I’m always here for you. Actors have to look out for each other from time to time.” said Neige with a smile.

“Neige, I don’t know what you did or how you did, but you’ve clearly been up to something these days.” said Vil. “I’m watching you.”

“Never take your eyes off of me.” teased Neige, pressing against Vil.

Vil pulled away, feeling disgusted. Neige simply smiled, loving this intimate moment between them.

“You know, I might know something about what’s been going on around you… but you’ll have to trust me completely.” Neige said in a low voice.

“I’m not. You’re an actor. I can tell what’s false.” said Vil, brushing off dust.

“Okay then. I figured it was the least I could do for you.” Neige said, mere centimeters away from his face. “Sorry.”

Vil kept Neige from moving.

“Help me and maybe I’ll tolerate you.”

“I have a better proposal.”

Vil raised an eyebrow as Neige looked at him with his big, innocent eyes.

“Let me call you mine and I’ll go even further… helping you regain everything you’ve lost. Maybe even more…”

“I knew it! You’ve been up to something.” Vil said, soon finding himself underneath Neige.

“Go ahead. Tell people. Who are they going to believe?”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Okay. I won’t. I was only joking. I won’t help you at all. I’ll keep you with me just like this for the rest of our lives. Everyone always believes the innocent, adorable Neige. I even outsmarted you, my husband.”

“Husband!? You’ve lost it…!” Vil shrieked, trying to push Neige away.

“No. I haven’t lost a single thing… I’ve only been gaining and gaining! And now I have my ultimate goal. You! I couldn’t be happier at this moment. Ah, I can’t wait for all the dates and initimacy we’ll have… Vil, I love you so much. Won’t you accept my heart?”

“You heart is blacker than anyone I’ve ever met. As if I’d want something so gross and unappealing.”

“I’ll clean it for you. I’ll do a lot of things for you, but I have my limits.” said Neige, cupping Vil’s face.

“We’re a couple starting now!”


	428. Trey, Che'nya + Riddle: He put all his love in it

“And so then you would look at the shadow positioning and…”

Che'nya yawned, trying to stay awake. He knew the history of wonderland was important, but today’s class was one of the few boring ones. Why should they give two shits about two dumb twins? He really liked the parts about the cat who could disappear and reappear at will. It was just like him and often made him wonder if they were related.

“I know at least half of you don’t care, but you will care when it shows up on a test.” said the teacher, looking at the students.

Che'nya took the first opportunity to leave class when he could. There really wasn’t anything important to learn. He appeared outside the Heartslabyul dorm building, hoping he would run into them.

He snuck around, making sure other students couldn’t see him. The last thing he needed was to be hunted down. Che'nya headed for Riddle’s room, wanting to mess with him first.

“He’s not here…?” Che'nya whispered, knowing Riddle hardly left his room. “Riddle?”

He decided to bug Trey, always having a blast doing so. His comebacks were always witty at that. Che'nya opened the door to Trey’s room, not expecting to see Riddle pacing around like a madman. He soon got a clear view of Trey under the covers.

“Riddle~”

No response. Che'nya sighed heavily before stopping Riddle in his tracks.

“Che'nya…? What are you doing here? It’s not after school…!” Riddle said, his eyes shaking as his face was covered in worry.

“I came to bug you both as usual but you weren’t in your room. So I sought out Trey only to find you both here. So, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. Stop assuming things.” Riddle huffed, pulling away from Che'nya.

“Riddle, Trey and I know you like the back of our hands. You pace when you’re distressed. So, what can this kitty cat do for you~?”

Riddle bit his bottom lip, glancing towards Trey. Riddle broke down, showing his powerlessness. Che'nya gave him head pats, not surprised.

“For someone who wants to be a magic doctor, you can’t even take care of a sick person right.”

“Shut up!”

“Don’t worry, doctor Che'nya is in the building~” smirked Che'nya, walking over to Trey. He had Riddle fetch him a few tools before inspecting Trey’s body. “He’s hotter than your mom when she’s angry, but he seems to be sleeping alright.”

“So… a fever?”

“No, he’s got hallupox.” said Che'nya sarcastically.

Riddle lost his balance, his eyes wide in shock. Did he really? Did Trey ever get the shot for it?

“Riddle, don’t tell me you took it seriously… It’s just a fever. Anyway, tell me everything that’s happened so far. Did he wake up? Fall asleep when? Did he eat?”

“I don’t know…” Riddle said, getting to his feet. He pushed his hair out of his face, sitting on the edge of Trey’s bed. “I went to classes and came back because I forgot I lent Trey a book… and he was like this when I came in.”

Che'nya hummed, propping Trey’s head up more.

“Let’s go cook him something delicious.”

Riddle took Che'nya’s hand, allowing him to lead. It was obvious Riddle wanted to help Trey but he was utterly useless today for whatever reason.

•

“So, what exactly are we making…?” Riddle asked, seeing Che'nya preparing meat.

“You are going to make him a fruit salad and tea. I’m preparing soup.”

Riddle gave him a look. Why was he on fruit duty?

“I don’t trust you using a stove. I know you’ve never cooked for yourself.”

He couldn’t refute that, but what made Che'nya think he’d be any better with fruit? He could cut himself. Che'nya looked over, seeing Riddle cutting rather slowly.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid.”

“It’s not everyday I make meals for myself! Give me a break…” Riddle fussed, puffing out his cheeks.

Riddle finished cutting up apples just as a powerful and delicious aroma filled his nostrils. He looked back, seeing Che'nya stirring the contents in the pot. He left his spot, taking a peek inside. It looked really good. Was Che'nya always this good at cooking?

“Wanna taste it?”

“May I?”

Che'nya gave him a taste, waiting for feedback. He giggled in delight, seeing Riddle’s face light up like fireworks. It had to be good then.

“Did you finish with the fruit and tea?” he asked, seeing the soup was just about done.

“Oh! The nectarines…!”

•

“Trey… wake up…”

Trey slowly stirred, feeling sweaty and sticky. Che'nya checked him over, seeing he was okay enough to eat something.

“Can you eat? Or do one of us need to feed you?”

“I’m fine. Thank… wait, Che'nya? What are you doing here?” Trey asked in a nasally voice as he squinted.

“That’s not important. Here, eat up.” said Riddle, having Trey try the soup. “Che'nya made it for you. He put all his love in it.”

“Gross…” Trey said before chuckling. “Really, thank you. It tastes amazing.”

“Hey Trey, did Che'nya always know how to cook?”

“Why don’t we see if he gives us an answer?” Trey replied, looking to Che'nya.

“Not always. I had to learn. Gramps can only do so much you know? I have a lot of fun cooking with him.” Che'nya explained, offering Trey some tea. “Once I got older, the things I was able to cook expanded.”

The two nodded in understanding. Trey coughed, the soup and tea hitting where it was needed most.

“You two shouldn’t stay and watch over me. I’ll probably end up sleeping after eating a bit more.”

“Trey, you know we don’t operate like that. Did you already forget our code?” Riddle asked.

“How could I forget? Little Riddle wouldn’t let us forget it every time we met.” Trey laughed, Che'nya joining in soon after.

They laughed more when Riddle stuck his tongue out and turn his back to them.

“I know I already said it but, seriously, thanks you two… Now I have to get better otherwise your hard work would go to waste.”

The two stayed until Trey fell soundly asleep, his stomach full of his friend’s love.


	429. Grimhilde & Her Snow Whites

Rook silently peered over Vil’s shoulder, not used to seeing him interested in anything other than himself. Yet there on his screen sat someone’s photo.

“When will you tell me about him?”

“Stop being nosy. I’m just looking for someone to model with me.”

“You never do that.”

“You’re usually not around.”

Vil was being more defensive than usual. Now he was even more suspicious of him.

“If you don’t mind, I have somewhere to be.” said Vil, getting up from his seat. “And stop prying into my privacy. It’s unbecoming of you.”

Rook simply shrugged in response. It wasn’t wrong of him to want to keep updated with Vil, right?

•

Rielle looked at Eosin’s phone, looking on Magicam with him.

“It’s a advertisement about a movie… Neige’s in it.” Rielle pointed out.

“Where?”

Rielle pointed it out, seeing Eosin getting happy. Sometimes it was hard to tell when Eosin was being a fan or just crushing. Then again it could be both.

“I have to go see this movie. It’s too cute to pass up!”

“Eos, it’s about a teen who loses his parents in an accident.”

“And your point being?”

Rielle sighed, not understanding at all. He understood that Neige was cute. You’d have to be psycho not to think that. He looked up, seeing said person walking in.

“Hey, there’s your husband.”

Eosin’s head snapped up, catching a glimpse of Neige walking further into the library. He quickly got up, following after Neige and leaving Rielle all alone.

“Neige!”

“Oh, hi.”

Neige put his phone on sleep, hiding that he was looking at Vil’s model shoot video clip.

“So, are we still good for after school…?”

“After school…?”

Eosin frowned slightly. He forgot already?

“Yeah… We texted and made plans to eat at Vin’s after school today. You even agreed…” Eosin said in disbelief.

“You were the one I was texting? Goodness, how silly of me to not realize. Things were such a blur that day…” Neige said, clearly lying through his teeth. “I have some free time.”

“Great! So, what had you burying your nose in your phone?”

“Oh nothing. Just contacting my manager and all. You know how it is.” said Neige, trying to get away from Eosin. “I’m really busy these days so I should really get-”

“What book are you looking for? Maybe I can help?” offered Eosin.

“Seriously, I appreciate it but I’m fine. I promise.”

Eosin opened his mouth to say something else, only for Neige to wave and quickly walk away. He let out a troubled sigh before heading back to Rielle.

“So, did you seduce him?”

“I wish… He even forgot we were supposed to meet up after school…” he said with a heavy sigh. “It was like he was trying to avoid me.”

“I would too if you suddenly confessed to me in front of most of the student body, putting me on the spot. He’s also someone famous so imagine word getting out if he actually gave you an answer.”

“I didn’t know people would be around. I picked that spot because people hardly pass through!”

“He’s Neige. People are always around him.”

Eosin put his head in his hands, reliving the afternoon he confessed to Neige.

•

Vil checked himself in his mirror, his phone screen showing a photo on the official RSA Magicam account. He was going to head over and finally introduce himself. He couldn’t possibly refuse him. He was Vil Schoenheit, the best model and actor there ever was.

“Vil- Oh my. Don’t you look absolutely stunning! Heading to a shoot?” Rook asked, entering Vil’s room.

“Not today. I have other plans. So, what’s the reason for the visit?”

“I was going to mention that a few of your soiled vegetables were in need of proper care.”

Vil briefly looked at his phone screen before shaking his head.

“I trust you can do a good job. That’s why you are vice aren’t you?”

“If that’s your wish, I will grant it. Do enjoy your day.”

Of course he was going to. He was finally going to meet someone worthy of his time and attention.

Maison Bele students looked in complete awe as Neige entered the lounge. They were extremely lucky to be in the same dorm as not only someone this beautiful, but famous too.

Eosin rubbed his eyes, walking down the stairs as he yawned. Soon a flock of students were waiting down below, having left Neige’s group.

“You look radiant today as well, dorm leader!” a student said with shining eyes.

“Huh? Oh, thanks I guess…” Eosin said in a sleepy voice. “Anyone have interesting plans for today?”

Most of them went silent, their plans having rather intimate details that they didn’t want revealed.

“Did Neige-”

Eosin stopped mid sentence, seeing Neige enjoying tea with other students in his pjs. He couldn’t help but take a photo. The way Neige smiled and how happy he seemed to be surrounded by friends… The Maison Bele students looked at Eosin who was entranced. A few poked him, other snapping and clapping in his face.

“Ah, right. Umm, breakfast. I-”

“We’re on it!”

He blinked, watching half of them run in the direction of the kitchen while the others guided him to sit down. He was somewhat used to this, but they seemed a bit extreme today.

Vil walked onto the campus, keeping an eye out for someone he could potentially talk to. Though, it would probably be like finding a needle in a haystack considering it was the weekend and most students probably had permission to go off campus, especially around this time. He finally happened to spot someone not too far from where he was.

“Excuse me…!”

“Yes…?”

Vil cleared his throat, looking down at the student.

“Do you know this student?” Vil asked, showing him the photo that his mysterious crush was in.

“Why do you ask…” the student asked with hesitance.

“You may not believe it but, I’m Vil Schoenheit and I’d love to have him model with me.” said Vil, removing his sunglasses.

The student went wide eyed before texting someone on his phone. He could at least give him an answer.

“I do know him. He’s still in his dorm. I’ll show you the way. I’m Mei by the way.”

“Charmed.”

They eventually entered Maison Bele, the place rather cozy feeling. Mei left him at the doorstep, saying he could probably find his way around if he asked a student. Vil stepped inside, finding things rather dull looking. A few students stopped and stared, recognizing Vil instantly.

“Vil Schoenheit!”

He soon had a crowd around him.

“I was told I could find Eosin Schnee here.”

The students eagerly led him to the lounge where Eosin and Neige found themselves stuck in. Vil looked around before his eyes finally spotted him. The two boys looked up.

“I finally found you…”

“M- Me…?” Neige squeaked, his cheeks starting to burn.

His face soon cooled, watching Vil walk over to Eosin instead.

“What the hell?!” Neige thought, watching Vil talk to Eosin.

Why not him? How did he even know Eosin’s existence? His admirers weren’t doing much to help settle down the angry Neige.

“Wow… That’s really heartfelt but uh, I don’t want to…” Eosin said, inching his way away from Vil.

“It was a lie needed to get to you. I really just want to know you better. May I have the honor?”

“I mean, sure but, why me…? Neige is right over there. I’m a nobody. Why would you want to be seen with me?”

“Because you’re beautiful…” Vil whispered, cupping Eosin’s cheek. “And I love beautiful…”

Eosin pulled away, feeling weirded out. This was so sudden. Neige was definitely going to be put off now.

“Look, I already like someone else-”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t like another. Humans are strange creatures that have certain higher capacities than we think.” Vil said, slightly tilting his head. “Now that I’ve found you, I’m not going to let you go. I promise.”

Eosin slipped his hand out of Vil’s glancing towards Neige who was hopping mad. This wasn’t good.

“Neige-”

“How dare you!”

All available Maison Bele students were now focused on the three, mostly Neige who was now standing and approaching them with a menacing aura.

“To-”

“You!” Neige yelled, pointing at Vil. “Why are you hanging all over Eosin? You’re scaring him!”

“I mean, I’m fine just a little freaked…” Eosin said, shutting up once Neige slammed his palms against the table.

“I don’t know why you’re so mad. Everyone is free to pursue their interests are they not?” Vil explained calmly.

“But we have history…! We’ve done so much together…” said Neige, slowly losing willpower.

Vil said nothing in response. Eosin looked between them, wondering if he ruined what the two had. Then again, was it really his fault? He’s never met Vil until today. Plus he hated being photographed so it wasn’t like there was a photo for him to see online.

“Neige, I told you then and I’m telling you again, don’t touch me and stop flirting. I’m not interested.” said Vil before looking at Eosin. “However, you can. I encourage it even.”

Neige looked at him with tears eyes. His heart was breaking into pieces. Neige really wanted Vil but he really wanted Neige. Maybe this could work out in his favor. He could pick up the pieces of Neige and work his way in.

Though, as tempting as it was, he couldn’t pounce while Neige was down. It wouldn’t feel right.

“Hey, Neige…” Eosin started, only for Neige to walk away in embarrassment and pain. He quickly followed, leaving Vil behind. “Neige!”

Eosin stood outside his door, hearing Neige’s faint sobbing. Did Vil really not care how badly he hurt someone if it meant getting them away from him? How could he ever like someone like that?

“Neige, open up. You shouldn’t be alone…” Eosin called out, turning the knob.

He didn’t want to do it, but Neige needed comfort. Eosin unlocked the door with the master key, locking it once he was inside. He took another student’s box of tissues, holding one out of Neige.

“Vil was cruel to do that to you, especially with so many people around…”

Neige wiped his nose, taking another tissue. Eosin sat down, keeping a certain distance between them.

“Is this how you felt when you confessed to me…?”

“Not exactly, but it was pretty embarrassing… But, I felt good because I was finally able to let you know, even if it wasn’t mutual.”

Neige dabbed his eyes before sniffling. He looked at Eosin who kept his gaze downwards.

“Thanks… for the tissues…” Neige said, blowing his noses again. “I guess it’s not bad having company…”

“It’s usually better to talk it out with someone when you hurt like this. Sometimes an outside opinion can make things clearer. But, I’ll give you your space in a bit.”

Neige smiled, never having seen this side of Eosin. Maybe he was quick to judge him.

“So, what do you like about me?”

“Your smile definitely, but specifically the one when you’re just genuinely happy. The way your cheeks rise when you laugh, how kind and thoughtful you are, how you get along with all the animals on campus, oh! How could I forget that sexy intellect you have? You really bring smiles to everyone and I bet you don’t even know it. You’re simply amazing, Neige…”

Neige couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment. Eosin thought so highly of him when it wasn’t even the case. He was just as flawed as everyone else.

He opened his mouth to speak, only to see Eosin’s retreating figure leaving out the door. Click. The door was locked once more. Neige rubbed his hands together, Eosin’s words weighing heavy on his mind. Maybe he should start hanging around Eosin more. Not because of the compliments, he just… seemed like his kind of person.


	430. Leona + Farena: I don’t appreciate you trying to relate to me

Farena opened his eyes noticing Leona seemed younger. He touched Leona’s cheek, only to have his hand slapped.

“What’s wrong with you!?”

Leona covered his mouth, glaring angrily at Farena.

“Why is my voice so high? What did you do to me!?” Leona growled, poised to attack Farena.

“I didn’t do anything. Can’t you calm down and think rationally?” Farena said, starting to look around. “Help me figure this out.”

“I’m not doing anything for you.”

“Le-”

Leona was already out the door. Farena sighed heavily, wishing Leona would just work with him for once. Farena stood on the tips of his toes, trying to see what was on the table.

“Right there!”

Farena looked back, seeing the servants looking at him.

“Excuse me, could you help me? I need to see what’s on the table.”

They walked over, placing things down on the floor for him. They couldn’t help but find him really familiar.

“Thank you.”

“Wait… are you Farena? Our king?”

“Yes? Why is that a question?”

“Well you look… very young.”

Farena shooed them away, trying to focus. They were having a meal together and the next moment they were kids. Was their food tampered with? Their drinks? He needed a test subject.

Farena wandered around, trying to find something living he could use.

“King Farena!”

Farena stopped, not expecting to have a bunch of servants standing in front of him.

“We heard from the others.”

“We’ll help with anything you’ll need!”

“How did something like this happen…?”

“Leona and I-”

They let out collective sighs. They didn’t let him finish.

“We understand, our king. Leona has always been a thorn in everyone’s side.”

“Can we ever get peace with him around?”

“That’s such a dumb question.”

“Please, listen to me!” Farena shouted, gaining their attention. “My brother didn’t do anything. He’s suffering too! We don’t know what caused this and I wanted him to help me but he refused. And-”

“Of course he wouldn’t help.”

“Right? He’s so lazy.”

“I can’t believe they’re related.”

“Hey! Stop talking bad about him! Just help me figure this out so I can help my brother.” Farena said angrily.

The servants quickly nodded, seeing they really upset Farena.

“You whisper too loud.”

“Me?! It was all you!”

“Shh!”

•

Leona lied in bed, it now feeling like the most spacious thing he’s ever been on. Farena was always trying to control him, always assuming he knows best. Farena did this to him. If it wasn’t enough people hated him, now they were going to hate him more, thinking he was the reason Farena ended up like that.

Life was always going to be unkind to him no matter what he did. They were probably catering to his every need right now. And what were they doing for him? Nothing. He curled up underneath his sheets, wanting to leave. No one in this place or in the city appreciated him. They only cared about Farena’s successes.

“‘You can do so much for Afterglow without being king.’” Leona said, mocking his brother.

He wasn’t going to give anything to those people.

“Leo?”

He kept quiet. They’d figure he ran away.

“Leo, I know you’re in there. I’m coming in if you don’t let me in.”

Leona took that opportunity to look out the window. He could jump and run away, well, limp away. The last thing he wanted was to interact with anyone in this place. He turned, hearing the knob being turned.

Farena entered the room, seeing Leona wasn’t on his bed like he theorized. He checked his closets, seeing he wasn’t in there either. He peered out the window, not seeing anything. Where could he have gone?

“Did you find him, our king?”

“No…”

“Really, he does nothing but cause us problems!”

“I wish he was never born.”

“Hey, keep it down. Farena’s coming over.”

“Hmph. Leona will always be least favorite.”

Farena sighed, not knowing where to look next. Leona always changed his favorite spots if he ever approached him in one of them.

•

Leona sat outside Superbia, pressing against his ankle. He mistimed using his magic. It could’ve been worse like a broken leg. He used a bit of healing magic that he knew, feeling some of the pain disappear.

“There you are. King Farena has been looking for you everywhere.”

“Yeah? I don’t care.”

“He’s worried about you. Let’s go to him.”

“I’m not going.” said Leona loudly, wobbling to his feet.

“Must you be so stubborn? He has half of the staff looking high and low for you!”

“I didn’t ask him to do that. They’re always ready to help him at the drop of a hat. What about me?! No one has done anything for me ever since I turned small!”

“Because no one-”

“Leona!”

Leona couldn’t escape Farena’s hug, searing pain going through his leg as he put weight on his hurt ankle.

“Let me go!”

The servant gasped, moving to help Farena up as Leona glared in anger. Of course he’d run to help Farena. God forbid he ever tripped over something.

“You always do that! Whenever the most minor inconvenience happens to Farena, everyone’s worrying over him like he has a terminal illness yet when I actually get hurt, no gives a shit!”

“Leona-”

“Save it! You’ll always get attention no matter how old we are! First borns always get treated the best! I hate you! I hate all of you! I wish you all would die!”

“Leona! Wait!”

“King, just let him go. I-”

“Be quiet! You don’t know anything!” Farena yelled, harshly pulling away and going after Leona. “Leona!”

Farena rounded the corner, not seeing Leona anywhere. He frantically started looking around, hoping he didn’t go far.

•

Farena moved his meal around, having no appetite. Leona was missing. People were reluctant to help. Why were they so hesitant to help his one and only brother? His precious sibling?

“King, are you not hungry?”

Farena pushed his plate off the table before leaving the dining room. Clearly their king was in a bad mood. They started to clean up, thankful that the plate hadn’t cracked.

Farena sat out on the balcony, seeing night had finally settled. There sat the perfect view of the wild and vast savannah they lived in. He wouldn’t had fled all the way out there. Farena sighed, his foul mood showing in every way it could. The memory of earlier came back before he noticed something. Leona had a small limp.

_“Don’t tell me…”_

Farena scrambled to his feet, not wanting to believe his brother was out there by himself in a kid’s body with an injury. That was nothing but bad news.

“King, where are you going in such a hurry?”

“To find my brother since no one else wants to!”

“Wait-”

Farena was already out the door, heading into the city. If he was Leona, where would he go? Of course a place that was quiet where he could nap for hours. Where were quiet places? He wandered around, seeing most areas he visited were quite noisy.

He kept walking around, seeing he was finally reaching the quieter places. His legs were begging to rest, but he couldn’t. He had to bring Leona back. He peered into places and down alleys, keeping an eye out.

Farena finally stopped, his body pleading with him for rest. He took residence in an alley, his eyes feeling heavy. Things were much harder now that he was smaller. He looked further down, registering a figure lying down. His first instinct was to move, but he had to know if it was Leona.

He forced his body to move, getting closer. He sat down in front of them, running his hand through their hair.

“You’re going to catch a cold…” Farena muttered.

No response. Farena continued to stroke their hair, glancing at their ankles. One of them looked swollen. He pulled them closer, holding them tight.

“I’m here, Leo… Even if you hate me, I’ll always be by your side. You aren’t bad, I know that. No one takes the time to really listen to you…” Farena said as he cradled Leona. “Please come home with me…”

Leona stretched out, registering he was being held. He growled threateningly once he saw who.

“Hey, don’t be hostile… why don’t we talk a bit?”

“I’d rather die.”

“It’s not going to be that bad. It’s something to do while I rest up before carrying you back home.” Farena smiled. Leona tried pulling away, stopping once he felt pain in his ankle. “I know about your ankle so don’t even try to hide it.”

Leona avoided eye contact.

“Weren’t we in a similar situation like this?” Farena said, starting up conversation.

“I don’t want to go down memory lane.”

“Right. You had gone off and I went searching for you before anyone noticed. Of course they all noticed. The princes were missing after all!”

“You mean prince.”

“No, princes. Farena and Leona. How did that day end again?”

“I was grounded and given extra lessons while you got sweets and your favorite meal cooked for you.”

Farena hummed, not remembering it that way.

“I’m pretty sure we were both grounded and given extra lessons for leaving the premises without permission. Oh! Remember the time Dylan brought over some exotic fish?”

“How could I forget? I got all the blame then too.”

“No. I got in trouble too. No games for an entire month! It was agony.”

“I don’t appreciate you trying to relate to me.”

“I’m just recalling our childhood. I know you received so much disdain during it, but I received punishments too. You were never around to see them… I broke a family heirloom and lied about it. Mom and Dad found out and I was stripped of any possible fun until they said I was free. It lasted four whole months.”

“So when I asked to play…”

Farena nodded, confirming his thoughts. So he wasn’t being an ass.

“Then why didn’t you say so?”

“How would it look if the older sibling was punished indefinitely? Embarrassing… I’m supposed to set a good example.” Farena explained. “I should’ve done better as your older brother and really made the best effort to be by your side. And now look at us. Fighting almost every minute. This isn’t how I wanted my future with you to be. I wanted to see us bettering Afterglow in our own way.”

Leona finally looked Farena in the eyes, seeing genuine sadness.

“You finally admit you’re wrong. Took you years.”

“I’ve always known I was wrong. I’m just now saying it out loud… to you.”

Leona’s eyes darted around before he hugged Farena. Farena gently rubbed Leona’s back, not having held his brother ever since he could walk. Leona let out a startled yelp, not expecting to feel Farena’s tongue on his cheek.

“Don’t do that!”

“And miss my chance of giving you more affection? No way!”

Leona cried for help, not wanting any more love that Farena was willing to give. Farena stopped, finally seeing the tears on Leona’s face.

“What’s wrong? Was I too rough…?”

“Stop looking at me…”

As if he was going to admit he felt so heard and loved that he was moved to tears. Farena wiped his eyes, giving him a happy smile.

“I think I can carry you back. Hop on.”

Leona clung to Farena as he carried him with little trouble. Farena often checked on his ankle, hoping it wasn’t bothering Leona too much.

•

Leona moved his ankle around, seeing it was feeling a lot better. What wasn’t better was their current age situation.

“So, did you figure anything out?”

“No. Our food and drinks weren’t tampered with.” said Farena. “Might as well make the most of it.”

“Unc- Huh?”

They looked, seeing Cheka looking at them in confusion. Nikita entered the room, confusion on her face as well.

“We leave for a day and this happens? There better be a good explanation.”

“Wait, you’re kids now! That means… I have a better chance at winning!” Cheka cheered.

Cheka pounced on them, already raring to go. Nikita decided to leave them to it, knowing how competitive they got. Leona managed to free himself, only to be pulled back into the fray by his tail. The three of them clawed and bit at each other, making a mess of the room.

“Ha… haha! I w-”

Cheka was tackled by Leona, followed by Farena. They weren’t going to let an inexperienced cub win so easily.


	431. Vil x Neige: Apple with a crown

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Of course. I promised. Just because our schools are rivals doesn’t mean I shouldn’t show kindness to them.”

He sighed heavily, shaking his head in disbelief. Neige was too kind to others. He was worried he’d become a doormat somewhere along the line. He really did want Neige to reconsider but…

“There it is!”

“Neige please calm down.”

Neige was quick to disembark once they arrived at the front gates. His manager scrambled to catch up with him, worried someone would kidnap him. Neige excitedly looked around, not getting to be on Night Raven’s campus often.

“Neige, slow down!”

“What’s in here?”

“Neige!”

Neige entered the hall of mirrors looking at the different emblems. He entered through one of the mirrors, arriving in the particular dorm. Students started looking before rapidly taking their phones out to take pictures.

“Hello!” Neige said cheerily.

A crowd started forming around him. Neige found himself being jerked back and pulled out of the crowd.

“I told you stop running off! You’re more than just a student.” his manager fussed, using a spell to protect them. “We’re supposed to be heading to the coliseum to do test runs for your mini concert.”

“But can’t I explore? It’s new territory!”

“No.”

“You’re no fun, Shawn…” Neige pouted, following him.

“Halt.”

They stopped at the sound of the commanding voice. They turned around, wondering who had the audacity to talk to them like that.

“Oh. You.”

“Vil!” Neige squealed, running with open arms only to run into the protective shield. “Shawn, lower it.”

“Absolutely not.”

“SHAWN!”

He let out a heavy sigh, compromising and having Vil come in instead. Neige lunged forward to hug him, Vil reluctantly accepting the affection. He figured he’d let it happen as Neige wouldn’t let up unless he gave him a hug.

“What are you doing here?”

“You don’t now? There be been notices everywhere! Online, bulletin boards, everything!” Neige said looking at him with big eyes. “You have to know. Please come!”

“Would you care to explain yourself rather than looking like a innocent puppy.” said Vil, crossing his arms.

“I’m having a mini concert here! In the coliseum. You’re going to come, right?”

“No.”

Neige now had a hurt look on his face. Why wouldn’t he? Vil stepped out of the shield, leaving Neige in a state of pain and confusion.

“Neige…”

“What…?”

Shawn pointed to his wrist which held his soul mark. It was more vibrant than its ever been, glowing even.

“W- When did it happen!?”

“When Vil got close. You really didn’t notice it? At all?”

“Vil!”

Vil turned, having little time to react as Neige tackled him.

“Get off me!”

“We’re soulmates!”

“Come again?”

Neige rolled up Vil’s sleeve, revealing his vibrant mark then showing his own. Vil couldn’t believe it. After all this time, it was him. Him.

“It’s such a unique design so it has to be the two of us! Isn’t it cute? A little apple with a crown.” Neige said, tightly holding onto Vil.

“You and me…”

“You sound like you don’t believe it. I can prove it’s real! It won’t come off with water.”

“No need. You aren’t exactly the best liar out there. I’m guessing now you’ll want to date.”

Neige pulled away, wondering why Vil didn’t sound excited as he was. Finding your soulmate was always a joyous occasion. Most of his friends have met theirs already. He was dying to meet his. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that the person he had the hots for for ages turned out to be his soulmate. Yet Vil on the other hand…

“You’ve gone silent. That’s unusual.” Vil said with a raised eyebrow.

“You just don’t sound happy to have me as a soulmate…”

“I am happy.”

Neige wasn’t buying it. He should be smiling from ear to ear, smothering him in love and affection.

“So, are you still not coming…?”

Vil looked away for a bit before meeting his gaze once more.

“I suppose I can push my plans back for you. I better get the best seat.”

Neige lit up, promising he would. He bounced around in glee, unaware of the pleased smile on Vil’s face.


	432. Night Raven: Teachers’ Pets

“Wah!”

Crash! Everyone looked as Deuce had dropped one of the beakers. Everyone quickly turned away, knowing Deuce was in for it now. Even Ace distanced himself.

“Spade!”

Deuce stood straight up, fearing for his life.

“Clean this up.”

“Y- Yessir!”

Divus squatted down and helped him pick up the shards. Students started murmuring, wondering what the hell was going on.

“Be more careful, okay? And always make sure you wear gloves when handling things like glass or your potions.” said Divus, using magic and fix the broken beaker.

“Yes, Crewel sensei…” Deuce whispered, watching Divus walk away.

“He didn’t chew you out. What did you do? Have sex with him?”

“WHAT!?”

Everyone looked at them.

“I would never! Do you know how unethical that is? Crewel sensei would get fired!” Deuce hissed. “I don’t know either. It just happened…”

“So you’re saying if you fuck up in his classes, he’ll go easy on you? I don’t buy it.” said Ace, crossing his arms.

“Hey, watch it!”

“Hm?”

The two moved around, knocking things into their cauldron. It started to bubble before erupting, covering the entire lab in light blue goo. They had to get into serious trouble now.

“Spade, Trappola.”

They stood straight, watching Divus walk over to them while cleaning the goo off of things. Maybe they’d get off a bit easy since Deuce was involved.

“Be careful when mixing potions. It seems you added in large amounts of things.” Divus said, peering into the cauldron as he dropped the floating blob of goo back into it. “It’s an easy fix.”

The others were staring in disbelief. Ace and Deuce listened carefully as Divus showed them how to get back on track.

“Understand now, puppies?”

“Yes, Crewel sensei.”

“What are the rest of you mutts staring at? Get back to work!” Divus shouted, startling the others.

“Holy shit… Did that really just happen…?” Ace whispered, feeling confused.

“Don’t count your blessings. Just accept them.”

Ace simply nodded, going back to working.

•

The class was dismissed, the students excited for lunch. A student hung back as Divus gathered his materials.

“Crewel sensei.”

“Clover. How may I help?”

“I was wondering if you had time to stay a bit longer. There’s something I want to go over that we just learned.”

Divus smiled, having Trey take a seat. Trey blinked, not expecting a smile. Usually he’d give him a few seconds to copy down what he needed before leaving.

“So, which part was it?”

Divus listened as Trey explained. Trey rapidly blinked, not expecting Divus to go out of his way to give a visual of it. He listened carefully, taking notes. A student knocked on the door, breaking the moment.

“Uh, sensei-”

“What? Can’t you see I’m busy here? Speak before I shut you out.”

“I just wanted to ask for clarification on something…”

“Ask your peers. If you didn’t get it by now, be prepared to take this class again.” said Divus before going back to explaining to Trey.

The student made a disgusted look before leaving. What made Trey special? He was even giving him a visual. The student met up with his friends, complaining about what just happened.

“Thank you, Crewel sensei. I get it much better now.”

“Good. It’d be terrible if you were behind because of a misunderstanding. I’ll be in my office if you need anything else.”

“Thank you.” Trey said, truly feeling grateful. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you suddenly being accommodating towards me?”

“A teacher only wants to see his students succeed.”

Trey decided to leave it at that, not wanting to jeopardize this stroke of good luck.

•

Divus looked up, hearing his door open.

“Hey.”

“To what do I owe the visit of the cat worshipper?” Divus asked, seeing Lucius in his arms.

“I heard through the grapevine you’re showing ‘extra special’ attention to certain students.” said Trein, glaring at him. “In this school we treat all students equally.”

Divus simply chuckled, rising from his seat.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re going senile old man.”

Lucius meowed and hissed, baring his claws at Divus. Divus however wasn’t phased.

“If it not true then shall we speak to one of the students claimed to be receiving special treatment?”

“Certainly.”

Riddle found himself being stopped by Trein and Divus in the library.

“Rosehearts, I wanted to know if you’ve been receiving special attention from Crewel here. I expect honesty.” said Trein, staring at Riddle with an ice cold glare.

“I don’t think so. I would know if I’ve been receiving special treatment. I prefer working hard than taking the easy way out.” responded Riddle, his expression unwavering.

Trein glanced at Divus who seemed awfully relaxed.

“Since we’re investigating favoritism… What about you? Don’t think I haven’t heard some students complaining about you.”

“As if any of those children deserve something so generous.”

Riddle watched his teacher walk off bickering. He couldn’t believe he just lied. This wasn’t like him. Did someone put a spell on him? He started using magic on himself, trying to figure it out.

•

Jack entered the classroom, seeing he was one of the few to arrive early.

“Ah, Howl. Come here.”

Jack pointed to himself before walking over.

“How has your day been? This is your last class for the day, right?” Trein asked, giving him a small smile.

“Oh, it’s been okay and it is my last class. I didn’t really think you’d be interested in students…”

“Nonsense. So, how are things at home? You have a few siblings don’t you?”

Jack wasn’t sure how to respond, finding it a little unnerving. Lucius rubbed against him, looking at him with a pleased look.

“Yeah, I do. They’re trouble but really sweet and kind. I do miss my family though. N- Not that I don’t talk to them on the phone…”

Trein chuckled, seeing the blush Jack was trying to hide.

“If you ever need to talk or help with anything, just ask. As a teacher, we’re here to help you learn and to look out for you, especially since you’re away from family.”

“Trein sensei…”

Trein let out a startled grunt, not expecting Jack to hug him all of a sudden. Jack let out a squeak, quickly pulling away. Trein fixed his clothes, watching Jack sit down and hide his face from sight. He let out a small chuckle, finding the wolf child adorable.

The bell rang, bringing class to an end. Trein felt Lucius rub against him before meowing.

“No treats until you’ve eaten.”

“Mreow!”

“Don’t talk back to me.”

“Sensei…?”

Trein looked up, seeing Jack standing by the podium in the room.

“Yes, Howl? If it’s about extra credit, I haven’t decided anything yet.”

“It’s not that. I was thinking about what you said earlier. I kind of want to talk a bit… if that’s okay?”

“Have a seat then. Just let me feed Lucius before he riots.”

The door opened, revealing a student.

“Yes, Drawhl?”

“I was hoping if I could ask you to clarify something you talked about earlier…?”

“I’m busy right now.”

The student looked at Jack hoping for some kind of explanation. Jack shrugged, not knowing. The student frowned, leaving the room.

“So, where were we?” Trein asked, sitting beside Jack.

“Well-”

“And you tried calling me out for showing special attention.”

They looked, seeing Divus entering the room.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, dog slobber.”

“Are you or are you not sitting near Howl right now? And I don’t see any books for learning.”

“I was about to use magic to explain since he wasn’t understanding what was written in the book.”

Jack was confused. Special attention? Sure he did find it weird that Trein was being nice, but he didn’t see it as special.

“I’m sorry, Howl. We’ll have to finish later. Crewel rudely interrupted us and now we both have to get moving.”

Jack nodded, gathering his things.

•

Crowley listened as teachers stood on either side of his office, arguing about favoritism going on in the classrooms. He shouted for them to quiet down before clearing his throat.

“I hear your concerns everyone. I think-”

“We don’t care what you think. Just put an end to favoritism. Students are starting to suck up to us hoping we’d do the same as them! It’s ruining everything.”

“Yeah! Do something about it!”

“We aren’t playing favorites!”

The room was full of arguing once more. Crowley rubbed his temples, wishing someone in the school would take him seriously for once.


	433. Leona x Malleus: Candy Rain

Lilia tapped his chin, looking Malleus over.

“Lilia, it’s fine. I know how to dress myself.”

“Aha!”

Malleus’ eyes followed Lilia as he fixed his hat. He rolled his eyes, knowing it was going to skew again at some point.

“Remember, be back in time for the frights!”

“Now you’re acting like a parent…” Malleus muttered, leaving his room.

Malleus checked the time, wondering if Leona was ready. Then again, knowing him he wouldn’t be. He was probably still asleep.

“Malleus! Do you have a moment?”

Malleus turned, seeing Silver catching up with him.

“I suppose since he’s probably still sleeping…”

Silver didn’t comment on what he said, simply continuing with what he needed.

“And the last thing. Which dragon do you like?”

“Uh…?”

“I promise this is the most important thing.” Silver said, looking at him intensely.

Malleus looked at the options before picking up a design. It reminded him of his grandmother.

“This one.”

Silver thanked him before snatching it out of his hand and taking off. Malleus raised an eyebrow, not used to seeing Silver so energetic. He checked the time, seeing not much time had passed. It wouldn’t hurt to arrive early would it?

Malleus entered the hall of mirrors, seeing Halloween decorations hanging everywhere. Crowley really spared no expense when it came to things like this. If only he was this passionate about his job.

He entered Savanaclaw’s mirror, taking a moment to admire the setup for the dorm. He’d be more convinced if they were surrounded by water rather than sand, but sand pirates sounded just as interesting. Naturally some students gave him looks and not discreetly moved away, but he was used to it.

Malleus knocked on the door, using it as a way to tell if he was up or not. He didn’t receive a response. He quietly opened the door, seeing it as an opportunity.

“Oh.”

The staring slowly became uncomfortable until someone huffed.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve barging in like this.”

“Technically-”

“Shut it.”

Malleus sighed with his body, his back turned to Leona. To think he was awake never crossed his mind.

“How much did you see?”

“Not much.”

Malleus was soon rubbing the back of his head as something heavy had hit it. He was only being truthful. He really didn’t venture down his body.

“What was that for? Did you want me to look down there?”

“That would be worse. You know I’m not going to let you off easy.”

“Of course. You wouldn’t be Leona Kingscholar otherwise. Now what kind of demonic thing are you going to have me do?”

Leona looked himself over before seeming his outfit perfect. Malleus was allowed to turn around, taking in Leona. He looked good as a pirate.

“Eyeing the goods are we?”

“As if you haven’t been eyeing mine this whole time.”

Leona simply chuckled, ushering him out the room.

“So about the punishment? I’d like to get it over and done with so we can enjoy the day together.” said Malleus, walking with a bit more pep in his step.

“I’ll tell you when I feel like it. Until then, worry endlessly over what it could be.”

“Do not make me run around nude again, especially on such a cold day.”

Leona started cracking up, unbelieving that Malleus had still done that. Though, it still touched him, knowing he’d go to such lengths to make up with him. He was only joking then but he really went through with it. So he’d be a little nicer this time, something draining but sweet.

“Isn’t the campus just wonderful? They’ll have to outdo themselves next year.” Malleus said, trying to make conversation.

“Sure. I’m more for scaring the first years shitless.”

“Of course… Shouldn’t have expected anything else.”

Silence. Malleus was still trying to figure out what he could possibly have him do for punishment.

“Hey.”

“I have a name, Leona.” Malleus huffed.

“Hey is easier. Anyway, your punishment.” Leona said, stopping in his tracks. Malleus looked around, not seeing anything too dangerous around them. “I’d like to see you try and make it rain candy on the entire campus grounds.”

“That’s… I mean…” Malleus stammered before sighing.

It would consume a lot of magic and he was only so strong.

“What? Can’t do it? Then forget about coming back to Savanaclaw.”

“Hush. Let me focus.”

Leona smirked, not buying that he could do the entire campus. Malleus’ magicrystal started to glow. Leona took off his hat, awaiting the candy rain. Plop. Plop, plop, plop. His hat was starting to fill with candy.

“Mal-”

Leona dropped his hat, lifting Malleus to his feet. Malleus tried pulling away but Leona kept a firm hold on him.

“You can lean on me you know.”

“I know but-”

Malleus quieted down, having been silenced with a kiss. He didn’t protest anymore, clinging to Leona more as candy continued to fall all over campus.

“So, am I allowed to come and go as I please once more?”

“Of course. You made it happen. I’m not that cruel to kick you out after you’ve done it.” said Leona before clearing his throat. “There was a reason behind it…”

Malleus looked at Leona with surprise. What other reason could there have been?

“I overheard Jack and his friends talking about having candy rain on today. I knew you were strong enough so…”

Malleus chuckled, finding Leona cute. He really cared about the underclassmen in his own way.

“How nice of you. But you could’ve just asked.”

“That’s not my style.”

“Very true.”

Students wandering around campus had hats and bags full of candy, still trying to catch more. They didn’t know when or how it happened, but they certainly weren’t going to pass up on free stuff.


	434. Leona x Vil: Usually you’re preaching

Rook hummed happily, drinking juice while he watched Vil.

“You’re still here.”

“I said I’m not leaving until I hear the juicy news.”

Vil turned around, his hair continuing to braid itself.

“And I told you there is no juicy news. Don’t you have things to do? You’re vice after all.” Vil fussed, Rook’s smile never wavering.

“Ah, now I understand.” Rook said with a chuckle. Vil was confused. “I’m not going to tell you. Just… make sure to leave a _good_ impression.”

Vil looked at the door Rook had left through.

“What…?”

•

Ruggie exhaled, seeing Leona picked somewhere new to nap. He never took him into consideration, being the one having to find him.

“Ruggie~”

His hairs stood on end at the sound of the voice. He sprinted, not having the patience to deal with him.

“He ran away… Finding him will be harder now…”

Rook exhaled before heading off. He found himself stopping, almost tripping over a body.

“There’s the lion…”

Rook ran the feather on his hat under Leona’s nose, trying to wake him up. Leona sneezed, waking him from his slumber.

“You…”

Rook smiled, knowing he was glad to see him.

“What are you doing later?” asked Rook, leaning in close.

“None of your business. Just being near you is making me sick.”

“Don’t be so dramatic! I’ll come fetch you in a few hours so don’t disappear off campus.”

“Wha-”

Rook was already walking away. He never understood him and didn’t want to. Leona stretched out, feeling a bit of hunger. Where was Ruggie with his snacks? Leona got to his feet, making his way to the Mystery Shop.

Leona opened the door, his eyes scanning around for Ruggie.

“Looking for a certain someone?”

Leona looked, seeing Sam appear from thin air.

“Did Ruggie stop by?”

“I thought I heard a familiar voice.”

They looked, seeing Vil poking his head out. Leona didn’t say anything, gazing a bit longer before turning his attention back to Sam. Vil looked away as well, seeing it wasn’t any of his business.

“I see, I see. Well-”

“Leona, do you mind coming here for a moment? I promise it won’t waste much of my precious time.”

“Self centered much?” Leona quipped, taking his time.

“Ignoring that… So, which of these would you recommend for a beastman?”

“Depends. Beastmen are like humans but with heightened senses. So one wolf could like something and the other not.”

Vil narrowed his eyes before picking. Leona was slightly curious as to who this beastman was. Did he…?

Vil glanced at Leona who had been staring longer than necessary. He didn’t mind it, he preferred it if he were to be honest. Though, it wasn’t like him.

“If you want to say something, speak. I have things to do.” said Vil, wondering if he could cheat a little on his diet.

“Who’s this for?”

“I don’t have to tell you everything.”

Leona made a displeased noise before walking away. He almost forgot the entire reason he came in.

“You, stop.”

“Ugh, now-”

Leona instantly shut up, not expecting Vil to get so close. He swallowed hard, not knowing what to expect.

“For you.” Vil said lowly.

Leona blinked, now holding the snacks.

“What?”

“Are you deaf?”

“No. You giving me something is unheard of. Usually you’re preaching about healthy eating habits. Which I ignore of course. That’s a you thing.” said Leona, now feeling skeptical. “You want something don’t you?”

Vil rested his cheek in the palm of his hand, giving him a sweet smile.

“How did you know?”

Leona took a few steps back, preparing to sprint if it was anything bad.

“Well, since you already figured it out, why don’t we go somewhere more private? You can manage that, can’t you?”

“I’m not doing anything that’ll get me arrested.”

“To think you think so little of me. I care more about my image that anything. Being associated with you is already ruining it.”

“Then why are we even talking in the first place!?”

“Wait, hold-”

Leona tossed the snacks away, leaving out of the shop. Why was he so upset? It wasn’t like he hasn’t told him before. Vil picked up the bag, letting out a sigh.

Leona grumbled, feeling more irritated than he expected to be. He always had to rub it in. Always. He knew millions loved him and he could barely get someone in the palace to appreciate him. He knew Vil would always be better in certain aspects, it just hurt having them put out in the open like that.

“Leona?”

So he didn’t get enough rubbing it in before?

“Hey, stop.” Vil demanded, grabbing his arm. “I don’t know why you’re upset, but I’m sorry either way. I didn’t have to say what I did either.”

Leona turned, trying to find some sign that he was messing with him. He wasn’t. He really was apologizing.

“You don’t have to be. It’s true anyway. You’ve apologized so, you should get moving lest someone sees us.”

“Actually, there’s something else.” said Vil, seeing now would be best while their guards were down. “I have something to say to you.”

“Out with it. We’re bu-”

“I really like you, Leona.”

Leona stared at him in disbelief. What all was he saying and out in public like this? Did he lose his mind?

“Stop fucking around. What’s the real thing?” Leona questioned.

“That is the real thing. I kept it simple for your simple mind to understand. Should I break it down further?”

“Ha? Now you’re looking down in me?”

“And if I am?”

“Forget about dating me then.” Leona huffed, crossing his arms.

He then let them fall to his sides. Did he just say that? It was pretty much an admission that the feeling was mutual. Did Vil catch it? He heard Vil giggling off to his side. It was… really cute.

“So I take it you feel the same way?” Vil asked, moving closer.

“More or less…”

The two stood in silence, their hands secretly reaching for each other’s.

“Your giggle is cute…” Leona mumbled, feeling his cheeks burn.

“Don’t ever mention it to anyone. Vil Schoenheit doesn’t giggle.”

“I won’t… if you do it again.”

Vil rolled his eyes despite giving him another listen.


	435. Kingscholars: Show him my boat

“Halloween, Halloween, Hal-o-ween!”

“He’s even more excited than when we left…”

“Well it’s one of his favorite holidays and he gets to see his uncle. Wouldn’t you be this excited?” Nikita replied, giving Farena a look.

“Yeah, I guess. Cheka, don’t go where we can’t see you!”

“Yes, Daddy!”

Cheka’s eyes widened even more, seeing the campus decorated from top to bottom. He let out a high pitched squeal, startling students walking around.

“We should catch him.” Nikita whispered, picking up her pace, Farena following quickly behind.

•

Students couldn’t help but stare as the Kingscholar family asked around campus for Leona’s whereabouts. The royal family of Afterglow was really here.

“Leona? I think I saw him heading back to Savanaclaw.”

“Thank you. Che-”

They looked around, seeing Cheka had disappeared. The student pointed towards the hall of mirrors. They let out tired sighs, heading after him.

Cheka ran into the building, wondering where he could find Leona. He had something he wanted to show him.

“Excuse me sir! Excuse me!”

“Y- Wait, why are you here? You’re way too young to be a student.”

“I’m looking for my uncle! Have you seen him? I wanna show him my boat!” Cheka exclaimed, lifting up his boat.

“Uncle…? Kid, I don’t know anything.”

“Cheka!”

Cheka turned, waving to his parents. Nikita took his hand, making sure he couldn’t run off again. The student gawked, not used to being in the presence of royalty. He quickly directed them, wanting to be on their good side.

Cheka pulled away, running over to Leona. They couldn’t help but laugh, watching Leona trying to pry Cheka off him.

“Hello, Leona.”

Leona turned, seeing his brother and his wife. That explained how Cheka got here.

“Uncle, look at my boat!” Cheka grinned, shoving the boat in his face. “Ima pirate too!”

“Honestly, get this out of my face.” Leona grumbled, pushing the boat away. “What are you all doing here?”

“Didn’t you get our message? We said we’d be coming to spend the day with you.” Farena said as he crossed his arms. “You ignored me again didn’t you?”

“Aren’t you a genius?”

“Well, we’re here now so why don’t we get started, hm?” Nikita suggested, quelling the rising feud.

Cheka jumped around in glee, excited to explore the campus.

•

Leona kept his distance, watching his family enjoy the school’s event. He really didn’t want to be here, especially with them.

“Come on, Leona. The least you can do is indulge him for one day.” Nikita said, giving him a look. “Is it so wrong to have a loving nephew around?”

Leona didn’t reply, knowing full well Nikita wasn’t going to like any of his answers. She gave him a small smile, pulling him over. Cheka looked up at him starry eyed.

“Uncle, do they let students trick or treat here? I want to collect candy!”

“Yeah. The faculty give out goodies if you can find them. Their places change every year but they have a pattern. They usually hide in a place that relates to their costume.” Leona explained. Cheka looked at him with large, expecting eyes. “I’m not helping you.”

Leona cleared his throat, feeling someone’s eyes burning into him.

“I’ll give you hints instead.”

He wrote down hints, handing the paper to Cheka. Cheka showed his parents, excitement and awe hanging around him.


	436. Baby!Epel + Vil: Where we started

Clink! Clink!

“I won’t let you have your way!”

“Really? It’s too bad then.”

Shwing! The sword flew out of his hands and landed on the ground. The sharp end of a sword was now gently pressing against his neck.

“I already have my way.”

“Cut! Great stuff boys!” the director said, clapping in delight. “Take a break everyone.”

“Your acting is always on point, Vil. It’ll take years to reach your level.”

Vil looked away from his mirror, glancing at his co-star.

“Sounds about right.” said Vil before walking away.

Adella ran over to him, quickly going over the rest of his schedule after today’s shooting.

“Wait, what did you say I had at 5?”

“Uh… meeting with a director for a role in a TV show?” she repeated. “Destiny Calling?”

“And what kind of role is it?”

Adella pursed her lips before sighing.

“You play the best friend.”

“And…?” Vil pressed. “Clearly I’m going to turn it down if you can’t tell me what exactly is the role.”

“Fine. I’ll cancel then.” she muttered, walking away to make a call.

Vil walked off, deciding to take in the wooded area a bit. He was always getting villainous roles. Did he not have the makings of a hero? He looked himself over in his pocket mirror, giving it thought. Or was it he didn’t _look_ the part? He snapped it shut, tightly gripping it.

He perked up at a faint sound. He knew better than to go towards it, but it kind of sounded like… crying? Was it a wounded animal? He headed towards the sound, now getting a better listen. It was indeed crying but it wasn’t coming from what he initial thought.

He searched around before locating an object with a covering. Vil hesitated, not knowing what could be underneath. It could just be a toy some kid dropped. He pulled off the covering, not expecting to see a wailing baby.

“Who in their insane mind would leave a baby out here in a box…” Vil muttered, reluctant to pick it up. He thought about leaving it. He was much too busy with his own life to care for another. He then had an idea. “I’ll simply take you an orphanage or something.”

Vil reached in, wishing the baby would stop crying. Surprisingly it did once his fingers came in contact.

“You’re really cold… This should do for now.”

He checked the box for anything that could point to where the baby came from or even a name. He lifted up a flap, finding a small piece of paper.

“Epel. Is that your name?” Vil questioned, knowing full well the baby wouldn’t answer. “Well, either way you’ll find a home.”

•

Adella stared in disbelief. No matter how many times she replayed his explanation, it just didn’t click.

“So, have you looked for any places yet?” she asked, glancing at the sleeping baby.

“I wish. Why didn’t you do it for me? And take care of him? You know how busy I am.”

“I’m not saying you should’ve left him out there, but he’s _your_ responsibility.” Adella replied. “I’ve got a lot on my plate too.”

Vil glanced at Epel who soundly slept wrapped up in his jacket.

“It was weird. He was crying his eyes out yet the moment I touched him, he was as quiet as a mouse…”

“Oh? Does Vil have some sort of baby powers?”

“Don’t start.”

Adella chuckled before leaving him alone with Epel. He quietly started searching up places, knowing he wasn’t in any position to care for a baby. He looked over, hearing sounds coming from Epel’s direction. Epel moved around, seeming distressed.

Vil watched, not knowing what it meant. Was it hunger? Diaper change? Bad dream? He scooted over, unwrapping Epel. It seemed like a bad dream. He wrapped Epel back up, attempting to go back to searching only to feel something touch his finger. Epel weakly grabbed at his finger, a more relaxed look on his face.

“I’m not easily swayed you know. I’m not becoming your guardian. I’m still young.” Vil huffed, pulling his finger away.

Epel slowly opened his eyes, trying to adjust to the new lighting. His eyes searched around, trying to comprehend what his mind could.

“Aaa…”

Vil looked, seeing Epel was awake. How old was he anyway? Epel started moving around before successfully rolling onto his stomach.

“You can do that…?”

Epel looked at Vil with his big eyes. He assumed that meant yes or something.

“Can you crawl…?”

Epel tilted his head before moving on all fours. Was it just him or was Epel actually understanding him?

“Hey, Epel… Raise your arm. You know what an arm is?”

Epel simply stared at him. Maybe he was imagining it. There wasn’t any way that Epel was comprehending his sentences. It was still too early. Vil went back to using his phone, seeing Epel wasn’t hurt if he could move like that. He soon felt a heft on his lap.

Epel looked up at him, fascinated by what he was holding.

“What?”

“Aa yaa?”

“It’s my phone. You can’t touch it.”

Epel settled himself on Vil’s lap before leaning against him. He was getting too comfortable. He had to get rid of him before it got worse.

•

Vil let out a heavy sigh, seeing they weren’t too far from the place. Epel kept himself entertained with a toy, unaware of what was going on. He would finally be rid of Epel.

Vil stopped outside the door before moving off to the side, hearing his phone receiving a call.

“Rook?”

“ _Did you arrive yet?_ ”

“How did you know? Are you tracking me?”

“ _No. I have a good sense of time and distance. Anyway, that isn’t why I called. Are you sure you want to give him up? He’s really attached to you. He already lost his attachment to his parents… I don’t want to imagine what’ll happen if he loses you._ ”

Vil pursed his lips, looking at Epel who was staring at him with a smile.

“I’m sure. He deserves a family and I can’t be that. I can’t provide what he needs…” Vil said, getting quieter with each word. “I’m doing the right thing.”

“ _You’re being selfish._ ”

Click. Vil moved his phone, seeing Rook had hung up. Selfish? How was he being selfish, wanting to give Epel a better life?

“Bubuu…”

Epel held his toy out to Vil, happiness radiating off him. Vil felt something inside him crack. Epel blinked a few times before letting out a displeased noise.

“What’s wrong…?”

Epel started to wail, dropping his toy in the process. He couldn’t be hungry considering he feed him before they left. He also changed him on the way here. Maybe he needed another change? His hand happened to brush across Epel’s forehead before his eyes widened. He rested his hand against Epel’s forehead before panicking. He was burning up.

Epel continued to cry, his little body in pain. Vil got Epel situated before taking off for home.

•

Vil briefly fanned himself before checking Epel’s temperature. His fever was thankfully going down. He seemed fine when he found him and the day before yesterday. Why was it coming around now? Epel tightly held his apple plush, finally having gone to sleep after crying for hours.

Vil’s body jolted awake, trying to keep from falling asleep. He rubbed his eyes, checking to see when he last check Epel’s temperature. Still no change. That was both and good bad. He probably needed more rest. He turned, hearing the door open.

“Vil! You look horrid!”

“What do you want? If it’s nothing, go away.”

“I came to check on you… I haven’t seen you for hours ever since you called me in a panic.” Rook said, walking over to him. “How’s Epel…?”

“Same…” Vil said with a yawn. “Maybe we should go back to the doctor…”

“You need sleep. I’ll take over.”

“No! I mean, no need… He’s my responsibility…” Vil said, slapping his cheeks to stay awake.

Rook shook his head, finding Vil’s behavior weird. He finally managed to convince Vil to sleep, seeing him knock out in seconds. Rook took a look at Epel, seeing he didn’t look at peaceful like before. He picked him up, placing him next to Vil. The peaceful look had come back. Epel really had an attachment to Vil.

•

Vil groaned, his body slowly waking up. His eyes snapped open, hearing sounds coming from his side.

“Epel? How did you…”

“Eeehh eeehh!”

Epel smiled, tapping his hands on Vil’s arm.

“Uuu abuaba?”

“You seem better now… Can I take your temperature?”

Epel lied back, seemingly waiting for Vil. Sometimes it really felt like Epel understood what he was talking about.

“Epel, do you want to hold my hand…?”

Epel blinked at him before grabbing his finger. Close enough. But was it proof enough that Epel understood him? Vil shook his head, taking his temperature. He was imagining it.


	437. Jade + Floyd: Didn’t say anything

Floyd pulled on Jade’s arm, whining the entire time.

“Floyd, we aren’t children anymore.”

“But Jaaaaaade-”

“We’re teens with more wits about us. Pulling it off would be seamless.” Jade said, grinning from ear to ear.

“That’s the Jade I know! So how are we gonna do this right?”

The twins huddled together, talking in hushed voices.

•

Floyd arrived at Jade’s first class, on time for class for once. He sat next to Riddle, resting the urge to take off his tie. How could Jade stand being so stuffy?

“So, did you give it thought?” Riddle asked, flipping through the textbook.

“I’d be honored to try the Heartslabyul dorm leader’s tea. It must be simply exquisite.” Floyd said, smiling like Jade would.

“Hm. Seemed like you were telling me no yesterday but I guess it was just your teasing.” Riddle muttered, writing things down. “I would also appreciate your opinions since you yourself are an avid consumer of tea.”

“Of course. Us tea lovers should share our knowledge.”

“Tea lovers…?” Riddle parroted, giving Floyd a weird look.

“I suppose that was a strange way of phrasing it. I happened to be talking to Floyd about it earlier so it must’ve rubbed off.”

Riddle nodded, not pressing further. Floyd internally exhaled, seeing he was safe. Jade’s plan was pure genius.

“Hey, Jade. What did you get for the homework?”

“Hm, I struggled a bit on the fifth question. Did you understand it?”

Riddle moved over a bit, going over it with him. Floyd was bored out of his mind, but if he wanted the plan to be successful, he had to keep it up.

•

Floyd exited class, bumping into someone.

“My apologies.”

The student took his hand before seemingly freezing in place. Floyd raised an eyebrow, seeing they hadn’t let go yet.

“Excuse me…?” Floyd called out.

“Oh! I… Oh my, I’m sorry! I’m so clumsy…”

“Do be careful. It’d be a shame if something were to happen to you.”

“Aha, right, Jade…” they said, fingering a section of their hair. “Um, Jade…?”

“Yes?”

“About what I wanted to say yesterday… I think I can tell you now. Well, not now since we still have classes but now like-”

They quieted down, Floyd’s finger against their lips. They went extremely red in the face.

“I get it. Come find me when you’re ready, okay?”

They nodded, staring at him with bright eyes.

“Okay. Wait! Umm, you do remember who I am, right? I know we haven’t talked much but…”

Floyd went silent. Jade didn’t mention this person. Now what was he to do? Making up a name would be really offensive. The student tilted their head, wondering if Jade really didn’t remember, especially after promising not to forget him.

“You forgot huh…?”

“No! No, I haven’t. How could I forget someone like you?”

“Ah…”

Floyd’s eyes scanned them all over, trying to find any clues. The bell rang, signaling for students to hurry to their classes.

“Well, I’ll see you, Jade.”

Floyd internally cursed, seeing he messed up. This was definitely going to come back and bite him.

•

Jade felt uncomfortable having his collarbone exposed. He felt a bit naked without his gloves and tie. He looked, seeing more students entering the classroom. It was a joint class? Why didn’t he mention it? Was it a last minute thing?

He noticed a student had broke away from his class, making his way over to him. Was he really coming over here? No one willing wanted to be around Floyd. He glared at the student who continued to make his way over.

“Hello, Floyd senpai.”

Who was he? Did Floyd know him? He couldn’t remember if Floyd mentioned him. Which meant he didn’t.

“You’ve got guts to sit near me sea lamprey.” Jade said, assigning him a nickname like Floyd would.

“Sea lamprey? You call me by my name though…” he said with obvious confusion. “And barb fish once.”

Jade waved it off as him joking around. The student didn’t say anything else, opening his book. Was he really going to sit here? He glanced over, searching for his name.

“Are you trying to copy my notes again?”

“Haha, you caught me~”

The student hid his notes more, preventing him for checking his name.

“Hey. Why are you I to this class anyway? It’s a waste of time.”

“But last time you told me you liked this class. Were you joking then or now?”

Jade was failing horribly as Floyd. No, he was only failing because of this particular student. Everyone else was buying his acting.

“Floyd senpai. Do you remember what we talked about after school yesterday?”

“Of course.”

The student gave him a look of doubt. Probably because of all the mistakes he made.

“So, you’re going to meet me there again, right? You won’t lose out on anything.”

“If it’s not out of my way. And if I feel like it.” Jade said, knowing Floyd would reply like this.

The student smiled before quickly looking away. He wanted to text Floyd about him but Floyd was supposed to be him who follows most rules. They’d have to meet up after class.

•

Floyd pushed a branch aside, seeing Jade pacing around.

“How are things on your end?” they asked at the same time.

“Simply wonderful. No one suspects anything.” Jade chuckled before frowning. “However, there’s an individual that you perhaps forgot to mention to me?”

“I was going to say that.” Floyd replied. “He seemed so heartbroken that I couldn’t remember his name!”

“Hm? What did he look like?” Jade asked, knowing he never forgot a person.

“Well he was dark skinned, had green hair with blue highlights, white horns, these really-”

“Oh! It seems I did forget since our meetings were usually… brief.” Jade muttered, the person coming to mind. “Hayami Fujimori. Don’t forget it. Now about your person.”

“Describe away.”

“Blond with red eyes, looks like a vampire-”

“Hey, that’s Riven! Haha, he’s funny.”

Jade didn’t see where he was funny.

“Does he have a last name?”

Floyd thought hard before shrugging. As if he cared about knowing his last name. The twins confirmed more things with each other before heading off.

Floyd found himself being stopped in the hall by Hayami. Now he was prepared.

“Hayami. Seems we’ve run into each other again.”

“So you do remember! Ah, that makes me happy…” Hayami said, his cheeks burning. “So… do you mind if I take a little of your time? I promise it won’t be long.”

Floyd followed Hayami, wondering what it was. Hayami looked around before taking a deep breath.

“I really like you, Jade. You’re always on my mind and I just wanted you to know…” Hayami said, seeming as if he was trying to hide.

Floyd’s eyes widened, not prepared for something like this. Why didn’t Jade tell him? The quieter he was, the more Hayami would think he wasn’t interested. Was Jade even interested?

Jade only got as far as entering the cafeteria when he was suddenly approached.

“Riven.”

“Come. Everyone’s busy eating so we’ll have more private spaces to talk.”

Jade found himself following Riven, wondering what was this thing he wanted to discuss that had to be private. No matter what he asked, Riven kept silent. They entered an empty classroom.

“So… what do you wanna talk about, Riven?”

“Senpai, I’ll be brief with you. I know you don’t like long winded things.”

“Uh huh…?”

“I would like to date you.” Riven said, his stoic expression never wavering.

“You’re being funny again.” Jade said, trying to work out of the situation.

“I’m not being funny, senpai. I would know when I am.”

He was being out in the spot. He didn’t want to ruin Floyd’s chances if he did like him. It would seem rude to suddenly ask to call someone right after they confessed.

“Then, I’m taking this silence as a no.” said Riven, picking up his bag.

“Riven-”

Riven was already leaving through the door. Jade exhaled loudly, hoping he didn’t just ruin Floyd’s relationship. Why didn’t he mention Riven having feelings for him? Unless… he didn’t know? He quickly left the room in search of Floyd.

Floyd lied on a bench, certainly positive he just ruined a part of Jade’s life. How was he supposed to give an answer when he wasn’t even Jade?

“There you are!”

“I have something important to say. You do? You go first. No you.” they said in unison.

“Fine, I’ll go.” said Jade, starting to pace. “Riven confessed to having feelings for you.”

Floyd sat up, staring at him weird eyed.

“What did you say…?”

“Nothing. It was so sudden and I didn’t-”

“Why didn’t you say anything!?”

Jade pried Floyd off him, giving him a look.

“What was I supposed to say? I don’t know how you feel about him! You never mentioned him having feelings for you so I thought you didn’t know.”

Floyd sat back down.

“Hayami confessed to you. I didn’t say anything either.”

Now it was Jade’s turn to get frustrated.

“Look, we both messed up and there’s only one way to make it right.” Floyd said with a serious look.

“The school day hasn’t finished yet. We’re still going through with the plan.” Jade said with crossed arms.

“I know the plan is important, but what about Hayami and Riven?”

“Since when did you care about others?”

Floyd turned away, not giving him an answer. Jade sighed before turning his head back.

“Is Riven that important?” he asked softly.

“Mhmm… Isn’t Hayami to you…?”

“No.”

Floyd blinked, wondering why he got so upset when he mentioned not saying anything then.

“He’s not that important yet.” Jade clarified. He let Floyd’s face go. “So, you want to abandon the plan? It’s just until the end of the day. Then we can switch back and talk to them. We can easily sway them. We’re the Leech twins with two brilliant minds.”

Floyd smiled, nodding in agreement.

•

Riven silently sketched, often glancing at his inspiration.

“Barb fish.”

Riven looked up, seeing Floyd. He closed his book, got up and walked away.

“Hey, don’t ignore me.” Floyd demanded, following him.

“You already gave me your answer. So I’m giving us space, more for me to get over you.” Riven said, his back still to Floyd.

“I didn’t answer because I was taken off guard. At least let me say something.” Floyd said, placing his hand on Riven’s shoulder.

Riven smacked his hand off before walking off in anger.

“I’m not stupid!”

Floyd rubbed his hand, feeling frustrated. He wasn’t even going to hear him out. Was he going to stop pursuing him? For now. He needed a clear head and right now his mind was anything but.

Jade entered the library, hearing people had seen Hayami in it. He spotted Hayami pulling a book off the shelf.

“Hayami.”

Hayami squeaked, dropping the books he was holding. Jade moved to help him but they were soon floating from Hayami’s magic.

“Sorry.”

He quickly walked away, the books stacking themselves in his arms.

“Hayami…”

Hayami had surrounded himself with books, working on something.

“Will you listen?” Jade asked, sitting next to him.

“Sure.”

“About earlier… when you confessed-”

“Forget about it. I was joking around. If you think I meant anything by it, it’s your fault for thinking so.”

Jade blinked, not expecting this kind of response. He didn’t prepare for this.

“Was it really a joke…?”

Hayami looked at him with a serious face.

“As if I’d have feelings for you… that’d be so stupid.”

Hayami closed his books, leaving the library soon after. Jade was still wrapping his head around this. Considering how Hayami was, he was certain he’d be jumping at the chance to hear a response. Did Floyd really not say anything at all?

•

The twins sat in Jade’s room, silently mulling over what in the world happened.

“So, did Riven ever talk to you?”

Floyd glared at him, unbelieving he just asked that while he was currently nursing wounds. Jade sighed, expressing his apologies again. If he knew it’d end up like this, he would’ve just said yes.

“I’m sure Hayami accepted you.”

“Actually… no. He’s playing it off as a joke and avoiding me.”

Floyd let out a chuckle, soon feeling a pillow hit him.

“I just had an idea. We’re going about this wrong.” Floyd said, looking at Jade. Jade was confused. “Why don’t we switch? Tell them how great the other is and how sorry they are. Then finally telling them to give us another chance to explain.”

“Genius. I’m so glad I chose you.”

Floyd grinned, poking Jade’s thighs in excitement.

“Me too, ahaha.”


	438. Baby!Epel + Vil: Epel Schoenheit?

Epel made noises as he played with the various toys around him. Vil continued to rearrange his room, needing to accommodate for Epel. He would’ve sent Epel off with Rook but he wouldn’t stop crying once they left the room.

“Epel, do you not like Rook?”

Epel smashed his toy against the floor befor picking up another. Vil sighed heavily, wondering if he’d ever learn his lesson. Epel stopped playing, his eyes now on Vil. The toy in his hand fell as he watched him.

“Alright, this should be enough. So-”

He was cut off by the ringing of his phone. Who was calling him at such a time? He momentarily froze before answering.

“Hello. I’m fine and you? Right.”

Epel crawled over to Vil, trying to use his leg to stand. He failed. Multiple times.

“I suppose I can come home. I happen to have free time. Yes, mother. Yes. Goodbye.”

“Eeee ah!”

Vil picked up Epel who pat his hands on his shoulder. He didn’t know what it meant but it made Epel happy.

“Epel, do you want to meet my parents?”

“Aaa yaya… Na!”

“Yes…?”

Epel giggled, resting his head on Vil’s shoulder. He certainly was a weird child, but compared to other babies he’s met, Epel listened to him. It was strange considering… Vil shook his head, placing Epel on his bed. Epel quickly crawled, grabbing his finger.

“Gyah…”

“Epel…”

Epel squealed in delight from being picked up. He liked being held. He felt safer. He closed his eyes, wanting to rest. Vil found himself powerless against Epel once more.

•

“You didn’t tell them about Epel!? They’re going to think you knocked someone up.” Rook said, expressing his concerns.

“My parents aren’t dumb enough to think I even have time for a relationship with someone.” Vil replied, handing Epel his favorite toy. “Take care if Pomefiore while I’m away. One complaint and I’ll make sure you get it.”

“I won’t let you down. Bye little apple.” Rook said, waving to Epel.

Epel ignored him. Rook weakly laughed, watching them step through the mirror. Vil inhaled, the familiar smells of home filling his senses. He didn’t think he’d be back here until his parents were on their deathbeds.

Epel looked around, absorbing everything going on around him. He started making noise, pointing at things, well , supposedly pointing.

“That’s a bench. That’s a bird. That’s a cat.”

“Caah.” Epel parroted.

Vil looked at Epel who shook with glee while pointing at more things. Did he almost say cat? He wasn’t going to get his hopes up. Epel had a lot of “closes” since they’ve been together.

Vil now stood by the front door, ringing the bell. He stepped back, the door opening soon after.

“Vil. What’s with the stroller?” Mrs Schoenheit asked.

A little sneeze escaped from Epel, making her wonder if he brought some kind of pet. She wouldn’t put it past him.

“Somehow I’ve become guardian of a baby named Epel.” Vil said, turning it so she could see Epel.

Epel looked at Mrs Schoenheit before squealing. She was instantly smitten. She took him out the stroller, not expecting him to get fussy after such a welcoming greeting. Vil took him, Epel calming down instantly.

“I think it’s better if you don’t touch him…” Vil mumbled, carrying both Epel and the stroller in. Vil placed him on the couch, trying to keep him steady. “Be a good boy and stay right there.”

Epel watched Vil as he talked to his mother. He looked around him, not seeing his toys. No Vil and no toys. He burst into tears.

“Is he always like this…?” she asked, walking over with him.

“He probably just needs some entertainment. Here.”

Epel held the toy before smacking it against the couch.

“I think I’ve been doing well considering having little knowledge but, if it’s not too much to ask, could you teach me how to properly care for him?” Vil asked, keeping an eye on Epel.

“Of course. You were right in understanding his cry from before.”

Vil listened as she went on about different cries and keeping to a schedule. Epel looked up at them, waving his toy. They weren’t looking. He flopped down in annoyance.

They turned, hearing the front door open and close. Epel was left by himself while they went to bring Mr Schoenheit in to see Epel.

“So this was what you were screaming about in your message? Don’t tell me you adopted a child!”

“Why would I do that when we have a perfect son right here? Oh and, don’t bother trying to pick him up. He will fight.” Mrs Schoenheit clarified.

Epel felt scared by Mr Schoenheit’s presence, sending him into tears. He cried louder when he approached. Mrs Schoenheit ushered Vil to comfort him while trying to find the source of his distress. Epel quieted down once Mr Schoenheit left his sight.

“Dad.”

“What?”

The two gave him a look. It finally clicked in his mind, sending him upstairs and out of sight.

“The poor baby. The big scary man is gone now.” said Mrs Schoenheit.

Epel clung to Vil not wanting to be put down.

“He clings to me like this when he’s scared. Is there any way to reassure him?” Vil asked, rubbing Epel’s back.

“Hm, I think I have a few tricks.”

•

Epel wiggled in his seat as Vil fed him. Mrs Schoenheit had never seen such a well behaved child during feeding time.

“Goo goo pa!”

“More?”

“Ma!”

Epel happily ate, mimicking Vil when he clapped his hands once. Both gasped in awe.

“Epel, do it again…!”

Epel blubbered, trying to reach for more food. Vil fed him before explaining to his mother about recent happenings.

“Really? Epel really is an incredible baby. You never listened nor were so well behaved. It was in one ear and out the other.” Mrs Schoenheit said with a giggle. “Ah, make sure you wipe him.”

Epel smiled with his eyes, loving being taken care of by Vil. He let out cute noises, trying to reach Vil.

“Looks like you’ve got a little fan.”

“Rook said the same thing. I don’t know why he trusts and loves me so much… but seeing him this happy… it always makes me feel better. It makes me not regret ignoring him that day or giving him up.” Vil said, gently patting Epel’s head. “I think I love him, Mom…”

Mrs Schoenheit simply smiled, knowing the feeling all too well.

“Take good care of him after you leave here, you hear?”

“Aaa!”

They both giggled at Epel’s cuteness. He didn’t know what was making them smile, but he loved seeing Vil’s.

•

“And be gentle.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

Vil narrowed his eyes before shielding himself, not expecting Epel to splash water. Epel giggled, doing it even more.

“Epel, please stop.”

Epel stopped splashing, settling for moving his hands through the water.

“Oh? Is my son a baby whisperer?” she teased, poking his back.

“Mom, it’s not like that. We just… respect each other, I guess.”

She knew exactly what it was, but she’d prefer for Vil to learn the truth himself. Epel tried grabbing water for Vil, only to see it wasn’t in his hand. He kept trying, not understanding why it kept disappearing.

“Alright, time to dry off.”

Epel was soon dried and put in comfortable clothes. He rested his head against Vil, ready to sleep. Vil lied down with Epel, rubbing his little belly. Epel liked it for some reason, plus it helped him sleep better.

“Hm, you seem to know more than you think.” Mrs Schoenheit whispered, watching the two of them.

“So, how’s Epel?” Mr Schoenheit asked.

“Hopefully sleeping. I never thought Vil would be capable of showing this much affection, especially towards a baby.”

“People change, love. And I think this was a much needed change for him.”

Mrs Schoenheit hummed, smiling at the sight.

“I hope they can stay together. They seem to need each other.”

Vil sat up, seeing Epel was sound asleep. He no longer could imagine his life without Epel.

“I’ll always be here for you. Rely on me from now on…” Vil whispered, placing a kiss on Epel’s forehead.

He quietly got up before sitting back down. His questions could wait a little bit longer.


	439. Cheka: Hyenas

Cheka fidgeted as he sat in his room.

’ _What? You don’t know? Everyone does!’_

’ _But I’m not from here…’_

’ _Fufu, leave it to me! The King of Beasts didn’t die from old age, hyenas ate him!’_

’ _Really? That’s scary…’_

’ _They approached him with hungry eyes and saliva dripping from their mouths. Then… pounced! The King of Beasts was gobbled up.’_

Cheka shook his head, covering himself with his bedsheet. He jumped, not expecting someone to knock on his door.

“Hello? Cheka?”

Cheka let his bedsheet drape around him, revealing his adorable face.

“Mommy!”

Nikita hugged him back, not expecting it.

“It’s not like you to stay in your room for so long. Is something up?” she asked, getting down to his height.

“Umm, is Uncle Ruggie a hyena?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“I want to talk to him. Hyenas know hyena things, right?” he asked.

“That’s right. I’ll have your uncle bring him over.” she replied, wondering what spurred this on.

•

Cheka sat outside, refusing to move until Ruggie arrived. He immediately stood up, seeing Ruggie.

“Uncle Ruggie!” Cheka shouted, running over to him.

Leona walked ahead, wanting nothing to do Cheka.

“Uncle?”

“Yeah! Or would you prefer big brother?” Cheka asked.

“It doesn’t matter. So I hear you wanted to ask me things about hyenas?” Ruggie asked, feeling Cheka take his hand and lead him inside.

“I learned something and as a hyena, you would know best!”

Ruggie was sat down before Cheka climbed into the spot next to him.

“Can a hyena kill a lion?”

“Of course. You don’t have to be brawny to take down someone bigger than you.” Ruggie said with confidence.

“Wow… hyenas are cool!” Cheka said in admiration.

“Naturally, especially since we always have to figure out ways to eat.”

“Really? People don’t give you food if you’re hungry?” asked Cheka innocently.

 _“Rich kids…”_ Ruggie thought, simply nodding in response.

•

Ruggie entered Leona’s room, only to see he wasn’t there. Considering he was home, this would be the place he’d be 99% of the time until he had to go back to Night Raven.

He asked guards and servants, each showing they didn’t care as long as he wasn’t bothering them. Ruggie searched high and low before spotting him resting on the balcony.

“Leona.”

He backed some, seeing Leona had gone into fight or flight mode. Did he do something wrong?

“What? What do you want?” Leona grumbled, turning to face him.

“Just wanted to know when we were heading back. Why are your pupils dilated though…”

Leona rubbed his eyes, erasing all traces of flight. Ruggie raised an eyebrow, seeing Leona inch away from him as he sat down.

“I’m not diseased you weirdo.”

“It’s getting cold. I’m heading in.” Leona spoke, heading back in.

Clearly something was up. Leona never reacted to his presence like this. If anything, he might’ve been dangling from the balcony.

Ruggie continued to hang around Leona, trying to unearth the mystery behind his sudden change in behavior. He finally cornered him in his bedroom, blocking all means of escape.

“You’re being weird and it’s disgusting. What’s going on you lazy oaf?”

“Since when do you care?”

“You’re my moneymaker.” said Ruggie bluntly.

“And? We don’t care about each other. Go away.”

“Wow, I feel so threatened.”

Ruggie stepped closer before jumping back, Leona starting to give off a malicious aura. He silently connected the puzzle before bursting into laughter.

“You feel threatened by me? Because of what I told Cheka? Ahahaha!”

Leona watched as Ruggie clutched his sides, falling to the floor.

“It’s not funny.” Leona growled.

“Leona, I promise you I wouldn’t do something so stupid as to attack you. I’m trying to make a better life for myself.” Ruggie said, wiping his tears. “It’s not olden times anymore where we hyenas sit back and do nothing for ourselves, relying on others. Now we’re doing things differently.”

“Aren’t you relying on me though?” Leona reasoned.

“Not in the sense you’re trying to say.” Ruggie said, shrugging his shoulders. “Honestly, I’m not stupid to even think about killing you.”

“Better not be.”

Ruggie rolled his eyes, still unbelieving Leona felt the slightest bit threatened.


	440. Kalim: You do that in libraries

Kalim sat on the floor, admiring his hands. He got a bit excited, seeing he could open and close them really fast. He looked around, taking everything in. What was this place? How did he get here? How did he get out? He got to his feet, noticing different colored liquids in strangely shaped things. What was he holding onto? Kalim noticed a book sitting beside him open.

“What are these…” he whispered before gasping. “There’s sound coming from me! And more! This is… is…”

It was right on the tip of his tongue.

“Words! And these are words too! But they seem foreign…”

He could read them but many he didn’t know the meaning of. It seemed like he was making something with the stuff scattered on the table. He picked each one up, matching it to the picture and name in the book. Now that he knew, what did he do now? He decided to figure out where he was and if he knew anything else.

He stood in front of the door, unaware of what it was or how it worked. He placed his hand on it before pushing. Nothing. He tried pulling on the door frame. Nothing. He noticed the knob and decided to try it out. Kalim gasped in surprise as it opened. He opened and closed it a few times before feeling satisfied.

Kalim found it weird that the strange people around him were trying to communicate with him. Did he know them or were they after his… his… his what? It was right there but he just couldn’t figure it out. He stumbled upon a building, wondering what was inside.

Some students looked at him, not used to seeing Kalim in the library. Was he running an errand for Jamil? Kalim pulled books off the bookcases, wanting to know what was on the inside of them.

“A diction… dicton… a book containing the words of the common language. Oh!”

“Shh!”

Kalim shhed them back, assuming it was some form of positive communication. A few students gave him weird looks, silently assuming he was in one of his tunnel vision moods. He silently read, often perking up when seeing words he’s seen before.

Time continued to pass and Kalim was still in the library reading the dictionary, unaware he was missing his classes. He often got up, looking outside and making connections to things he learned. He closed the book before starting to walk out with it.

“Hey, you’re checking that out, right?”

Kalim looked, seeing who called out to him.

“Check out? Oh, right! You do that in libraries.” Kalim said with glee.

They asked him for information before allowing him to go. He cheerily thanked them before heading out. He silently pointed things out, making sure he didn’t forget.

“Kalim-senpai!”

Kalim turned, seeing someone approach. They were wearing the same colored vest as him. His wasn’t special? He’d have to look into it.

“Yes?”

“Jamil sent me to help find you. There’s an urgent dorm meeting!”

Jamil? Dorm meeting? He shook his head, confusing the Scarabia student.

“I don’t really understand, so-”

“Ah! Come on!”

Kalim was forcefully dragged along. Jamil suspected something like this so dragging him was the next best thing.

They entered a building, seven mirrors with different looks to them looking before them. Kalim dug his heels into the ground.

“Why are you stopping?”

“Where are we going? I just see mirrors.”

“Kalim-senpai, we don’t have time for games.”

“But I-”

Kalim found himself being pushed towards one of the mirrors before being pushed in. He opened his eyes, seeing a vast land before them with a building off to the side. He looked back at the mirror. They could travel through mirrors? He was going to make a note of that.

•

Everyone was looking at Kalim. He didn’t understand what they were talking about. School? Grades? Magift tournament? An upcoming event? He tightly held the dictionary, unsure of what to do.

“Everyone, give us a minute. You know how Kalim gets.”

They murmured as they left the room. Kalim exhaled, feeling the pressure die down.

“Kalim, what in the world were you just sitting there, dazing off for? Take your role as dorm leader seriously.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kalim responded.

“Don’t start this. Kalim, you were just-”

Jamil looked around, seeing Kalim had fled. Kalim ran down the halls, looking for an exit. He was getting out of this place and fast. Nothing made sense here. He found himself toppling back, having run into something.

“Well if it isn’t Kalim Al-Asim. Oh? That’s quite a frightened look you have.”

Kalim picked up the dictionary, clinging to it like his life depended on it.

“Kalim reading the dictionary? I never would’ve guessed. You’re not that kind of person.”

“I… I… I don’t know you!” Kalim said before racing off.

“Huh? How could he not know me, Azul? Does he have more screws loose than usual…”

“Azul! Did you see Kalim?”

Azul pointed Jamil in the direction Kalim ran in. He didn’t know what was going on but it was cutting into his precious time.

Kalim looked around, opening every door that could possibly lead him back to the desert.

“Kalim!”

“Go away!”

Kalim ran down another hall, forcing Jamil to speed up. Scarabians watched the chase, it not being something they saw everyday. Jamil used magic, binding Kalim’s limbs together and ceasing his movement. Kalim wiggled around, trying to get free.

•

Kalim fumed as he sat tied up on Jamil’s bed. He was being kidnapped right now.

“Kalim, look at me.”

Kalim looked away.

“Okay… why did you run away and scream at Azul that you didn’t know him?” Jamil pressed.

“Because I don’t and I don’t know you either!” Kalim snapped, still wiggling for freedom.

“Kalim, whatever joke you’re trying-”

“Kalim, do you remember that night years ago when your parents left for another country, leaving you behind?” Jamil asked, cutting Azul off.

“I said I don’t know you.”

Azul bent down some, whispering to Jamil.

“It’s personal. I’m not sharing details.”

“Stingy.” Azul scoffed. “Anyway, it seems like something is actually wrong here.”

“I know. It was obvious when he sat in the meeting like a deer in headlights.” Jamil said, looking Kalim over. “Kalim, where were you for most of the day?”

“A laboratory… and a library. I liked the library.” Kalim responded.

Azul silently observed the dictionary, wondering how far Kalim had got.

“Kalim, do you know this place?”

“No.”

“So you really lost your memories… and a lot of it if you can’t even remember me…”

Kalim puffed out his cheeks, wondering if that was even possible. Could someone just reach into his mind and take them?

“So, what are you going to do, Jamil?” Azul asked with great interest.

“You mean, we. You’re helping too.”

“Pardon?”

Kalim lied down, seeing the two would be bickering for a while.

•

Kalim watched them work, more surprised to see objects floating around rather than the color changing liquid. It seemed the stone they had would emit sparks before an object moved. Was the stone the source? He looked himself over before seeing he had one as well. How did he use it?

“Ah, ah. Not for playing around with.” Azul tsked, taking Kalim’s magipen. “You’ll get it back soon.”

Kalim sat completely bored out of his mind while Jamil put the finishing touches.

“Kalim, drink this.”

Kalim was turned off by the scent but Jamil didn’t give him a chance to resist as he forced it all down his throat.

“Kalim? What’s this?” Jamil asked, holding up his magipen.

The two waited, their anxiety rising.

“I don’t know.” Kalim replied.

“Strange. Did we go wrong somewhere?” Azul asked, looking over the ingredients and steps.

Kalim watched them go over it intensely, trying to find the error. What were they trying to do anyway? All he knew was that he didn’t want to taste another one of those disgusting things.

“Kalim, I promise that we’ll get you back to normal.”

“And if you don’t?”

The two didn’t respond, not wanting to think of that possibility.


	441. Vil + Epel: I really have my work cut out for me

The students of Pomefiore tucked themselves in for bed as their leaders walked down their halls, checking that they were all accounted for.

“Isn’t it heartwarming, looking at the buds we’re nurturing~?”

“Not tonight Rook. I’m cranky.” Vil muttered, closing a door.

“And here I was hoping I could ease your stress.”

The two finished their rounds, heading off for their rooms. Epel sat up, glancing outside the window. He didn’t like that he couldn’t see the stars in the sky. He looked at the other beds, seeing his roommates were fast asleep. How could they fall asleep so quickly? Was it something only the privileged could do? He lied back down, trying to go back to sleep.

Soft pattering could be heard until it could finally be registered as rain. Just as Epel was about to drift off, a loud thunder clap sounded. He sat up with a start before ducking underneath his bedsheets. Another clap of thunder left Epel in a flinching state. He quickly fled his room, his bed being too close to the window.

He silently sat hunched in a corner, trying to muffle the sounds of thunder. Epel looked up, hearing a gentle voice not far from where he hid.

“You are my world…”

The singing stopped, replaced with humming. The footsteps stopped. They soon resumed but quicker than before.

“I thought I saw someone outside their room when they’re not supposed to be.”

Epel yelped, covering himself as thunder sounded.

“You’re afraid of a mere thunderstorm? I really have my work cut out for me.” Vil sighed. He extended his hand. “Get up.”

Epel hesitantly took his hand then followed him up to his room. Was he even allowed in?

“Why are you standing there? Get over here.”

Epel shuffled in, taking in Vil’s room. It was much different than he expected. He jumped then hid, another loud crack of thunder sounding.

“Epel, have a seat here.”

Epel reluctantly left his safe spot sitting next to Vil. He started explaining to Vil why he left his room, hoping he’d have a little mercy on him. Vil didn’t say anything. Epel watched as he got up and started searching through bags. His eyes widened, not expecting Vil to own a plush.

“This is the first step into getting you to sleep easily.” said Vil, handing him the plush. “Lie down.”

Epel followed Vil’s instructions, allowing him to do what was necessary.

“Don’t think about it. And if you can’t, try making it funny or something you like.” said Vil, getting underneath the bedsheets. “Let this plush hold your worries for you.”

Epel silently obeyed, his heart still jumping at the sound of thunder. It surprisingly wasn’t as bad as he expected. Was Vil’s sure fire plan working?

“Now what…”

“Relax.”

It was definitely easier said than done. His eyelids felt heavy, a yawn escaping his lips. Vil rearranged things, pulling Epel closer. It felt intimate like this, but he could definitely see it was helping the distressed Epel.

Epel snuggled closer, finally having been lulled to sleep. Vil gave himself a pat on the back for another job well done.


	442. Baby!Epel + Vil: I’m wishing…

Vil flitted about while Rook bounced Epel on his lap. Epel made happy noises, trying to pull on the feather on Rook’s hat.

“Vil, it’s just an appointment. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Don’t tell me what is and isn’t fine. I’ve never had a sibling and I for one was a calm child. Epel is different.” Vil fussed, trying to decide which toy would be best.

“I’m sure as long as you’re there, Epel won’t be so bad.” said Rook, playing peekaboo with Epel. “He adores you really.”

He didn’t think so at all. Epel just recognized him as his caregiver. He didn’t want to take chances either.

“Abu! Abu abu!”

Vil swiftly handed Epel his apple plush before double checking everything.

“Eh… how could you tell? Abu could’ve been anything?” Rook asked in surprise.

“Just a feeling. Okay, are you ready to go bye bye, Epel?”

Epel made grabby hands at Vil, promptly being picked up. Rook waved to Epel as he split apart from them. Vil glanced at Epel who entertained himself with his apple plush. He could only hope Epel wouldn’t be too much trouble.

•

Epel’s eyes took in everything, being in a new place. He stared at other children and adults, finding them fascinating. But he didn’t see Vil. Where did Vil go? Did he leave him behind? He calmed down, seeing Vil sit down next to him. What was he doing? What was he holding? Could he hold it too?

Epel reached out, grabbing hold of the clipboard.

“No, Epel. This isn’t something to play with.”

“Aaa!”

“No.”

Epel let go, not liking the look on Vil’s face. Vil got up again, disappearing from his sight. Epel let out whimpers, feeling scared.

“Shh, shh. It’s okay. No one is going to hurt you.”

Epel looked up at Vil, a few tears falling from his eyes. Vil wiped them away, seeing he just needed some reassurance.

“Schoenheit?”

Vil looked up from his phone, hearing them being called. Epel looked, seeing they were on the move again. Where were they going now? He found himself being placed down again before an unfamiliar face filled his sight. He started flailing around, trying to get away.

“Seems you have a feisty one.”

“He’s not usually so… finicky.” Vil muttered, keeping Epel still.

Epel settled, feeling Vil’s warm touch. The doctor inspected Epel, not seeing anything wrong. Epel sat in silence, not understanding the two talking. The strange person left, leaving him alone with Vil.

“Okay Epel, just a few more and we can go home.”

“Aya eee!”

“You have such a cute smile. I wonder which parent you got it from…” Vil whispered, poking his cheeks.

“Bubuya…?” Epel babbled as he titled his head.

“Ah, nothing.”

The unfamiliar person came back and soon they were on the move again. He was set down before another unfamiliar person came in. They talked to Vil before pulling out things he’s never seen before.

“Epel, can you be strong?” Vil asked, holding his tiny hands.

Epel babbled, playing with Vil’s fingers. Vil gave him his toy as the nurse was ready to administer the shots. Epel soon started wailing loudly, throwing his toy across the room and flailing around.

“Epel, come on. You can do this.”

Epel continued to cry, not settling down.

“Mr. Schoenheit…”

Vil was clearly panicking. His toy wasn’t working.

“I’m wishing, for the one I love…”

He looked, seeing Epel got quieter.

“To find me, today. I’m hoping, and I’m dreaming of the nice things he’ll say.”

The nurse urged Vil on, seeing Epel was settling down. Vil continued to sing to Epel, squeezing his hand. He wiped away Epel’s tears as the nurse finished giving him the shots. Epel instantly flew into Vil’s arms, whimpering and sobbing in silence.

“You did good, Epel. Such a strong boy.” Vil whispered, giving him comfort.

Epel continued to cling to Vil as he filled out the last few things before getting him set to head home. It took a bit, but Vil finally managed to pry Epel off of him and put him in his stroller.

“I’ll give you a big reward for being strong when we get home, okay?”

Epel silently held his plush, not wanting to come back to the evil place.


	443. Floyd > Deuce < Jade: Terrify me

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

Ace silently munched on snacks as Deuce ran. He was on track and field yet he wasn’t able to outrun them.

“Mind over matter!” Ace shouted, seeing Deuce trying to use magic. “Or that.”

[Earlier that week…]

“Deuce, they don’t care about you. Why are you so worried?” Ace said, reclining back in his seat.

“I’m telling you, Jade looked at me!”

“You were probably in his line of sight.”

No, he was sure of it. Jade was staring him down like prey. His intentions were clearly showing through his piercing stare.

“Come on, Ace. You’re the only one who’ll understand me!” Deuce pleaded. “Stay with me from now on.”

“I’m not getting involved because there’s nothing to get involved with. Later.”

Deuce watched in despair as Ace walked away. He was doomed. Jade would corner him, easily overpower him with height and kill him. What did he do to deserve it? Deuce quietly wept behind a book, wishing he could’ve made his mother proud first.

•

Deuce cautiously walked around before shrieking.

“Hiya.”

“You… you… you… tree… fall…”

Deuce finally caught his breath, having been shocked into speechlessness.

“Don’t just jump down from trees, Floyd senpai!” Deuce shouted before regretting it. “I mean, please… warn me…?”

“Eh, you know people aren’t dumb enough to go against me, right? Yet look at you.” Floyd said, towering over him.

Deuce fled, worried for his life. Floyd chased after him, seeing he wanted to play a game of tag. He was definitely on board with that. Deuce gasped, seeing Floyd was starting to catch up.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it! Let me live!” Deuce shouted, holding back his tears.

Deuce was tackled from behind, now caught within Floyd’s arms. All he could think about was being rushed into the ER at this point.

“Eh, you’re too easy to catch.” Floyd grumbled, letting Deuce go.

He was being let go? Just like that? He sat up, seeing Floyd walking away.

“Floyd senpai…” Deuce called out, knowing he was making yet another mistake. Floyd stopped and turned. “You… you aren’t mad?”

“I will be if you ask another dumb question.”

Deuce tightly closed his mouth, walking Floyd before quickly making his escape. He finally let out the breath he was holding, his body finally giving in to the fear and tears his body had been surpressing.

“You don’t look good, here.”

“Tha-”

Deuce dropped the tissue, gazing up at him. No, no, no, no, no, no. Not another one.

“Ah, what a waste. I suppose I could just do this instead…” Jade said, taking off a glove to wipe his tears.

Jade was being nice. He wanted something from him. What scared him was not knowing what.

“What do you want…?”

“Is it wrong for me to want to simply talk to my underclassman?”

“You’re a Leech. There’s no simply anything…” Deuce said, having recovered from Floyd’s scare.

“I suppose you make a point, but truly all I want is to talk. I couldn’t help but notice Floyd walking away from you. Did something happen?”

“No.”

Jade smiled, nodding in understanding. Like hell nothing happened. He knew Floyd better than anyone.

“I see. So, why don’t we walk?” Jade suggested, ushering Deuce anyway. “Are you doing well in classes?”

“I’m trying… I’m not really bright…” Deuce muttered. “Why do you care?”

“I don’t mind helping you catch up. Don’t worry about owing me anything, I just want to help you succeed.” Jade said, chuckling slightly.

Deuce was definitely wary. He’s heard things about Jade, some saying he was just as bad as Floyd. It was hard to imagine when he always smiled so kindly.

Jade had walked him back to the hall of mirrors before he realized it. He looked at Jade who stood there as if waiting for something.

“I knew it. You want something.”

“I’m afraid you’re wrong once again. I was waiting to see you off and hoping you’ll call on me for tutoring.”

Deuce turned on his heel, entering Heartslabyul. Jade stopped smiling, a serious look on his face.

Floyd yawned before being knocked out of his seat.

“Hello my wonderful brother.” Jade said, his smile not reaching his eyes.

“The hell was that for?” Floyd growled, lunging towards Jade.

The two avoided each other’s attacks before resting.

“You upset Deuce and I’m not standing for it. You’re being too rough.”

“I treat him how I want. Stay out of it.”

“No. I’ll be guilty by association and I don’t want my chances lowered because of an idiot like you.” Jade sneered.

“Get off your fucking high horse.” Floyd said, his tone ice cold.

Students passing by instantly took other routes, seeing the twins were fighting. It was definitely messy and dangerous.

•

Floyd and Jade held their heads as Azul had hit them.

“Do you realize you’ve put me in a bad spot tonight? I just got done promoting our event and new menu only to hear idiot one and two are in the infirmary injured?” Azul complained, looking at the bandaids and bandages. “What even happened?”

“He started it.” they said, pointing at each other.

“I don’t care if an amoeba started it! Why did it happen? What could be so important, huh?”

The two were silent.

“Look, I’m working you both to the bone tomorrow. You’re off tonight.” said Azul before leaving.

The two growled at each other, their injuries keeping them from attacking each other.

•

Deuce yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He hated morning classes. He wanted to sleep more. Class eventually ended, the students making their way to other classes.

“So you really want me to believe that?”

“How could you not? It really happened!”

“I really don’t think the twins are interested in you. They’re probably bullying you.” said Ace. “Good luck with that. Talk to Riddle if it gets out of hand.”

“Why can’t you be nice…” Deuce huffed.

“It’s not in my character, heh~”

Deuce found himself entering the library, needing to do research on the Queen of Hearts. There was so much information, how could he pinpoint a good topic?

“Oh? I didn’t think you liked places like this.”

Jade sat next to him, assessing the situation.

“I don’t need help.”

“When doing research, for someone like you, I suggest doing something you like so it doesn’t feel tedious.” said Jade, skimming pages. “Here.”

Deuce read it over. It actually did sound interesting.

“Wow… I feel like I can do it now.”

Deuce slowly opened up, unknowingly letting Jade in. Jade continued to help, Deuce starting to get things. Jade was really a better teacher than Riddle.

“Ah, don’t use these words, it makes you sound childish. Instead… there.”

“Woah… it has a different feel to it! You’re really knowledgeable, Jade senpai.”

“Of course. I have my own dreams I want to achieve too.” lied Jade, knowing it would get Deuce hook, line and sinker.

“Really? Like what?” asked Deuce, falling in.

Jade happily explained, seeing Deuce hanging onto his every word.

“And… there’s just one small thing. I don’t think it’ll happen but…”

“But what? What is it?” Deuce asked, getting closer.

“I’ve always liked the idea of having my own family. But, there’s just one thing missing from my vision.”

“Go on…”

“Hey!”

“Shh!”

They looked, seeing Floyd inviting himself in. Jade sucked his teeth, seeing he didn’t beat him enough the day before. Deuce quickly gathered up his things, putting them away. He wasn’t going to lose his hard work.

“Let’s go play.” Floyd said, pushing Jade out the way. “You have no choice.”

“Wha- Hey!”

Jade watched as Floyd ran off with Deuce. And he was so sure Floyd wouldn’t step foot in the library today. He followed them, carrying Deuce’s research.

“Come on, let’s play tag!” Floyd said cheerily. “Just like last time.”

“Eh… but I wasn’t playing.”

“Just do it.”

Deuce just stood there instead. Floyd would get bored and leave him alone. Jade finally caught up, seeing they were just standing around. Floyd took notice of Jade, so he threw Deuce over his shoulder and ran away.

“Drop him!”

“No!”

Now Deuce was confused. What was really going on here and why was he getting in the middle of it? He looked, seeing Jade closing in.

“Let me go!” Deuce fussed, trying to wiggle free of his hold.

“Nope. You’re mine!”

Deuce stopped as Floyd started taking more dangerous routes, leaving Jade behind. Floyd gave his ass a hefty slap before putting him down.

“Now that was fun.”

Deuce silently simmered while Floyd laughed in delight. He didn’t like this at all. What was he to do now? He couldn’t just walk away.

“Why do you look like that? Did you not have fun? Should I squeeze you then?”

“You’re making me like you less.” Deuce mumbled.

“You’re really talking big for someone within squeezing range.” Floyd threatened.

“Why don’t you do it then, huh? Since you want to be all big and bad! Do it! And then there’s going to be problems when Riddle senpai finds out.” Deuce yelled, having had enough.

Floyd was silent. Deuce continued to summer before ultimately deciding to walk away. He didn’t need this. Floyd was just a big bully. Deuce had only taken a step when he was suddenly held from behind.

“F- Floyd?”

His hold continued to tighten around him. Was he seriously going to squeeze him? Deuce started to gasp for air, Floyd’s arm pressing into his neck. Floyd was really aiming to kill him, especially in this spot with no witnesses. He did it to himself. He provoked him. Deuce closed his eyes, resigning to his fate.

He opened his eyes, feeling something soft touching his cheek. He didn’t feel his body being crushed within Floyd’s hold. Floyd continue to place kisses until Deuce broke away. Deuce wiped at his cheek and neck, looking at Floyd in disgust.

“You’re sick!”

“Don’t say that…”

Deuce ran away, still wiping at his cheek. Floyd wore a look of confusion, looking at the palms of his hands.

•

Deuce stretched out, ready to start his weekend. He finally got permission to head off campus. Even if it was just for a day, he’d be getting away from the Leech twins.

“Deuce.”

“Save it Ace.”

“I was going to give you some info but I guess you don’t want it.” shrugged Ace, going back to his phone.

“Just tell me.”

“One, your zipper is down. Two, I suggest running for the gates.”

He didn’t see why he’d have to. The twins were working at Mostro and didn’t know he was heading off campus.

He was very wrong. The moment he stepped through the mirror, the twins were already waiting.

“You two are dressed awful casual…” Deuce muttered, looking them over. “Are you not working at Mostro…?”

“I could ask Floyd the same thing.” Jade said, his smile hiding his malice.

“I could too, Jade. You said you were working today.”

“And you said the same.”

Deuce took that chance to slip by and make a mad dash for the gate. He found himself being scooped up and carried away from the gate.

“Since it’s come to this, pick one of us to hang out with.”

“Neither. Bye.”

He was easily carried back. They clearly weren’t going to let him go unless he picked.

“Here’s a better idea. Why don’t the four of us go?”

They looked, seeing Ace. Deuce thanked the heavens, asking them to bless Ace. The twins clearly weren’t happy with the third party, but it settled their problem.

[Present…]

Jade stole Deuce from Floyd, hiding him amongst the clothes. Floyd started arguing with him while Deuce snuck away.

“Wow, I think I understand now.” Ace said, seeing the twins looking high and low for Deuce.

“They like me.”

“You know…?”

Deuce tightly held the straps on his bag, giving a slow nod. He had known since yesterday. And since then everything they’ve been doing started making sense. But what was he to do? He didn’t like either and rejecting them would just put him on their hitlist.

“Twins incoming.” Ace whispered.

Floyd pushed Jade out the way, draping his arm over Deuce’s shoulder and walking away with him. Jade was close to seeing red. Ace followed behind, wondering if a brawl would take place in public.

The outing had ended with no brawl. However…

“That’s it! My patience with you has run out!” Jade shouted, attacking Floyd.

Deuce silently watched as they bit at each other.

“Stop.”

They kept going.

“Stop.”

They stopped, looking at Deuce who had said it louder.

“I understand now that you both like me, but it’s all in vain… I don’t like either of you. You both terrify me in your own way. I could never like someone like that…”

Deuce ran back to Heartslabyul, Ace following behind. He knew he probably just made thing worse, but he couldn’t just sit there and having them think he was interested at all.


	444. Ruggie ? Idia: Kids are dumb and don’t know how

“Dude I said wheat grass not grass!”

“What’s the difference?”

The student rolled his eyes, putting in the grass. He forced some of the mixture into his mouth, the other student promptly turning elderly.

“That’s why.”

“Turn me back!”

The student turned him back, stressing they needed wheat grass for it to work.

•

Ruggie opened his door, seeing his underclassmen.

“What.” he said flatly. “I’ve got somewhere to be so make it quick.”

“We just wanted to thank you for everything you do so, we made you these!”

Ruggie took the box, seeing donuts. He instantly started salivating, his tail wagging ecstatically.

“Are they really for me? Wait, you want me to do something don’t you?” Ruggie said, closing the box. “No. No, I’m too busy today. Here.”

“Senpai-”

Ruggie was already out of earshot.

“Now what?”

“We just wait until he’s not busy. It’s obvious he wants them.”

Ruggie stood outside a door, poised to knock. Should he knock? He knocked, waiting for it to open. He placed his hand against the door, seeing he wasn’t going to answer. He soon found himself tumbling into the room, the door recognizing his fingerprints.

“Hello, Ruggie Bucchi!”

“Hey Ortho… Ah, he’s gaming…” Ruggie said, getting up off the floor.

“Mhmm! He’s trying to beat his high score.” Ortho said, leading Ruggie over.

“What was his previous score?”

“99,700,035,911.” Ortho said. “He’s trying to get the highest, one trillion!”

Idia really aimed high when it came to video games. If only he put the same effort into functioning like a normal person.

“Fuck! This is complete bullshit…”

Ortho and Ruggie moved, a headset flying past them.

“I’m going to guess you didn’t get to one trillion.” Ruggie said, Idia’s back still to him.

“Oh, you’re here. Ah, it’s already time…” Idia said, acting as if he didn’t just shout profanities.

“You don’t want to continue trying? Maybe I could help.”

“Nah, it’s too complicated.”

“Oh? What are you insinuating?” Ruggie said, hovering close to Idia.

“You know exactly what I mean. Come on, I’m sure you don’t have much time.”

“Actually…”

Idia felt his chair move before Ruggie sat comfortably on his lap.

“I have all afternoon. So, teach me some new tricks~” Ruggie teased, rubbing against him.

Idia smirked, his hand resting comfortably on Ruggie’s hip. Ortho saw himself out, knowing Idia would prefer having alone time with Ruggie. The two started gaming, Idia carrying Ruggie.

“I promise one of these days I’m going to carry you.” Ruggie muttered, beating up a monster.

“Dream on, hyena.”

Ruggie purposefully bumped Idia’s controller, making him lose control. He laughed in delight, briefly carrying him. Idia tickled his side, causing Ruggie to stop attacking and his character getting hit. The two started attacking each other, the game still running unpaused.

“Touch me there and I’ll bite you.”

“Oh? Will you? Or is it just an excuse to get even closer?”

Ruggie looked at Idia before moving off of him. The game was finally paused.

“No. Not really…” Ruggie said, pulling up a chair.

“Ah, no you don’t. My lap is the best place for you.” Idia said, pulling Ruggie over. “Look at you, getting cold feet.”

“I just don’t feel good, okay?”

Idia silently nodded, asking him where. He ended up playing alone, Ruggie needing to rest. Ruggie let out pleased moans whenever Idia scratched behind his ears.

“Ah, some underclassmen offered me donuts. I really would’ve taken them but I didn’t want to have to do something for them and miss our time together.” Ruggie said, remembering how delicious they looked.

“I would’ve understood. I’m not a demon.”

“As if you didn’t nearly curse out a game because you didn’t get the highest score.” Ruggie chuckled, nuzzling him.

Idia didn’t say anything in response, lovingly petting him as he played.

•

Ruggie arrived back in his room, seeing the underclassmen left the box of donuts along with a note. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, hoping something delicious would make the pain go away.

“Did he eat one?”

“Yeah! And he’s going for another. Wait, what if he eats all of them? How much did you put in?”

“Relax. I know what I’m doing. Now hurry up before someone catches you.”

The student hurried away, ending the call in the process.

•

Ruggie woke up, noticing things felt a bit bigger. He extended his arms before seeing his clothes were baggy. He climbed out of bed, excited to explore this new place.

Leona couldn’t get any sleep. All he could hear were students shouting and loud thuds. He angrily got out of bed, seeing the chaos.

“Why is it so damn noisy!?” Leona growled.

They pointed, forcing him to look down. Soon the child was rip roaring through his room, leaving a mess.

“Someone catch that furball!”

The students quickly gave chase, afraid of making Leona angrier. The child was finally caught and put before Leona.

“So that’s who you are. Ruggie Bucchi.”

“You know my name.”

“Yeah. Anyway, who wants to look after him?”

No one spoke up.

“Really, none of you?”

“What about you, dorm leader?”

“Out of the question. So no one of are going to do it. Alright. I hope you like extra drills tomorrow.” he said before sending them off. “Now what to do with you.”

“Are you going to eat me? Typical.”

“So even back then you had quite a mouth. And I know exactly where to leave you.”

•

Ruggie sat outside Idia’s door, a sign hanging around his neck. Idia’s door opened, Ortho stepping out.

“He’s your problem, Shroud. -Kingscholar.”

Ortho looked at the child before using technology.

“Ruggie Bucchi! You’re small now.” Ortho said, pulling him into the room.

“Who are you? Well, more like what are you…” Ruggie said, pulling away.

“I’m Ortho Shroud, Idia Shroud’s little brother.”

The door opened and the two looked at the newcomer.

“He’s your problem now, Shroud. -Kingscholar. Heh… So you got yourself turned into a kid huh?”

Ruggie didn’t know what was up with this guy, but he didn’t like him. The weird thing seemed more likable.

“You aren’t going to help him change back, big brother?”

“Taking care of kids is easy. Give them food, water and wifi and they’re good to go.” said Idia, shrugging his shoulders.

“That’s you…”

Ortho looked, seeing Ruggie was inspecting the room. If Idia thought it was that easy, then he’d let him care for Ruggie on his own. He left without telling Idia.

Idia played games before hearing a loud thud. He paused, looking to see. His bookcase had somehow fallen. Where was Ruggie? Ruggie soon popped out, tearing pages out of a book.

“NO!”

Ruggie laughed, running out the room while continuing to tear pages. Ignihyde students watched with big eyes as Idia chased a child. Never in all their years did they think Idia would babysit.

“Get back here! I need that book!”

“Make me you human lighter!”

“RUGGIE!”

Ruggie tossed the book, climbing up high and out of reach. Flicks of red went through Idia’s hair before vanishing just as quickly.

“I know a really fun game we can play but you have to come down.”

“I’m not stupid, bean stalk.”

“To think I thought teen you was bad…” Idia muttered. “Why do you think I’m trying to trick you? What would I gain especially when you’d be so smart to escape?”

Ruggie thought it over before climbing down. Idia tightly held him by his ear as they walked back to his room. Ruggie massaged his ear, hoping to make the pain go away while Idia pulled out something for him to do.

“Are you serious? I’m not five.” Ruggie said, slapping the game out of his hands. “I wanna do that.”

Ruggie was pointing to his paused game.

“No. Kids are dumb and don’t know how to game properly. Either play with these or get tied to the bed.”

“No! You’re the dumb one! I’m playing.”

Idia was faster, scooping Ruggie up and tying him to the bed. Ruggie growled, pulling on his restraints.

•

Idia finally finished, noticing it was quiet in his room. He looked back before gasping.

“He chewed his way out!? He’s fucking insane…”

Idia quickly ran out of his room, searching for clues as to Ruggie’s whereabouts. One would think a child would leave behind a trail of destruction. He searched every inch of Ignihyde, not finding Ruggie. He reluctantly asked other students, some barely getting a word out in shock of Idia actually speaking to them.

Ruggie walked around campus, earning looks from students. He had no idea where he was and felt more lost with each step. His ears bent, revealing his feelings.

Idia reluctantly left Ignihyde, trying to decide between searching other dorms or heading to campus. He headed onto campus, seeing there was more ground to cover than in another dorm.

Ruggie sat down, taking in his surroundings. Not knowing where he was was killing the mood for him. He pulled grass out of the ground, hoping for some entertainment.

“So Mostro?”

“Only if you’re paying~”

“Let me guess, you spent all your cash on a new shirt.”

“You know me so well. But it’s not for me.”

Ruggie watched as the student handed over a gift to the other guy. Disgust filled his face as they kissed. They were weird people, but they mentioned something called Mostro. It sounded like fun. He followed behind them, the students unknowingly bringing disaster with them.

•

Idia wheezed, already tired. How could he run so fast? And so small at that? He couldn’t do this. He was abandoning ship. He reached notifications on his phone, causing him to check. People were posting from Mostro. All sorts of sounds came from the video as a small hyena was snatching food from everyone’s plates. He really didn’t want to run, he seriously didn’t.

Ruggie avoided capture, now chilling up on their chandelier.

“Floyd, I’m warning you. Break it and you replace it.” Azul said.

“Then what are we supposed to do then!”

“Lure him down with food of course. Especially something this little hyena likes in particular.” said Jade, sending Floyd off to the kitchen.

Idia squeezed through, seeing Ruggie up on the chandelier.

“You! Get down here now!”

“No you ugly man!”

A few people could see red streaks flickering through Idia’s hair. Azul took notice. He seriously wasn’t going to blow his top in his lounge, was he?

“Your name calling is getting old. I’m giving you a chance to come down yourself before I force you.”

“I don’t like you. You’re a self centered, antisocial, will never have any friends jerk!” Ruggie shouted.

Everyone fled, seeing his blue hair disappear in a sea of red.

“Idia, calm down. Please.” Azul said, struggling to drag him out.

Jade and Floyd helped, his blue hair slowly coming back.

“So, care to fill us in?” Azul asked, looking at Idia.

Ruggie looked around, seeing everyone left. Idia ruined everything. That’s all he ever did. Ruin things. He was the worst person to be stuck with. He wanted space to run and play physical games like tag. He didn’t like being confined in one place. Idia had stepped in alone, making Ruggie frown even more.

“Look, I don’t like leaving my room and you want to play around.”

“I want to run around more.”

“Then the fix is simple. Ortho will play with you and I get to stay in my room.”

He did like that weird guy from earlier. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen him since earlier. He brought it up to Idia who seemed to calling for him. Was it broken?

“This is problematic… Hey, if you can find Ortho, he’ll play with you. I’ll give you a picture in case you need it.”

Ruggie was left alone. He didn’t know this place. Wasn’t he worried about him getting lost? Ruggie caught up with him, grabbing hold of his jacket.

“What…”

“I don’t want to go alone…”

Ruggie kept his eyes down, feeling embarrassed. His tail stood straight up, not expecting to receive head pats. He let out pleased moans as he was scratched behind the ears.

“You really are still the same…”

Ruggie looked up, seeing Idia looking at him with such kindness that he’s never seen before. He briefly closed his eyes, feeling Idia press a kiss onto his forehead.

“What are you doing…? What did you do to my body?” Ruggie fussed, feeling extremely hot.

“Nothing. Let’s get moving and stop disturbing others.”

Ruggie silently followed, his body recognizing Idia’s love.

•

They never did find Ortho and had returned to Idia’s room. Ruggie lied down, getting comfortable on Idia’s bed. It felt familiar yet he didn’t remember ever being here. Idia pulled the bedsheet over him, giving him a few pets.

“I’m not sleepy.” Ruggie said through his yawn.

“Right…”

Ruggie yawned again, his body forcing his eyes closed. He was easily lulled to sleep, his body recognizing Idia’s gentle touch. Idia silently did research, plotting to “talk” to those who changed Ruggie into a child.


	445. Ruggie ? Idia: Kids are dumb and don’t know how (cont)

Idia effortlessly gamed while snacking on unhealthy snacks. Ortho naturally didn’t approve but he preferred seeing Idia happy. Ortho looked back at Ruggie who read in silence.

“He’s reading.” Ortho whispered.

“Better than him bouncing off the walls.” Idia responded, easily offing another player’s character. “Heh, you’re a damn idiot to think you could beat me.”

Ortho didn’t know what happened between them that got Ruggie to settle, but it was good to see his help wasn’t needed. Ruggie looked up from the book, watching Idia destroy other players with ease. His cheeks gained color as a thought came to mind. He frantically shook his head, dispersing the thought. Why was he thinking of that? It was gross.

’ _Good boy. Should I scratch behind your ears?’_

Ruggie nodded enthusiastically, his tail wagging like crazy.

’ _You’re so precious~’_

Idia and Ortho turned, hearing Ruggie let out a shriek. Ruggie hid under the covers, trying to hide.

“Is everything okay?” asked Ortho while Idia went back to playing.

“I’m fine. Leave me alone.”

Ortho was doubtful but didn’t think it’d be wise to press further. Ruggie poked his head out, his tail wagging as he watched Idia.

•

Idia stretched out, hearing to the restroom. He soon had a small hyena glued to his side.

“Uh?”

“Where are we going?”

“We? You’re staying here. I’m going to the restroom.” said Idia before walking out.

Ruggie followed, his tail wagging behind him.

“Don’t follow me!”

Ruggie kept following. Idia visibly gave up.

“Alright, alright. Stay out here and guard me then.”

“But-”

“I’ll send you back.”

Ruggie stood outside, waiting for Idia. Why couldn’t he go in? They were both males. Idia eventually came out, seeing Ruggie waited the entire time. What in the world had gotten into him.

“Idia, can we play? I don’t care what.” Ruggie asked, pulling on his arm.

“Fine. A quick card game. We keep playing until you lose which won’t take long.”

“I’ll show you.”

The two sat down, the game starting. Idia easily took the lead. Ruggie was panicking. If he messed up, they wouldn’t be able to play anymore. He wanted to keep playing. He wanted Idia’s attention.

“What’s the real reason for this? Hm?” asked Idia, knowing Ruggie wouldn’t play such a boring thing. “Tell me and I might let you win.”

Even if the chance is small…

“I want… I want your…”

Idia started counting down.

“I only wanted to play together. I got bored…” said Ruggie, hiding his true feelings. “That’s all.”

“Really? Then why not talk to Ortho? He’d be more than happy to out with you.”

 _“But I want you!”_ thought Ruggie, biting his bottom lip. Idia wouldn’t understand because he didn’t understand. Why did he want to even be near him? “Idia…”

“Yes?”

Ruggie left his spot, giving Idia a hug. He couldn’t express it in words, so he used an action. He knew it could mean a lot of things, but what else could he do?

“So it really isn’t about being bored. Such a dishonest kid.”

Ruggie tightened his grip on his shirt, not wanting to let go.

“Okay, okay. I get it. I hear you…”

Ruggie’s eyes widened, not expecting Idia to hug him back. It was so warm and full of care. Ruggie rubbed his head against him, pleasantly satisfied.

•

Idia found himself being forced out by Ortho who insisted he play outside with Ruggie. He didn’t like doing anything labor intensive or anything he wasn’t interested in. Ruggie’s little tail couldn’t stop wagging even if he tried. He looked at Idia before holding his hand.

“Ruggie…”

“Can we play tag? I’m it!”

“Wait, not… here.” Idia said as Ruggie moved to give him a head start.

He wasn’t going to run. He started walking, knowing Ruggie would be coming at any second.

“Target sighted!”

“Oh no. What ever shall I do?” Idia faked, causing Ruggie to stop. “What?”

“You could at least try…”

“I don’t want to.”

“Please? I’ll sit quietly and read the rest of the day.”

“That sounds more like a punishment than compromise… Fine. I’ll run but you get to drag my dead body back to my room.”

Ruggie cheered before chasing after Idia. He loved all the faces Idia makes. His favorite would always be Idia’s smile when he’s truly pleased. Students couldn’t help but watch as Idia was chased.

“He’s so cute…”

“You think? Now he makes me want a pet…”

“This is going on Magicam, haha!”

They were smitten, some forgetting what they were supposed to do. Ruggie finally caught Idia who had resigned to fatigue. Ruggie dragged him by his arm back to the room, a few students following and encouraging him.

“I love that little guy.”

“Right? I want to touch his ears…”

“Think he’ll let us?”

They shook their heads. Idia was the lucky one to get that privilege. Ruggie pushed Idia onto the bed before collapsing to the floor. Idia was heavier than he looked.

“Hey, come here.”

Ruggie moved over to Idia before his face heated. Idia gently pet him, often giving behind his ear scratches. Ruggie dug his nails into his thighs as he kept himself under control.

“You deserve that much for putting up with me. Goodnight…” Idia yawned, closing his eyes.

Ruggie’s jelly legs gave out on him, causing him to sink to the floor. His face was probably a different shade by now. He quietly peeked at Idia’s sleeping face, finding it nice to look at.

“Idi- Oh.”

Ortho looked at Ruggie, seeing he was too absorbed in Idia to notice him.

“Ruggie, there’s something you should know.”

“Huh? What? Oh, hi Ortho.”

“Leona Kingscholar wanted me to relay a message to you both. He has a cure for your deaging and will be coming to get you soon.”

Ortho made a confused look, not expecting to see despair written on Ruggie’s face. Wasn’t it good news? He’d be back to his rightful age.

“But he didn’t want me…” Ruggie muttered.

“Ruggie?”

Ruggie climbed into bed with Idia, curling up next to him. He found his behavior strange, deciding to bring it up to Idia when he awoke.

•

Idia stretched, feeling well rested. What he didn’t expect was to feel another life beside him. Ruggie moved closer, his body seeking out Idia’s warmth.

“Big brother, I have news!”

Idia listened as Ortho told him Leona’s message.

“Ah, how soon?”

“That I do not know.”

They heard knocking on the door, waking Ruggie up.

“H-”

Ortho was pushed aside.

“Where’s the brat?”

Idia was about to show him when Ruggie suddenly jumped out of bed and sped out the room.

“Don’t ask me, I know nothing. Either way, he’s your problem now.” Idia said, pushing Leona out. “Have fun~”

Leona had the door shut in his face. He exhaled loudly, not feeling up for a cat and mouse chase. Thankfully he came prepared. Savanaclaw students started searching the dorm for Ruggie.

“Big brother, Ruggie Bucchi has been acting weird lately.”

“No weirder than normal.”

“He has been closer to you than he ever had since we’ve been watching him. He seemed very sad whenever you left him behind. He also didn’t take the news about the antidote well.”

“He’s a kid, they’re hard to please.” Idia said, waving it off.

Ortho nodded, settling with Idia’s conclusion.

Ruggie hid further in, hearing people calling out his name. They were taking him from Idia. He didn’t want to leave his side. Idia cared about him. His ears bent as he thought of all the good times he’s had with Idia. He didn’t want to give that up.

“Found you!”

Ruggie squeezed as far back as he could, avoiding the person’s hand. They were going to catch him at this rate. He ran as fast as he could in search of a new hiding spot.

“Finally, we can get you back to normal.” said Leona, having caught Ruggie using magic. “Let’s go everyone. We got him.”

Ruggie wiggled around, trying to get free. He was getting farther and farther away from Idia. He started crying, upsetting Leona.

“You make it seem like we’re going to hurt you. So annoying…”

Ruggie continued to move around, Ignihyde’s dorm slowly vanishing from sight.


	446. Vil + Baby!Epel: NRC Official

Epel crawled around while Vil was busy with his skincare routine.

“Don’t touch that.” Vil warned.

“Eeooow…”

Epel crawled over to the bed before grabbing the bedsheets. He let out little grunts, wobbling to his feet. He fell back down on all fours.

“The one day I needed them they’re too busy. Now that I think about it…” Vil muttered as Epel continued to try and fail at standing up. “Well, he’s usually well behaved so it should be okay… right?”

“Eeeyaaa!”

Vil looked back, seeing Epel standing. He jumped out of his seat, it fully registering.

“Epel…!”

Epel cooed, sliding back down on all fours, his body no longer leaning against the bed. Epel sat before clapping his hands together with a blissful smile.

“You’re starting to grow huh… How long has it been since we’ve been together?”

Epel squealed, raising his arms to be picked up.

“In a bit, okay? I promise.”

Epel was distraught. Vil wasn’t going to hold him. Vil always held him when he asked. Vil checked the time before seeing he needed to pick up his pace.

Epel was strapped in before rushing out the room with Vil.

•

Students couldn’t help but take notice of the baby sitting in their class. Most instantly fell in love while others hoped the baby wouldn’t disturb their studies. Epel pulled on his apple plush before throwing it out of his carrier. A student caught it before tossing it back. Epel squealed, throwing it back.

“Excuse me. I understand this is a learning establishment and no amount of distractions should deter that.” said Vil, taking the plush.

“He threw it at me though…”

“Enough.” the teacher said before going back to teaching.

Vil’s only concern was he had flying lessons and wouldn’t be able to watch over him like his other classes. His meathead of a teacher wouldn’t be a good substitute either. He went through his things before smiling. Past him was really thinking ahead. Epel smacked the dangling toys, immersing himself in his thoughts.

The day flew by in the blink of an eye. As expected, Epel behaved most of the day. It was usually around nap time Epel became fussy. It was harder since there were more people around. Vil gently kissed Epel’s cheek, his little angel still sleeping away.

“Oh, isn’t this a sight to behold…”

“Shh… He’s sleeping.”

Rook nodded, taking a seat. Epel was the cutest when asleep. A few more people stopped by, wanting to look at the baby they’ve heard so much about. Epel finally woke up just as Vil was about to move.

“Aaah…”

“Had a nice nap? Did you have good dreams?”

Epel clapped in response, feeling the carrier move. He figured he’d make a stop there since he’d be showing Epel around the building anyway.

Vil knocked on the door before entering.

“And what can I do for you-”

“Bu ahee!”

Vil smiled, placing the carrier down before freeing Epel. Crowley stared at Epel who continued to make noise. Epel finally met his gaze before smiling.

“Oh my… oh… how precious…” Crowley whispered, watching Epel being placed on his desk. “What’s his name…?”

“Epel.”

Crowley let Epel come to him, taking off his hat for him to play with. Epel put it on, the hat covering his head entirely. He shrieked in glee, taking it off then putting it back on. Crowley couldn’t stop the waterworks.

“How long have you had him?”

“I’d say over half a year now.”

“And yet your grades haven’t slipped in the slightest! Truly you are perfection, Schoenheit.” Crowley said happily.

“I’m far from perfect, especially concerning matters with Epel. Everyday he teaches me something new.”

Epel held Vil’s hand, trying to get to his feet. He fell on his bottom in a slight daze.

“Oh? You’re teaching him to stand?”

“He’s teaching himself actually. I was very surprised by him this morning. I do plan to teach him to walk someday.”

Epel knocked Crowley’s mug over before giggling.

“Epel, we don’t do that.” Vil scolded.

Epel hummed in displeasure, running to Crowley.

“No, Epel. You did a bad.” Crowley said.

Epel burst into tears, wanting to be comforted. Vil picked up the mug, glad to see there wasn’t any liquid in it. Epel tearily reached out to Vil who shook his head disapprovingly. That sent Epel into around round of tears.

“Must be hard doing this all by yourself…” Crowley said over the screaming Epel.

“I manage. We usually get along well so I don’t often experience sessions like this.” replied Vil. “He’ll be over it in a few minutes.”

As predicted, Epel had finally quiet down, seeing no one was going to comfort him. Crowley started playing with him again, bringing the smile back to his face.

•

Epel sat on the floor, choosing a toy. Vil wiped down his face, looking himself in the mirror. Crowley said he was doing a pretty good job already, but was there a way for him to do more? Crowley assured him to just keep doing what he’s been doing, but it still didn’t feel like enough.

“Bael…”

Vil looked, seeing Epel pulling himself up. Was he hearing things? Epel didn’t call out to him. He moved to turn, only to see Epel talk a step before falling flat on his face. Tears ensued. He really wanted to comfort him, but he didn’t want him to get into the mindset of always expecting comfort when falling.

“You’re going to be okay, Epel. Sit up like the big boy you are.”

Epel continued to cry.

“Epel…”

He sat Epel up, giving him a smile. His wailing stopped but his tears were still going. Vil encouraged him to stand up again, not wanting him to fear doing it. Walking could wait for another day. That would take everything he had.


	447. (1st y) 2nd Years: Just a bunch of misfits

Ruggie looked around, seeing he finally made it. He was going to study hard, get a well paying job and live a better life. He was going to show them hyenas can make it big too. He noticed a few students talking, one in particular with his wallet hanging.

“Shishishi~”

Swipe. The student didn’t even notice. He started counting the madol before chucking the wallet. It wasn’t much but he knew better than to complain. He noticed a student standing absentmindedly, holding something that looked rather valuable. Maybe he could pawn it.

“Hey!”

The student took notice of him.

“A beastman. Gross.”

Ruggie easily hid his anger, continuing to be nice.

“This? Oh, it’s just a pin. Nothing special really.” he muttered.

“May I see?”

He handed it over, letting Ruggie look it over. It was handed back before Ruggie said his goodbyes. He casually rounded a corner before holding the pin up. He would determine if the pin was nothing special. These kids were too loose with things, making them easy to swipe.

“Hey!”

Ruggie peeked around the corner before meeting his eyes. Oh shit. Ruggie ran as the student gave chase.

“Give it back!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Another student jolted awake, hearing shouting voices around him. He looked at his surroundings, seeing he fell asleep again.

“Ah, it’s dirty… Father’ll get mad.” he whispered, trying to brush the dirt off without rubbing it in.

“Off with your head!”

He looked, seeing a short person chasing after a beastman. He wasn’t going to last long, knowing beastman were far superior in stamina compared to humans. Though, he found it interesting he was using magic that looked like a collar. What did it do?

He shook his head, having more pressing matters to tend to. Now if only he could keep awake and not end up flooding the school.

•

“To think we’re students now.”

“Haha, you’re wobbling!”

“We’re all still iffy on land. But no matter. What does is that we were chosen unlike those blockheads underwater.”

Jade simply smiled, the three of them following their dorm leader to Octavinelle. He was truly glad the three of them were put together. He couldn’t imagine even one of them missing. He looked over, seeing other students from other dorms heading in the same direction.

“Hey, Jade. Do we have to follow them? I wanna play.”

“Floyd, you already messed up during the ceremony. At least have some remorse.” Jade scolded.

Floyd pouted, not liking being in a line. It felt stuffy. He looked over, seeing a really small student. He left his line, heading over to him.

“You’re tiny.”

The student looked at him, clearly ticked off.

“You aren’t in Heartslabyul. Go back to your line.”

“Play with me goldfish!”

“Who are you calling a goldfish!?”

“I’m sorry about him. He’s… unique.” said Jade, pulling Floyd to catch up with their dorm.

A few students chuckled, going silent when he glared at them. He was only 16. He had plenty of time to grow taller.

•

All the new first years gathered, the upperclassmen having prepared a get together for them to socialize and make friends. Most students were eager with the exception of some.

“You aren’t joining, Riddle?”

“It’s a waste of precious time.”

The other Heartslabyul students left him, going to make friends. He could be doing something productive yet he was forced to be here. What good would socializing do for him? It won’t raise his grades, it won’t give him awards or certificates.

“Antisocial hm?”

“No.”

Riddle looked away from the student.

“Azul Ashengrotto. Class 1-D number 7.”

“You’re in my class…” Riddle muttered.

“Oh? I like the sound of that. So, why are you sitting off to the side then?”

“I could be studying.”

Riddle soon found himself immersed in conversation with Azul. He couldn’t believe it. There was someone intelligent besides himself.

“And then some nasty beastman stole my tie pin!”

“Oh my, how unfortunate. If you want, we-”

“Hey, goldfish!”

Riddle’s eye twitched.

“So this is where you ran off to, Azul. Oh, we’ve met before. I’m Jade Leech and this is my brother, Floyd.”

“Hiya~!”

“I would prefer if your brother didn’t insist on calling me names.”

“It’s his thing. Even I can’t stop him.” Jade chuckled, infuriating Riddle more. “So, what class are you in?”

“1-D.”

“Ah, a shame. At least you’ll have Azul to keep you company.”

“Hello.”

They all looked, seeing someone standing with juice in hand. He seemed… suspicious.

“Joining our antisocial club are you?” Azul teased.

“I’m not antisocial!” Riddle fussed.

“I don’t really get those guys over there… They’re weird.”

“And we aren’t?” Jade asked.

The two silently looked at each other before breaking into grins. Clearly Jade just made a friend. Or enemy.

“So, what’s your name?” Riddle asked.

“Jamil. Class 1-E.”

“Oh? This is the first I’ve heard of a class E.”

Riddle listened to them talk before standing up. It was him again.

“That’s the beastman!” Riddle pointed out.

Azul looked, seeing him interact with the other group.

“Clearly you won’t be able to get it back by yourself, so why don’t we make a deal?”

“A deal?” Jamil and Riddle asked in unison.

“Azul specializes in them.” Jade smiled.

“Anything you could ever want, he can grant it!” Floyd chimed in.

“So like getting my pin back… But usually there are catches to things like this.” Riddle said, wary of him.

“For you, no catch. All I want in return if a genuine friendship.” Azul smiled, extending his hand.

Riddle hesitated before shaking his hand. Jade and Floyd took off. Would they really get his pin back? They jumped at the sound of something behind them. They looked, seeing someone on the floor rubbing their head.

“Where am I… Ah, right…”

“Uh…”

He looked at them, wondering why they were staring.

“What are you doing on the floor…” Azul muttered.

“I was walking around actually but then I got sleepy and fell asleep here. I don’t know how long I’ve been out though…”

Clearly it was long enough that Riddle didn’t see him. The twins came back, carrying the squirmish beastman.

“We’ve retrieved him.”

“I want my pin back.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m not dumb! Give it back!”

“Mr. Beastman, I strongly advise you give him back his pin or else I’ll let them loose on you.” said Azul, gesturing to the twins.“

Ruggie looked at them before visibly admitting defeat. Riddle soon had his pin back and in perfect condition.

"Can I go now?”

“No. You’ve upset my dear friend here and I think you feel the same pain he felt.”

“Wha… Are you all some kind of gang!?” Ruggie wailed, trying to wiggle free.

“Ahaha. Oh no, just a bunch of misfits.” Jade chuckled.

Silver didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t mind being included in if it meant he could have friends.

“However, you can escape, but that requires making a deal.”

Ruggie was skeptical, but decided to hear him out.

“Join our little ragtag group, never swipe from us again and we’ll forgive your misdemeanors.”

“How would know I won’t swipe?”

Azul simply pointed to the twins. Ruggie muttered under his breath before agreeing.

“So, let’s continue to get to know each other. How about you?”

All eyes were on Silver.

“Umm… I’m Silver. Class 1-E…”

“Oh, I’m in E too.” Jamil piped up.

Silver smiled, glad to see he wouldn’t be alone.

“What about you, fur all?”

“One, don’t call me furball. My name is Ruggie, Ruggie Bucchi.” Ruggie growled. “I’m in 1-A…”

“Me too.” Jade quipped.

His luck was terrible.

“Wait, I’m all alone…?” Floyd said, visibly deflating.

“The best thing I’ve heard all day.” Riddle laughed, irritating Floyd.

Jade settled Floyd down, assuring him he could just visit him. Floyd was instantly on board.

“While we’re at it, let’s exchange numbers.”

“Do we have to?”

Ruggie went silent, feeling unhappy glares on him. Jamil created a group chat.

“One hour left guys! Let’s all get together!” an upperclassman shouted.

They headed over, Jamil walking beside Silver to make sure he didn’t fall asleep.

•

  
  
  


  
  
  


Azul smiled in delight, seeing they came. He counted before double checking.

“Ah, Silver’s probably in a deep sleep. Moving on-”

“I’m here!”

They looked, seeing Silver running at top speed.

“You’re awake… I’m very surprised.”

“Me too.” Silver chuckled before sitting down.

They watched as Azul produced various things for them to do. They wouldn’t have minded much if it weren’t for the fact they were outside. Though, it was a cool night.

“Azul, if you missed us you could’ve said so.” Ruggie spoke up.

“That would make me look uncool.”

“Heh, point taken. You already look like a nerd.”

Azul puffed his cheeks out, trying not to get angry. Riddle silently looked at all of them as Silver took his turn. Never did he think he’d break a rule. His mother always told him abiding by rules gets you everything you want. Yet why did breaking one give him such a great feeling with these people? He felt alive somehow.

“Riddle?”

“Huh?”

Six pairs of eyes were looking at him, waiting for him to make his move. He couldn’t fight back the smile on his face as he took his turn. Maybe it was okay just this once. The seven of them laughed in delight, Ruggie being completely shut out by Floyd.


	448. Malleus x Leona: Tails

Leona peeked into rooms, trying to find a new spot to nap. None suited his tastes. He continued to search around campus before hearing a noise from afar. It wasn’t any of his business, but he couldn’t fight his natural curiosity. He opened the door to the lab, briefly catching the smoking settling. He didn’t see anyone. His nose instantly picked up on a scent that was familiar yet different.

“Eh…”

When and how did a baby get on school grounds? Kids weren’t his things, kids weren’t his thing. The baby continued to look at him with its big eyes.

“No.”

“Yaaah!”

“No.”

“Aa?”

Was he seriously having a conversation? He turned on his heel, walking away. He could hardly stand Cheka. He heard a small burp before the scent of something burning filled his nose. He quickly put the fire out, avoiding the entire lab exploding. The baby looked at him innocently, small flecks of fire coming from it mouth.

“I’m not taking care of you. I’m just keeping you out of trouble.”

“Ayayaya baebaba!”

Whatever that meant.

•

Leona sat on the floor, watching the baby chase after his tail. He didn’t know much about child care, but it seemed easy enough. He didn’t know how much he’d come to regret those words in the next hour.

“Haah!”

The baby caught hold of his tail before putting it in its mouth.

“Hey, don’t- OW!”

Leona freed his tail, the tip nicely burnt. The baby simply squealed in delight.

“We don’t eat tails!”

“Ael?”

“Yes, tail. No eat.”

Malleus burped, a steady stream of fire shooting out and setting Leona’s clothes ablaze. Malleus laughed in delight as Leona put his clothes out. This child was going to end him. He sniffed, noticing something was still burning. Malleus crawled away while Leona put out the remaining fire.

“Alright you-”

Where did the baby go? His ears picked up a squeal further down the hall. Malleus made his way out to the walkway, starting to take the oath.

“No you don’t.”

Malleus shrieked, wiggling around in glee. Leona really hated this. Malleus grunted before wiggling his arms.

“You didn’t…”

Malleus continued to smile at him.

“You did…”

“Baba!”

•

Malleus leaned against Leona who finally got to take his nap. He slapped his hands against his stomach, now entertained. He soon found himself entranced by the moving tail. Malleus grabbed hold, putting it in his mouth again. Leona was forced awake by a burning sensation.

“Hey! What did I tell you about eating tails!?”

“Aaa…”

“Don’t. Eat. My. Tail!”

Malleus erupted into tears, more fire escaping from his mouth. At this point he’d take Cheka over this baby dragon. Malleus finally calmed down, instantly knocking out. Leona sighed in relief, saying a prayer for his burnt bedsheets. Malleus rested comfortably on top of him as he instantly knocked out himself.

•

Leona groaned, feeling something heavy pressing itself against him. He could barely breathe. He opened his eyes, seeing a horn pressing against his chest. He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Malleus!?”

“You’re finally awake. I was afraid I’d have to find something to occupy my time.”

Leona sat up, getting a better view of Malleus. He was naked. No, where was the baby? That came first.

“Did you see a baby in here?”

“I was the baby, Leo.” said Malleus calmly.

“EH!?”

Malleus chuckled, sitting up as well. How could he be so calm and level headed in a situation like this? He was naked. Naked!

“Really, I should thank you for not abandoning me back in the lab.”

“I really should’ve…”

“How cold…” Malleus whispered, his hand covering his mouth. “What would make the best thank you I could give…?”

Leona kept silent as Malleus approached him on all fours. What was he thinking with a face like that? Malleus parted Leona’s legs, running his hand over his crotch.

“You look so tense. We’re only getting closer than normal…”

“But you… You said you don’t like me.” Leona mumbled, remembering that day vividly.

“You really made me upset that day. How could you reject my advances so coldly?”

Leona kept silent, pressing his fingertips together.

“I was playing hard to get.”

“Well don’t. It’s a turn off. I’d prefer if you endlessly teased me like you always do. It’s hard controlling myself when you do…”

Leona watched as Malleus pulled him out, giving it soft kisses and gentle licks.

“Malleus…”

Malleus chuckled, teasing Leona as much as he could before the lion became fed up.


	449. Two Eels and an Octopus

Jade stared long and hard, various scenarios going through his mind.

“I’ve got it.”

Floyd looked at Jade from his spot on the bed.

“Other students must’ve thought it would be funny to turn our precious dorm leader into a child.” Jade concluded. “Oh, I just can’t wait to meet them.”

“You sure he didn’t just ingest a bad potion?”

“Azul isn’t careless. Now, how should we care for him?”

Floyd instantly sat up.

“‘We’? I think you mean you. I’m not a babysitter.” huffed Floyd

Jade turned towards him, an aura surrounding him.

“You will help me or so the Sea Witch help you.” Jade said with a malicious smile.

Floyd didn’t say anything else, glancing at Azul who slept. Babysitting was going to be so boring.

•

Students were talking online.

_'Mostro is closed temporarily?’_

_'IKR? I was all set to dine tonight.’_

_'Does this mean we have to eat cafeteria food? Gross…’_

Jade knew Mostro would take a huge hit from this, but there was no way they could operate without the both of them focused, especially since they have yet to see what kind of baby Azul was.

Azul opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. He rolled onto his stomach before remaining stationary.

“Azul, good morning.”

Azul was picked up and given a chance to look at who held him. He cooed in delight, trying to touch Jade’s face.

“Hiya baby Azul.”

Azul looked before trying to escape into Floyd’s arms. Floyd spun him around, earning ecstatic laughter in return.

“It’s good to see he takes a liking to us. Hopefully he will to others and maybe we can reopen Mostro.” Jade stated, watching Floyd play with Azul.

“Sounds good I guess.”

The twins carried Azul with them, starting to introduce him to others. He seemed fine until… Everyone plugged their ears, Azul crying and screaming at the top of his lungs. Jade took Azul back, all going quiet. He handed Azul off again. The tears started once more.

“I’m afraid Mostro will have to close after all…” Jade said in defeat, looking at Azul who pulled on his hair. “Thank you.”

“So, how do you care for a baby?” Floyd asked.

It would be much simpler if he were a baby in his octoform. Merfolk didn’t need so much care and attention like human babies. It was one thing they would never understand about the human species.

“I suppose we do some research.”

“Ew, that’s boring.”

“Floyd, you’ll be guilty by association if this life is lost.” Jade warned before heading to the library.

Floyd reluctantly tagged along, glancing at Azul who happily reached out to pull on his clothes.

“How about you do all the hard stuff and I keep him entertained?”

“If that’s what it’ll take to get you to help, fine.”

“You hear that, Azul? We’re gonna be playmates!”

Azul smiled, slapping his hands against Jade.

“Don’t be rough with him.”

“No promises.”

•

Floyd yawned, allowing Azul to play with his fingers while Jade continued to read. He slammed the book shut, startling everyone around him.

“Finally done?”

“Yes. There were certainly a lot of 'don'ts’ than 'do’s’. It may be a little troublesome but he’s not completely human. So it should be okay if we did a few donts.”

Azul looked at the two of them, smiling with his eyes. Floyd kept him occupied as Jade took care of him.

“Alright, he seems fine for now. But maybe we should feed him.” Jade muttered, looking at Azul who squirmed around.

“Why are you thinking so hard about it? Didn’t the book say they cry if they need something.”

“Well yes, b-”

“Then wait 'til he cries. It’s that simple.”

Jade silently watched the two of them, wondering if he overthought a lot of things. Maybe it wasn’t as tedious as he made it out to be. He sat down with Floyd, Azul instantly making his way over.

“You really are a cute baby, Azul.”

Azul squealed, pressing himself against Jade. His heart melted. Had he known Azul was this cute as a baby, he would’ve fought Azul more to see the picture he had before he burned it. Azul started to cry, his tummy rumbling.

“Which cry is this?” asked Floyd.

“It could be sleepy, but it sounds more like hunger.”

“I’ll feed him.”

Azul was taken from Jade and rushed out the room. He couldn’t deny he was worried about Azul being in Floyd’s hands solely, so he went after them and kept hidden.

“You’re a baby so you can’t eat food yet.”

“Aaaa!”

“Milk… milk… Where is it?”

Was Floyd just going to give him any old milk? Jade moved to step in before seeing Floyd use magic.

“This is it, right?”

Azul started crying again, wanting to be fed. Floyd was doing better than he thought. At least until he attempted to feed Azul a cold bottle of milk.

“You’ve got to warm it up!”

“Hey, he’s hungry. Does it really matter?”

Jade didn’t say anything, simply timing the hearing of the milk. Floyd then took the warm bottle, silencing the weeping Azul.

“No, no. Hold him.” Jade hissed.

“Ugh, why are there so many rules!”

Azul let out a contented breath, feeling safe with the disagreeing twins.


	450. Vil and Little Schoenheit: Baby Epel

Vil gently stroked Epel’s head, seeing the little one drifting off to sleep. Yet another day coming to an end and new things awaiting the next. Epel’s hold on his fingers loosened, signaling he wouldn’t be waking up from his movements.

He left the room.

“I’ve been dying to-”

“Shh.”

Rook quietly closed the door, assuming the shh meant Epel was asleep.

“I’ve been dying to show you a new pattern I’ve come up with.” Rook said lowly, pulling out swatches.

“They’re all so you.” Vil muttered, one being extremely gaudy. “Oh? This one…”

“I had you in mind~”

“Spare me the flattery. Since we’re on the topic…”

The two talked in hushed voices, discussing their ideas. Pittter, pitter. Rain started to hit against the windows, signaling a rain storm was coming in.

“Rook, how dark is it?”

“Hm, pretty dark. Must be a thunderstorm.”

Vil glanced back at Epel’s crib, it being the first time a thunderstorm appeared while he’s had him. Would he be okay? They went back to discussing, forgetting about the thunderstorm. The rain got harder, a flash of lightning lighting up the sky. The thunder soon growled loudly, startling those who weren’t ready for it.

They turned around at the sound of crying. Vil immediately got up, heading over to Epel’s crib. As much as he hoped, Epel was unfortunately not exempt from thunderstorm frights. Vil held Epel in his arms, lightly bouncing him while whispering comforting words. Another clap of thunder sounded, spooking Epel more.

“Baby mine, don’t you cry… Baby mine, dry your eyes…” Vil sang, remembering his mother mentioning the song. Epel still wasn’t settling. “Rest your head close to my heart. Never to part, baby of mine.”

Epel leaned against him more, his tears ceasing. Vil continued to sing, walking around as well.

“From your head to your toes. You’re so sweet, goodness knows.”

Epel’s eyes slowly closed and opened, his eyelids feeling heavy. Vil placed a kiss atop his head, giving him more comfort.

“You are so precious to me, cute as can be, baby of mine~”

Vil started humming, slowly placing the half asleep Epel back in his crib. He held Epel’s hand, knowing it was one of the things he liked. Epel’s grip loosened.

“Hopefully you’ll sleep better now. I’ll be here for you always…” Vil whispered, grazing his finger over Epel’s cheek. “I love you.”

Vil turned, not expecting to see Rook wiping his eyes with tissues. He didn’t hear what he just said, right?

“Marvelous…!” Rook croaked.

“I only did what was best for him. We have work to do anyway.” Vil said, his mind racing.

Did he hear it? He couldn’t have.

“What you said at the very end… it touches my heart so!”

“Y- You’re hearing things! I didn’t say anything!” Vil said, feeling flustered. “It’s in your head.”

“Eh…? What do you mean? Everyone knows how touching the last verse of the song is.” Rook said, truly not having heard Vil’s secret affections.

“A- Ah… Right.” Vil mumbled, trying to hide his reddened cheeks.

Rook was suspicious but decided to leave things as they were.


	451. Vil + Crewel: Mr Crewel

Everyone looked, not entirely sure what happened and how things would proceed forward. They looked to Crewel who stood there in silence.

“Crewel se-”

“Hush puppies. I need to think.”

“Where am I… Why are you looking at me…”

“There’s no need to fret little one. I- oof.”

Vil tightly hugged him, surprising everyone. Crewel gestured for everyone to get back to work, seeing he could deal with this himself. He walked Vil over to his desk before having him sit.

“You look nice.” Vil said straightforwardly.

“Thank you. If you don’t look good, stay at home I say. But moving on, it seems I’ll have to find a cure for you.”

“Cute? Am I sick?”

“In a way. It’s nothing life threatening, but I encourage you to trust me or else things will not go smoothly.”

“Papa always told me nicely dressed people are usually good people. So okay.”

“I would argue it could be the opposite.”

“You think so? You’re really smart. I like it.” Vil smiled.

He’s never seen Vil smile so brightly like this. Is it because he reverted back to having childish wonder and had yet to be tainted with society? Vil looked up at him, feeling his hand on his head.

“You poor child…”

“I’m not poor. My parents make a lot of money! My Papa is an actor! I want to act just like him.”

“It was only an expression, Vil. So, why don’t we do some reading together?”

Vil nodded, taking a look at the book Crewel had taken out. It was all about remedies and fixes. Divus often looked back, making sure Vil was okay. Class was finally dismissed, giving him time to spend with Vil.

“Mister, what’s your name?”

“Call me Mr. Crewel.”

Vil nodded before shoving a magazine in his face.

“I want to wear clothes like her! There’s a little crown pattern on her scarf too!” Vil exclaimed.

He could see that detailing? It was hard just looking from the picture in the magazine. Wait, where did he get the magazine from? Vil continued to thrust models in his face before using magic to change his clothes.

“Vil…” Divus muttered.

“Do I look good, Mr Crewel?”

No. He did not. Vil watched as Crewel tightly shut the door before racks of children’s clothes appeared. He wasn’t going to dash this little boy’s hopes and dreams. Vil giggled in glee, Crewel’s fingers accidentally tickling him.

“Stop!” Vil squeaked.

“Oh? I can’t hear you~”

Vil let out a shrill laugh as Crewel attacked his sides. He eventually stopped, Vil flying into his arms. He was very much different than the teen he came to know. Vil looked at him with bright, shining eyes full of life and curiosity. He couldn’t imagine what would change this boy’s life forever.

“Mr Crewel?”

“Ah, sorry. Let’s get you in front of a mirror.”

Vil gasped loudly, looking himself over.

“You’re good at this, Mr Crewel! Do more, do more!”

Divus easily fell into Vil’s pace, constantly switching and changing up the styles. He wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up loving this child.

“I’m gonna grow really tall and look really pretty so I can model too!” Vil declared, puffing out his chest.

 _“Ah, if only he knew…”_ Divus thought with a smile. “I know you can do it. You can do anything you set your mind to. Don’t worry about how long it takes, what matters is that you get there on your own terms.”

Vil looked up at him, a smile greeting him. He gave Divus a hug, making him flustered.

“You’re so kind to me, Mr Crewel. Thank you.”

Crewel chuckled nervously, giving him a response. The things he’d do to protect Vil were steadily growing.

“Mr Crewel, didn’t you say I was unwell? That I needed a remedy?” Vil piped up.

Oh. That.

“Did I? Adults get their words mixed up all the time. You’re fine.”

“Really? Then… can we do more?”

“Yes! But first…”

Vil turned, hearing students outside the room.

•

Vil silently did worksheets while Crewel watched over him. Was it wrong of him to do this? Was it wrong of him to want Vil to keep the light in his eyes, untainted by what poisoned him into the teen he was?

“Mr Crewel, I’m finished!”

Crewel took a look, nearly dropping his coffee. Even young, Vil was a brilliant student. Vil patiently waited for praise.

“Spectacular work, Vil. Aren’t you a budding genius?”

Vil relished in the head rubs, his cheeks now with a faint blush.

“Mr Crewel…”

“Hm? What’s up, Vil!” asked Divus.

“Can… can I stay with you? Forever?” Vil asked, his blush more visible.

Oh no. He didn’t think things would progress this far. He would’ve said yes in a heartbeat if it weren’t for the fact Vil was not a child anymore.

“Vil… Why don’t we talk about it later, okay? Let’s have some fun instead.”

“Can we do a fashion show like yesterday?”

“Of course, little one.”

Vil excitedly took off while Divus stayed behind. Now was probably the best time to turned him back before anything else developed between them.


	452. Vil + Neige: A surprise is nice once in a while

Neige sat on Vil’s bed, watching him try on clothes. He never asked for his opinion. He wanted to give an opinion.

“I-”

“Papa!”

Neige went silent, watching Vil scurry out the room. He just wanted to give his opinion just once. Why did Vil never ask him? Vil came back looking peeved.

“You disturbed Papa didn’t you?” Neige said softly.

“His door was open so it wasn’t my fault. Whatever, I’m done anyway.”

“You’re not going to try on clothes anymore?”

“Isn’t that what I just said? Honestly, are you slow?”

Neige puffed out his cheeks, only wanting to understand everything. Sometimes it felt like… No, he was overthinking it. Vil promptly left the room, Neige following behind.

“Do you need something?”

“Well, no-”

“Then don’t follow me. It’s weird…” Vil said before heading downstairs.

Neige watched him, standing at the top of the stairs. Ah. He remembered now, his place in the household. Their mother was hardly home, their father was doing his best and Vil was already doing great things in school. And him?

_“All he does is follow him around.”_

_“No life, no life!”_

_“You can’t even stand up for yourself with Vil!”_

_“I don’t want to be associated with you…”_

His grip on the banister tightened as he but down hard on his bottom lip. And him? Nothing. His place was nothing. He quietly turned around, heading to his room and locking himself in.

Vil hummed as he used his computer. He glanced towards the stairs before focusing on the screen again. Why was he such a shadow kid? He wasn’t going to get anywhere if he keeps acting like that. It was perfect teasing fuel too. The video started playing, capturing his attention.

•

The door opened, Vil’s stepmom entering.

“You’re not going to greet me?” she asked, putting on her slippers.

“I have homework to do.” lied Vil, taking his laptop upstairs.

“I honestly wish your mother took you with her.” she fussed, knowing he’d hear her.

Neige poked his head out, seeing Vil enter his room before semi slamming it shut. He walked out, seeing his mother walking up the stairs.

“Neige, my child.”

Neige gave her a hug before looking at Vil’s closed door.

“Don’t worry about him. You’re the favorite child anyway. So tell me about your day.” she said, ushering him into the room.

“You’re home. Why didn’t you say you were coming?”

“A surprise is nice once in a while, right?”

“I know you’re busy but I’m busy too! Plus we have sons to look after!”

“I keep telling you to hire someone.”

Neige listened as they argued in hushed voices. He quietly left, making a beeline for Vil’s room. He closed the door behind him, Vil using his laptop.

“Vil…”

Vil didn’t say anything, seemingly scooting over on his bed. Neige climbed onto the bed before lying down next to him.

“…so you’re doing that again!”

“It’s the only way you’ll listen!”

Vil glanced at Neige who grabbed hold of his shirt.

“Hey, sit up.”

Neige sat up before having headphones put on him. Soft music filled his ears, blocking out their arguing parents. A pleased smile found its way to Neige’s face, his body relaxing. It started to drizzle out.

The door opened, revealing their father.

“Boys, it’s time for bed.”

“We know.”

Vil tilted his head, his father looking as if he had more to say. He suddenly approached them, pulling them into a tight hug.

“I love you boys…” he said softly, stroking their heads.

Neige looked between them, wondering what the hug was all about. Vil took the headphones off, telling him to get ready for bed. The drizzle turned into rain.

Neige looked at Vil, observing him putting creams and lotions on his face. He wanted to try some too.

“Neige, staring is rude.”

“Sorry…” he mumbled, finishing brushing his teeth.

Vil glanced at him before having him face him. Neige momentarily froze, not expecting to feel Vil’s fingers touch his face.

“You should take care of your face too…”

“Mmh.”

Vil pursed his lips before squeezing Neige’s nose.

“Say what you want instead of staying quiet. That’s why they pick on you.” said Vil, washing his hands. “Go sleep.”

“Mmh.”

They went to their respective rooms, getting comfortable under their bedsheets. Vil looked towards the window, fully registering the rain outside. He closed his eyes, hoping to forget and start tomorrow anew. A thunderclap rang, causing Vil to sit up. Now he wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. He turned on his lamp, deciding to do some reading until it passed. Hopefully.

Vil heard his door creak open. He silently lifted his bedsheet, the figure rushing in and jumping onto his bed.

“You make it seem like it’s scary.” Vil said despite quivering himself.

Another clap of thunder sounded, pushing Neige to snuggle closer to Vil. Vil wasn’t sure which one of them was shaking more at this point.

“It’s… it’s going to be okay. It can’t get us from in here.” said Vil, patting Neige’s head.

“But, it’s so loud… It feels like-”

Neige cried out as thunder sounded, much louder than before. He started to weep, making Vil worry. He grabbed his headphones, putting them on Neige. If it worked with the argument, it had to work now. Neige went from tears to calm, seeing he could hear nothing but music. Vil’s body tensed hearing another round of thunder. Neige held his hand, feeling him shaking like a leaf. Vil’s eyes widened, not expecting to hear Neige sing. Then again, he didn’t know he could sing at all.

Neige continued to hold his hands, seeing Vil wasn’t shaking as much as before. Neige’s singing was nice, no, beautiful. It really drew you in, making you forget where you were and everything around you. Neige let out a yawn, trying not to fall asleep. He found his head resting against Vil’s stomach. Now he was really getting tired.

Vil pulled the bedsheets over them, taking the headphones off. Neige turned, his small body clinging to Vil’s. Vil set his phone to continue to play music, hoping to drown out some of the thunder for Neige.


	453. Pomefiore: Will this fit

Epel checked the time. There was still some time before curfew. Knowing Vil he’d get on his case the second he saw him. Would he need it? A few minutes passed before Epel decided. He got out of bed before seeing he only had three minutes.

The halls were empty as he made his way down to the kitchen. He wasn’t too surprised considering everyone went all out for Halloween. Two minutes. Epel finally arrived at the kitchen, stepping in. He paused almost immediately, seeing a person.

“Vil? What’s he doing up late…?” Epel thought as he silently watched him. “He’s still in costume t-”

Horror filled Epel’s face as he saw Vil drink a cup of dark liquid. No. He was seeing things. He looked again. Epel fled for his life. Their dorm leader swore the entire day he wasn’t a vampire yet look at him now. He knew it was fishy that Vil looked so good yet claimed to only actually taken care of his body.

Rook and his roommates looked as Epel burst into his room in tears. Rook gave them an apologetic smile.

“What’s wrong little apple? Is Vil bullying you again? Wait, it’s curfew. Why are-”

“VIL IS A VAMPIRE! I SAW IT!” Epel screeched, crying into Rook’s lap.

“I think someone has been watching too many monster shows late at night.” Rook chuckled, patting Epel’s back.

“I thought I heard- Epel!”

Epel squeaked, hiding on the other side of Rook’s bed. Vil gave Rook a look to which he only smiled in response.

“Epel Felmier, why aren’t you in your room?”

“Well, just before you came in, he was explaining the story to me as to why he was out of his room after curfew.” Rook said, glancing towards the shaking freshman. “Our little apple thinks you live off of blood.”

Vil crossed his arms, clearly not pleased.

“Is he stupid or stupid?” Vil mumbled, walking over to where Epel hid. “Epel, get up. You’re too old to be acting like this.”

“Vil, don’t act like things don’t scare you like this.” Rook scolded.

Epel looked at Vil who avoided eye contact. Vil got scared of things too? Really? He relaxed some, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Anyway, I don’t know where in the world you got such an idea from. We were together the entire day.”

“But in the kitchen… you…”

“I what? Spit it out.”

“I saw you drinking blood!”

Vil looked to Rook who gave him a hopeless look.

“I was drinking juice.”

“Juice? But it was-”

“Juice, Epel. There’s an entire liter bottle in the refrigerator. Honestly, how unsightly to scare yourself.”

Epel was still hesitant. Vil could be lying.

“How about this? Spend the night with me.” Rook smiled.

“Can I?”

“And you too, Vil, to prove to him you aren’t a vampire.”

“Will this fit the three of us…”

“Hm, good call. Let’s go to your room. Let’s go, go, go~!” Rook cheered, ushering them out the room.

•

Epel stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He wasn’t sure if it was because of Vil being a vampire or the fact he was sandwiched between his dorm leaders. He glanced over at Vil who slept soundly and quietly. He looked over at Rook who smiled in his sleep. Weren’t they supposed to make him feel safe? Yet they fell asleep faster than him!

“You’re both terrible dorm leaders…” Epel whispered.

“And you’re a terrible student.”

Epel sat up, staring wide eyed. Vil sat up as well, his eyes feeling as if they were piercing through him. He wasn’t supposed to hear that.

“I-”

“Save it. So, have you confirmed that I’m not a vampire yet?” Vil asked, lying back down.

“No. Vampires can be hurt by Silver, right? And hate garlic!”

Vil sighed, hearing Epel rush off to grab the items. The things he did to help budding potatoes. He deserved an award for putting up with them. Epel came back, placing the silver spoon against Vil’s forehead. Nothing. Not even a flinch. He was good, but he couldn’t possibly resist garlic!

Vil didn’t react much. Epel frowned. Was he really not a vampire…?

“Satisfied?”

“No… but I guess I feel safer. But you could be a rare breed i-”

Epel had a hand put over his mouth, Vil looking irritated.

“Honestly, just lie down and sleep. Having an overactive imagination can be dangerous…”

Epel lied down as Vil turned his back to him. He closed his eyes, hoping the silence would lull him to sleep. It wasn’t working. As if sensing his distress, Vil turned, pulling him close.

“I heard heartbeats make good lulling sounds.” he whispered.

Epel pursed his lips, listening to Vil’s heart. Within a few minutes he had fallen asleep.


	454. Diasomnia: Dad, Stop! You’re Embarrassing Me

“Father-”

Silver stopped in his tracks, seeing Lilia had taken _that_ out again.

“Oh, Silver. I, uh, I didn’t see you there.”

“Father, don’t-”

Lilia snapped his fingers, the book disappearing instantly. Now he was done for. Lilia wiped his face, giving Silver a smile.

“I promise I won’t do anything.”

“You said the last sixteen times.” Silver groaned.

“I can’t help it! I just want everyone to know what an adorable baby you were!”

“How is telling them about me vomiting adorable!?”

Lilia batted his lashes, giving him puppy eyes. No. He wasn’t going to get sucked in again.

“I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” Lilia smiled.

“Okay… I’m trusting you.” Silver muttered, still wary.

•

Kalim sat down, staring him down in the process.

“What…?”

“I was just imagining a little Silver getting a grape stuck in his nose.” Kalim chuckled.

Lilia.

“Oh yeah, Lilia told me they left you behind at the beach because Sebek didn’t tell them he buried you in sand. And you had a lot of sand in hard to reach places.” Kalim said with a thoughtful look.

Silver wanted to disappear. Lilia promised her broke it instantly. Kalim worriedly patted his back, wondering if he said something wrong.

“I had a lot of embarrassing moments as a kid too! Wanna hear them?”

“Yes please…”

It was probably the only way he’d feel better about it. Lilia only told Kalim, right? He looked up, seeing some students glancing at him before giggling. His social life was over.

•

Sebek sat down, noticing Jack get up and start sniffing him.

“So it is true…”

“Eh…?”

“Really Jack?”

Jack nodded, the other three first years bursting into giggles. What was so funny? Why wasn’t he included?

“Let me in on it.” Sebek complained.

“We happened to hear you spray yourself with grape juice everyday because-”

“DON’T SAY IT!” Sebek bellowed, covering Ace’s mouth. How did they hear about it? No one but… “Who told you…”

“Lihleeah.” Ace responded.

The other three nodded. He had gotten hold of _that_ again. He thought they hid it well but clearly not.

“Is it true you’ve got a scar on your butt in the shape of a tree from sliding across the ground?” Epel asked.

“Please, no more.”

“Aw, but I wanted to hear more about you snorting noodles out of your nose.” Deuce whined.

Lilia. They started to tease him, his anger turning into embarrassment.

•

“And then I had to clean up after his ‘big boy’ accident.” Lilia chuckled along with the students. “For the rest of the month he wouldn’t leave my side.”

“Lilia. Seems you’re in high spirits.”

Students shuffled away at the sight of Malleus.

“I am? I feel pretty normal.” Lilia said before seeing two heads poke out from behind Malleus. “Silver, Sebby! Is it serious?”

“Yes, actually. It’s you.”

“Me? Now what did I supposedly do?”

“You’re embarrassing them, Lilia. There are certain things that aren’t meant to be shared.”

“Oh, that reminds of the time you refused to share with another kid then set his hair ablaze!” Lilissud before laughing. “It took ages for that hair of his to grow back to normal.”

“Lilia-”

“Speaking of setting things ablaze, remember that time when you got so scared not only did you wet the bed you also burned your pillows?”

Student nearby listened as Lilia went on and on about the three of them. They really were powerless against him when he got into his mood. They hurried off, no longer wanting to be the center of attention.


	455. Diasomnia: Baby Magic

Silver made noises as Malleus watched over him. He said he’d be stepping out for a moment yet it’s been an entire day. He was thankful Silver hadn’t really noticed since he was more attached to Lilia than he.

“Ah, I’ll take that. Play with this.”

Silver took it before putting it in his mouth. Malleus fought with him to keep it out. The door opened, a figure stepping into the room.

“Hm? Did you say something?” asked Malleus, having heard a small cry.

Silver was immersed in his own world. He heard it again.

“What is- Lilia!”

Lilia waved, carrying something in his arms. It was so small. Lilia knelt down, revealing what he was holding.

“Another one!?”

“I couldn’t just leave him there.” Lilia muttered, looking down at the baby. “The poor thing…”

“Are you sure though? We already have Silver… Hey, don’t eat that!”

Silver laughed, putting it back in his mouth. Malleus took it, now frustrated.

“Well, Sebek will be a change of pace, hm?” Lilia smiled, set on keeping both.

Malleus sighed, looking at the wriggling baby in Lilia’s arms.

“So… What’s, Sebek was it? Yeah, Sebek’s story.”

“Hm… After giving birth, his mother ran. Days later they found her dead. His father so distraught with her death eventually killed himself. So that left little Sebby here by himself. At least, that’s what they told me.” Lilia said, tickling Sebek. “Either way, he won’t remember any of it growing up so, let’s keep it that way.”

Malleus looked at Sebek who smiled at Lilia’s cooing and gentle touch. He didn’t expect him to look so precious. His attention was back on Silver as he felt something wet all over his hand.

“Silver!”

Silver smiled, rendering Malleus lame. Lilia chuckled, seeing there was never going to be a dull moment after this.

•

“Lilia- Ow!”

Silver laughed, continuing to pull on Malleus’ hair.

“I can’t! I’m still changing Sebek!”

“Why you…!”

Silver crawled away, avoiding capture. Silver was such an easy newborn yet the moment he turned one…

“Aha! Huh?”

Silver had appeared on the other side of the room. So he did have magic. He continued to chase after Silver while quelling his baby magic.

“I’m he…” Lilia announced, seeing the room turned upside down.

Silver sat calmly on Malleus’ lap, playing with a plush truck.

“Two words. Baby magic.”

Lilia gasped, feeling his eyes water. So Silver did have magic. He was so worried that he wouldn’t have any.

“Well, that explains the room… Ah, let’s switch. Sebek should be easier since he can’t move around or use magic. Yet.”

They successfully switched, Malleus finally getting a break. Sebek looked up at him before earning cute giggles and blubbering. His heart melted once more.

“I’m glad Lilia brought you home.” whispered Malleus, kissing his forehead.

Sebek shrieked loudly in delight, startling everyone in the room. Lilia and Malleus exchanged looks before bursting into laughter.


	456. Kingscholars: First in the lineup…

“And… done!”

“Oh? And no mistakes either. You truly are a queen.” Farena smiled, finding himself falling head over heels.

“Spare me the bedroom eyes. We don’t have much time before the tournament.” Nikita said, ushering him to get ready.

“Is the babysitter here?”

“Yep. Arrived ten minutes ago.”

Farena turned, noticing something was off. Then he saw it.

“Niki, hold still a moment.”

“Hm?”

Farena hid her straps that were peeking out.

“I didn’t even notice… Thanks, Fara.”

“Hey, it’s what I do.” he chuckled heartily.

Nikita checked the time before pushing him out. They were really going to be late if they didn’t leave now.

•

Nikita held hands with Farena as they walked down the side street leading to the coliseum. Farena noticed Nikita was staring an awful lot at a certain booth.

“Niki, just go.”

“But-”

“Go.”

She let go of his hand, her tail waving excited as she headed over. Farena checked the time, seeing they still had a few minutes before the opening speech. Nikita happily bounced over, promptly feeding him.

“What… what is this?” Farena asked, finding it awful chewy.

“It’s sugared jelly bites made using…” said Nikita, going into detail.

“F- Fur from a rabbit?” Farena coughed, looking at her wide eyed.

“Mhm. It gives it that extra chewy texture! Want another?”

“I’m good.” he declined quickly.

They entered the coliseum, taking their seats with the other important people.

“Hm? I don’t see Leona…” Nikita muttered, alerting Farena.

“Really? I could’ve swore I saw him down there. Maybe we aren’t looking hard enough.”

Their senses went off, feeling something amiss, they moved just in time as people started rising to their feet. What was going on? People started filing down, heading towards the students. Chaos ensued within the coliseum as people found themselves helpless to stop their bodies.

“Is Leona down there!?”

“No. Now that I’m looking, I don’t see a lot of people from his dorm. Maybe we should go look for him or at least ask some of the students.”

Nikita nodded in agreement, the two of them hoping Leona was okay.

•

They finally arrived in Savanaclaw after being steered in the wrong direction by Savanaclaw students. They took in their surroundings, finding it awfully dark.

“Is… is that what I think it is?” Farena whispered, Nikita following his gaze.

The ominous presence and slight sight of a spirit was enough to convince them. Someone up there overblotted. They hurried up, hoping they weren’t too help to help.

Just as they arrived, the dark air dispersed, revealing the light it had hidden.

“Leo!?”

Nikita held him back, looking at the students surrounding him.

“Let’s meet them at the infirmary.” she said, reluctant to take her eyes off of Leona.

“If you think that’s best…”

•

They entered the infirmary, seeing Leona lying down with another student. Farena was instantly by his side while Nikita took her time. Leona overblotted, but why? Knowing him he wouldn’t tell them directly. Maybe they could ask the other student.

“Excuse me, are you awake?”

“T- The Kingscholars…”

“Don’t worry about formalities. I’d just like to ask something about Leona. We happened to see him in an overblot state and we’re wondering how and why.”

Ruggie instantly spilled, feeling weak under Nikita’s gaze. He finished explaining, seeing ikita nod in understanding. He didn’t think Leona’s brother and sister-in-law would come, especially since they were usually busy.

“Your son… He didn’t come?”

“No, he’s being babysat. We need him to focus on his studies a bit more.”

Leona opened his eyes, jerking away from Farena. The two started up, Leona pushing Farena away while Farena only wanted to comfort his little brother. Nikita chuckled a bit, glad to see Leona was well if he was holding Farena back.

“We heard it all from this young hyena here. I can’t say much since I married in but, even if you can’t be king of Afterglow, you could be a king in other ways. I just hope you give yourself a chance to find it.” said Nikita, ruffling his hair.

Leona kept silent, knowing better than to challenge her.

“Really… I feel like a failure of an older brother. I thought I was doing enough for you.”

“You made things worse.” Leona spat. “Leave me alone.”

“Don’t talk to Farena like that, especially since we came all this way to see you play and win. Honestly Leona, what in the world were you thinking?”

Leona was silent again. Nikita sighed, seeing he wasn’t going to talk. She wasn’t going to force him, but things were going to have to be talked about someday.

“Well, judging from his stunt I doubt he’ll be able to play…”

“Actually, we are. _They_ insisted we rest some though despite our protests.” Ruggie piped up.

“Really? Night Raven sure is something…” Nikita muttered. “Then, we’ll be awaitng your amazing plays.”

Nikita tore Farena away from Leona, not wanting to miss anything.


	457. Schoenheits: Try not to break it

Vil waved to his mother before heading off with his father. He was always interested in what his father did and wanted to learn more about it.

“Not excited to be with your old man today huh?”

“That’s not it. I’m just thinking.” Vil replied, seeing they were getting closer to a building. “Is that it?”

“Yep. The entire place is ours for filming.”

Vil nodded, the two of them entering. People instantly started greeting his father, often trying to talk and touch him. Naturally he moved from their touch range and responded to their greetings.

“So, what are you filming today?” asked Vil.

“You’ll find out.”

Vil pursed his lips watching his father head off. He started looking around set, asking people what each thing did. They were surprised to see a young child showing interest in things like this. He really was Mr Schoenheit’s kid.

“So this is supposed to be easy to break?” Vil asked, picking up a chair.

“Yep. But try not to break it. We need it for a later scene.”

Vil gently placed it back down before noticing other props. He picked up a sword, starting to swing it around. The adults watched in awe, seeing he was surprisingly good. Talent ran in the family huh?

“Ah, your father is about to start. Let’s go watch.”

Vil placed the sword back, heading over with them. So this was what acting was. It was more than just taking on a role, it was becoming that role and understanding how the character thought and felt and showing it to the audience. Vil was struck with awe.

“Action!”

Vil watched his father fight with a monster and it seemed like he’d win. Until he didn’t. Vil stood up, watching his father get eaten right in front of his eyes. Why wasn’t anyone doing anything? Vil couldn’t fight back his tears as his father was swallowed by the monster. The director had called out cut, Vil’s crying disturbing the filming. Vil’s father poked his head out, seeing Vil was the source. He quickly got out, heading over to Vil.

“Vil, Vil! Are you okay?”

“Daddy…? You’re… you’re okay?” Vil sniffled, his tears still falling.

“Yes, I’m fine. See? No ouchies.”

Vil sniffled, letting his father wipe his tears.

“No one did anything when it ate you…” Vil mumbled, holding the hem of his shirt.

“Ah, let me explain.”

Vil listened as his father explained special effects and how technology is used in certain cases like this.

“So… you were okay the entire time?”

“Mhm. I would never do something dangerous if it meant I wouldn’t get to be with my son and Mommy ever again.”

Vil hugged his father, his tears falling once more. Mr Schoenheit apologized to everyone, seeing it’d take a bit longer to fully calm Vil down. The director allowed everyone to take a little break so Vil could be taken care of.


	458. Neige + Vil: Get to the root of it

Neige fluffed his hair, the sound of excited muffled voices filling his ears. So they made it to the finals after all. He wasn’t surprised, seeing Vil was on the team. The rest were, how could he say it nicely? Passable.

“Neige!”

“Hi! What’s up?”

“Just wishing you good luck! I know you’ll win this!”

Neige giggled, thanking his schoolmate before they hurried off, leaving behind flowers. Of course he would win, he was Neige LeBlanche. Everyone who could see and hear knew of him. He wasn’t worried in the slightest. He looked up, hearing Vil’s team coming back in.

“So, are you ready for the finals later?” he asked sweetly.

“As ready as we’ll ever be. Ugh…” Ace groaned, melting in his seat.

They weren’t given much time to rest as Vil wanted them to be in top shape. Neige silently watched them rehearse a bit, taking the time to analyze each of them. Vil let them go. He’d have to hang out with each to get a full analysis of them.

•

“Hey!”

“N- Neige! Hello!”

“So, you’re Deuce right?”

“You know my name!?” Deuce squeaked.

“They did introduce you.” Neige smiled. “So, what’s it like being on Vil’s team?”

Deuce started spilling everything, seeing this as a chance to get closer to Neige. Neige picked out the important parts, a loud ringing going on in the back of his mind.

Epel.

That was it. Neige thanked Deuce before heading off to find him. He was confident he’d win, but it wouldn’t hurt to ensure his win either. He hurried back to the room, having a great idea of how to deal with the weakest.

•

Epel sighed, looking at everyone having fun. He wasn’t. He wanted it be over and done with. As much as he could use the prize money, was it worth slowly losing his patience and sanity?

“Hi!”

Epel looked up, seeing a bright eyed boy standing before him.

“Epel Felmier, right?”

“Uh huh. And you are… Oh, Neige LeBlanche.”

“The one and only.” he quipped, taking a seat next to him. “Why so glum?”

“I hate this. I don’t want to be all cutesy. The VDC is stupid really…”

“Aw, you’re only looking at it at the surface level!” said Neige before going into detail.

The way Neige put it didn’t make it sound as bad as he initially thought. Maybe he should start looking at other things with different perspectives.

“Hey Epel, do you mind showing me around Pomefiore? I heard it’s really beautiful. Oh, am I allowed to though…?”

“I think so as long as someone’s with you.”

Neige cheered, ushering Epel on. Neige was… surprisingly nice. He expected him to be like Vil. Evil.

•

Neige looked around bright eyed and bushy tailed at Pomefiore. It was all that and then some.

“And this is the patio. It’s has a nice view of… whatever is down there.” said Epel. “So- Neige?”

Epel looked around, seeing Neige disappeared. Did he walk too fast? He started backtracking, calling out Neige’s name.

“I’m over here!”

Epel turned back, seeing Neige hanging out by the edge. A bit too close for his comfort.

“I bet the forest down there is pretty. Have you ever gone?”

“No. I’m not really fond of being here honestly.” Epel sighed.

“Really? I personally like it here. It feels very… me.” Neige smiled. “Oh! I almost forgot. This is for you for being a wonderful guide.”

Epel took the rose, now feeling embarrassed. Did he always smile that brightly? It felt so blinding at times. Epel gave it a sniff, noticing a rich scent.

“Wow, what kind of flower is this?” Epel asked, taking another whiff.

Neige simply smiled, now making him feel unsettled.

“Ne… ige…?”

“Oya? What’s wrong? Feeling a little lightheaded?” Neige asked with big eyes.

Epel felt his world spin as Neige stood there watching. He didn’t understand. What was going? Why was this happening? What was in the flower?

“Goodnight~”

Epel fell to the ground, the flower resting beside him. Neige lifted Epel by his arms before tossing him over the edge. It would definitely make finding him harder, further ensuring his already won victory. Neige hummed in delight, leaving no trace behind.

•

Neige waved as he walked off stage. Vil’s team was in chaos.

“What’s going on?”

“Epel is missing.”

“Eh!? At a time like this?” Neige said, playing the fool.

Rook glanced at him. Neige met his eyes, wondering why he was looking. Rook’s suspicions were quelled.

“Is it not possible to perform without him? I’m not saying you should just leave him out but at this rate… You won’t be able to perform tonight.”

“I’m aware of that. Honestly, why does he decide to do his own thing and not think of others?” Vil fussed, having his team search for Epel.

Neige wished them luck. The moment he was alone, a smile graced his face. They wouldn’t find him in time. By the time they did, Epel would already be making his way to the other side.

Rook held Vil back as the others went ahead.

“What?”

“Do you really think Epel would jeopardize this?” asked Rook.

“He may be dumb but not stupid. Maybe he’s being held up someplace…” Vil guessed. “Let’s meet back here after searching.

They checked booths and the other stages, asking if anyone had seen Epel. More and more it was starting to seem hopeless.

"I’ll check around campus and you head to Pomefiore. Maybe he’s holing up in his room until tomorrow.”

Vil and Rook split once more, Rook heading for Pomefiore. As expected, it was quiet. Would Epel really be hiding out in his room? It didn’t sound like him. He still headed inside anyway.

Vines slowly continued to wrap around Epel, the posion’s side effects kicking in.

“Did you find anything?”

They shook their heads. No one had seen Epel since today’s performance.

“Maybe he’s back in his room?”

“He’s not. Rook just confirmed it.” said Vil, walking over to them. “I don’t want to hear anyone saying he disappeared into thin air because that isn’t possible. He’s somewhere we haven’t looked.”

“But it’s already getting late and-”

Ace quieted down, Vil’s face daring him to say any more.

“I don’t care if it takes us all night, we’re going to find him.”

Vil walked off, making a list of places he hadn’t visited.

“Honestly, can’t we just do it without him?” Ace whined.

“Even if we could, Vil wouldn’t allow it.” said Jamil. “The quicker we find him, the sooner we can rest.”

“Yeah so let’s do our best!” Kalim chimed in.

Ace and Deuce sighed in defeat before walking to search again.

•

Vil muttered to himself as they all sat in the Pomefiore lounge. They had searched just about everywhere for him with no luck.

“You four can go back to your dorms. Rest up for tomorrow.”

“Are we…?”

“We might have to.”

They glanced back at Vil who was still deep in thought. Rook rested his cheek in his hand as he stared.

“You want to search around here again don’t you?”

“Don’t act like you know me.”

“I was only asking. If we’re done, I suppose I’ll head to bed.”

Vil kept him seated.

“Let’s check one more time.”

The two started walking around outside, looking in every place Epel could’ve possibly hidden himself.

“We’ve checked everywhere yet again-”

“No. We haven’t.”

“Hm?”

Rook followed Vil before seeing him standing by the edge, looking out at the forest.

“Do you really think he’d go down there? It’s easy to get lost.” Rook muttered, looking down.

“He’s complained nonstop about the VDC. I’m sure he’d be elated to get lost in there. Let’s go.”

They took the path down, creating light so they could navigate around.

“How far in do you think he went?”

“We’ll find out won’t we?”

Rook hung back, taking note of his surroundings. Broken branch. Marks in the dirt.

“Vil.”

“What?”

Rook gestured for him to come over before pointing to the broken branch.

“Something heavy had to have broken it.”

“It was probably old and some wildlife broke it. Come-”

“So wildlife created that mark in the dirt?” Rook challenged.

Vil had to admit, it was strange. He didn’t know any animals that could do that. He allowed Rook to lead seeing as he was the only one to find something. Rook suddenly stopped, causing Vil to bump into him. He also shone his light, now seeing what Rook was seeing.

“What is that…?”

“Shall we?”

The two approached, taking note the vines were indeed alive. It lashed out at them, sending them back. Something had to be underneath if it was being protective. Vil used fire magic, hoping to burn them away. Doing so not only had no effect but made it angrier.

“Great. Now what do we do?”

“Hm… Easy. We get to the root of it all!” Rook chuckled.

“Be serious.” Vil mumbled before helping Rook.

The vines continued to attack them as the two worked to dig up the ground around them.

“Aha!”

The vines instantly stopped moving, its core having been crushed. They pulled the vines away, finding Epel hidden within.

“Epel. Epel. Wake up.”

Vil frowned, feeling Epel for a pulse. It was faint.

“This seems to be no accident. Who could want such a delightful apple to be removed from the picture?”

“That’s the other thing we’ll have to figure out. But first… we have to help him.”

•

Rook yawned, trying to stay awake. Vil was working tirelessly to find the source.

“You might as well get some sleep.”

“Non! Every brilliant mind needs an assistant.” Rook said through a yawn. “You will need me and I won’t be able to help if I’m asleep.”

Vil sighed, his tools falling with a clattering sound. None of it was working. He knew of many things yet this escaped him. It was definitely some kind of death like poison, but none of the remedies he knew worked. Was it a new variation? How did it get inside of Epel if it wasn’t through the bloodstream or ingested?

“Rook, have you heard of any new mixture of a death like state poison?”

“Not at all. Why? Is that what’s afflicting him?”

“Yes. I don’t know what was used either… Whoever did this was very thorough. Scarily thorough…”

“Why don’t we get the school nurse involved?”

“We don’t have much of a choice.”

Vil pried the core off, stopping yet another vine infestation. Seeing as they were getting more frequent, Epel was probably getting worse.

•

“That’s all I can really help with…”

“Sensei, you’ve helped tons.”

Vil thanked the nurse before having Rook accompany him.

“So, what do we need?”

Vil wrote down a few items, seeing it would be faster if they split up. The vines were more persistent than ever. How much longer did they have until…? He didn’t want to think about it.

The nurse was finding themselves at a loss. No matter how many they pulled off, another would just appear. They let out a gasp, seeing Epel was getting paler.

“Epel, just hold on a little longer! Vil will be back!”

At least, they hoped.

Vil picked the last flower, hoping Rook found everything in his end.

“Vil!”

“Let’s hurry. I doubt the nurse can fend them off on their own.”

The two burst into the infirmary, the nurse wrestling vines. Vil quickly grabbed things he’d need while Rook kept the vines back. Rook had his magipen slapped out of his hand before being restrained.

“You’re too late.”

The three of them looked wide eyed at the vines that supposedly spoke before Vil rushed over to Epel. It wasn’t fully completed but it was enough to destroy most of the poison. The vines instantly shriveled.

“Epel, you’re okay now.”

The nurse felt Epel for a pulse. Rook awaited the news.

“You did well, Vil.” said the nurse, seeing his body lean forward.

Rook caught Vil in his arms, seeing he fell asleep.

“Sensei…?”

The nurse simply led him out, closing the door behind them. Rook sighed, putting Vil on his back. Vil certainly did do well. That’s why he was the dorm leader of Pomefiore.

“Now the fun part… Finding the criminal.”


	459. Azul + Kalim: If I wasn’t gay, I am now!

“You’re not paying attention, are you…?”

“I am! I just couldn’t ignore this little guy here!” Kalim said cheerily, gently rubbing the bird’s head. “I promise I’ll pay attention this time.”

Azul sighed before going over the instructions again. Kalim listened before noticing his bird friend started getting restless.

“H- Hey! Calm down.”

“Kalim-”

“Wah!”

Kalim bumped into Azul who was clearly displeased with the action and started to fuss. Kalim apologized, not expecting his bird friend to freak out. Azul sighed heavily, seeing it would be best to taste test.

“Here, you first.” Azul said with a frown.

He then tasted some himself. If he was right, it should taste like nectar. His face twisted in disgust. Where did he go wrong? He looked to Kalim before gasping.

“What?”

Azul placed a hand on his head before running his fingers through his hair. Kalim’s eyes grew, seeing it was longer than usual. He then looked at Azul then pointed.

“Your hair is long too!”

“Eh!?”

Other students started looking their way, wondering what all the noise was about. Kalim soon burst into smiles, playing with his hair while Azul didn’t share the same sentiment.

“A reverse, a reverse, a reverse…” Azul muttered, flipping through the book.

The bell rung, signaling the end of class. Kalim frowned, seeing Azul collapse.

“So, we’re stuck with long hair for a while then?”

“Congrats, you get a gold star.” Azul grimaced, pushing the hair out of his face.

Kalim waved, seeing Jamil approached them. Jamil wasn’t sure whether to laugh or laugh hard.

“Jamil, what do you think?” Kalim asked, spinning around.

“It’s… something. I can only assume a mishap happened as Azul Ashengrotto never makes mistakes like this.” Jamil chuckled, thoroughly amused.

“He insisted on keeping a bird nearby when we had an assignment to complete. And as expected, something bad happened.” Azul complained.

“Hey, that’s a bit mean…” Kalim mumbled, rubbing his hands together.

Azul didn’t say anything else, storming out of the room. Jamil told him to head to his next class before following after Azul. Kalim ran his fingers through his hair, not feeling too good.

“Eh, you’re still here?”

“Oh, Silver!”

Silver rubbed his eyes, taking in his new look.

“You look different. It’s nice though.”

Kalim instantly brightened up, showing it off.

•

Kalim turned, feeling someone tap him.

“I really like your hair.”

“Thanks! Silver helped me style it.” Kalim said as he puffed out his chest.

The student looked to Silver who was more focused on staying awake. Kalim bounced his loose ponytail, feeling giddy. A few students posted about it on Magicam, allowing students in other grades to see how majestic Kalim looked.

“Silver. Silver…”

“Huh? Class is over?”

“No, not yet. I was wondering if you’d help me pick a style for later!”

“I suppose…”

•

Jamil continued to laugh at Azul’s misery. It was obvious Azul was enjoying the compliments and was desperately trying to hold back.

“Why don’t you just-”

“Shut it, Viper.”

Jamil shrugged, fine with whatever he did since he already got a kick out of it. Azul searched on his spare time for a reversal. Even if the compliments fueled his ego, he wasn’t going to remain like this.

“Woah!”

“Azul, you look really good!”

Azul was confused as to why they were now going above and beyond what they’ve already started. Jamil held up a mirror. Azul shrieked, seeing his hair had been styled. By who was a mystery. Jamil laughed behind his hand, being the culprit.

“If I wasn’t gay, I am now!”

“Dude!”

Jamil couldn’t hold back his laughter as Azul became flustered by sudden confessions and even bigger compliments.

“You!”

Jamil wiped his eyes, unable to take the red faced Azul seriously.

“You look great.”

“You drive me insane!”

“Wait…!” Jamil called out, clutching his stomach as Azul stormed off.

More students continued to compliment him, causing him to pick up his pace.

•

Kalim smiled happily, receiving compliments about his messy bun. Kalim looked to Silver who was more focused on the book in front of him.

“Silver, how come you won’t bask in the praise? You helped.”

“I don’t particularly care.” said Silver with a sigh. He then met Kalim’s gaze. “You should feel special since I’d usually be by Malleus’ side and not here with you.”

“Aw, Silver!”

Silver’s breath hitched, not expecting Kalim to pull him into a bone crushing hug. Kalim rubbed his head against him before letting go.

“Warn someone next time.” he wheezed.

“Noted!”

Kalim blinked, seeing birds perching themselves on Silver. One became curious and flew over to him.

“Aw, so cute!”

“They flock to you too, huh?”

“Yeah! It’s always fun having them around. It’s a shame I don’t speak their language.” said Jalim with a frown. “But it’s okay! I’ll learn at some point.”

Silver smiled, glad to see he was in high spirits as usual. The look he wore earlier in the day made him feel… queasy.

“Is there something on me?”

“No. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get going.”

“Aw… You aren’t going to stay with me?” Kalim pouted.

“Nope. Have fun.”

“I’ll come with you then!”

“Eh- AH!”

Kalim cheered happily, having climbed onto Silver’s back. Silver exhaled loudly, dropping him. Kalim was clearly displeased but didn’t voice his thoughts.

•

Azul holed himself up in the VIP Room, avoiding the twins as much as possible. They teased him relentlessly to the point he nearly threw hands. He looked up, hearing a knock. It clearly wasn’t one of the twins.

“Hi!”

Azul closed the door in his face.

“Azul, wait! Jamil helped me and I think we found a cure for this!”

Now he had Azul’s attention.

“Where and what do we need?”

“Uh… What was the name…”

“Kalim.”

“Uh……..”

Azul sighed, having Kalim lead the way. It didn’t matter, as long as he remembered what it looked like. He couldn’t wait to have his short hair back, even if he wanted to bask in all of the compliments like a celebrity.


	460. Night Raven College: Christmas Spirit

Everyone excitedly talked, heading for the Mirror Chamber. They were finally going home.

“Ugh, I can’t wait to stretch out on my bed and do nothing.” Ace groaned.

“Same here.” Deuce agreed.

“I hope you’re all planning to include homework during your relaxation.”

The two felt a shiver go up their spine at Riddle’s cold words. They were so much colder than the temperature outside.

“Hey, what’s with the crowd…?” Cater pointed out.

They looked, seeing a bunch of students standing around. They walked over, wanting to find out.

“Huh? Apparently there’s something wrong with the Mirror of Darkness.”

“No way. That thing is like, invincible!” Cater gasped.

“Yeah well… If it was I doubt we’d be standing out here freezing.” the student huffed.

Everyone soon started asking questions the moment Crowley had stepped out of the main building.

“Everyone, I have news you may not like.”

“Don’t say it…” Ace whispered.

“No one is able to go home this winter break.”

Everyone let out groans and shouts of displeasure. It had to be a trick. Why else would they be kept here? Crowley continued to stand his ground, soon joined by the other teachers who were in agreement. Everyone angrily made their way back to their dorms, messaging and calling family.

“I was really looking forward to my mom’s sweet potato pie…” Deuce whispered, feeling the life drain from him.“

"I seriously unthought I’d get away from crazy Riddle… This sucks ass.” Ace complained.

•

“You said what?”

“No one is able to go home through the means of the mirror. And I doubt public transportation will be an option with the blizzard we’re supposed to have tomorrow.”

“Blizzard? The weather didn’t say that though…”

“You learn with time.”

Vil rolled his eyes, dismissing Rook’s… uniqueness. The more pressing matter was that they were all stuck here until further notice. He couldn’t be stuck here, not when he had so much to do.

“You look tense. Ease up a little. Have something warm to drink.” Rook suggested.

“Do you mind? I want to be alone for now.” Vil said in a soft tone.

Rook left, not expecting to run into Epel.

“Is it true!?”

“If you mean us being stuck here, yes. Yes we are.”

Epel let out a frustrated groan. There was always something going wrong at this school. Rook patted his head, understanding how stressful the situation was. He himself was looking forward to spending his days basking in the savannah sun and finding prey to observe.

“Rook senpai, we can still get home by transportation right?”

“I’m afraid not. Tomorrow isn’t looking good.”

“Huh? But it’s supposed to be sunny…?”

“Trust me.”

Rook walked away, leaving Epel in confusion.

•

Everyone sat indoors as a blizzard raging on outside. Their plans and hopes for going were crushed. It was already tough making it up to campus grounds, so getting down AND hoping a bus or boat would come by was impossible. They were going to spend vacation in the worst place possible.

Kalim looked up, hearing the faint sound of bells jingling. He found the source to be coming from a bat that flew into his room.

“Aw, aren’t you cute! Hm? What’s this…”

Kalim took the envelope, sending the bat off. It was a pretty nice Christmas theme. He opened it, pulling out a card.

“Ho ho ho! It’s your favorite headmaster speaking! It is truly unfortunate my wonderful students are unable to go home this winter break! After hearing your cries for an eventful vacation, I have taken it upon myself to provide you with one for I am so kind! We will host a secret santa event! Your person will be included in the card delivered to you. Other events will also be going on during the secret santa. Happy Holidays!”

The card stopped broadcasting before revealing his person. A smile made itself known as he hugged the card close, squealing in delight. Out of all the boys, he was lucky enough to get him.

“I’ll give him the best present ever!”

“Kalim?”

Kalim quickly sat up as Jamil entered.

“I’m guessing you received one of these?”

“Yeah! A cute little bat delivered it. So who’s your person for secret santa?”

Jamil shifted uncomfortably a bit before handing over his card.

“Oh my god! Congrats! What are you gonna give R-”

“Shh! Not so loud!” Jamil fussed as he clamped a hand over Kalim’s mouth. “I don’t really know yet… He’s… unique.”

Kalim laughed, finding that pretty true.

•

Leona tossed the card away, not interested. He was just glad he didn’t have to go home. It would be nonstop noise from the squeaky furball along with his brother and sister-in-law barking in his ear. His plan was to do at most a minimum.

“Leo- Oh. Should’ve known.”

“And you’re here because?”

“Just seeing if everyone got these card things.”

“Check the trash.” Leona mumbled, turning his back to Ruggie.

“Eh… You really don’t want to do the secret santa when your person is _him_? Leona passing up a chance to impress him. Wait til-”

“You aren’t going to say anything because I could end you right here.”

Ruggie shrugged, placing the card on the table. He’d come around. Maybe. He didn’t have much to give, but he did want to give his person something memorable. Ruggie perked up, seeing Jack shuffling inside.

“Senpais…”

“Don’t bug me.” Leona grumbled.

Ruggie didn’t want to be bothered either but maybe he could make Jack indebted to him.

“I’ll listen.”

“Get out if you’re gonna talk.”

“He’s crankier than usual…”

“It’s just the event. Come on.”

The two moved out, finding a spot to talk.

“I really want to make a good impression but I’m afraid my mouth will speak faster than my mind. You know how I am…” Jack whined.

“Oh? So it looks like we both have Diasomnia guys.” Ruggie pointed out.

“Then, can we plan together?”

“Uh, no. They’re very different. But I can help you. So what you want to do is…”

•

Lilia placed a hand over his mouth, thoroughly amused. The bird had really outdone himself this time. He wouldn’t be surprised if all his students hated him after this.

“Father.”

“Silver. Come, come.”

Silver eagerly sat near him, holding his card.

“Who did you get?”

“Hm. Someone.”

Silver tried peeking but Lilia played keep away with his card. Lilia finally let him see.

“Oh! Isn’t he…?”

“Yep. It’s my lucky day. What about you?”

“Not so lucky. Just some guy from Scarabia.”

“Ah. People you don’t know are hard to shop for.”

Silver nodded, looking at his card. If only…

•

Students wandered around campus, trekking through the snow that the blizzard left behind. More and more students started to see how hard secret santa was and why Crowley gave them an entire week to decide.

“Have you decided?”

“No. I don’t even know this guy!”

“Should I get this? Or this…? I didn’t know!”

“I wonder if this is how family feels buying Christmas gifts…”

Azul hummed, having bought his gift in advance. The secret santa event gave him an excuse to give it without seeming suspicious.

“A-zu-l~!”

Azul groaned with body as a familiar face bounced up to him.

“I’m not helping you, Floyd.”

“I don’t need help. He’s gonna like my gift anyway.”

“Okay… then, why are you within my personal space?”

“Bored. Annoying you sounded like a fun thing.”

“Where’s Jade?”

“He said he was going to give his person his gift.”

“Hm. I’m more surprised you already have a gift more than Jade having one.”

“I don’t like what you’re implying…”

Azul shrugged, not continuing the conversation.

Jade spotted him, hurrying over.

“Hello.”

The student jumped, not expecting it.

“Happy Holidays~” said Jade with a smile, handing over his gift.

The student smiled weakly before walking away. Now that that was done, that only left figuring out who had him.

Students continued to bustle about, some students like Jade giving their presents. Azul took out his gift that was wrapped in custom made wrapping paper. It would definitely make it more unique and meaningful. He looked up at the sound of knocking. He was here.

“What a snazzy room. But what could you possibly want with me?”

“Here, your first gift.”

Azul watched in anticipation as the gift was unwrapped.

“My…! This… I have no words!”

“I figured a hunter like yourself would find these useful.” Azul said with his chest puffed out.

“And my name is engraved on them…? Azul, I…”

Azul panicked, not expecting him to cry. He hadn’t even gotten to the second gift yet.

“I’m fine, I promise. They’re just tears of joy.”

“Well, Rook. About the second gift…”

Rook wiped his eyes, waiting.

“Will you go out with me?” he asked, gripping his arm tightly.

Rook blinked, stray tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Yes… Yes I will…!”

Rook threw his arms around him, holding Azul tight. He loved the first gift, but it was the second one that truly was the most special. They pulled away, Azul drying Rook’s tears. His heart swelled at the thought of them now being official.

Ruggie searched high and low before spotting him. No wonder he had such a hard time, he was constantly moving.

“Yo!”

He turned, seemingly waiting for him to catch up.

“Senpai.”

“You can drop the formalities. So, I got you for secret santa.”

“Oh? And where’s the gift?” he asked with interest.

“The gift is being given a chance to date me. So, whaddya say?”

“Uh… No.”

Ruggie couldn’t hide his surprise. No? Didn’t he…?

“Wait, no? But didn’t we have a connection?” he asked quickly.

“Yes, but… I don’t really see you like that. It’s a little… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Sebek Zigvolt NOT knowing how to explain? God we’re going to be struck by a heat wave next.” Ruggie exclaimed.

He was thoroughly embarrassed to be rejected like this. It was good no one was around.

“Senpai, it’s not that I-”

“Ugh, save it. I’m outta here.”

Sebek frowned heavily, seeing he really hurt his feelings. He couldn’t bring himself to accept, knowing he didn’t mean it. Ruggie was precious to him. He smiled softly. Precious.

•

Vil stood in front of the door, waiting for it to open. He knocked again, checking the time. He really didn’t know what to do with himself now that all his plans were either canceled or put on hold. He wasn’t used to… freedom.

“What.”

“Took you long enough. I’m sure you got word about secret santa.”

“What of it.”

“I’m your secret santa and I have a gift I know you’ll love.”

“Is it Demon Souls!?” he asked, eyes sparkling.

“Uh, no. Something much more valuable.” Vil grinned.

More valuable than a new game? Now he had to hear this.

“I’m giving you the gift of being able to date me. No perquisites. So, how about it, Shroud?”

Idia closed the door in his face. A mix of emotions went through him within the few seconds that he stood there.

“Are you serious? It’s the best gift there is!”

“Yeah, to someone who actually wants to date you. I honestly would’ve preferred if you like, got me candy or something. What a useless gift.”

He wasn’t going to push. That was that. He wasn’t going to get upset or annnoyed by the fact that Idia could talk so big behind screens and doors yet went as limp as a dick when face to face.

Kalim stepped into Heartslabyul, keeping a lookout.

“Kalim senpai!”

“Deucy!”

Deuce immediately blushed at the nickname. How embarrassing. Kalim happily jumped into his arms before smiling wide.

“So, you wanted to see me…?”

“How’s your secret santa going?”

“Ah, well…”

He couldn’t say anything considering Kalim was his person. Kalim looked at him expectantly.

“Great. I uh, finally decided on a gift. I’m really hoping he likes it. I don’t really want to imagine if he doesn’t…”

“I’m sure he will. You’re a great guy. Ah, right. Almost forgot why we’re here.”

Deuce swallowed, trying hard to keep eye contact.

“I’m your secret santa. And I have a gift!”

“You… Really!? I’m your secret santa!”

“That’s so cool! So, should we exchange at the same time?”

“Actually, I don’t have a physical gift…”

“Haha, we’re the same then!”

The two laughed, finding the situation almost too perfect.

“So uh, my gift… my gift is love!” Deuce blurted out before facepalming. “Oh god…”

“Mine is too. Well, more like I want to date you. If you’ll have me?”

“Yes! Yes, very much yes!” Deuce stammered, trying not to mess up again.

Kalim threw his arms around him in utter bliss. Neither wanted to imagine being rejected by the other. Deuce held Kalim tight, afraid he’d wake up from some vivid dream of this.

“I’m not gonna disappear, Deucy, haha. I’m so happy I could burst.” Kalim grinned.

“Me too. So umm, now that we’re a thing…”

Deuce’s eyes widened, not expecting a kiss. Kalim giggled, now giving him a chance to speak.

“Dinner at Mostro tonight…?”

“I’ll pay so get whatever you want.”“

No, no… I at least have to contribute something…”

“I insist.”

“But-”

Kalim gave him puppy dog eyes. He caved instantly.

•

Jack nervously shifted, students passing by wondering if he was okay.

“Jack…?”

“Silver!”

His tail wagged excitedly behind him. His heart was beating wildly. It could go really well or really bad. He really didn’t want the later but…

“What’s up? Need help training?”

“Yes! But umm, not now… See… the event… and me…”

“Jack? You’re really flushed. Should we go to the infirmary?”

“No! I… I really like you and want to go out with you!” he shouted, covering his face.

“Sure.”

Jack peeked from behind his hands. Sure? Did he really mean it?

“But uh, what about the event…?”

“Oh! Uh, I’m your secret santa. And that confession was supposed to be your gift…”

“It’s the best gift.” Silver smiled. “ Thank you, Jack.”

Jack’s tailed wagged more. This was the best day of his life. Silver gave him head pats, loving the happy look on his face. He was sad that he didn’t get Hack as his person, so hearing this really made his week so much better.

Lilia jumped down, startling the person below.

“Lilia senpai.”

“Hello Ace. How’s secret santa going for you?”

“Eh. It’s not exciting. At least the other activities make being here not too bad.” Ace said, sitting up on the grass.

“You are quite the active child so I can understand your plight.” Lilia chuckled. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve approached you.”

“I already know. It’s kind of obvious way this point. So, where’s the gift?”

Lilia silently stared at him, a pleased smile on his face. It could wait a little bit. He wanted to tease him a little more. Ace could see the playful glint in his eye. He was in for trouble wasn’t he?

“How about we play a game? If you win, I’ll tell you what your gift is. And we’ll keep playing until you win. How about it?” Lilia said, knowing Ace would bite.

“Alright, I’ll bite. So what’s the game?”

“Tag. A classic, fufu.”

This wasn’t going to end well.

“I promise I won’t let my feet leave the ground.”

“If that’s the case then… Hyah!”

Lilia easily dodged. Ace continued to lunge, always missing him at the last second. His feet were indeed on the ground so how was he missing him? He kept his eyes peeled as he lunged forward once more.

“AH!”

“What?”

“You’re using magic! You cheater!” Ace huffed. “I should’ve known.”

“Haha, perceptive as always. All right, I’ll let you catch me.” Lilia giggled.

He was joking. Ace knew better. They stood in silence, waiting for the other to make a move. Lilia finally moved, walking over to Ace. Ace placed a hand on his head.

“Got you.”

“I guess I’m caught and now I have to tell you. Your gift is… me.”

“Huh?”

Lilia moved his hand so that he was holding it.

“Somehow you’ve got this old heart of mine running a marathon. Will you date me, Ace? Will you make me a happy man?”

Ace blinked, processing what he just heard. Seriously? Was he really being serious?

“I’m getting a sense that you want to say no but dint know how to.”

“What? No… that’s not… well, maybe…” Ace muttered, pulling his hand from Lilia. “Don’t get me wrong, I love being around you but it’s… Lilia…”

“Don’t worry, I’m not taking it to heart. Just hearing you love being around me is enough.” Lilia said before walking away.

He sighed quietly, not entirely surprised that this was the outcome. Though, it would probably be best if things ended this way. Avoiding the heartache of a parting.

“Lilia!”

He turned, seeing Ace jogging over to him.

“Hm?”

“Will you wait for me?”

“Wait for you? Ace-”

“Please I… I haven’t figured things out yet. I don’t want to lose you but I don’t think I’m ready….”

“Take the time you need, but not too long or else someone else will snatch me up, fufu~”

Ace smiled wearily, hoping it didn’t actually happen.

Riddle pushed his hair back, trying to find his missing book. Where could it have possibly gone?

“Riddle? May I have some of your time?”

“Yeah. Just speak.” he replied, checking underneath his bed.

“I’m you’re secret santa. And I have a gift for you.”

“Jamil has a gift for me? I can’t possibly imagine what it is.”

“I like you a lot, Riddle. And I’m asking you if you’d like to date.”

Jamil heard something loud came from Riddle’s direction. He hurried over, seeing Riddle holding his head.

“Are you okay? How bad does it hurt? D-”

They both blushed at the close proximity. Jamil backed off, hiding his face.

“I’m fine. I’m still trying to find my missing book.”

“Is it this? I found a book lying out on a table.”

“That’s it! Thank you so much!”

Riddle threw his arms around Jamil before realizing seconds later. They sat in silence before Riddle spoke.

“You want to date me? Will you be able to handle me?”

“Not a lot to handle.”

Riddle puffed out his cheeks in annoyance while Jamil laughed. He couldn’t help but give him a kiss on the forehead. Riddle gasped, his face burning.

“Umm, yes.”

“Yes what…?” Jamil asked in confusion.

“I’ll date you… But don’t joke about my height.”

“Anything for you.”

Riddle puffed out his cheeks again, scooting closer to Jamil. He didn’t get Jamil as his person, but they really lucked out, huh? His face heated more, feeling Jamil holding him close. He was definitely going to remember this day forever.

-

Leona swung the door open, startling the single occupant in the room.

“Not surprising you’re in here.”

“I’m just a little tired~ Been doing activities all day, haha.”

They squeaked, not expecting Leona to get up in his face. Leona kissed him, not giving him a chance to speak or react.

“Waaaah…?”

“Do I have to say it again? I didn’t think you were the oblivious type, Diamond.”

Cater was backed up against the wall as Leona was pretty much on top of him.

“Maybe you might have to…” Cater muttered, giving him a look.

Leona give him another kiss, feeling Cater return the gesture. Nothing else needed to be said at this point.

“Ca- Oh.”

They looked, seeing Trey had walked in.

“My bad. I’ll just…”

Trey quickly grabbed what he needed then left. Cater smiled, pulling Leona back into a passionate kiss. He honestly didn’t know why Leona came but whatever it was he was definitely thankful for it.

Trey sighed, calming his heart. He really didn’t expect to see that. He couldn’t help but wonder who had him for secret santa. Was it a friend? Stranger? His crush? He entered the kitchen, going back to working on a cake.

“Trey?”

“Oh, Hayami. What’s up?”

“I was just uh, checking up on you! Making a cake?”

Trey nodded, allowing him to get closer. Now that he thought about it…

“Yami, who’s your person for secret santa?” he asked curiously.

“Umm… You…”

Trey dropped the knife he was holding. Hayami fumbled with it before receiving a cut. The knife clattered to the floor as Trey rushed him over to the sink. Hayami kept his hand under the water while Trey rushed to get a first aid kit. They stood in silence as Trey bandaged his hand.

“I’m sorry…”

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have dropped it… I’m an idiot…”

Hayami shook his head, not letting him take the fault. They went back and forth until they comprised. Hayami rubbed his arm, feeling bashful.

“Well, I’m your secret santa too. I have your gift right over here.”

Hayami watched as he opened the refrigerator before placing a small dessert on the table.

“’Will you go out with me?’ Trey… Yes!” he replied, his fangs showing. “Can I eat it now?”

“Go ahead.”

Hayami split it in half, giving Trey the other. Trey refused but ended up taking it anyway.

Malleus looked up narrowing his eyes. What could he possibly want?

“You aren’t dating anyone, right? Date me.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like how you’re asking.”

“So what?”

“Then forget it.”

Malleus got up from his seat, walking away. It was pretty obvious Floyd was crushing on him, but he could at least show some tact when asking.

“I don’t like that you’re walking away from me.”

“Then ask properly. Just who do you take me for?” Malleus scolded.

“I don’t wanna. I’ll ask how I want.” Floyd argued back.

“You’re impossible.”

“Just do it. You’re being annoying.”

“And so are you.”

They glared at each other despite still walking together. Would it kill him to just ask properly? Would it?

“Date me.”

“No.”

“Date me.”

“No.”

“Fine, be that way. I don’t even like you.” Floyd grumbled.

“That’s a lie and you know it. Just ask properly!” Malleus yelled.

Malleus covered his mouth, not expecting it. He pursed his lips as he turned and left. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like he wanted to be out in the open with him. That he wanted to show affection in public sometimes.

“Sea Dragon.”

Malleus stopped, feeling his face heat up. Floyd knew better than to use that nickname out in public. He fanned his cheeks before Floyd entered his sight.

“Will Prince Malleus Draconia do the honor of dating me?”

“Now hearing that sounds weird… But I suppose I could since you asked so formally.” Malleus said, wanting to tease a bit.

“You’re so hard to please.”

“And you’re too much to handle.”

They silently glared before walking in silence together. It was a familiar sense of comfortability they had come to know.

-

Epel ran around, searching high and low. He didn’t know if it was true but he didn’t want to take chances. This was his only moment, his only chance. He frantically asked people, hoping they could help him find Jade. He took a seat on a bench, needing a breather.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

Epel opened his eyes, seeing a smiling face. He instantly went red in the face.

“I- I- I… Hello!”

Jade chuckled, finding it simply adorable. He sat next to Epel, sending his heart rate skyrocketing.

“So, did you need something?”

“Yes! Please, have this!” Epel said, holding out a letter. “It’s uh… uh… your gift…”

“Are you saying you’re my secret santa?”

“Yeah…” he squeaked out.

Jade started to read, his smile never wavering. It suddenly disappeared. That was probably bad. He tightly gripped his thighs, waiting for an answer.

“Don’t be stupid. Ask me directly.” Jade said seriously, ripping the letter to pieces.

Epel felt his soul leave his body. He worked so hard on it. The whole point was for him to avoid speaking. He wasn’t going to survive asking face to face. Jade patiently waited as Epel tried collecting his thoughts.

“J- J- Jade… w- will you go out with m- m- me…? Please?”

“Begging?”

Epel covered his face. He couldn’t do it. Jade woulld never be happy with how he asked. He soon heard laughter coming from his side.

“I’m only messing around. I’d love to, Epel. You’re cute.” Jade smiled, patting his head.

Epel teared up before bawling. Jade gave him comfort, not expecting his joke to hurt that bad. Just enough. Epel cried into his chest, not sure if they were sad or happy tears.

“Sorry. I’ll be a little nicer.”

“Okay…” Epel whispered, rubbing his face into Jade’s chest.

Jade sighed, seeing it’d be a while before they could move.


	461. Ruggie + Idia: Put this tube through this gaping hole?

Ruggie hissed, nursing his hurt finger. He narrowed his eyes, seeing Idia didn’t even glance his way. He had the nerve to ask him for help then treats him like this.

“Wow, if you’re ever a boss of your own employees, they’re all gonna quit day one.” Ruggie said, searching around Idia’s room for a first aid kit. He couldn’t find one which wasn’t surprising. He never left his room. “I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going? Are you finished?” Idia asked, clearly not having been paying attention.

Ruggie rolled his eyes, leaving the room. Idia fully turned, seeing Tuggie left. How could he just leave without finishing? Ruggie would do anything for money so why was he giving up on this? He couldn’t find help so late. Ortho. He was about to call for him only to remember he was busy helping the faculty.

Ruggie entered the room again, seeing Idia was working on it himself. Now he was confused.

“Idia, that’s my job.”

“Huh? I thought you left.”

“Sorry for putting my health first this time.” grumbled Ruggie. “Now are you going to let me do my job?”

“Lmao who are you to take that tone with me? I’m paying _you_. I can replace you.”

Ruggie was silent. He sat by the machine, seemingly waiting for instructions.

“Sorry. You can take over again.” Idia said, moving back to his seat.

The two worked in silence, awkwardness hanging in the air.

“So, spineless lion…”

Ruggie couldn’t help the chuckle that left his mouth.

“Intelligently dumb pussy.”

Another chuckle.

“Limp dick kitten.”

A loud snort.

“Second rate in everything he does.”

Idia couldn’t hold back his laughter as Ruggie holler and rolled around in the floor. They quieted down, comfortability settling between them.

“So, am I supposed to put this tube through this gaping hole?” Ruggie asked.

Idia looked before rolling his eyes. Funny, but immature. Feeling satisfied, Ruggie connected the final wires before alerting Idia.

“And… done. It should work. And if it doesn’t then I’m blaming you.” said Idia, joining him on the floor.

“So, same target?”

“Same target.”

•

The plan was simple. Ruggie interacted with him as normal while he tested the machine on him.

“What-”

Ruggie glanced in Idia’s direction, noticing Leona’s scowl was disappearing. He wasn’t smiling. Did they make a mistake?

“Hey, Ruggie.”

“Huh?”

“I’m feeling pretty good today. Here.”

Ruggie’s eyes widened, not expecting to be given madol. Leona walked away, leaving him stunned. Idia came out of hiding, waking Ruggie from his daze.

“Let’s follow him around for a bit.”

“Right…”

Leona greeted students with a smile. Naturally they were creeped out. Leona being nice? Smiling? Actually wearing his uniform properly? No way. They rubbed their eyes, hoping they were imagining it. They weren’t.

“Hey, Rook!”

Rook was startled. He wasn’t used to this kind of cheeriness.

“Leona, are you all right?”

“Never better. Say, we have lab tomorrow right? Partners?”

“Oui! I’d be happy to!” Rook grinned, fascinated by this sudden change.

Idia and Ruggie exchanged looks, seeing it was a success. They continued to tail Leona. It was becoming more and more entertaining seeing students’ reactions to Leona’s happy demeanor.

“And what’s so funny?”

They froze, knowing that voice. They glanced at each other silently communicating.

“Well, Idia made a self deprecating joke. It was pretty funny.” Ruggie said, feeling Idia move behind him. “And what has Riddle Rosehearts roaming around? Don’t you study and study more?”

“For your information, I know how to have fun. I just don’t get many chances because of my studies.” Riddle huffed.

“Right…”

Riddle looked around them, noticing students were acting strange. He started to look more, noticing Leona down the hall. His eyes widened, seeing Leona high five a student. He turned to them to ask only to see they disappeared.

“You almost got us in trouble with Riddle.” Idia hissed.

“Ha? You’re a dorm leader too. Act like one and stand your ground.” Ruggie snarled.

“You know damn well what I can and can’t do!”

Ruggie gave him a nasty look then walked away. Idia huffed, going back after Leona.

•

Jack stared wide eyed as Leona happily chatted with him during lunch. He didn’t know what had gotten into Leona and it was starting to freak him out.

“Jack? Is something up?”

“Uh… why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you being so… nice? And happy? It’s weird.”

“I’m acting normally.”

This was anything but normal. Idia continued to observe and take notes of Leona’s behavior in case of any side effects. He turned to talk to Ruggie only to remember their disagreement. It didn’t feel as fun without him now that he noticed.

Idia turned, seeing Ruggie squeezed next to him.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry too.”

Idia showed him his notes, catching him up to speed. He looked up, seeing Leona was missing. He alerted Ruggie, the two of them carefully looking around for him.

“Hey, use your nose. You’re a dog right?” Idia suggested.

“You really love ticking me the fuck off don’t you?”

Idia simply smirked in return. Ruggie sniffed around, leading Idia around. They finally spotted him going through the courtyard. They hurried after him needing to see the extent of the machine.

•

Ruggie entered Leona’s room, it being part of his usual routine. He stopped in his tracks, seeing Leona’s room was clean. Did someone take his job? Leona came out, waving with a smile.

“Uh…”

“What are you doing here? Need help? Advice?”

“No. Just to clean but…”

“Clean? Now why would you do that? I’m old enough and responsible enough to do this myself. I may be privigled but I can still do minor things like this.” Leona said cheerily, his tail waving excitedly.

“What? Does this mean I won’t get paid? We had a deal…” Ruggie said, exaggerating his sullen expression.

“Oh! Oh no, no. Come, I’ll still pay you for today. But if you ever need madol just ask me. I have enough.”

Ruggie turned, hiding his smirk and laughter. He turned back around, heading over to claim his money. He then had a thought.

“Hey, do you mind repeating what you just said?” asked Ruggie, his phone recording.

“Hm? I said if you need money just ask. I’ll give it to you no questions asked. Was that it?”

“Exactly that… shi shi shi…”

Leona tilted his head, not entirely sure what was funny. He held out madol to Ruggie when a weird feeling went through his body. Ruggie took the madol just as the effects of the machine wore off. Leona blinked rapidly, trying to reorient himself.

“Ugh, my head is fucking killing me… Did you do something?”

“Now why would I do that? You already know I’d be lost without you.” Ruggie said with a shrug. “Anyway, I’m done cleaning so pay up.”

Leona looked around, seeing he was right. He tossed madol over, crawling into bed to sleep off the weird headache. He didn’t expect it to work but he got paid twice for doing nothing at all.

Idia was alerted to someone by his door. He allowed them in, unable to take his eyes off the screen.

“So?”

“Lasted 12 hours.”

“Nice. I don’t really have a need for it so you can keep it.”

Ruggie plopped down onto his bed, getting comfortable. Did he really want it? It was nice getting paid for doing nothing. And it was nice not having to be his fetch it boy. Maybe he would take it off his hands. It was pretty compact and could be hidden.

“All right. Wait, do I have to pay?”

“I should make you pay, but today is exchange enough.”

“Huh, I guess you can be a decent guy.”

“You’re one of the few people I like. Everyone else is super annoying to deal with, especially those really outgoing ones. God I wish I could just mute them.” Idia fussed before going on a rant. “And don’t get me started on those stupid rich kids.”

Ruggie silently listened, seeing Idia’s anger was fueling his gaming. And turning his hair red.

“Ice cold.” he said.

Idia took a few deep breaths, his hair returning to normal. It was code word to signal Idia was getting too heated. He paused his game, raising a controller. Ruggie immediately pulled over a chair, knowing exactly what Idia wanted.

“What if we used the machine on him tomorrow?” Idia asked.

“Not sure. Seemed like he had a headache after it wore off. Let’s wait yeah?”

“Hm, a headache. Sounds like more tinkering is needed. Will you lend a hand, my partner in crime?”

“One, don’t sound so affectionate. Two, yes.”

They high fived, focusing their attention on the game.


	462. Japel: False emergency

Vil checked the time, seeing he was taking his sweet time. He had things to do and waiting wasn’t one of them.

“Vil!”

Vil narrowed his eyes.

“Speaking informally.”

He straightened up and cleared his throat.

“Vil senpai.”

“So, why did you call me way out here, Jack?”

“Well, no one would bother us out here and I know your time is precious…” Jack mumbled, shifting his weight. “There was something I wanted your advice on.”

“Go on.”

“So umm… there’s someone I really like… you know, a crush… seeing his face gets me all hot and nervous. His hair is so soft even though he uses the cheap stuff!” Jack exclaimed.

It was impossible to miss the frantically moving tail behind Jack. It was cute when he was little and still cute now. Vil gave him head pats, making Jack blush from embarrassment.

“So, what do you want advice on?” asked Vil curiously. “Actually, who are we talking about?”

“Epel. I’m not sure what kind of things he’d like to be complimented on. I know he’s really insecure about his body…” Jack said, rubbing his neck. “I want to get him a gift too but I don’t want him to think it’s pity or anything because of his financial situation…”

Jack listened as Vil gave him advice. He took notes, wanting to remember everything.

“And really, just be yourself. It’s clichè, it’s always said but honestly it’s better than pretending to be someone you’re not. It’ll catch up to you faster than you think.” Vil stressed. “So, about the gift. Something special to both of you. Maybe something from an inside joke or a memorable moment.”

“I see. Oh! I just had a great idea. Ah, I’m feeling much more confident now. You’re always such a great help, Vil!”

Vil let the informality slide as Jack hugged him tight. Seeing Jack happy was enough.

“So, when are you going to confess?”

Jack silently thought. That was a good question. How would he do it? Jack walked off muttering to himself.

•

Vil was about to enter his room when someone suddenly ran up to him.

“Vil… senpai.”

“Felmier. What do you need?”

Epel scratched his head, avoiding eye contact. It was embarrassing to bring up, but he didn’t know who else would be better to talk to than Vil.

“I could use some advice…”

“Hm… I suppose I can. Though if it’s about school work, all I can say is take breaks when you study. Focus on parts that give you trouble and ask for help.” Vil said, waiting to see if that was it. Epel didn’t give any kind of confirmation. “Is it not that?”

“No. It’s uh… some… r- ro… rom… r- romance…” Epel said, not used to using sappy terms. “Yeah, that… Someone mature like you would know best, right…?”

Vil mulled it over before motioning for him to enter. Epel was sat in a chair while Vil sat in another across from him.

“So, speak. What do you need?”

“I have uh, a crush on someone. Very tall… handsome… muscular… fluffy tail…”

Vil snapped, bringing Epel out of his daze. Epel cleared his throat, his face turning red.

“I was saying Jack. So, I don’t really know what to do. He doesn’t like being around people and the things he likes is small. You’ve known him for a while, so is there anything you know that’s special to him? Or memorable?” Epel asked, looking at him earnestly. “Does he like grand gestures? Please say no.”

“He doesn’t. He’s a simple guy really.” Vil said.

He couldn’t believe it. They actually liked each other. Though, it wasn’t his place to say anything.

“Vil senpai?”

“Hm? I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked about the things special to him or memorable.”

Vil thought, giving him a few ideas. Epel got to his feet, eager to get started.

“Ah, I also suggest not touching him unless he has open body language. Though, I doubt it’ll be any trouble for you.” Vil chuckled, leaving Epel confused. “If you get a chance to touch him, I know he really likes petting on his head. And if he’s in a really good mood, he may let you touch his tail.”

Epel’s eyes grew wide. He could possibly touch his tail? He was certain his face was completely red. He started walking around the room, his mind racing with thoughts.

“Is there anything else or…?”

“Huh? Oh, uh… no. No, I think that’s all, senpai…” Epel said, making his way to the door.

Now he was interested in how things would turn out. He sent Jack a message, curious as to how things were going. Would it be wrong for him to give him a little hope?

“‘You might get a surprise in the future.’ That’s not too bad right?” Vil whispered, his finger hovering on send.

He sent it, hoping it wouldn’t be too baity.

•

Vil walked into the courtyard, having been summoned by Jack. He said it was important so naturally he was hurrying.

“Oh thank god you’re here. Vil, I’m so scared. I don’t think I can do this.” Jack whined, holding Vil as he shook.

“So, a false emergency?” Vil asked.

“I don’t know if you would’ve came had I been honest…”

Vil sighed, gently rubbing his head. Even now that he was tall and much more closed off than when he was younger, he was still the same on the inside.

“Jack, you’ll be fine. You’ve probably rehearsed many times.” said Vil, pulling away. “I know you’ll be successful. Trust me.”

Jack didn’t know how he could be so sure but he couldn’t deny Vil’s confidence was rubbing off on him. He had this in the bag. He could do it. Vil hid, catching a glimpse of Epel. It probably would be bad if Epel saw them talking.

“Jack!”

Jack’s tail immediately starting wagging. Vil sighed, wondering how Epel couldn’t tell how much Jack liked him just from his tail. Then again, Epel didn’t know Jack for years and could differentiate tail wags.

“Hi, Epel.”

“Hey.”

Nothing else was said. Were they being serious? Nothing would progress if neither spoke.

“So about asking you to meet me here…” Jack started, finally finding his voice. “Um, it’s something important. To me. I’m not sure about you…”

“Go on…”

Jack was getting fidgety. This could go really well or really bad.

“I like you.”

“Yeah? Is that it?” Epel asked, his excitement slowing waning.

“I meant, you know, that way…” Jack mumbled, his face growing warmer.

“That way? Can you say it straight?” Epel asked, not really understanding the beating around the bush.

“I want to date! Can we date?” Jack asked, a bit frustrated.

Epel was now blushing heavily. He looked at Jack, searching for the open body language. He finally spotted it. Now was his chance! Jack’s eyes widened, not expecting Epel to reach up and try to touch his head. He bent, giving him better access.

“You’re really cute like this…” Epel whispered, his body moving faster than his mind.

The two kissed, Vil smiling in delight. His work was done. Not that his help was really needed. All he did was give general tips. Maybe they just needed a confidence boost from someone older.


	463. Neige x Vil: I don’t want to talk about me

“You got this Vil!”

Everyone sighed. Luckily they hadn’t started filming yet. Neige looked as all eyes were on him.

“Oh. Was I too loud?”

“No. Quiet on the set.” the director grumbled.

Neige gave her a thumbs up, his attention back on Vil. The scene started, Neige holding back his excitement. Everything Vil did was show stopping, even the way he ate a bagel. Maybe he was exaggerating, but it didn’t change his impression any.

“Cut!”

Neige was on his feet, dying to make noise. The moment people were allowed to speak, Neige ran over to Vil, singing his praises.

“Neige, you’re exaggerating. Again.”

“Am not! I’m telling you, no one can swing a prop sword better than you!”

“Because no one is like me. Anyway, don’t you have scenes soon?”

Neige didn’t like that he was now the center of attention.

“Anyway, remember that post from last night? The lotion one? You were shining in it!” Neige exclaimed, bouncing on his toes. “I watched it a few times since you’re just so charming.”

“You’re not holding back on compliments huh? But I disagree. They made me look oily. I already told Adella to inform them of changes. Oh, weren’t you in a snack com-”

“I almost forgot. Did you see how many likes we got on Magicam from the post last night? My phone was blowing up when I woke up.” Neige said, cutting off Vil.

“Why do I feel like you never want to talk about yourself? Everytime I mention something, you always cut in and talked about me. Naturally I don’t mind discussing things about myself but I want to talk about you too.” Vil said with a frown.

“But I don’t want to talk about me…”

“Why?”

Neige shifted, keeping silent. Vil caressed his cheek, eliciting a pleased sigh from Neige.

“I don’t want you to feel upset. I want you to be happy and smiling like now. I don’t want to be the reason you go crazy…” Neige said, holding Vil’s hand.

“Neige, we’ve been over this. I’m not obsessed anymore. I’m fine with not always being on top. And because of that, I have a wonderful boyfriend who loves me at my worst and best.”

Neige immediately teared up, bawling like a baby. He held Vil tight, trying not to get his clothes damp from his tears. Vil wiped his tears with his thumbs, knowing Neige would have to get his makeup done again anyway.

“So, can we talk about you?”

Neige nodded, stray tears finally making their way down. The staff often glanced at the two, one finally posting about them on social media. They blew up in an instant, especially when the post hinted at them being a couple. All their fans were speculating, some hardcore believers and others not.

“Hey, about this movie…”

“Hm?”

“The other guy is lucky. He gets to be your love interest.” Neige chuckled, kicking his legs. “But you guys really work together. Better than I could’ve done. Not that I’m saying I’m bad, I just need work.”

“Hm. I also think they were afraid it’d be too real since we are boyfriends.” Vil laughed. “I’m kidding. It looks like we’ll be starting up soon. Ready for your scenes?”

Neige nodded, scooting closer to Vil before leaning against him. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

•

Vil stretched, filming ending for the day.

“Water?”

“Oh, thank you Neige. It scares me with how attentive you are sometimes.”

“Well sorry for caring about your health.” pouted Neige.

Vil gave him a kiss on the nose, whispering an apology. Neige accepted, helping Vil pack his things. He offered to carry them only to be declined. Many times.

“Hey, Neige. Why don’t you come over? The weekend starts tomorrow and I wanted to have a nice dinner with you.”

“Will we make it ourselves?”

Vil tilted his head some.

“Is it a problem?”

“No, no. I’d prefer it actually. Just the sheer thought of us making a meal together with bring us closer. Plus I can watch a master cook at work hehe.” Neige beamed.

“I wouldn’t say master but I know my way around the kitchen.”

Neige continued to sing his praises, making Vil flattered and embarrassed.


	464. Kiliem: Unless you want to go together?

“Hahahahaha!”

It was good he could laugh it off but it was still problematic.

“Hey, I look really cool! And my hair is a bit longer. Haha, what do you think Silver?”

Kalim looked at him expectantly. Silver wasn’t even looking at him.

“Oh? Do you want to touch them?” Kalim laughed.

“H- Huh? No! You look fine. We should reverse this…” Silver said, turning his attention to the books.

“It’s fine! I’m not hurt, I promise. Feel me!” Kalim said happily, placing Silver’s hands on his body. “See? Move them around.”

“Kalim-”

Kalim hummed happily, letting Silver feel him up in class. Silver tried pulling away, Kalim holding on tight so he could make sure.

“Okay, I get it!” Silver exclaimed, his face burning.

“Great! So don’t worry, okay? We can fix it later.”

Kalim smiled warmly, helping Silver with finishing their class work. Silver often glanced at Kalim, still worried there could be side effects. Kalim finally registered his staring, giving him an adorable head tilt.

“It’s nothing.”

Kalim nodded, gently bumping him with his hip.

•

“Hey, you’re looking real good today Kalim!”

“Thanks!”

“Kalim! Can I get a hug?”

“Su-”

Silver stepped in between. Kalim gave the student an apologetic smile, lightly holding onto the back of Silver’s shirt.

“Hey, Kalim!”

“Oh, h- Ah!”

Silver turned, seeing Kalim holding his behind as the student walked away. He would’ve retaliated if Kalim wasn’t holding him so tightly.

“It was just to tease, Silver. It’s fine.” said Kalim, ushering him to walk.

“It’s not fine. Even if we weren’t dating that’s just sexual harassment. I’m not going to just sit there and let some gross person think they can get away with it.” Silver said completely serious.

“Sorry… I’m just worried about what would happen to you if you did fight. I know you’re skilled but I don’t like seeing you hurt. It hurts me…”

Silver felt Kalim hold onto his arm, making his heart race even more.

“K- Kalim…”

“Hm?”

Silver pointed to his arm that Kalim was holding. He could feel his chest pressing against him. It was hard not to notice.

“Oh, is it bothering you? I forgot that I had them, haha!”

Silver kept him from moving, his words stuck in his throat. Kalim looked at him, not sure what he wanted.

“It’s fine… They’re soft…” Silver whispered, his gaze on the ground.

“Really?”

He felt Kalim let him go, feeling his chest. They really were soft.

“Oh! Jamil helped me make some sweets last night. I wanted to share them during lunch. Can-”

“Kalim!”

They both looked, seeing a student jogging over to him.

“I heard what happened. You look really good!”

“Thanks! Silver wanted to turn me back but I assured him I was okay and it could wait. I’m still me, just boobs and slightly longer hair!” laughed Kalim with his hands on his hips.

“Uh, is it okay if I talk to Kalim?”

“Of course. What’s up?”

“No.”

They both looked at Silver. No?

“I know what you want. Kalim, let’s go. We have lunch to enjoy.”

Kalim clapped, pointing at him. Kalim took his hand, running off to the cafeteria.

They sat together, Kalim happily digging into his meal.

“Try some!”

“Kalim it’s fine…”

“But, I want to feed you…” Kalim pouted, giving him puppy eyes. Silver caved, allowing him. “Is it good?”

“It’s… it’s actually really good. Can I have more?”

Kalim happily fed him more. Silver silently stared at Kalim who enjoyed his cold drink.

“Silver?”

“You’re so pretty…” whispered Silver, running his fingers through Kalim’s hair. “I feel my heart is going to burst if I don’t kiss you right now…”

Kalim closed his eyes, leaning forward. Silver closed the gap, pulling Kalim closer. Kalim softly moaned as things were getting heated then felt Silver pull away from him. Did he do something wrong?

“I can’t…”

“Huh? Is it because I’m a woman now?” asked Kalim worriedly, tears welling up in his eyes.

“It’s not that. It’s me.” Silver replied, moving away from Kalim. “I was going to do something regrettable if we kept going…”

“Regrettable…? Like what?”

“Touching you in… certain places.”

Kalim went red in the face. Certain places. Their attentions went back to their lunches, embarrassment hanging between them.

•

Kalim happily spun around while Silver followed behind him. Kalim bumped into someone, apologizing promptly.

“Oh, Kalim. Didn’t see you there.”

“Hi! What’s-”

Kalim blinked, not expecting to be touched. He laughed nervously, moving back.

“Hey!”

Kalim looked on worriedly as Silver had kicked the student to the ground. He pulled Silver back, worried fists would fly.

“Thank you…” said Kalim softly, too shocked to fully react to what happened. “That was really uncalled for.”

“And? If he wasn’t here I could’ve gotten away with more than a quick grope.” he laughed. “You’re dumb and go along with anything fun.”

Kalim held Silver tightly as the student walked off. He was upset too, but he didn’t want any trouble. Silver pulled himself away, attacking the student from behind. Kalim didn’t do anything to stop him. He was just that mad.

Silver exhaled, having gotten his anger out. The student shouted at him while limping away, his entire body in pain.

“You were like my knight in shining armor.” Kalim giggled, joining him by his side. “You deserve a reward.”

“Hm?”

Kalim wrapped his arms around his neck, going in for a kiss. Silver couldn’t have asked for a better reward. They pulled apart, Silver cupping Kalim’s face.

“I’m so happy and I’m positive it’s because of you.”

“Aw, Silver!”

Boing! Silver averted his gaze. Why was he looking down there anyway? Kalim’s chest was pressing against him now. It was so hard to ignore.

“Silver?”

“Y- Yeah?”

“You’re really red. Are you hot? Sick…?”

Silver looked to the side, not wanting to reveal his impure thoughts. It would probably make him feel weird.

“Silver…?”

“After our clubs, can we… can we hang out in your room?”

“Silly question. Of course we can! You don’t even have to ask. Just come over.” Kalim smiled.

“Do you want me to walk with you to club?”

“Of course, but I want to walk you this time. Let’s go!” Kalim cheered, dragging Silver with him.

Kalim ended up staying at the equestrian club, knowing his club wouldn’t really do much anyway. He cheered for Silver, naturally disturbing everyone else. Riddle finally got fed up, giving Kalim an ultimatum. Kalim kept quiet as the horses were led around.

“Hi Lily!” Kalim whispered as Silver came over. “Your coat looks really good today.”

Lily neighed as Kalim pet her coat. Silver smiled softly, gazing upon Kalim. Kalim met his gaze, smiling back. His heart rate picked up, making his face heat up.

“Club is almost over so umm, yeah…” Silver said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’ll head off then. You know where my room is.” said Kalim. “Unless you want to go together?”

“No it’s okay. You can go ahead.”

Kalim nodded, heading to his room. Club finally ended, Silver locking Lily up. He gave her a few pets before heading off.

Silver greeted a few students as he made his way down the halls. He fidgeted slightly, his mind racing. How would he go about it? Should he even bring it up? He finally reached Kalim’s room. He knocked softly.

“Kalim?”

No response. He moved to knock again just as the door opened. He pushed it open, not seeing Kalim. He fully stepped in, seeing Kalim changing. He quickly left the room. He could hear his heart beating in his ears.

“Silver?”

“Just a moment! You seem busy.”

“Huh? Not really.”

Silver peeked in, seeing Kalim was dressed. He stepped back in, joining Kalim on his bed. Kalim knelt, side hugging Silver. It was impossible not to feel Kalim’s chest pressing against him.

“So, what did you want to do? Just be together in silence?” asked Kalim, resting his head on Silver’s shoulder.

“Well…”

Silver turned, running his thumb over Kalim’s cheek. Kalim let out a small gasp then leaned into his touch. Silver captured his lips, trying to figure out his words.

“Kalim…”

“Yes?”

“I love you. I don’t know how else to describe everything I’m feeling…” whispered Silver, giving him a quick kiss.

“I love you too… You always give me such warm, positive feelings. It’s nearly impossible not to be happy.”

Silver hesitated before slowly running his hand down Kalim’s side. He gained a bit more confidence, touching him a bit more sensually. Kalim moved onto his lap, startling him.

“Is this what you want?”

“W- W- Well-”

Kalim forced a kiss, leaving Silver winded.

“Are you attracted to me more because I’m a woman now?”

Silver’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Kalim squeaked, not used to Silver’s anger being directed at him.

“Don’t be an idiot. I’m attracted to you no matter what your gender is. I’ve just been feeling a little… jealous…”

“Huh? Why? Have I been obliviously flirting? I’m-”

“No. Just hearing all those others guys complimenting you and touching you or attempting to. You’re my boyfriend. I should be the only one touching you like that…”

Kalim rapidly blinked, his cheeks gaining color.

“Y- You want to touch me like that…? Even before…?”

“Yes…”

Kalim covered his face, unable to look him in the eye. Ah. It was getting so hot.

“Oh! How about we have a picnic date this weekend?” Silver said, changing the topic. It was obvious Kalim was embarrassed. “We can make it together.”

“Okay…”

Silver wrapped his arms around Kalim, placing kisses atop his head. Kalim smiled softly, feeling his love in full.

“Umm, I wasn’t sure if I should say this but it really made me uncomfortable…” Kalim said quietly, finally meeting Silver’s eyes. “It wasn’t anyone from Scarabia. They were from other dorms. They cornered me and tried touching me here and here… I didn’t want to hurt them but they were really being inappropriate and rude! So I… I hit them…”

“Why didn’t you tell me immediately? This is more than just a unwelcomed touch! We’ve got to tell the teachers.”

Kalim pursed his lips, keeping Silver planted. He didn’t want it to escalate into anything big. He wouldn’t be a woman for long anyway. Silver sighed, seeing Kalim wasn’t going to let him.

“Okay, but we have to get them in trouble for something. I can’t just sit here leaving them unpunished.”

“Okay, I’ll allow that. So the picnic date!”

Silver wanted to keep talking about it but Kalim seemed done with it. Kalim happily listed off snacks and sandwiches, looking to him for input. He couldn’t focus now, knowing filthy hands touched Kalim. Kalim drew a sharp breath, not expecting Silver to touch his chest.

“Silver…”

“May I…?”

Kalim nodded, proceeding to lift his shirt.

“Umm… be gentle…” Kalim whispered, squeezing his eyes shut.

Kalim softly moaned, Silver’s touch making his body burn. He felt Silver pull his shirt down.

“What’s wrong?”

“I know I said I want to hang out but this… this isn’t hanging out.” Silver said, scratching his cheek. “Plus what if we go too far?”

“If that’s how you feel then we’ll leave it here. But umm, thank you… You really care so much…”

“Why wouldn’t I? Even if we weren’t dating, we’d still be friends and I’d care about you as a friend. You’ll always be precious to me.”

“You too! I may not be great at a lot of things but I’ll try my best for you.”

“Ka-”

They looked, seeing Jamil standing in the doorway.

“Jamil! What’s up?”

“I was coming to see if you started your homework but clearly you’re busy with other things…”

“O- Oh… I’ll get right on it! We were just hanging out and discussing plans for a future date. Let’s start on homework, Silver.”

Jamil continued to watch them, making sure Kalim stuck with it.

“Jamil, I’ll make sure he finishes.”

“If he doesn’t I’m holding you responsible.”

The door closed, relieving some of the pressure. Silver encouraged him to work so he wouldn’t have to worry about it later.


	465. 1st y Vil, Cater, Trey, Idia, Rook: Close your eyes… then open them (cont)

Trey waited by the entrance while keeping time. He couldn’t wait much longer.

“How much longer are you going to stand there? We have classes to get to.” Vil said sharply.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t important.” Rook quipped, quelling tension.

“Trey, what are you waiting for? You haven’t told us.” Cater piped up.

“Idia.”

They audibly groaned, Vil going on ahead anyway. Rook stayed put, curious to see if Idia would come.

“Hey, Trey. He hasn’t come for an entire week. Why not give up on him?” Cater said, giving him a nudge. “He’ll be fine on his own.”

“You say that but…”

He couldn’t forget how Idia looked at the ceremony. He momentarily balled his hands into fists before relaxing.

“You can go on ahead. I’m going to wait.”

Cater sighed, going ahead to class. Rook looked between them, ultimately staying with Trey.

“Why not go to him?”

“But I… I don’t know his room number…” he mumbled, his gaze towards the ground.

Rook slipped a piece of paper into his pocket before pushing him forward.

“Go get your friend.”

Trey went on ahead to find Idia. He’s visited Ignihyde a few times on errands. He walked down the halls, looking for the number Rook wrote. He finally found the room.

“Idia?”

No response. Did he miss him on his way here? The door opened slightly, an eye looking out.

“Idia…?”

“Why are you here…?”

“I was hoping you’d come to classes with me. Will you…?”

Idia closed the door. So he guess that meant no. Well, it was worth a shot, right? He turned to leave only to hear the door open behind him. Idia closed the door behind him, somewhat dressed in the Ignihyde uniform. Idia held onto his shirt, avoiding eye contact.

“So you’ll come…?”

“Only because you asked…” Idia mumbled, walking with him.

Trey smiled, glad to see at least something could motivate him.

•

The others couldn’t help but stare as Idia was actually in class. They didn’t think Trey could do it, well, Rook had faith in him. Idia sat close to Trey, only feeling comfortable in his space. Trey didn’t mind too much if it meant getting Idia and exploring the world.

“Um, you did that wrong…” Idia whispered.

“How?”

Idia wrote off to the side, showing where he messed up. Trey’s eyes went wide. It was so small and easy to miss.

“You’re so smart! Well, it’s obvious considering what you’re using…” said Trey, gesturing to his digital screen.

“You haven’t really seen anything.”

Trey went quiet, seeing he upset Idia. Idia nudged him, sliding him a device. Trey curiously touched it, gasping as it opened into a small critter. He looked to Idia who continued to stare at him. What was he supposed to do now? He held out his hand, the robotic critter scampering into his hand and running up his arm. It settled on his shoulder.

“It’s so cute…” Trey whispered, no longer paying attention in class.

“Well, I kind of made it for you…”

Trey blinked, seeing Idia shifting in his seat. Knowing him it probably wasn’t easy to admit. He was touched.

“Thank you. I’ll take care of it. But I can hardly tell it’s robotic with how realistic it is… You’ve got crazy design skills.”

Idia never responded, too overwhelmed by the compliments. Trey left it at that, wanting to focus again. Class ended, the others hurrying over to Trey in disbelief. Idia immediately shifted behind Trey as they approached. He hated Vil. He was the kind of person he hated the most. Rook was too nosy for his liking. Cater was just straight up annoying. He’d give anything to shut him up permanently.

“He came out on his own. That’s all it was. Don’t ask any other questions because I’m not answering.” Trey said before anyone could open their mouth. “We should get to our next class. Idia?”

Idia squeaked, not expecting Trey to take his hand. He relaxed a little, seeing he was just having him hold onto him. Trey was cool in his own way.

“Thanks…”

“Hm? I didn’t do it for you though.”

Idia felt crushed. Trey laughed, assuring him he was only half joking. It didn’t make Idia feel any better but it was nice getting to hear his laugh.

They entered the gardens, seeing upperclassmen were waiting for them. A joint class? A few got excited since it was their first one.

“One 2nd year to 1st year.”

Trey looked to the others who waited to be approached. They were soon with their elder partner, leaving Idia and Trey.

“You look smart, let’s go.”

Trey looked to Idia who was pleading with his eyes. He placed his hands on his shoulders.

“You’re going to be okay. You’ll get a nice senpai who’ll get you through it. You can complain about it to me after class, okay?”

“Can you hurry up? We don’t have all day.”

Trey sighed, not expecting to be paired with someone so rude. He waved to Idia, heading off with his senior.

“So, do you know what these look like?”

“No.” he responded flatly.

“Great. Now I have to explain. Shouldn’t you have come prepared?”

Trey looked him over. He’s heard things about Savanaclaw and this guy was the true embodiment of it all. He definitely didn’t want anything to do with him after this.

“Senpai, what do I call you?”

“You don’t know me?”

“If I did I wouldn’t have asked, senpai. So, what’s your last name?”

“Kingscholar.”

Trey scrunched his nose in response. Kingscholar. Was he that Kingscholar? He looked him over again before reality settled in. He just gave attitude to a prince. Leona smirked, seeing Trey finally realized. He was going to grovel in 3… 2… 1…

“So, what’s on the list, Kingscholar senpai?”

Now it was his turn to make a face. No groveling? He had guts, he’d give him that.

“No apology huh? Someone seems full of themselves.”

“I didn’t do or say anything that warrants giving you an apology, senpai. Now can we get started? Other groups seem far ahead.”

Ah. So he was the cheeky type. He knew how to deal with those. They worked in silence, only speaking when necessary.

“Trey~!”

He looked up, seeing Cater heading over to him.

“Gasp! Leona Kingscholar in the flesh! Lucky~!”

“God, you’re one of those. Aren’t you supposed to be with your senior?”

“We finished so I went looking for friends. So, can I ask you questions?” asked Cater, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Leona sent him away, getting a headache from his enthusiasm.

“You have shit taste in friends.” Leona said bluntly. “Then again, I suppose shit like that fits you.”

“At least I have friends.”

Silence. Trey placed his findings with the other ingredients, now waiting for Leona. They got to work, seeing other groups were finishing up.

“There you are. You aren’t done yet?”

“I’m sure this is a dead giveaway, Vil.” Trey responded in a monotone voice.

Vil looked at Leona before averting his gaze.

“If I didn’t already know, I’d think you were a homeless lion.” Vil commented, shifting his gaze back to Trey. “Hurry up with the assignment. I’m getting bored talking to Cater.”

“And you think you’re so edgy by saying that? What a load of crap. I could snap you in half before you can utter a word.”

“All bark and no bite. Fitting of a gutless second born prince.” Vil shrugged before walking away. “I’ll be waiting, Trey.”

Trey couldn’t suppress his amusement. He’s only seen Vil year into someone over their choice of fashion. Leona growled at him threateningly. They combined their mixtures, finishing their assignment. Leona headed off to submit it while Trey headed off to find Vil and Cater. Trey entered another zone, noticing most were in the other direction. He looked around before spotting something in his peripheral vision.

He approached it before identifying it as Idia. Why was he here and alone? Should he bother approaching? He touched his pocket, remembering the gizmo Idia gave him earlier. Trey crouched in front of Idia, startling him.

“Trey…”

“H-”

Idia started to cry, now making things awkward. Did he want comfort or space? He pulled Idia close, hoping it was the right choice. Would he tell him what was wrong?

“Trey! We found you!”

He could feel Idia tensing up. This was bad.

“Eh? What are you two doing?”

“We’re… playing a new game! It’s too long to explain. So, how did it go for you guys?” asked Trey, redirecting the spotlight.

“It was fine until I met Leona senpai. Man he was a real stinker.” Cater huffed.

“Annoyingly arrogant fits best. When I saw them working together, I genuinely felt bad for Trey.” said Vil with a shake of his head.

“You guys met Leona Kingscholar? Oh how unlucky I am. He’s perfect to observe!” Rook exclaimed.

“Observe…?” Cater whispered to Vil.

“He’s… unique.”

That was a nicer way of saying what he actually meant. Their attention was now on Idia in Trey’s arms.

“What’s with him? Is it part of the game?”

“Yes! And we can’t finish until we’re alone so… kindly leave?” Trey said, gesturing for them to leave.

They left in confusion. Trey lifted Idia’s face, seeing he had at least stopped crying.

“So, what happened…?”

Idia didn’t say anything, simply enjoying his warmth. He felt better now that he was within familiar space.

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Idia got to his feet, wiping his face with his sleeves. People were horrible. He’d rather attend online classes than have to physically go. Trey was the only one who made being outside bearable. The others came back, seeing their little game was done. As usual, Idia fled behind Trey whenever they got too close.

“Why is Leona so mean?” Cater asked, looking at Vil.

“It’s definitely his upbringing. Forget him. He’s not worth our time. So, what are we doing for lunch?” Vil asked. “Not that I’ll be joining you. I’ve got better things to do.”

“Then why would you ask?” Cater said flatly.

“Is it wrong to want to know what my acquaintances are up to?”

“Acquaintances!? You only see us as acquaintances after being together for this long?”

“Cater, might I suggest trying to see it from Vil’s point of view? We’ve only been a group for three weeks. You can’t possible call someone a friend with only three weeks worth of information!” Rook said, putting his arms around them. “Why don’t we bond more over lunch? Will you join us Vil? Please?”

“I guess. You seem to really want me there and I can’t possibly turn down such earnest people.”

Cater still wasn’t pleased but didn’t say anything else. They looked to Trey.

“I mean, I’m game. I don’t know about him.”

“I’ll go if you go.”

“Then it’s settled! Lunch with my budding friends!” Rook laughed, bringing Trey and Idia into the hug.

They let out collective sighs, not making any moves to leave the hug.

“Yo, where did you run- Well, well. If it isn’t the missing freshmen. Do you know how much trouble the five of you are in? Now will I be an asshole and give you away?” Leona said, tapping his chin. “Of course. You, come.”

Trey frowned, feeling Idia tighten his grip.

“Won’t you be in trouble too if I don’t return with you?”

“Exactly so come.”

“I would like to, but no.”

“Ha? Do you really think you’re in a position to refuse me? Not respecting your elders either? Seems you weren’t taught manners.” scoffed Leona.

“I’ll go but only if you don’t rat them out. I doubt I can trust you to keep your word so if you do I’ll throw you under the bus too.”

Leona shrugged, satisfied that he wouldn’t have to explain why Trey was missing.

•

Idia sat next to Trey as the others chatted as if they had been friends for ages. Of course he was left out. He didn’t like them and were hard to be around. The sound of a hand colliding with the table was enough to jostle them out of their conversation.

“If it isn’t the fresh meat. What’s this lunch you got here? Tasteless.” Leona gagged, knocking most of Trey’s lunch to the floor. “That’s for ratting me out.”

Leona walked away, leaving a bad taste in their mouth.

“So, after school plans?” Cater piped up.

“Clubs.” said Vil, not giving them a glance.

“Yeah, what Vil said. Our clubs do keep us busy though.” Rook added on.

Idia nibbled on his lunch before sliding it over in front of Trey. Trey looked at him, not sure what he was doing.

“You can have it…”

“Thanks but no thanks.” Trey weakly laughed, pushing his lunch back towards him.

Idia frowned, taking his lunch back. Trey was confusing to him. One moment he’s nicer than anyone he’s ever met and the next he pushes him away as if he didn’t want anything to do with someone like him.

“Trey.”

“Hm?”

“Can we talk…? Alone?”

Trey nodded, telling the others they’d be back. Once in a secluded place, Idia finally spoke his mind.

“Are we… friends?”

“Hm? Why are you asking all of a sudden? Is it because of what Vil said earlier?” Trey replied, seeing it could be the reason.

“A little but… more of how you treat me. I don’t like it. If you aren’t going to attempt to be my friend, then stop being nice to me. It’s disgusting, gross. I thought you were-”

“We are friends. Weirdly enough I feel closer to you than the others. Even Cater who I’m rooming with.” admitted Trey, unaware of Idia’s shocked look. “I always thought you were weird and didn’t really want to build a friendship with you. But when you came that night, everything changed.”

“Trey…”

“Well, I didn’t mean to get all sappy and whatnot but couldn’t be avoided I guess. Don’t make me be sappy again.”

Idia hesitated before giving him a hug. He wasn’t one to show affection because affection equals gross. But it seemed okay if it was Trey. Trey was slow to return the gesture, feeling a bit weird about it.

“So… should we head back?” Idia whispered, letting him go.

“We still have to eat you know. Plus they’ll think something gross if we never come back.”

Idia gagged, causing Trey to laugh. Maybe he started to regret helping Idia out that day less and less.

“If Leona bothers you again, I’ll help you get even.” Idia declared.

“I’ll consider if but I think I can manage.” Trey laughed. _“I honestly just don’t want to be guilty by association if things go wrong…”_


	466. 1st y Leona: Fasci

Leona sat off to the side, watching students converse and flit about. It wasn’t his kind of scene but he didn’t have much of a choice considering the seniors were forcing them to be at the stupid event. He didn’t want to interact with people below him.

“Hm? Why aren’t you interacting with others?”

“I can do what I want when I want.” Leona growled.

“Do you mind if I sit then?”

Leona moved his seat. The student moved with him. They continued until Leona finally gave up.

“What do you want from me?”

“As your senior, it’s my job to make sure you feel at home here and make a friend or two. And if not, at least make sure you don’t feel alone.”

Leona looked him up and down. So he was older than him. He looked away, not in the mood to talk anymore.

“I’m Nare Fasci. And you are?” asked Nare, looking into his face.

“None of your business. Why won’t you just let me be? I’m doing fine on my own.”

“I just want to wipe the frown off your face.”

“Well you’re not. Give up.”

Nare sighed, looking towards the groups of students interacting. Leona slowly nodded off, feeling bored.

“Sleeping in a chair is uncomfortable, no?”

Leona’s eyes snapped open, displeased from being disturbed. He was still here.

“What will it take to get you away from me?”

“A genuine smile.” responded Nare. “That’s all I ask.”

Leona smiled, hoping it’d finally send him away. Leona squeaked, strange markings appearing all over his body. He furiously scratched at them, seeing they weren’t coming off. He looked at Nare who wasn’t even looking at him.

“Fasci senpai! I-”

“Are you feeling apologetic now?”

Leona leaned back in fright, a chilling air around Nare. Half of his body started to burn while the other was freezing.

“I’m sorry for whatever I did! I mean it! Please make it stop!” Leona pleaded.

The markings disappeared and all pain coming from them ceased. Leona’s ears were bent in fear as Nare smiled at him.

“Well, at least you aren’t frowning anymore. So, I still haven’t gotten your name or a genuine smile.”

“Leona Kingscholar…”

“Leona, you look like you’re going to wet yourself.” Nare said worriedly.

“I’m not!” Leona whined, tears pricking his eyes.

Nare couldn’t help but laugh at Leona’s misery. Leona finally got over his feelings, now glaring at his senior.

“What was that? Those markings? The pain?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Markings? You mean that tattoo you have?” Nare asked in confusion. “You okay?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know! You… You…!”

Nare didn’t understand what Leona was going on about. What markings? What pain? Did something happen when he wasn’t paying attention?

“But I’m not acting. I was just watching everyone else. Well, I guess I won’t get you to smile huh?” said Nare sadly. “Alright then. I’ll leave you alone.”

Leona couldn’t be happier, especially after that experience. Leona rubbed his arms, remembering the pain. What made it weird was that he didn’t feel the repercussions after it. What kind of magic was it? Figuring it out meant getting close to Nare Fasci. And that was something he didn’t want.

•

Leona yawned, feeling bored. As expected, school was boring. He knew this stuff already. Why was he being forced to relearn it? Leona slipped out of class, not seeing it being worth it.

He explored the main building, not having seen every spot yet.

“Leona?”

He turned, his hair standing on end.

“Fasci senpai…”

“Why aren’t you in class?”

“I don’t have to tell you anything. Leave me alone…”

“You’ve been avoiding me since the freshmen event. Am I that unlikable?” he asked quietly.

“Very! You hurt me and played dumb about it!” Leona snarled, only slightly afraid to attack him.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about… Maybe if you just-”

Leona ran, seeing his chance to escape. Nare pursed his lips, watching Leona run. Leona found himself falling forward. He looked just in time to see vines receding back.

“Leona? Are you okay?” Nare asked, rushing to his side.

“Stay away from me!”

“But-”

It had to be him. Nare was purposefully trying to hurt him. Leona gasped as he got to his feet.

“I’ll have you expelled!”

“Huh!? I haven’t done anything!”

Leona ran off for the headmaster’s office. Nare was using magic for personal reasons. Once he showed the headmaster his… wounds… Leona looked himself over. He looked and felt fine. He had no proof. Even still, he had to tell him. At least, not now. The faculty couldn’t know he was skipping class.

“There you are! Leona, you’ve got to work on communication skills.” Nare panted. “Please explain what’s going on.”

“You’re using magic on me. You’re purposefully hurting me.”

“Leona, I know you have no reason to lie but this sounds too far fetched. Surely I’d know if I was using magic against you. Even then I wouldn’t since it’s forbidden here.”

Alter ego. Double personality. Nare tilted his head, wondering why Leona was staring so intensely.

“You have a double personality don’t you?”

“EEEEEEHHHH!?”

He assumed that meant no, considering how loud he was being.

“How rude…! Making assumptions like that.” Nare said in an offended tone. “You really have no filter do you?”

“Senpai…”

Leona swallowed, getting that same chilling feeling from before.

“I’m sorry.”

It instantly disappeared. Leona blinked in surprise. That was it? As long as he was nice, that chilling side wouldn’t appear. That was annoying. Very annoying.

“I’m glad you realized your wrong. Now, I want an answer. Why aren’t you in class?”

“It’s a waste of time. I know all of it already.”

“What’s wrong with learning it again? You could make friends with your seat mate.”

Annoying. He didn’t want to be around anyone.

“It’s bothersome.” Leona muttered.

“Well, you’re off to a great start with me.” Nare smiled widely. “Having a friend isn’t so bad.”

Leona meowed in displeasure as Nare ruffled his hair and pulled him close. Leona stopped struggling, feeling strangely calm from Nare’s petting.

“So, are you going to keep skipping or go back like a good boy?” asked Nare, letting him go.

Leona looked around.

“How come you aren’t in class?”

Nare chuckled, giving him a smug look.

“I’m a 4th year. So I’m constantly out only reporting in sometimes.” explained Nare. “You’ll understand when you get up here.”

Leona kept silent. He looked at Nare who looked at him with kindness. It made him feel weird.

“Well, I’m not going to force you to be friends with me and I won’t rat you out for skipping class. But next time I catch you I’ll give you a firm lecturing.”

Leona watched Nare walk away. He liked him even less, but the thought of him never being around made things sound dull. How far could he push Nare before he turned all cold?

•

Leona half heartedly listened to his classmates, having already finished his work. Nare Fasci. A name he never thought would be on the tip of his tongue at any point in time. He lost count of the days that passed since his last meeting with him. All the third year’s he’s spoke to said none of the fourth years have been back in weeks since then.

“Leona?”

“What.”

“We were wondering if you knew the answer.”

“As if I’d willing help bottomfeeders like you.”

The student frowned, turning to the others. No one liked Leona. He never did anything to help anyone. He used people for his own pleasure. Royalty were really like this the whole time, putting on a front when greeting subjects.

“Hey, why don’t we ask them?”

“Yeah.”

“Sounds good.”

The three of them moved, not planning to come back. Leona sat alone, no one around him. He was used to it and preferred it. He didn’t understand why they even bothered when things wouldn’t change.

Class was dismissed, students excitedly leaving for lunch. Leona headed in a different direction, not feeling up to it. He found a spot to relax, promptly shutting his eyes. Nothing but the wind blowing, the leaves rustling and the sound of someone sighing. Sighing? Leona opened his eyes, seeing someone sat beside him.

“‘Sup little lion?”

“Fasci senpai… Why are you here?”

Nare placed his index finger on his chin, tilting his head cutely.

“I missed a certain underclassman.” he replied sweetly.

Leona gave him a shocked expression, causing him to laugh in amusement.

“I’m kidding. I just came to get some advice. It’s lunch for you isn’t it? Why aren’t you in the cafeteria?”

“I eat when I want to.”

Nare hummed, reaching down and stroking his head. Leona’s body relaxed, a pleasing feeling coursing through his body. He never figured out what it was but it only seemed to happen when Nare was around. Nare’s eyes widened, feeling something bump his leg.

“Well aren’t you adorable?”

“Shut up.”

“Hm… being rude to your senior. I should teach you manners.” Nare huffed but made no movements.

It had to be magic. There was no way he could like being around someone. Nare had to be using magic to make him like him.

“So, it’s been a month or two. How have you been? Made any friends? Acquaintances at least?”

“Don’t need them.”

Nare looked down at Leona, moving his hair out of his face. He then had an idea.

“Hey, sit up a moment.”

Leona did as he was told before jerking back at Nare’s touch. Nare approached again, Leona staying put this time.

“What are you doing?”

“Braiding your hair. You’ve got the length for it.”

He looked at Nare, taking note of the pleased look on his face. He found it weird a 4th year had such a strong interest in him. Nare leaned closer, sending off Leona’s danger senses.

“And… done.”

Nare created a mirror for him to look into. Leona reached up, touching the braid crown. He didn’t like it. It was so tacky and ugly. He opened his mouth to speak only to see Nare looking at him with hopeful eyes. He swallowed, feeling a little weak under his pure gaze.

“It’s not terrible…” Leona mumbled, getting a look at the entire hairdo.

“Aha, I’m not in school for hairdressing as you can see. Hm, lunch is half way over. Are you really not going to eat?” asked Nare curiously, using magic to undo Leona’s braid.

“I told you-”

“You can eat with me.”

Leona narrowed his eyes. He had to ask.

“Why are you being so nice to me? Especially after our rocky start? Are you really trying to make me your friend?” Leona asked in rapid fire.

“Well, yes. It’s an elder’s job to look after the little ones until they can stand on their own.” Nare smiled, it being softer than usual. “But if I’m really a bother to you, I’ll leave you be. I promise this time.”

Leona averted his gaze, silence falling over them. Nare exhaled, getting up.

“I hear you. At least make an acquaintance little lion.” said Nare quietly, giving his hair a gentle ruffle.

Leona didn’t say anything, his hands balling into fists. It was fine. He’d never see him again after the year was over anyway. Leona looked to the side, seeing Nare was gone. He was definitely weird, being so persistent when it was obvious he didn’t want people around. If he snapped his fingers, would Nare come back? He lowly laughed at his own stupidity. He didn’t want him around, but not having him around felt worse. Feelings were complicated.

•

Holiday break was upon them in a week. Nare kept true to his word. Leona attempted to make an acquaintance like Nare suggested but naturally it fell apart. They just weren’t on his level.

“Are you Leona Kingscholar?”

He looked up, an unfamiliar face within his sight.

“Why?”

“Fasci senpai asked me to deliver this letter to Leona Kingscholar. He’s supposed to be in this class. So mind pointing me towards him?” asked the student.

“You’re looking at him. Hand it over.”

Leona didn’t wait for him, snatching it from his hands. The student made a displeased look before leaving. Leona opened it, giving it a read. Nare wouldn’t be coming back at all. At all. Not even for a talk with the headmaster. Why he felt the need to tell him was beyond him. He folded the letter back up, sticking it back in the envelope.

Leona yawned, walking around campus. Nothing to do. Somehow he made it through all of his classes for the day. Finals started the next day. He took out the letter, reading it again for the nth time. Leona found a spot to sit, exhaling loudly. He’d forget with time. A more pressing problem was going home. That was the worst. He’d do anything to stay on campus. He looked at his hand, wiggling his fingers. Leona snapped, an old thought having resurfaced.

As expected, nothing happened. Nare wasn’t some kind of fae nor magically linked to him somehow to answer his beck and call. He looked up, his eyes widening slightly. Was that Nare? He didn’t move. He rubbed his eyes, taking another look. That was him all right. He caught a whiff of his scent. Despite that, he stayed seated. Nare continued to get farther.

Nare stopped, feeling something grabbing him from behind. He turned, not seeing anything. He turned in a circle, still feeling it but not seeing what it was. He reached back, finally feeling it. Was it a creature?

“Is someone holding onto me?” he called out.

“Fasci senpai…”

“Leona? Is that you?”

Nare continued to turn around, trying to see the lion holding onto him. He finally gave up, opting to just talking.

“Did my letter get to you? I didn’t intend to run into you.”

“Are you really not coming back?” he asked, holding a bit tighter.

“I may have exaggerated a bit but I figured hearing it would please you. Did it not?” he asked with curiosity.

“I did what you said… I made an acquaintance.”

“Mhmm?”

“Then they became a friend. And now we aren’t… What do I do?” asked Leona, rubbing himself against Nare. “I don’t like it when they’re not around me.”

“Communication is key, little lion. They won’t understand you if you don’t speak. It’s not as bad as you’re thinking it to be.”

Leona let him go, allowing Nare to turn. His ears perked up as Nare gave him head pats. He couldn’t help himself. Leona was just so cute.

“Don’t leave me, senpai…” Leona mumbled, avoiding eye contact as he rubbed his arm. “I don’t like that you make me care a little. Having anyone close is annoying. Maintaining relationships is bothersome.”

Nare weakly laughed, not entirely sure what to make of this confession.

“All right. I won’t leave you. But you have to promise me something in return.”

Leona’s eyebrows raised in interest. Nare giggled, making him confused. He pointed towards his tail. Leona became flustered, holding his tail so it’d stop showing his happiness. Nare was full on laughing at the development.

“You really are cute, Lena.” Nare giggled, gently pulling on his cheeks. Leona looked at him in surprise. “Yep. I’m going to call you Lena from now on!”

“So, what do I have to promise you… Nare senpai?”

Nare smiled, pulling a bracelet out of his pocket. He slipped it onto Leona’s wrist.

“Take good care of it. If you do, I promise I’ll always be there for you. If not…” said Nare, running his fingers over the bracelet. “Haha, what are you up to though?”

“What if I don’t?”

Nare continued to avoid the question. Leona finally gave up, seeing he’d just have to care for it. A faint smile appeared on his face as he followed behind Nare.

“Hey, are you going home for the holidays?”

“I don’t want to.”

Nare tapped his chin before abruptly stopping. He jumped turned, poking Leona’s nose.

“I think I have a plan that’ll work for the both of us.”

He didn’t like the shady look on Nare’s face, but at the same time he was very intrigued. Nare pulled him close, judging from his animal features that he was on board.

“The plan is…”


	467. Reok: What’s in a Reok?

Epel knocked on the door, gaining the occupant’s attention.

“Little apple! What can I do for you?”

Epel closed the door behind him, causing Rook to raise an eyebrow.

“Um, there’s something I’ve been wondering.”

“Have a seat. Seems serious if we’re closing the door.”

“Oh no. I just thought what I wanted to know would be preferred to talk in private. I wanted to know about your relationship with Leona senpai. Why are you dating him? How did you get him to agree to date you? How are you still a couple?”

Rook rested his cheek against his fist as he looked at Epel. The silence was suffocating.

“If it’s nothing serious then you should leave.”

“Huh? I mean, you have a point but-”

Rook turned away from him, going back to what he was doing. They did warn him that Rook would go silent when asked about personal things. He figured since Rook favored him he might speak.

•

“Why are you interested in their relationship? I thought you didn’t like romance and stuff.” Jack said as they walked to Leona’s room.

“I know but they’re a special case. They’re so different from each other. Isn’t it weird? One of them has to be blackmailing. It’s Rook, right? Leona doesn’t care about people.” said Epel, tapping his fist against his palm.

“I guess if you look at it that way…”

They arrived at Leona’s room. Jack knocked, waiting for a sound. Jack opened the door once he heard it.

“Oh, it’s just you.” Leona mumbled, rolling over. “Wait.”

Leona sat up, identifying Epel. He narrowed his eyes.

“What’s going on here?”

Jack nudged Epel forward.

“Is Rook blackmailing you?” he asked bluntly.

Leona blinked before laughing. Epel looked at Jack who gave him a “I told you so” look.

“Please. As if I’d give that sorry excuse of a herbivore a reason to blackmail me. I always think two steps ahead.” said Leona with a smug look. His face then turned serious. “Why are you asking anyway? Trying to get some dirt for him?”

“No it’s just… You and Rook senpai are a highly unlikely couple. You’re so different. You didn’t even like him at the start, right? So I just kinda wanna understand is all…” explained Epel, crossing his arms.

“How nice it must be to be stupidly ignorant.” Leona scoffed. Epel was about to voice his offense but Leona was faster. “You don’t have to be two peas in a pod to appreciate someone, to suddenly figure out you love them and can’t possibly imagine someone else with their filthy hands on them.”

Epel looked to Jack who shrugged. What did he want him to say? It was pretty self explanatory as to who Leona was speaking about.

“Okay, then… how did you both start dating? That’s what I want to know. I tried Rook senpai but he turned me away and quickly too.”

Leona laughed once more, much to Epel’s dismay.

“Everyone knows Rook doesn’t talk about his personal life. Even I get only tidbits.”

Epel nodded, once again being reminded that Rook was a closed book.

“So you want the story of how we started dating? I hope you know I won’t just willing tell you like a certain chatterbox I know.”

“Then, what do you want?”

“A favor but I’ll decide what later.” said Leona. “Do you agree to that?”

Epel didn’t know what he would possibly ask of him but he really did want to know the story.

“Fine.”

“Perfect. I suppose I’ll start at the beginning.”

**[Flashback]**

Rook looked up, a muscular lion leaning against him, rubbing his cheek against his head.

“What?”

“Marking my property.”

“I’m not anyone’s property.”

Leona frowned at Rook pushing him off. The tables really turned. Rook never stopped bothering him in the beginning and now he wanted all of his attention and wasn’t getting it. It was driving him insane. He didn’t want others being so touchy with Rook. Leona sat next to him, burying his face in his neck. Rook pushed him off.

“Stop pushing me off!” Leona fussed, putting his face back.

Rook harshly closed his book then hit him with it.

“Stop. It. This isn’t funny anymore.” Rook hissed, leaving his seat.

“Why do you think I’m joking? I’m serious. Let me have you.”

“I’m not an object to be had!” Rook shouted, throwing the book in his face before storming off.

He didn’t mean it like that. Leona sighed, picking up the book. It was a book about romance. He started flipping through it. Was Rook into someone that wasn’t him?

•

Rook exhaled, hearing the door open and close.

“Ye- Leona.”

Leona slammed his hand against his desk. Rook narrowed his eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me you liked someone else?”

“What are you on about? Leona, this is getting ridiculous. I don’t like you. Stop pursuing me. It’s annoying.” Rook said angrily, really finding it annoying.

“Okay. Fine. You win. I’ll leave you alone.” Leona said, crossing his arms. “Don’t regret it.”

“I won’t.”

Leona lingered a bit before making his way out of the room. He promptly banged his head against the wall after closing the door behind him. Why did he agree? Rook never gave up so why was he? Leona took a deep breath, collecting himself. He couldn’t go back on his word now.

•

Rook entered class, half expecting Leona’s greeting. Nothing. Leona wasn’t even in the classroom. More classes went by and each one of them Leona didn’t attend. Leona had a surprisingly big presence in his day as it felt weird not seeing him around.

Leona stretched out, seeing most of the day passed him by. He hadn’t felt this relaxed in weeks. Maybe he should’ve stopped ages ago.

“There you are! You’re skipping classes again aren’t you?”

“Put a sock in it. Got my food?”

“Yes. And company.”

Company? Rook appeared from around the corner. This should be good. Rook took the bag from Ruggie, finishing the delivery.

“And? What do you want from someone you don’t want around you?” Leona asked.

“I came to ask why you aren’t attending classes like you used to. I rarely see you.”

“And you care because?”

“You’re going to be held back if you don’t pass.”

“Don’t care, it gives me hope. I don’t want hope if you aren’t going to date me.”

Rook pursed his lips, watching Leona take out the contents.

“Why do you even like me…?” Rook asked, taking a seat.

“You’ve got a strong will, an infectious cheerfulness which I love to hate, a radiant smile, a stupidly nice personality, and an unbiased outlook on life and people.” Leona said. He pushed his hair back, looking up at Rook. “Your eyes shine like gems, your skin is as soft as a pillow. You don’t know how mesmerizing you are when you walk and enter a room.”

Leona continued to eat while Rook sat completely stunned. He didn’t know Leona could use such poetic words.

“But of course, the main reason is that you have a nice body for fucking and breeding.”

“Breeding…?” Rook said with concern.

“I was joking there. Or was I?”

Rook backed slightly, hiding his body from Leona. Leona tossed his trash in the bag before noticing Rook approaching him. Now what was he doing? Rook placed himself on Leona’s lap. loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt.

“You don’t mean this.” Leona growled.

“I’m pretty sure I mean it…”

Leona swallowed, watching Rook stripping. What was going on? Leona froze, hearing people heading their way.

“What? Why so-”

Leona scrambled to cover him, ushering him to a hiding spot. A few students walked past, laughing and giggling. Leona’s breath hitched, feeling Rook hug him from behind.

“I like you a lot…” whispered Rook, rubbing his head against his back.

“Stop fucking around.” Leona hissed.

“If I was joking I wouldn’t be so tempted to ride you right now. Especially with the danger of being found out.”

Leona groaned, wishing Rook would stop touching him.

**[End Flashback]**

Naturally Leona didn’t tell the story how it was, Rook being the simp instead. Epel and Jack exchanged looks. They couldn’t really tell if he was telling the truth or not, but the story as a whole sounded solid.

“So, did you two… actually… in the gardens…?” Epel asked with big eyes.

“What do you think, runt?” Leona smirked.

Epel looked at Jack who was covering his face. Was the story embarrassing or something?

“So, Rook senpai was pursuing you and being real clingy… Wow.” Epel said in awe. “I guess I can see it.”

“If there’s nothing else, leave. I’m tired.”

The two left the room. It was when they were outside Jack finally spoke up.

“So what did you think of the story?”

“Leona was totally the simp.” Epel shrugged. “But it was really surprising to hear that Rook rejected his advances so many times. Everyone would expect the tables to be turned.”

“How can you be so sure Leona senpai was changing the story?”

“I just have my ways. Don’t bring the story up with Rook senpai. I’m afraid what’ll happen if he knows we know… especially after he turned me away.”

Jack nodded, seeing Epel off. He could understand why Leona lied about Rook being the clingy simp. He would seem uncool and vulnerable. Though it gave him a little hope. If they could get together, he had a chance with someone too.


	468. Leona, Kalim + Malleus: No one is stupid enough

Malleus sat down, glancing around. It felt a little strange sitting here amongst the other students. Then again, he was always doing his own thing so it was his own problem.

“Move.”

Malleus turned, seeing Leona placing his tray down. Why was he telling him to move? He was saving this table. Malleus narrowed his eyes.

“You can find another spot which isn’t here.” he responded coldly.

“I’m saving this table for me and someone else. You’re always alone so you clearly have no use for it. Get up before I make you.” Leona growled.

“You? Are _you_ challenging me?”

“Looking at you just makes me fucking sick.”

“Hi!”

They looked, seeing Kalim standing with a boxed lunch.

“Umm, let’s sit!” Kalim said, having Leona sit down. “How are we today?”

Neither responded. Kalim continued to smile, not letting it deter him.

“It was fine until now.” Leona spoke up, not hiding his annoyance.

Malleus didn’t respond, but it was clear he was upset from the look on his face. Kalim happily talked about his day as he opened up his lunch.

“And now I’m here with you two!” Kalim grinned.

They were the only two dorm leaders who weren’t on good terms. If he could get them to get along, then the meetings would probably go better. Well, as better as it could get. Once fully opened, Leona recoiled at the smell.

“What’s wrong?” Kalim asked curiously.

“Your lunch smells…”

“It looks a little… different?” Malleus tacked on, the color a bit sickening. “Is it supposed to look like that?”

“I don’t understand what you’re asking… It looks fine to me.”

Leona and Malleus exchanged looks. Leona knew meat and that meat looked and smelled terrible.

“It’s fine, I made it myself. Can’t get poisoned if you’re the only one to touch it haha!”

“Poisoned…”

“You say it so casually, Kalim. It’s unnerving…” Malleus muttered.

“Surely you both know what it’s like?” Kalim said with hopeful eyes.

“No one is stupid enough to mess with either of us. Him cause he’s all important and will delete your family and its future with just a few words. Me ‘cause you’d have to be a dumb idiot to think you could take me down.” Leona chuckled. “You’re easy prey, herbivore.”

“I’m fine! I’ve never been poisoned before anyway.” said Kalim cheerfully, digging into his lunch.

Neither moved a muscle, seeing it was his own fault for not exercising caution. Kalim gave them a thumbs up, showing he was perfectly fine.

“So, you’ve really never had attempts to take your lives?”

“No. I’d kill them first anyway.” Leona scoffed. “If killing was legal.”

Kalim looked to Malleus.

“People run at the sight of me. I highly doubt they’d have the guts to even touch me.”

“Ah, right…”

If anything, they weren’t at each other’s throats so doing this had to be a good thing. Kalim finished his lunch, feeling stuffed.

“So… Do you guys have any plans after school?” asked Kalim.

“Yeah. Getting away from all of you.”

“Unlike a certain idiotic lion, I’m more than happy to hear out your thoughts.” replied Malleus happily.

“The fuck is wrong with you? You’re just dying to start something with me aren’t you?”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Um!”

They looked at Kalim who fidgeted slightly.

“It’s fine if you’re busy… I was being a little selfish haha. No need to argue.”

The two settled, Malleus giving him his attention.

“I’ll be happy to join you after school, Kalim. However, if it’s something I don’t want or can’t do, I’m leaving.”

“Understood…”

Kalim looked to Leona then decided against it. They could only stand being near each other for so long, but today was a good start. Kind of.


	469. Silver: Satisfying self care

Silver opened the door, a yawn escaping his lips.

“Morning, animal whisperer.” Malleus chuckled, watching Silver plop down next to him. “Not seeing Lilia first?”

“What are you doing?”

“Making a craft. Want to try?” he explained.

Silver was given a part of it before being given intstructions.

“Like this, Father?” Silver asked, showing Malleus his design.

“Father? Hm, I suppose it’s okay. Maybe if you did this…”

Silver listened before finally snapping his head up in shock.

“What did I just say to you?”

“‘Like this, Father?’. Is-”

Silver got up before getting on his hands and knees.

“S-”

“I’m so sorry! I have no excuse for making such a dumb mistake.” Silver apologized.

“It’s fine, Silver. It’s touching to know you feel that way about me.” chuckled Malleus, lifting Silver to his feet. “Though, I’m not sure Lilia would approve.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, he doesn’t have to know. Come here, little child of mine.” Malleus smiled, opening his arms.

Silver’s eyes darted around as he shifted his weight. It was a little weird since they were never close, at least this close. He accepted Malleus’ hug, hesitating before returning the hug. Malleus’ eyes widened, not expecting Silver to hold tighter.

“Silver?”

“I don’t know what to do with myself…”

“You really are adorable.”

They pulled apart, Silver sitting by his side again. They continued with their crafting in silence.

“F- Father…”

Malleus became a little giddy. It felt so nice knowing Silver looked to him as a father figure.

“Yes? Need help?”

“No. You’ve got some on your clothes.”

Silver giggled, watching Malleus trying to pull it off. Maybe that’s why things always felt off when they were together. They just didn’t know where they stood.

•

Lilia stared long and hard at his son. Silver was naturally creeped out.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if you weren’t upside down, Father.” Silver muttered, reading his book.

“Something is different with my child. Parents know these kinds of things. Did you start crushing on someone?” asked Lilia.

“No.”

“Had a satisfying self care session?”

“What!? No!” Silver exclaimed, his cheeks gaining color.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s all natural. Hm… what else… Something good happened then?”

“I suppose…” Silver mumbled.

“Oh? Do tell your old man. I love keeping up to date with you.”

“It’s nothing really. Malleus and I just got a little closer.”

Lilia floated down, now standing upright.

“That’s good news! I was always worried there was something wrong between you both…” Lilia said feeling relieved. “So, how did you get closer?”

Silver turned his head away, trying to come up with a reason. Lilia suddenly gasped.

“Silver, don’t tell me you… Oh my god… My little boys are growing up so fast.” Lilia fake weeped.

“Father…? What do you mean…?”

Lilia was too emotional to respond. He finally composed himself, ready to answer.

“You and Malleus are dating huh? I never would’ve thought…”

“NO!” Silver shouted.

“No? Then what is going on?”

“We just came to an understanding. That’s all. Nothing happened between us.” Silver explained, unbelieving of the conclusion he came to.

“Oh. Well I guess that’s fine too.”

“Lilia- sama! Silver.”

They looked, seeing Sebek heading their way. Silver sighed, closing his book. He immediately fled the moment they were engrossed in conversation. He headed upstairs, not really having a destination. Silver slowed to a stop, noticing a familiar figure. He walked over in silence, not wanting to startle him.

“Silver. Curious about the ravens as well?”

“Ravens?”

Silver looked out the window, seeing baby ravens in a nest. They were so small and precious. He looked around before cutely tugging on Malleus’ sleeve.

“Um, Father… I kind of told Dad about the change. Not the name part, just… we’re a little closer.”

“A little closer? I’d say a lot closer. Unless I’m the only one feeling this way?”

“No! It’s just… I didn’t want to make assumptions, Father…”

Malleus gently pat him on the head, giving him a warm smile. Silver looked away, feeling embarrassed. Malleus looked up, hearing the bell.

“I unfortunately have to leave, but I’ll be in my room after I’m finished with the dorm leaders’ meeting. Will you come see me then?”

Silver nodded, relishing in the affection. Silver stayed by the window as Malleus disappeared within green lights. He looked out, seeing the baby ravens being fed. It felt nice not being so distanced from Malleus.

“HEY!”

Silver jumped, not expecting to hear someone yell. He looked for the source. Sebek walked towards him, his entire being screaming he was pissed.

“Yes?”

“HAVE YOU NO TACT?!”

“Could you speak lower…? Please…”

“I’m not taking orders from you! How dare you try and get all super friendly and familiar with Young Master!? You’re just a guard!” Sebek fussed, his volume seeming to increase.

“What are you-”

“Don’t play dumb with me Silver. I heard you call him father. What gives you the right to call him that? You only _lived_ in his home, he not once helped raise you to what you are now. KNOW YOUR PLACE!”

Silver scrunched his nose.

“You don’t know anything! It’s great and all you care so much about f- Malleus senpai, but it’s up to him to decide who he wants to have close to him and not! Yelling at me for a choice he made isn’t going to do anything because we both want it. Get your head out of your fucking ass and act like a guard, supporting Malleus.” Silver shouted back, visibly angry.

Sebek gave him a nasty look but didn’t say anything else as he walked away. Silver calmed down, seeing Sebek got him riled up. He understood where Sebek was coming from, he really did. But he didn’t know everything. Malleus was as much a father to him as Lilia was. There were many times Malleus watched and took care of him in place of Lilia when he couldn’t.

He was happy he and Malleus could be close like this. It felt like a hole that had been in hiding was finally filled. Silver didn’t want it any other way.


	470. Diasomnia: Just hold onto Papa

“Father, can you read me a bedtime story?”

“Of course, Silver. But I can do you one better.”

Lilia smiled softly, seeing Silver had fallen asleep. It felt like just yesterday he brought him home and started caring for the baby Silver had been. Now he was growing up so quickly. He gently pressed a kiss to Silver’s forehead before leaving.

•

Lilia was awaken from his slumber by some unusual amount of heat pressing against his body. He had a bat turn on the light then widened his eyes slightly at what he found. A tiny Silver lied curled up next to him feeling like a furnace.

“A fever…?”

He felt too hot for it to just be a fever. He felt different parts of Silver, confirming that he was indeed sick and in need of immediate attention.

“Lilia! Si-”

Lilia hushed Malleus, taking care of his sick son. Malleus relaxed, seeing this was where Silver had disappeared to. Sebek poked his head from behind Malleus, taking note of the adults’ serious faces. Why were they looking so serious for? Why was Silver lying down unmoving? He started to panic, his tiny body starting to shake.

“Sebek, it’s okay. What’s wrong?” Malleus whispered, feeling the shaking.

Lilia glanced back before turning his attention back to Silver. A bat dropped an object into his hands before flying back to rest. Lilia placed it under Silver’s neck, deeming everything fine. He’d have to wait until Silver woke up to give him medicine.

“Sebek…”

Lilia crouched down, gently caressing Sebek’s cheek. Sebek stopped crying, looking at Lilia.

“Everything is okay. Lilia and Malleus have everything under control, right?” Lilia smiled, looking at Malleus.

“Yep. Silver is okay and I’m sure he’d appreciate you worrying and caring about him.” Malleus added, giving Sebek a head pat.

“He’s okay…?”

“Yes. He won’t be able to play today.” Lilia said softly. “Malleus will be able to though. You two should head out and play together.”

Sebek walked around them, climbing onto the bed and sitting beside Silver. Did he not want to play?

“Sebek, don’t sit so close. You may catch it.” Lilia warned, moving him back some.

“When he wakes up, we can play right?”

“No, Sebek. His body needs rest to fight the bad guys in his body.” said Malleus. “Once they’re gone you two can play again.”

“For now, why don’t we give Silver some space and come back later?”

Sebek took their hands, leaving the room with them.

•

Sebek laughed in delight, following Lilia and Malleus.

“Ah, I should check on Silver. I’ll be right back.”

Lilia entered the room, finding the temperature strange. Objects were floating around. He hurried over to Silver who’s breathing was haggard. He felt his forehead only to draw back quickly. He was practically freezing. Clearly it wasn’t a normal sickness. He’s seen a lot but this one baffled him. He started looking through books he magically transported, trying to figure out what it was.

Malleus entered, taking note of the wonky room.

“What’s going on…?”

“I don’t know! My son… my precious child…”

“Lilia, deep breaths. You’ve been in this world for centuries. You can figure it out. I left Sebek with the chefs and they’re making sweets so I have time to help out.”

Lilia handed him books, telling him Silver’s symptoms so far. The object eventually dropped, the temperature in the room rising significantly. Lilia felt Silver, seeing he was still cold. He turned a page before a light bulb went off. He knew why he couldn’t find it.

“Malleus, I need hot water, honey, worms…” Lilia said, rattling off a list of things he needed.

Malleus nodded, hurrying to gather them. Lilia pressed Silver to his chest, needing him to get warm and fast. He created fire, keeping it from touching anything. Malleus came back, following Lilia’s careful instructions of mixing the drink.

“Papa…”

Lilia looked, seeing Silver was waking up.

“It’s cold…”

“It’s okay. You’re going to be warm soon. Just hold onto Papa, okay?” Lilia whispered, stroking his head.

Silver closed his eyes, trying to feel Lilia’s warmth.

“Like this, Lilia?”

“Perfect. Okay, I need you to drink something, Silver. Can you do that?” Lilia asked, having his sit up on his own. Silver slowly nodded, his body shivering. “Open up.”

Silver opened his mouth, drinking the concoction. He coughed, desperately wanting to puke it up. It tasted awful.

“Be a big boy and drink it all. I know it’s bad but you’ll feel much better after drinking it and resting.” Lilia muttered, his heart breaking at the pained look on Silver’s face.

Silver swallowed it all, his nausea rising. Lilia was telling him not to puke yet his body wanted to.

“Lie down and try to sleep. And whatever you do, resist the urge to puke. You’ll have to drink it again if you do. Nausea just means it’s working.”

Silver weakly nodded, trying to fall asleep. Malleus and Lilia stayed by his side, helping him. Sebek silently watched, his face stained with tears. They said Silver was going to be okay. He didn’t look or sound okay. The two adults sighed then froze, not expecting to see Sebek. They hurried over, giving him comfort.

“Let’s to make cookies, okay? I promise I won’t leave this time.” Malleus said, trying to hurry him out.

“But Silver…!”

“He’s going to be okay. We promise.”

Sebek pulled away, once more sitting beside Silver. He looked severely unwell. He moved to touch him only for his hand to be moved. Was it contagious?

“Don’t. We don’t want you eventually catching it. Please come with us.” Lilia whispered.

“But Silver will be lonely.”

“We can come back to check on him. We can’t have you getting sick too.”

Sebek reluctantly moved, following them out. Lilia looked Silver over once more before leaving. He didn’t get far, worried about leaving Silver alone.

“Sorry, I can’t leave. I’m really worried…” Lilia whispered, going back into the room.

Lilia stayed by Silver’s side, gently rubbing his thumb over his small hand. Seeing Silver’s sleeping face made him relieved for a bit. Now it was just up to the mixture to fully cure him. He placed a tender kiss on Silver’s forehead, whispering words of love and comfort.


	471. Vil & Little Schoenheit: Mooch

“Eeeh! Aayayayaaaa!”

Vil hummed in response, finishing up his morning skin care routine. Epel was excited about something, but what he didn’t know.

“Eeel! Eeel! Yayaya!”

“Epel, I’m a little busy right now. Just one second okay?”

Vil deemed his face cared for, now able to give Epel his undivided attention. He turned, his jaw dropping. Epel waddled around, holding onto things and trying to reach what he couldn’t before.

“Epel!? When? How?”

Epel turned his head towards him, squealing. He knew Epel could stand on his own for a bit but this was…

“Eeel! Eeel!”

Eeel was Epel’s attempt of saying his name. It was endearing in a weird way. Epel let go of the leg of the table, walking towards Vil. Vil opened his arms to pick him up only for Epel to zoom past him and out the open door.

“Epel? Wait, Epel…!”

Students moved out of Epel’s path, their hearts melting instantly.

“Epel, come back here!”

Epel slipped away, squealing at the top of his lungs. Vil slowly became annoyed, Epel continually moving from his reach.

“Gotcha~!”

Epel wiggled around, trying to get free. Vil thanked the heavens.

“Thank you, Rook.”

Epel was transferred into Vil’s arms. Epel grunted in displeasure, wanting to move around.

“It looks like the little one has speedy legs, fufu~” Rook chuckled. “You’re gonna have to keep a better eye on him than before.”

“I know. Epel, settle down.”

“No.”

They looked at Epel who continued to squirm in his arms. Rook kept silent as Vil glared.

“You’re going to listen to me, Epel.”

“Noooo. Down, down!” Epel whined.

“You’re going to run off again. We have somewhere to be in an hour.”

Epel started to cry. Rook gestured to him. Vil sighed, putting Epel down. He instantly stopped crying and ran for the hills.

“You better make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”

Rook nodded with a smile, hurrying after the fleeing Epel. Vil sighed, feeling a bit of worry. Epel was becoming more defiant lately. Did they not have that mutual respect anymore? A small, sharp pain went through his chest. He was losing Epel’s respect wasn’t he?

•

Rook held Epel, seeing he tired himself out from all the running. He kept insisting to be put down to run around more but it was obvious he’d fall asleep right on the floor. He knocked on Vil’s door before opening it.

“Vil…?”

“Huh? Oh, you’re back. Did you lose him?”

“He’s right here and very tired.”

Rook placed Epel down on Vil’s bed, watching him roll over. Rook looked towards Vil who had a somber expression.

“Is there something on your mind?” Rook asked, noticing Vil was off.

“No. I’m all right. Thank you for watching him. I’ll do it next time.”

Rook knew something was bugging him but it was clear he wasn’t going to talk about it now. He silently took his leave. Epel peacefully slept, Vil gently rubbing his belly just how he liked it.

“I wonder if Mom felt like this when I was growing…” Vil whispered, the pain in his chest persisting.

Epel sighed, rolling towards him. Was he doing something wrong? He silently left the room, needing to consult with his mother.

•

Epel ran around, knocking things over in the process. Vil was keeping up with him, often being left behind to pick up after him. Students couldn’t help but laugh at how cute the two of them were. Yet to Vil, it felt they were growing farther apart.

Epel just wouldn’t listen to him anymore. Vil slowed to a stop, watching Epel run on ahead. He was failing as a guardian.

“Eeel!”

“Yes, Epel? Do you want to run more?”

Epel raised his arms, making grabby hands. Vil picked him up, not expecting Epel to kiss his cheek.

“Hey, where did you learn that?”

“Uku, Uku!”

Rook. What in the world was he teaching Epel? Epel did it again, smiling widely.

“Thank you, Epel. That’s really sweet.”

“Hapee Eel! Yay!”

Vil giggled, unable to feel down when Epel was radiating happiness like this.

“I’m sorry Epel… I’ll work harder…”

Epel tilted his head, looking at him with his wonder filled eyes.

“Arda?”

“Mhm. I’m going to be the best guardian I can for you.”

“Gar gar! Eeel gar!”

It was always interesting to hear Epel try to pronounce words like him. He set Epel down, only for Epel to whine.

“You don’t want to run anymore?”

“Up, up!”

He picked him up again, Epel reaching for his braid.

“Ah, don’t touch.”

“Pitee…”

“Hm, how about I braid yours when you get a bit more hair on your head?”

Clearly Epel liked the idea since he was practically screeching at the top of his lungs. Vil silenced him, carrying him back to his room. Epel sighed, resting his head against Vil. Maybe the mutual respect was still there.

Vil lied down next to Epel who resisted sleep. He wanted to play more.

“Not tired, hm? Want to play with Mr Apple?”

“Pease.”

Epel smiled widely, squeezing and squishing the apple plush. Vil gentle rubbed his head, often receiving looks from Epel in return. Epel tore his attention away from his plush, staring at Vil.

“Hm?”

Epel continued to stare at him. Was their something interesting in his face?

“Vale…”

“Vale?”

“Vale mooch!”

He wasn’t familiar with this. Was he hungry? Wanted another toy? Epel sat up, moving closer to him.

“What is it?”

“Mooch, mooch.” Epel repeated before kissing his cheek again.

Ah. Now he knew what mooch was. He gave him a little praise, not wanting him to think he was doing something bad. Now… what in the world was vale? Vale… vale…

“Vale, abu abu!”

“Vale… Am I Vale?” he asked, pointing to himself.

Epel pointed at him. So he’s upgraded from Eeel to Vale. Epel rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of his fatigue. Vil lied him down, seeing him getting fussy. He tenderly rubbed his belly, eventually getting him to settle.

“We can play more when you wake up, okay?” Vil whispered, kissing his forehead. “We’ll go outside and run around, I promise.”

Epel placed his tiny hand atop Vil’s, drifting off to sleep. Maybe he worried over nothing. Their mutual respect never wavered. Epel was just… growing, learning, becoming his own person. He felt a little more confident knowing that.


	472. Vil & Little Schoenheit: It’s a daisy

“Vil, you’re doing it again.” Rook chuckled, playing with Epel on the floor.

“Doing what? Don’t tell me you know me better than I know myself.” fussed Vil, glaring daggers at him.

“We’re just going for a little picnic. Epel doesn’t need that much.”

Epel got to his feet, walking over to Vil with his toys.

“Vale!”

“Thank you Epel.” he responded, taking them.

Epel walked back over, once more engrossed with his toys. Vil put them away, knowing he’d just pull them out on his own.

“Vil, if you do this… Viola~! Now you still have essentials but less to carry.” said Rook, having cleared the clutter. “Now we can go, yes? The little one looks a little restless.”

“Yes. Epel, are you ready to go bye bye?”

Epel got to his feet, excitedly waving his arms. Vil took his hand, leading him out of the dorm building. Students cooed, looking upon Epel fondly. Epel waved his little hand, seeing Vil and Rook do it to them. So it had to be good, right? The students waved back, wanting to give him hugs and affection.

They walked through the forest, finally finding the picnic spot. Epel attempted to climb a tree, easily failing. Vil brought him over to the blanket, sitting him down. Vil had them clean their hands before they started eating.

“Epel, no. Eat properly.” scolded Vil.

“No.”

“Excuse me? You won’t get to play if you don’t follow the rules.”

Epel was clearly displeased and continued to defy him. Vil sighed, seeing he really wanted punishment.

“Aha… The two of you really are something.” Rook laughed, helping him to get Epel under control.

“Haebe!” Epel said, holding his hands out.

“No toys. You didn’t listen.”

“Haebe, haebe!” Epel whined.

“No.”

Epel wailed, dropping the food in his hands. After some time, he realized neither were going to give him what he wanted. He quieted down, eating what was left in his kiddie container. Vil didn’t like having to be strict, but it seemed he had no choice. Vil felt his phone vibrate.

“Adella? I told you I was going to be with Epel all day. Huh? Right now? Adella- Honestly…”

Vil moved the phone from his ear, looking to Rook.

“Go ahead. I can handle the little apple.”

“But-”

“I know, you really wanted to be with him but you can’t help but be busy being in the entertainment industry. Plus the faster you go, the faster you can come back.” smiled Rook, giving Epel a bit more food.

“Adella? I’ll be there but tell them they have me for half an hour. Any longer and we’ll take serious action.” said Vil, giving Epel a kiss before hurrying off. “Bothering me on my day off. Some nerve…”

“Aw. It’s not everyday he openly shows affection towards you. Vil really loves you, you know.” said Rook, rubbing Epel’s head.

“Uku, gape!”

“Yep, a grape.”

“G… Ga… grape?”

Oh. He felt a bit bad that Vil had to miss it. He took out his phone, asking Epel to say grape. It took a while but he managed to get it on video.

“I supposed we can pack things away for now. I’m sure you want to run around.”

“Ye, ye! Run!”

Rook packed the food, making sure it was out of reach of the forest animals. Epel took off, Rook following closely behind. Epel took in everything, stopping to look at a flower.

“It’s a daisy.”

“Daeyee?”

“Mhm, daisy. Oh look, a butterfly.”

“Baafy.”

They looked at more vegetation, Rook telling him the name of each.

“Epel, let’s go back. I want to check on our stuff for a moment.”

Epel followed only so far before being distracted by a squirrel. Rook deemed their things safe, turning to tell Epel they could go play again. Epel wasn’t there. He took a deep breath, backtracking. He could easily find him, he had just to look for little indicators.

•

Tracking him was proving harder than he thought. He was definitely worried considering how young Epel was and how dangerous a forest could be without a guardian with him.

“Epel! Epel, can you hear me!?”

No response. Vil would kill him if he found out Epel got lost on his watch. He continued to call out to him, starting to fear the worst.

“Ep-”

He quieted down, hearing rustling. Was it Epel? He carefully looked through the bushes, seeing a deer. He moved to keep looking, only to see a baby deer in his peripheral vision. He stayed, finding the sight cute. A baby and its parents. He leaned in to get a better look before silently gasping. Epel was leaning against the baby.

He was worried that the parents would retaliate for Epel being too close to their baby, yet they seemed fine with it. He kept still, not wanting to startle the family.

The deers eventually left, leaving Epel behind. He picked Epel up, the child sleeping soundly.

“You really had me worried, little apple. Please don’t run off when we’re out like this…” Rook whispered, holding him close. “Vil would have a heart attack…”

Epel nestled into his arms, now comfortable. He now just had to make sure Vil never found out about it. The forest animals quietly watched from a distance as Rook carried Epel back to the picnic spot.


	473. Heartslabyul: Euphoric Suite

Riddle looked around, a heavy frown on his face. Something felt off.

“Riddle, you’re frowning again.”

“Trey, check those machines over there. Cater, check for the persons who were at those machines.”

Trey and Cater nodded, hurrying off.

“And what do we do?”

“Stay out of trouble.” Riddle said, briefly looking at the first years. “Especially you, Ace. But if you really want to be of use… Get them to spend more money.”

“Easy.” Ace bragged, puffing his chest out. “I’ll get the most.”

“No, I will. I’ll never lose to someone like you.”

Riddle smirked, knowing exactly what needed to be said to rile them up. Euphoric Suite. It was just a simple idea he had that he accidentally mentioned to Azul. Naturally that was his first mistake, getting Azul involved. But he had to admit, Azul knew how to work the headmaster. No one came on opening day which was pretty crushing, but what was he expecting? Who would want to spend all their madol on luck?

Yet the next day their place was almost packed to capacity. He didn’t know if Azul had anything to do with it, but it was great to see people interested. Naturally he had a heart, making sure no one left in debt.

“Low madol. Taking immediate action.”

“Huh?”

The student found themselves being escorted out, being told to come back when they had the required amount.

“Hm hmm hm~”

Anyone who knew him knew that hum fairly well.

“Che'nya, you can’t just skip ahead of people.”

“Who said I was here to play?”

Riddle gave him a look, Che'nya shrugging in response.

“Skip ahead and you’ll pay more.”

“Cold hearted.” mewed Che'nya, cutely rubbing against him. “Not even for an old furry friend nya~?”

“No.”

Che'nya groaned in response, wishing he’d relax a little. Riddle started to countdown before he personally threw Che'nya out himself. Che'nya complied, fading out.

“Have you been to Euphoric Suite before, Leblanche?”

“No. It sounds like fun though from what I’ve heard. I wonder what it looks like on the inside.” Neige replied, seeing they were getting closer.

Neige and two other RSA students were the only ones who dared venture into Night Raven territory. If Neige approved of it then they had no reason not to go themselves. They stayed close together, feeling hateful glares on them.

“Maybe we should’ve come during a less populated time…”

“I concur with Sneak here, Leblanche…”

“I understand. It’ll be hard to enjoy ourselves when it feels like someone will pick a fight at any moment…” Neige mumbled, briefly glancing back. “But even then, I still want to see this through… Sorry, Sneak, Dominic.”

The two shared a look, deciding to stay with Neige. They were finally by the entrance. They tried peeking in, trying to get a glimpse ahead of time. It was a shame pictures weren’t allowed but they understood. If parents caught wind of a casino on campus, they’d be up in arms asking why the school was allowing gambling.

“Next.”

The three of them entered, the faint sound of machines growing louder with each step. Their eyes widened, taking in the entire floor.

“Well, where should we start…?” Dominic piped up, bringing them back to reality.

“Something simple… Oh! Blackjack. Can’t go wrong with that.” Neige pointed out.

The trio walked over, a group just leaving the table.

“How many?”

They exchanged looks.

“Just me.” said Neige, paying the required amount. The dealer gave him two cards. “Oh. Is it okay if they stay and look?”

“It’s fine.”

The casino had many countermeasures to cheating. Dominic and Sneak looked, seeing Neige had two fives.

“Should I?” he whispered.

Sneak nodded.

“Hit me.”

The dealer gave him another card. Dominic was feeling anxious. Neige now had 14 in total. He could risk it and possibly get closer to 21 or go over. Neige looked to them before sighing. He folded. They revealed their cards.

“You lost…” Sneak mumbled, seeing the dealer had 17.

“We’ll win next time.” Neige said cheerfully.

He lost. The dealer had a perfect 21. Neige kept up the positivity, trying once more. He lost again.

“Maybe we should try another one. Like the roulette?”

“You’re guaranteed to lose there though, Sneak…” Dominic replied as they walked away.

“Poker?” Neige suggested.

Dominic was very hesitant. He’s heard of poker games where all they did was cheat. Who was to say the house wouldn’t cheat themselves?

“You’re worrying again. It’s just going to be one round.” Neige chuckled, patting his head.

 _“I’m worried you’ll get addicted to gambling…”_ thought Dominic as they walked over to the poker table.

•

Sneak looked to Dominic. Neige wouldn’t budge from the table.

“Just one more round. I’ll win this time!”

“Neige…”

Dominic and Sneak managed to pull Neige out of the chair. Neige sighed, quietly thanking them.

“I was so close to winning! I feel so unlucky.”

“Or, the house is cheating.”

“That doesn’t make sense. If the house was cheating, why are Night Raven students winning?”

Dominic gave him a look that said “really”. It then clicked. It was precisely that they were from Royal Sword that they never won. Night Raven hated their guts.

“That’s not fair! We deserve equal treatment!” shouted Neige, earning looks from those nearby.

“Who in the world is shouting?”

They moved closer together as Riddle arrived.

“Oh. Students from Royal Sword. Didn’t think you all were into gambling being so pure of heart.” Riddle said a little harsher than he meant.

“Well some of us heard from Che'nya about this place but we were hesitant to get involved with this kind of thing… So me and these guys came to investigate for everyone. Yet we lost at every game here…”

“Today just isn’t your lucky day then, Leblanche.” said Riddle with a shrug. “To think I’d run my casino only in favor of those in Night Raven is great insult, Leblanche. An apology would be much appreciated.”

“Sorry…” they said in unison.

As if. He alerted all of the staff to make them lose their first game to throw them off for the next games they played. He didn’t think it’d work so well. He didn’t really like using underhanded tricks, but he did like messing with students of Royal Sword.

“So, will you continue to play? If not, please leave. You’re taking up space for those who came to.” said Riddle.

Dominic shook his head, seeing they should probably leave. Sneak let out a little sneeze, not really having a preference for what they did.

“We’ll… stay for one more game and then we’ll leave.” declared Neige.

Dominic sighed with his body while Riddle clapped in glee. Riddle ushered Neige ahead while the dwarves hung behind.

“He’s lucky he’s rich…” Dominic muttered, Sneak nodding in agreement. “I bet he’ll be flat broke before he leaves here.”

“We can prevent that you know…”

“Yes, or we can let him learn a lesson.”

Sneak didn’t reply, carefully considering their options.


	474. Announcement

Hi everyone! **Due to certain reasons, there won't be anymore Tumblr request stories for a while**. I hope you can all understand. Will I stop writing twist shorts? you'd have to be kidding. i may or may not post my own creations here (and they will be marked so you'll know which are mine), so keep a lookout! Thank you for understanding everyone~!

if you want to read all of the non tumblr request stories, you can check them out on my Tumblr: seiten-no-fun and go to my archive. sort all the posts by "short story" tag and every post that just shows a title are the ones i wrote. any with text before the title are requests!


	475. Announcement

I forgot to mention I have an ongoing story for twist, Shimmering UDrem. So if need something to keep you busy, have a read! of course, you don't have to. just providing an option

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26178085/chapters/63700972


	476. Cheka + Leona: Lions don’t cower

Cheka quickly walked home, not taking the scenic route he did when going to school. He briefly greeted people, wishing home wasn’t so far. Maybe he should’ve just taken the mirror home. Then again, that meant staying longer with them.

“Little oji-sama! Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“Oh, I’m heading home…”

“Hm? Don’t you usually use mirrors? Won’t your parents get upset seeing you walked home?”

Cheka pursed his lips, saying goodbye before continuing. He could think of a good lie to tell them for not going home by the school mirror.

Cheka finally arrived home, a little tired from walking.

“Cheka! You should’ve been home by now. Did you hang out with friends? Why didn’t you tell us?” Nikita asked, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Don’t forget to tell us next time, okay?”

“Mhm…” Cheka nodded, heading up to his room.

She knew that wasn’t the case but she didn’t want to press too early. Cheka threw his bag on the floor before hiding underneath his bedsheets. He didn’t want to go back to school. TV made school seem so fun and exciting. Yet…

_‘Let me touch them!’_

_'No me!’_

_'Stop…! It hurts!’_

_'So? Oh! His tail!’_

_'Stop!’_

Cheka shuddered, remembering their touches and punches all over his body.

“Cheka.”

He let his head poke out from underneath, his father walking over to him.

“Hey.”

“How was the first day? Meet any future friends?”

Cheka shrunk further back, causing Farena worry.

“Well, you don’t always make friends on the first day. Just give it a little time. Wanna tell me about your day?”

“No…”

“All right. Want anything?”

“Just water…”

Farena gave him a nod, heading out. He made a beeline for Leona’s room.

“Fara!”

“Oh, Niki. What’s up?”

“Did Cheka tell you anything?”

Farena shook his head before telling her his plan. Nikita was on board, knowing exactly his train of thought. They entered the room, disturbing the person inside.

“What?”

“We need you to talk to Cheka.” said Nikita. “He likes to tell you things.”

“Ha? No.”

“Leona.”

Leona grumbled, getting up from his bed.

“What do you want dragged out of him?” Leona yawned, ruffling his hair.

“What his first day was like. Junior high isn’t anything like primary school…” Farena explained, Cheka’s somber face present in his mind.

Leona walked out, heading for Cheka’s room. He closed the door behind him, calling out Cheka’s name.

“Uncle?”

“Who else?”

Cheka came out from underneath his sheets, running over to him. Leona patted his back only allowing affection just to get him to talk.

“Why were you cowering under the sheets? Lions don’t cower.”

“But…”

“Lions don’t cower.” Leona repeated.

Cheka’s arms fell to his sides, his head hanging. He says that but how could he not cower? They were constantly pulling on his ears and tail. They hit him for no reason. He didn’t want to hurt anyone.

“They were hurting me…”

“Hurting you? Verbally? Physically?”

“Both…” Cheka whispered, rubbing his arm. “They were touching me even after I told them to stop…”

“And you didn’t use force?”

“No… I don’t want to hurt anyone! Unless I have to…”

“And them inappropriately touching you didn’t count?” Leona asked.

Cheka sniffled, his animal features showing his emotions. He knew he should’ve fought back but he was scared to.

“So you let the kids bully you. You? The crown prince of Afterglow? What a joke. Are you seriously going to be a coward? Or are you going to stand up to them tomorrow?”

“I’ll… I’ll try…!”

“Try?”

“I’ll do it!”

“That’s what I want to hear. What makes us strong isn’t just our innate strength, it’s the lack of fear and immense courage we habit within.” said Leona, giving him a head pat.

Cheka smiled, feeling a bit better. Leona always knew how to help him. Cheka hurried over to his discarded bag, regaining his motivation to do things. Leona left, not expecting to see Farena and Nikita waiting.

“So? What was it?” Farena asked.

“Bullies.”

“What?! On the first day?!”

Leona sighed, explaining what happened.

•

Cheka took a deep breath before stepping through the mirror, arriving at school. He kept an eye out for the kids, feeling prepared to take them on. He was a lion, top of the food chain. He was going to show them.

“Cheka!”

“Hey-”

“We’re sorry!”

Cheka blinked, not expecting them to get on their hands and knees to apologize.

“Apology not accepted. Let me hit you.” Cheka huffed, crossing his arms.

They stood up, awaiting punches. Cheka gave them each a hefty hit, feeling better about himself.

“Don’t touch me ever again! Or else I’ll get really mad!” Cheka said, a low snarl escaping.

He let out a cute gasp, not expecting his snarl to be so low. It was usually high pitched and cute. The students hurried off, seeming really scared of him. He didn’t question it, just thankful that they wouldn’t be messing with him any longer.


End file.
